track in Arizona

[Anonymous]

I'm about to build a rather large outdoor Garden Railway in the Mesa, AZ area.
What's the best track to use? I was thinking of aristo-Craft stainless usa style instead of brass. Any suggestions?

[cacole]

I live in Sierra Vista and use AristoCraft brass and stainless both because some items I needed, such as #6 turnouts, were only available in stainless. The brass is holding up just as well as the stainless, with no corrosion problems yet. I run only battery power, so I will never need to worry about cleaning track. Your biggest concern in the Mesa area is going to be UV resistance and plastic wheels melting on hot rail, so you will need to use metal wheels on everything. AristoCraft or LGB track should be equally suitable.

[Karl Reichenbach]

Aristo stainless would be a fine choice, as would Aristo brass. I beleive that your climate is rather dry which would make track cleaning much less of a job. I have about 400' of brass track down, and the only time it really needs cleaning is after a rain.
To me the extra cost of stainless is not worth it over brass.
Good luck with your railroad, I am sure it will be worth the effort.
Karl

[Anonymous]

I think you live pretty near the surf there and the build up from salt can be a problem.

Rgds ian

[underworld]

Either brass or stainless would be fine in the desert.

underworld

Easter Easter Easter Easter Easter!!!!!

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[TurboOne]

[#welcome][#welcome] kvoight to the forum. Have a great time. Stop by the coffee shop and say hello, and introduce yourself. [:D] [:D] [:D] I believe the others answer your track question, but always feel free to ask away. Great folks here that enjoy helping.

Ian, Arizona is many hundreds of miles from the ocean. They are even more desert than where I live. [8D][8D] Hot and dry. Unless CA breaks off, they will never have to worry about salt water. [:)] Arizona is where the snowbirds of the midwest go to get away from snow.

Vic and I live by the ocean on the west coast. I live 15 miles inland, and it is a desert normally. This year a swamp. Even though the rain is small by many others amounts, San Diego and Los Angeles were not made to handle this years amounts, hence all the sink holes, and sliding condos and pools.

Take care all

Tim

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Tim,
you forget whom was typing! You also forget that wry sense of humor! I picked up on it right away, but one could also remind you of the great salt flats you guys have out there in the West? Course, salt, without a source of humidity can be quite drying!

I'd go stainless because it is reported to have a greatly reduced factor of expansion and contraction which would be just as great a consideration in the night/day temperature fluctuations there in the desert as they are in the summer/winter ones here in the mid-atlantic seaboard!

[TurboOne]

Bob you are right, I forgot Ian's humor. [8D]

I wonder if AZ has temp changes like we do. A few weeks ago we hit 90 in the day, 34 at night. Might make a difference.

Has the snow left Delaware yet ? It is spring isn't it ?????

Tim

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all for the response! Happy Easter.
Ken

[TurboOne]

Ken, do you have your layout plans already ? What trains do you already have, or which do you plan on having ?

What type of plants are you going to use.

Tim

[Anonymous]

Tim,
Right now I'm moving dirt, digging dirt, building a wall and patio all to get ready. the plan is a simple dogbone that will give me about 96 feet of double track before separating for the loops on either side of my back yard. Instead of running track around the swimming pool as so many do, I decided to get it a foot off the main yard level and up against the back and side wall/fence. The track will only cross a walkway once...and that's my spur into the AZ room on the back patio where the trains will be stored. I've had some setbacks liked a pulled back muscle and we've had record rain here. But I think I'll be ready to lay the track before Memorial Day. p.s. AZ dirt is more like cement than soil.
As for plants...that's still in discussion because of our harsh summers.
I purchased an MTH loco to get the fantasy started and plan to use a Bridgewerks power supply and MTH DCS. I'm running low voltage lines fron Malibu to light structures, etc and they'll be on a solar timer. Now if we could just get the little G-scale people to walk, talk and fini***he landscaping LOL
Ken

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Tim,
From what I understand they have great temperature swings, particularly in summer!

Grass just started greening up in last 3 days. Funny climate patterns in extreme Southern Jersey and Southern DE, both places I've lived you only need to go 15 to 20 miles North to be in a different world weather wise.

To give you an idea where, when you look at the map of DE, down at the bottom on the East side it shows a hook. That's Cape Henlopen on the South side of Delaware Bay!
I live about 11 miles SW of the Point of Cape Henlopen.

[TurboOne]

Ken that sounds great. Get some alieve and get that back working. I like the idea of the G scale people doing the work. That would be cool. Like babes in toyland. Good luck on the building, keep us up to date with progress.

Capt. Bob this poor SoCal boy would freeze in your weather. If the white stuff sticks, I can't do it. [8D][8D] I looked up DE on the globe, the hook looks like an awesome place, bet it is pretty in the spring, if it ever comes. And the fall, awwwwwwwwwww color everywhere.

Tim

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Tim,
Southern De, like S jersey are both bout as flat as a young boy's chest! 20' high sand dune is biggest thing some have ever seen! Usually snows today and gone tomorrow or next day, maybe 3 or 4 a year that last more than 3-4 days on the ground!

Very humid climate tho, 60 - 70% humidity is real low around here. Course, both locations surrounded on 3 sides by great bodies of water!