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Lesser track than needed

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  • Member since
    August 2008
  • 14 posts
Lesser track than needed
Posted by 4-4-0 Steamer Florida Branch on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 10:06 PM

I was blessed enough to get a lot, a very LARGE lot of Bachmann  G Scale track and several sets of trains also. The display was to be built indoors but that has al changed for verious reasons that can not be overcome.In the interest of getting this project started I was wondering if I were to take the tin type track and turn it over and use a marine grade comercial caulk type sealer to fill the voids on the rails and then make on of the rolling stock cars into an oiler of some type ,would this work for maybe a single season until I can save up to buy the track I need. I am a late in life DAD with a three year old with a large interest in trains and I want to keep that interest feed so she learns about all the great things that working aproject and owning it can give back to those involved. I am not just trying to be cheap, I was hit in November and closed my landscape co. of 26 years due to seven buljed disk and one ruptured disk and one vertibra that has had three or four fragments end up in the spinnal cannal. So I need to save money if possible. It's a pain to be unemployed but keeping busy is good.

  • Member since
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  • From: Central Vermont
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Posted by cowman on Thursday, August 7, 2008 10:03 PM

Welcomne to the forums, sorry to  hear about your back.  It's no fun not being able to do, if you want to.

You might have better luck going to the Garden Railway portion of the forums to get an answer.  The chatter here is pretty much HO and N.

Sorry I can't be of any techinical help.

Good luck,

  • Member since
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  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
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Posted by selector on Thursday, August 7, 2008 10:41 PM

Moved by selector.  Good luck!

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Posted by ttrigg on Friday, August 8, 2008 12:20 AM

Florida Branch: Sign - Welcome [#welcome]

Not having an personal experience with Bachmann track I cannot speak with firsthand knowledge, but there are plenty of folks here who will tell you that the B'mann track will rot very quickly outdoors.  Given that info, I would say that it would not be worth the cost and time and effort to seal the underside of the track.  From what you say about having a large supply of the stuff, you might consider putting down a small portion, say about a third of it, saving the other two thirds for replacement.  During the meantime purchase the real outdoor track in small affordable batches.  I would guess that doing it in thirds, should give you about a years worth of train running time, and buying better track.  That statement is pure speculation on my part, it could be considerably less time than that.  It is doubtful that you would be able to join the B'mann rails with any of the outdoor rails. 

Now for a reccomendation as to what type of rails to buy: I refuse to give that recommendation.  There are many pro's and con's between stainless steel and brass.  I run brass rail using track power.  I like the way the brass rails age (oxidize) to a rustic brown, I run on nothing but LGB brass flexrail.  I will freely admit that stainless is stainless, and will not oxidize (it actually does, but it takes centuries not months to be noticable) and many claim better conductivity to the power pikups on the engine.  To me, rail type is a personal choice.  One reccomendation I will make is to use "flex rails" no matter which type or brand of track you decide to go with. You will need a rail bender but you can build to suit your needs, not suck with any "standard curves".

 

Tom Trigg

  • Member since
    October 2008
  • From: Wisconsin
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Posted by CCRM on Friday, August 8, 2008 8:25 AM
As a teen, money is a problem for me too. I planned the construction of my layout so that I can build buildings and scenery througout the year while I save up for track and engines. Building the structures is part of the hobby, so that will help keep the interest.

Chris Y.

Modeling the WSOR in 1:29

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    April 2002
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Posted by Rene Schweitzer on Friday, August 8, 2008 8:52 AM
Welcome!

You might read the post "Bachmann track question" in the live steam/power forum. A gentleman did some experiments to Bachmann track (outdoors) over a number of months.

Rene Schweitzer

Classic Toy Trains/Garden Railways/Model Railroader

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  • From: silver spring, md
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Posted by altterrain on Friday, August 8, 2008 9:54 AM

Yes, take a look at the post and keep in mind he was using it for battery power and that you live in very humid Fla. It will be lots of work to fill all that track with caulk for maybe a few months of running. Take a look at cheaper track options like AMS and (soon coming out) AristoCraft brass flex track. Also consider joining the very active club down there - http://www.fgrs.org/. Clubs are cheap to join and you'll get lots of valuable knowledge plus you never know when some member might be selling off some extra track.

-Brian 

President of
  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Hurricane Alley, Florida
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Posted by EMPIRE II LINE on Friday, August 8, 2008 10:59 AM

Say Florida,

Where you located here, I'm in Kissimmee, maybe we could get together if'en yer not so far from me an help ya out a bit.

Let me know what ya got in mind maybe......

Byron C.

He Wore Arrow Shirts Too
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Posted by hoofe116 on Friday, August 8, 2008 4:04 PM
 cowman wrote:

You might have better luck going to the Garden Railway portion of the forums to get an answer.  The chatter here is pretty much HO and N.

Unngg? According to my computer screen, this is the Garden RR forum.

Les

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    February 2004
  • From: North, San Diego Co., CA
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Posted by ttrigg on Friday, August 8, 2008 7:04 PM

 hoofe116 wrote:
 cowman wrote:
You might have better luck going to the Garden Railway portion of the forums to get an answer.  The chatter here is pretty much HO and N.
Unngg? According to my computer screen, this is the Garden RR forum.  Les

Les:  Me thinks someone duplicated the original post from there to here.

Tom Trigg

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: silver spring, md
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Posted by altterrain on Friday, August 8, 2008 9:18 PM

The whole thing was moved by a moderator (Selector).

-Brian 

President of

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