Brass vs. Stainless Steel

[kimbrit]

No matter what you use you have to do track maintenance, more so if you are on track power. I use brass and the finest conductor of electricity on the railroad is the track, I favour Aristo because of the bolt up railjoiners and this removes the need for jumpers/feeders etc. I clean my track the old fashioned way, by hand with a decorators sanding block or vinegar, and this gives me a visual inspection of the track as I'm going. Ttrigg is quite right about running trains weekly, especially if the loco has skates on, I usually only have to give mine a 'deep clean' about every 6 weeks or so. As to stainless track? It will always be shiny, ten years from now it will be shiny, this is fine for the rail head but how about the sides, back to the indoor railroad trick of painting them with rust coloured paint? Brass fades away nicely and for me it looks better in the garden as it blends in whereas stainless would be 'in yer face'!
Kim

[devils]

QUOTE - Is a Bachmann Power Pack sufficient enough to power the tracks?
From the power pack, would I only need to have 3 sets of heavy gauge wire going to three different areas of the track layout?

I do not plan to solder the track joints. I will be using Aristocraft Stainless Steel tracks and I heard that it comes with screwable rail joiners.

The Bachmann pack should work ok, the jumper wires are a backup you only need one bad mechanical, (screw), joint to get bad running. Soldering is better if it's done well but screws are easier with stainless, you can always go back and solder joints later and add more feeds just remember to clean the metal well.

[Anonymous]

I have been using brass track for 6 years with a ultuma10 amp power suppy and a train engineer and it's has been working well for me . ben

[Anonymous]

I have had the best luck with brass tracks. They have just preformed better and look better to me.

[ttrigg]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TrainDepot

Which type of track is better, brass or stainless steel? Why?

"Better" is in the eye of the beholder.

Each has it's own pro's and con's. Here are a few from my point of view, (I'm sure each person here will have a different point of view!)

Stainless Steel: True stainless will oxidize VERY slowly. Some of the different "stainless steel" compositions will oxidize a little faster. Still a lot slower than brass.

Brass: I chose LGB brass "flex" because it was convenient, LHS has large quantity on hand at all times. I have rail that has been outside for over 3 years and it has taken on a nice rustic color. I have some Aristo-Craft brass "re-railiers" that are still just as shiny as the day I put them out 3 years ago. (well 90% as shiny anyway) The Aristos are now glaringly shiny, and I am considering attempting to pull the rails out and replace with "aged LGB back stock".

Different brand name rails will have different compositions so they will "weather" differently.

QUOTE: Originally posted by tangerine-jack

. Even though SS doesn't oxidize, you still need to clean it once in a while because of all the dirt and grime (bird poop, bug juice, etc) that is inherent in the garden.

TJ forgot to mention dog deposits. That is the biggest hazard to my trains (other than running into a dog inside the tunnel). Running your trains weekly will do a lot to maintain cleanliness of the track. Each day I run trains I start with a little homemade "street sweeper car" (found a guy on E-Bay that sells them, after I made mine) in front of the engine, removes leaves, dog droppings, etc. behind the engine I drag my "sanding frame" to clean the rail heads. The only time I have had to get out the "plasterers sanding pole" has been when I've not run in over 6 weeks.

Like I said before:

"Better" is in the eye of the beholder.

[Anonymous]

I just wrassled with this same question a few months back. What decided it for me was ease of installation based on a design with a lot of free form curves. I knew sectional track was not going to give me the flexibility I wanted. This left flex track. The choice then was between code 332 and 250 brass. Since my trains are 1:29 scale, AMS code 250 fit best with them. It's brass and forms easily and switches, etc.. are readily available. 250 track in stainless is not available, as far as I know, although it is 'in the works' by one or more mfgrs. Nickel silver is available in 250, but for me is cost prohibitive. IOW, I can afford it, but don't see that it's that more of a benefit. YMMV and HTH.

[RhB_HJ]

QUOTE: Originally posted by iandor

T..................................................... of course what about electrolysis where it joins your points (switches)

Rgds ian

[:)][:)][;)][:)][:)]

It all depends how hairy the track and/or the turnouts are.............wouldn't it now?? [;)][;)][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

This is of course a very good question to which there is no answer,it depenads on the situation. I haven't used SS nor will i ever as things stand, Low conducxtivity abrasiveness, hard to work and solder etc and of course what about electrolysis where it joins your points (switches)


Rgds ian

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by devils

1-With a 100ft run you may need to either run a heavy gauge wire as a jumper to the track , say at 30 and 60 feet or bond all the joints with a jumper wire, the weakest points electrically are the rail joiners not the track material.

Is a Bachmann Power Pack sufficient enough to power the tracks?
From the power pack, would I only need to have 3 sets of heavy gauge wire going to three different areas of the track layout?

I do not plan to solder the track joints. I will be using Aristocraft Stainless Steel tracks and I heard that it comes with screwable rail joiners.

[devils]

1-With a 100ft run you may need to either run a heavy gauge wire as a jumper to the track , say at 30 and 60 feet or bond all the joints with a jumper wire, the weakest points electrically are the rail joiners not the track material.
2- A fine tooth saw, X-Acto will work but is hard work, a cutting disc in a motor tool such as dremel,(mine is the cordless version),is easiest and useful for all sorts of jobs justifying the initial cost. Wear eye protection with a motor tool!
3- I doubt you'll notice any difference on a transition between these materialsit's so slight. You might find you get more corrosion long term on this joint between different metals though. Main difference will be the colour of the track

[Anonymous]

1) I heard that stainless steel tracks are not very conductive to electricity. If my layout is 100 feet long, will a bachmann power pack be sufficient enough to bring electricty to the tracks? By the way, I run small locomotives on my layout.

2) If I plan on purchasing Aristo-Craft stainless steel tracks, can the rails be cut easily with a saw?

3) Is it okay if I connect stainless steel tracks to brass tracks? Will the train run slower on the stainless steel portion and then suddenly run faster on the brass ones?

[tangerine-jack]

I would run SS if price were no object. But not to fear, brass has proven it's worth time and time again in the hard knock world of the garden RR so it's as good a choice as you could make. I've been running brass on the Dixie D for 5 years with as close to zero problems as you could want. Even though SS doesn't oxidize, you still need to clean it once in a while because of all the dirt and grime (bird poop, bug juice, etc) that is inherent in the garden.

[devils]

Brass weathers down nicely in the garden to a dull brown which hides the unrealisic golden colour and like HJ says there are a lot of options in brass from several manufacturers.

[RhB_HJ]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TrainDepot

Which type of track is better, brass or stainless steel? Why?

As far as cleaning track is concerned i.e. removing non-conductive oxyde, stainless has it hands-down.
There are those who think that this is equalized by brass being a better conductor, however with the cross sections of 332 and 250 rail that doesn't really matter.
BTW SS rail - depending on make - will also provide better traction.

HOWEVER when it is all said and done, it probably comes down to:

1. Components available

2. Price

Of course that is just my opinion. [;)][}:)][:D][:D]

PS having really tight curves of SS rail, will also create sufficient drag to do a number on some of the plated wheels, both drivers and idlers.

[Anonymous]

Which type of track is better, brass or stainless steel? Why?