QUOTE: Originally posted by iandor Snip......... Unless you have a very good reason for using anything but brass track don't, poor conductivity, hard to join, more expensive just to name a few, don't try and reinvent the wheel. ...................... Loved Lucern but hated Zurich. Regards Ian; Kawana Island etc.
QUOTE: Originally posted by hirschmichael Hi, I am looking for experiences -- both good and bad -- with code 250 track and switches from Llagas or Sunset Valley on outdoor layouts with track power. So, my main questions are: - Long term reliability of track and turnouts, i.e. are turnouts still working after, say, 5 or more years of outdoor use in a climate with temperatures from -15 degrees to +35 degrees celsius ? Does the track hold up, ie. are the rails still firmly attached to the ties ? Do the plastic fins that hold the rails on the ties tend to become brittle and break ? - Electrical conductivity of nickle silver rail. Code 250 has a smaller cross section than code 332 rail, so the electrical resistance is higher. Is this noticable for practical purposes ? I expect my layout (eventually) to be about 300 meters long (point-to-point, no closed loop), with power fed in the middle. As for the roadbed, I plan to build it from cast concrete. Track will be fixated loosely every 3 meters, such that it can move a few millimeters as the rails expand or contract with changes in temparature. I'm grateful for any hints. Kind Regards Michael Hirsch Berg am Irchel, Switzerland
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