I hate my layout

[MountainMan]

Prototype railroads are exposed to enormous natural extremes - do their rails "kink"?

Absolutely!!! What we called "Bucked Track". Pretty common occurrence on welded rail in the hot summer. I've seen instances of the track where it "bucked out" to the point that a train could not safely pass over it. The cure is to cut a thin slice out of the rail, shove it back into alignment and then re-weld it.

What happens to that piece in the middle of winter at maximum contraction? More buckling?