track choices

[Anonymous]

I am building a garden railroad with my 10 yearo son. I really like the LGB product because it seems pretty durable and turn-key. I am concerned about the amount of cleaning that may be required for the brass rails though. Is my worry valid?

Stainless steel prices from aristo-craft dont seem that bad, but i cant find anywhere the code that they are. Does anyone know if they are code 332? Is bachman stainless steel track code 332?

Are there other companies make code 332 stainless steel? I want the 332 because i know it will be getting stepped on.

The LGB track seems to be easily put togetehr. Are these other tracks as easy?

Thanks,

Pat

[Tom The Brat]

Aristo is all 332 and matches LGB. The LGB joiner is quite tight on an aristo brass rail, but they do go together.

LGB has a tight fitting joiner. Aristo and USA Trains have a loose fitting joiner held on by tiny screws which may cost you many bad words before you figure out how to deal with them. Hint: Use a kid's glue stick to make the end of the driver a little tacky to hold the blasted little screw. Some guys chuck the screws and joiners and buy rail clamps.

I had brass track in the asylum (apartment). It was quite nice and as long as I was running trains frequently, I seldom had to clean it. If I let the trains sit for a week or more, I had to clean the rails before they'd go. I have stainless in the shop. See http://www.gardentrack.com/facillity/facillity.html

[kstrong]

The Aristocraft Stainless Steel track is also code 332, and 100% compatible with the brass track from LGB (as well as Aristo's brass track.) I've heard good things about the stainless in terms of not having to clean it nearly as often, but I haven't used it myself, so I can't vouch personally for it.

You'll find the Aristo stuff generally cheaper than the LGB, so I'd go with the Aristo. The only real difference is that the LGB rail is a different alloy of brass from Aristos, and it turns a wonderful shade of brown outdoors, where the Aristo rail will remain yellow for years. (It's some kind of anodized finish, I believe.) The stainless track will, quite obviously, stay silver. You can easily paint the rail, though.

Don't use the Bachmann track. It's not at all designed for outdoor use (and Bachmann will tell you that up front, too.) It's very flimsy and designed soley to give their starter sets something to run on under the Christmas tree. The folks at Bachmann will recommend Aristo's track.

As for other companies making stainless track, I don't think there are anymore. There used to be a French company that did, but I haven't seen their stuff advertised in ages.

Good luck, and post photos of the progress!

Later,

K

[Curmudgeon]

And, after you've spent all that money on 332, and years from now discover 250 and 215, which don't overpower the locomotives, you will most likely kick yerself.....

[Tom The Brat]

QUOTE: you will most likely kick yerself

I do that anyhow, so I probably wouldn't notice[8]

[RhB_HJ]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Curmudgeon

And, after you've spent all that money on 332, and years from now discover 250 and 215, which don't overpower the locomotives, you will most likely kick yerself.....

I'll second that!

It doesn't need to be elephant-proof! Code250 or 215 works very nicely, thank you and the selection is great, too.

@ Kevin

More SS track? In Code250 and 332?
http://www.gartenbahn-team.de/ and http://www.train.li/

[Train 284]

Aristo-Craft is 332 and compatible with LGB. I have been using this track for over a year and I am very pleased with it. It does not take much to clean it. I just use some of Life-Likes track cleaning liquid or Goo-Gone. Also DO NOT!!!! use Bachmann track outdoors it will rust in the rain so fast you won't believe it! Its not 332 or Stainless Steel its like an alumminum type rail. The only place to use Bachmann G scale track is inside!

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all that information! How do you tell the size when you look at it on the internet? I can't seem to find the code number anywhere.

Curmudgeon,
What do yo mean "you now discover 250 and 215, which don't overpower the locomotives" ?

I really appreciate this as i know very little about trains.

Thanks again.

Pat

[Anonymous]

If I was building a layout with a 10 year old, I would focus on having fun, and not too concerned about prototype look.

The deep flanges stock on most products do help keep the trains on the track, and if it is your first layout, you will find out about levelling track! That said, stay with the 332 rail. By the way the Aristo stainless track has a slightly different cross section, so much so that if you use rail clamps, you need to get ones specifically for Aristo stainless... no big deal, just something to watch out for.

(If you go to a lower profile rail, you will have problems with some rolling stock with flanges so deep they hit the tie plates, and you have a smaller, more expensive selection of turnouts)

H&R trains distributes a line of excellent SS rail and switches, but is very expensive compared to LGB brass and Aristo SS. That said, they have slip on rail joiners that are excellent, no screws.

Regards, Greg

If you are doing a small layout, at least use rail clamps on the switches, that way you can remove them to work on them (you will) without ripping up track.

[BudSteinhoff]

Pat,
I agree with Greg, I have had Aristo 332 track down for up to 7 years now and am very satisfied with it.
Aristo track is reasonably priced, durable and readily available in many sizes / radius's in either brass or SST.
Have fun
Bud[8D]

[Anonymous]

I'm using Ariistocraft European style brass. It works great. I'm also using split jaw rail clamps instead of the litte-bittie Aristo screws. I live in S. Arizona so no snow or really cold/wet weather. Just dirt, heat and snakes.

[tangerine-jack]

Try these two sites for track, I've used both and can vouch for the companies:

http://www.ridgeroadstation.com/
http://www.llagastrack.com/

Don't worry about code of the track, 332 Aristo has my vote as the best value for the $$. LGB is always a good choice if you can afford it. I only clean my brass track maybe once a month, I live near the beach and still don't have corrosion problems. I also use a 10 amp (pulse width) power station so I can overpower some dirt an continue to run trains until the metal wheels of the locos and cars self clean the track.

One word of warning, garden railroading is highly addictive and there is no cure!


[oX)]

[Capt Bob Johnson]

My vote is for Aristo SS! My layout is built on an area of sand fill (30 truckloads of sand), & the only time I have to clean it is after a particularly heavy downpour I run a track cleaning car around once or twice to knock the grains of sand off the top of the track. 4 years and only 1 real cleaning to get the plastic wheel (they're gone now) gunk off the track.

Paint it for realism???? Only rivet counters & GRR people really pay attention to that ---- Most people come around the corner of the house and are so enthralled with the fact that they see trains, they don't even notice what the track is made of!

Next best piece of advise is to get something running, then elaborate on that!

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. We bought the Aristo stainless steel track with a LGB engine. We got the trench dug out this weekend and will hopefully get the ballast in this week. My son is happily screwing the track together in the basement. Better him than me.

Thanks again,

Pat

[tangerine-jack]

Great choice! You've gotta post some photos soon and let us see what your doing.

Now get something running and start having fun!


[oX)]