Brass track

[samgolden]

Hi:   How about the metal polish treatment, would that work on brass track.  Might be worth a try.

Sam 

[fwright]

Like Ironrooster said its all we had for years it will work OK if you run lots of trains and keep it clean...A light coating of clipper oil will also help...Cox 47

Which is why I recommend that if you use brass track, use it on the heavily used and accessible parts of the main line.  If you run trains frequently (a couple of times a week), especially with metal wheels, the non-conducting oxidation gets worn off.  If you use it on rarely used sidings and spurs, it's going need to cleaning before a locomotive will run on it.

my thoughts, your choices

Fred W

[WCfan]

Brass track can be used.....for abonded track.

[Cox 47]

Like Ironrooster said its all we had for years it will work OK if you run lots of trains and keep it clean...A light coating of clipper oil will also help...Cox 47

[IRONROOSTER]

Brass track can work - after all many of us used it for years.

The two negatives on brass track are apearance and tarnishing.

You can solve most of the appearance problem by painting/weathering your track - only the top needs to be clear for electrical contact. 

The tarnishing problem is solved by frequent cleaning.  On a small layout with no tunnels this is fairly quick and easy. On a larger layout this becomes more difficult.  One solution is to operate track cleaning cars (commercial or home made) as part of your consists.

Brass track went out of favor when the cost difference with nickel silver became small.  Currently in HO, only very low end manufacturers make brass (if any in fact still do make it).

You can use the brass track.  I would plan on replacing it with nickel silver (NS) over time as you can afford it and only use it where cleaning it will be easy. 

Enjoy

Paul 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Brass track is collectible. Put it out by the curb on trash day and it will be collected.

[tomikawaTT]

I have some brass track (including ancient Atlas flex on fiberboard ties) on my layout - at the stub ends of sidings used for back-in staging.

I also have a bunch of loose brass rail, which, properly weathered, will be used to simulate re-lay rail along my right of way when I reach that point in scenery building.

Three lengths of fairly modern brass flex make up my 'flexible trammel,' used for laying out transitions and routes through specialwork.  The 'finish' tracklaying is done with nickel silver rail, either flex or hand-laid.

Scale 39 foot lengths of weathered brass flex can be piled up on a flat car, or stacked in your MOW storage area.  The prototype uses them when 'quick and dirty' tracklaying is necessary (for washout repair, or derailment cleanup.)

Brass rail is also useful for guard rails on bridges or through gravel grade crossings.

The only thing I won't do with brass rail is try to convince my prima donna locomotives to run on it!

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Budliner]

I have a lot of brass track

I have to clean it every 6 months

its ok to use till you change to NS, if you can just get the NS first

but it works good outside it wont expand too much

I like the way it looks but NS is the way to go

 

K-

[loathar]

New track is nickle silver. Brass isn't good for much of anything anymore. Use it to display trains in a cabinet maybe.

[NeO6874]

Brass track... to put it lightly... is regarded as junkpile material.

 

Makes for good unpowered yard/storage/display tracks though (also for scrap heaps).  It's not so much that brass is a bad conductor, but that the rapidity that it corrodes that makes brass track a poorer choice that Nickel Silver track.  

 

That is unless you're in large scale... it apparently works rather well for large scalers.... 

[mbvan1]

I bought some brass used flex track, some of the ends have green corrosion. Is new track made from steel? and is it worth using the brass, I guess I would have to clean it more often?

Thanks