aircraft cable for track?

[Anonymous]

I was just wondering if stainless steel cable or galvanized cable would work for home made track? Yes there are issues to work out, Im just wanting to know if you think it might work. I'm sure to open a pandora's box on this one. Thanks for looking and any feed back. - Greg
(BTW, just starting out and a little freaked about the prices of track. Trying to think out of the box so to speak to save a buck or two.)

Oh, On a side note, is it true that Bachmann track is not good for outside?
I just bought the Casey Jones Big Hauler set and was hoping to use some of the track in that. Thanks again - Greg

[DavidGSmith]

Bite the bullet and buy good track. I use LGB but it depends on the area where you live and how much you like cleaning track if you use track power as I do. There have been a number of good articles in GR that can answer any questions you might have. It would seem that aircraft cable would not give a very prototype cross section and would be a bear to fasten down. I used to install garage doors which use this cable. It is very flexible but I can not see how it can be fastened down and still run trains.
Dave

[bman36]

Greg,
Bachmann track will rust if used outdoors. It will be trash in no time. Keep it for inside. Buy yourself a single loop of track for this season. Aristo and LGB are both good. Then each year add some more track as you can afford it. Before you know it you will be adding switches and all the other goodies. Garden Railways are best "Grown" a little at a time. This gets you going without being overwhelmed. Later eh...Brian.

[vsmith]

It would be impossible to install a turnout, and the track would have 0 side to side rigidity. In other words it would be like using spagetti. any movement of inertia generated by the force of a train on the outside of a curve would eventually warp the track. Not to mention that I cannot see how you could "spike" it down? Also think about how strange your railroad might look.

Buy bulk rail and a rail bender or use ready to run track. you'll be happier in the long run.

[Anonymous]

Nothing is ever impossible. Just sometimes not feesible. I was just throwing the idea
out here. And I wouldn't care what it looked like if the trains ran. I am planning on using
Nightingale's method of using aluminum. Thanks
Greg

[Grefflyn]

Hey iaviksfan
How about 'There are no problems, only solutions.
Thought your idea strange and definetly 'outside the box'
but what the hey thats what hobbies are for. Who knows what strange and wonderful ideas may come up.
Grefflyn

[mkblk]

Couldn't resist chiming in! I bet the aircraft cable idea would work for the longer runs if you had "milled" roadbed like "TruScale" HO stuff. Also, the flanges couldn't be too deep. You'd have to glue the cable into the slots, but the slots would make it self-gauging. Of course you'd better be a cabinet maker to make such a roadbed. On the other hand, if a manufacturer such as TruScale did make a weather resistant milled roadbed, you could use any number of commercially available rails. I wonder just how economical that mix would be?

Another, possibly less expensive solution is to fabricate your own ties with "tie plates" (a looong winter's project) and then secure the "rail" with spikes or glue. That would solve the gauging problem and keep the cost down. Besides, I'm sure that lot's of GR's may have used a similar approach. After all, ties, spikes and rails are readily available. The only thing unique in my idea is the tie plate thing (and I can't be sure of that, either!).

MK