raymansThe possible reason that the rigid is more expensive may be that an extra manufacturing operation is needed, they add a couple of braces to the track to keep it rigid.
This is the reason. The spine used in the fixed sections adds labor and material to the cost.
Rob
Justrains in Delaware is another good source.
Poppyl
weldman87 wrote:Where is a good place to get gargraves track?
This should be about the lowest.
http://www.amhobbiesonline.com/
Just some info on switches; Gargraves and Ross Custom switches can be used with Gargraves track with just regular Gargraves track pins, DZ Industries makes the switch motors for Gargraves switches and you can buy replacement switch motors from Ross custom switch website. From my own experiance do not deal directly with DZ Industries as they sell wholesale only and not retail, use www.rossswitches.com for DZ Industry stuff.
Lee F.
I think a lot will depend on where you live and what sort of climate you live in. Setting up a layout using the real wood ties in South East Texas (high humidity) versus Denver, Colorado (low humidity) will probably see very different results. Any product made out of wood here in Colorado will dry out and shrink to a certain extent. How this would impact the wood ties with Gargraves track...I don't know. But I would think it will have some small impact if not cared for over time.
Jerry
I have Gargraves track in both O gauge and S gauge and have not noticed any problems with the wood ties shrinking or warping, there is one precaution with wood ties and using screws-you must drill the hole for the screw first or the wood tie will split! Also the switches in Gargraves are more dependable than Lionel tubular switches from recent years. If anybody mentions something bad about Gargraves track it must come from people who don't know about Gargraves track, like Lionel or MTH or Atlas.
The reason the ridgid track costs more is that there is two extra pieces of plastic underneath on the plastic track that run the whole length of the track.
Here in Florida I am using Gargraves stainless steel track as it don't rust like regular steel track.
John
I have both wood and plastic ties on the layout and in 11 years have not seen any real difference except in appearance.
I also have flex and rigid. The possible reason that the rigid is more expensive may be that an extra manufacturing operation is needed, they add a couple of braces to the track to keep it rigid.
My current layout has been in place with GarGraves since about 1971. No problems with tie shrinkage. If left new & unbent, the ties often stick to the rails & it is hard to curve the track after several years, but they can be sprayed w/ WD-40 or the like to slide like new.
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