Live steam and track power?

[REI]

If you want to run a live steam engine could it operate on plastic track as it would on metal track?

[Snoq. Pass RR]

The only problem I can see with that is if your firebox is too low to the ground, you might melt the track. 

 P.S. - Don't quote me on that, I do not run live steam (yet).

[REI]

I don't run live steam yet too, but when I get mine I plan to run her on G-scale New Bright track. It might be plastic, but it's very strong and durable, I know because I have used it for many years and I use it for my Railroad.  .....I wouldn't recommend its competitor, Scientific Toys G-scale track, due to the lack of track variety and weak, unrealistic connecting joints.

[whiterab]

Two problems using plastic track for live steam;

First the live steamers are significantly heavier than the electrics.  There is a lot of mass in an all metal engine loaded with water.  I'm not sure the plastic track would be stiff enough to support the weight or long lived enough to stand up to the wear and tear.

Secondly and most important, you need metal track for at least a steam up area.  Starting up a cold engine traps a lot of condensate in the piping and cylinders that needs to be cleared at start up.  Consequently one is putting a lot of boiling water into the ballast and ties as the cylinders clear.  Haven't ruined any plastic ties completely but the ties in the steam up area don't have any detail left in them.  Sooner or later I'm going to have to replace the ties where I start up with wooden ones.  My Shay is the worst offender.  Between a low firebox and a clunky way of clearing the cylinders, it probably has done 90% of the damage.

Another word of warning.  Live steam can be very addicting leading to starving children and unhappy spouses.

[two tone]

I agree with the coments made, my only thing to add is as the weather is getting hotter I believe plastic will bend in heat and weight of loco. Take care that loco does not derail and water to cause an accident bu scalding some one. Enjoy running your trains

[REI]

I really think that if I'm gonna use New Bright track it would have to have a roadbed, definitely. Then I'm sure the track will be fine. About the weight and tracks; believe me they can hold all the weight they can get, I can walk and stand on them and I'm 5'9, 143 lbs.

[kstrong]

Like the gentleman who's experimenting with Bachmann track outdoors, the track material isn't going to be your problem. The trouble will be the radius of the curved sections. Live steam locos--even the small Ruby type locos--don't particularly like tiny radius curves. They'll use a lot of steam to power through them, and when the track straightens out again, the loco will be off like a shot. And you can guess what will happen to the loco when it encounters the next tight curve. The laws of physics aren't very flexible. Neither are detail parts. And if the loco that is now on its side burns alcohol, you're now melting your rails along with everything else. And since alcohol burns virtually invisible in daylight, you won't know your track's melted until it's a pool of molten goo.

So, yes. There's no real reason why it can't be done, but there are plenty to why it shouldn't be done.

Later,

K