Rusting Stainless Steel Track (etc) ?!!

[Anonymous]

I recently bought a Marklin set and a few extra bits of track, while I haven't built my railway yet, I've taken my track outside in the rain, and after five days there's quite a bit of rust developing. It's stainless, so it shouldn't rust, right?

Any suggestions for reasonably scaled 1/32i***rack? Cargraves maybe? They don't seem to list scale or code on their site. Should I just let it rust since I plan on going to battery power?

Another problem I have is that one loco is AC power only, anyone know how to get it to run on DC battery power?

[Anonymous]

If your rail is rusting after only five days I would think that it isn't stainless steel at all.
Is the rail hollow, if it is you most likely have tin-plate rail made of thin steel. If this is what you have then it will not hold up outside.

Can't help on the AC power question.

OLD DAD

[Anonymous]

I have done some research in my spare time on the SS track.
It will not rust. So with this in mind you have to go back to the weathering style. This is what I use http://www.rustall.com/ very nice stuff.

Go to a search engine on the web and type your train in like "Bachmann Big Hauler Modeling Tips" and see if you hit a RR Nail.

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine is in the processs of expanding his garden layout. He is using stainless steel track. It has been down less than a month, and the track IS RUSTING. Richard

[Anonymous]

When I first started I was warned about stainless track.Some people had a few bits but ripped it up and threw it away.When using track power you will always have to clean the track no matter what you use.Stick with brass.Weathers better.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by troybetts

When I first started I was warned about stainless track.Some people had a few bits but ripped it up and threw it away.When using track power you will always have to clean the track no matter what you use.Stick with brass.Weathers better.

Could it be that the electric current has had some reverse "Galvanization" effect that has resulted in an undesired resultant?

What property is it that makes "Stainless Steel" stainless? Is it able to stand up to electrolysis? Is galvanized better?

Just curious,

Capt Carrales

[Anonymous]

I tried it works fine here. On the Gulf Coast of Mexico.
Hey, maybe I make 2 different tracks......who knows [C):-)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rainbowglass

A friend of mine is in the processs of expanding his garden layout. He is using stainless steel track. It has been down less than a month, and the track IS RUSTING. Richard

Can your friend send one section of the track to me so I can do some studies on it?
Just thought about it. Like to see.

[cacole]

I'm rather skeptical that what you have is really stainless steel and not something cheaper. I have AristoCraft Stainless Steel track that has been down for over one year with no sign of rust or corrosion at all, and I don't expect to see any.

[Anonymous]

Gentlemen and Rene

As an ex sailor I have had some experience with stainless steel and their are different grades of the the stuff. This is given a 3 digit number denoting the quantity of the various metals in the alloy. I think 356 is a typical marine grade stainless and i have seen new rigging get a distinct brownish colur about it in an hostile marine environment after just a few months but it stops there.

So I think we may have seen some brand "X" stainless steel if it is rusting so easily. but we also may be looking at other reasons for it rusting like other types of pollution affecting the rain!

Further I would ask why are you using stainless? brass is the way to go and unless someone has very good reason for so doing why use anything else, guys lets not try and re invent the wheel!


Regards


Tropical Ian

By the way it is snowing in Australia at the moment!

[Anonymous]

Ian, Australia is a large country, in what part is it snowing....not on your tropical island I hope.

As far as reinventing the wheel goes, in large scale LGB started with brass rail but brass wasn't the first rail used in model railroading.
I believe steel was used for the first model railroad rail. At first in the form of tin-plate rail then as solid rail for scale modeling.
Later, brass rail came along since steel rusted too much. The oxide problem on brass rail eventually brought about nickel silver rail that needed far less cleaning.

Why stainless steel rail was invented for large scale, I don't know??... NS works just as well and is cheaper to buy, solders better and bends easier.

OLD DAD