Track (type) for Battery/RC Operation

[Anonymous]

I will soon be starting a backyard layout and have decided that I will go the battery/RC way (in lieu of a powered track).   Though I will not be powering the track, is the solid brass track the best thing to use ?   I have read that less expensive track is available (aluminum, I think ?) and can be used ..... but I am wondering if the solid brass track is still a better choice.  I live in New England (so the track will have to endure the winters).  The layout will not be huge (so I do not mind spending the extra $$$ on the brass track).    Thanks.    Bob

[two tone]

Hi RRBob, I would always recomend brass track as it will last for years, as for turnouts/ switches/points I would have electric control so you do not need to run all over the place to change them       Hope this helps

[TonyWalsham]

Hi Two Tone.

One of the advantages of battery R/C is that you can use any type of track you wish.
Aluminium track offers definite cost advantages over any other metal.
The only thing you need to consider is how it is mounted as it is not as robust as say, brass.

As to powering points (turnouts).
There is no need as another advantage of battery R/C is you can walk around with your train and manually move those blades as you get near them.

[two tone]

Hi Tony, As you say there is cheaper track and poster does not say where he/she is, it was only my point of view as I do not like running around the garden when I can control every thing from my bench and with my train engineer plus a glass of something

[cabbage]

Well I use Nickel Silver Vignoles for the Gauge '0' (32mm) track and Brass Bullhead for the Gauge 3 (63.5mm) stuff.

All but 4 of my 11 locos are battery electric (2 steam and 2 clockwork which are pre WW2 '0' gauge).

I have never used track power.

regards

ralph

[altterrain]

Bob,

Aluminum track is more robust that you think. There's a well known big layout down in my area that was built with code 215 Al track 20 years ago and its still in pretty good shape. If you want really tough stainless is the way to go. I can run a wheelbarrow loaded with stone over my track without a problem.

-Brian 

[kstrong]

With a solid foundation, aluminum track will be just as sturdy as brass or any other track. My dad's railroad is now in its 28th year with code 332 aluminum, which has been walked on numerous times without damage. (Tree limbs and errant boulders are another story.) My old railroad in Rochester, NY was built with code 250 aluminum, and while I was careful not to step on the track, it was prone to the occasional misstep. It held up very well for the 5 years it was in operation.

What constitutes a "solid foundation? In both of these cases, it's pretty much just very well tamped ballast. Dad's track was originally supported every few feet with redwood stakes driven into the ground, but most of these have long since rotted to the point where they offer no support at all. On my line, I dug a 6" trench and filled it with 1/2" stone surrounding a 4" perforated drain pipe to help mitigate frost heave. This was well tamped by walking on it back and forth before laying the track.

My current railroad uses brass rail simply because I wanted something that was going to weather naturally, and wouldn't need to be painted to look realistic. Naturally, the particular brass alloy that Accucraft uses is slow to weather, but it's getting darker each year. The price per foot of the Accucraft brass track is still nearly comparable to aluminum, so really, either will work nicely.

Later,

K

[Southwest Chief]

Another thing you should consider is what you want your track to look like.

I'm not a big fan of brass track.  When it's new the shinny yellow is a big turn off.  And it doesn't tarnish as well as you'd think with the overall color still not all that realistic.  So appearance is a key factor that is sometimes overlooked.

Some other manufacturers/suppliers (other than the big 3 of LGB, Aristo, and USA) of large scale track you might want to look into include: Llagas Creek, Micro Engineering, and Accucraft (only brass so far).  Peco also makes G scale track too.

We went with Llagas Creek nickel silver.  Although almost all our locos have been converted to battery power, we still have the flexibility to run track power.  Dual use is another option you might want to consider.

[FJ and G]

I never understood the bias against aluminum for those not using track power. I'm glad some of you chimed in.

[Snoq. Pass RR]

Southwest Chief - Finally someone else who does not like Brass track for its shinny yellow color.  Anyway, The two railroads that I run on use Aluminum Llagas Creek track, along with Battery RCS.  There have been no problems with the track while I have been there.

[gbbari]

In the April issue of Garden Railways there is a fascinating article on p.67 about a young lad who built an award-winning science fair project comparing traction charcteristics of different track materials. Aluminum tested generally better than the other three - brass, stainless steel, or nickle silver.  Only wet brass tested better, but who runs battery/RC constantly in the rain..

Aluminum is generally a bit less expensive then the other types and you can see from previous posts how popular it is, so there is little doubt - if you run battery/RC, go aluminum - and get better traction under your locomotives..