I did bring it up.
PECO G scale is code 250. Their Gauge 1 is even better at code 200 but as I said my garden railway is at 1:29 which is about 10% bigger than the 1:32 that Peco is aimed at.
Also you have to bear in mind how much your track is walked on , Peco Gauge 1 is a little fragile but the G scale is OK.
You really should look at code 250 track. I can't believe no one brought that up here, Greg usually does! The smaller rail makes your trains look real, not like toys as they do on code 332(Aristo/LGB/USA) Several companies make it, mine is Sunset Valley. AML has it as does Micro Engineering. Just get a section and set your train on it, then set it on a section of 332 and you will see what I mean. Sunset Valley switches are known as the best you can get also.
Jerry
web site:
http://thescrr.com/
My Aristo SS is about 9 years old, no rotting ties or other problems.
I saw a bunch of stuff recently about rails spreading under heavy locos, but then was told later that people removed the screws from the rail. Dumb, because the rails on Aristo are not held by the "spikes" but by screws through the ties underneath.
You remove the screws, you remove the items holding the gauge.
It's not the best track in the world, but in SS, it's the most cost effective. (for now)
Greg
Visit my site: http://www.elmassian.com - lots of tips on locos, rolling stock and more.
Click here for Greg's web site
I'm interested in hearing how the Aristo stainless lasts. A year is not really long enough to make judgement.
Some of my Peco has been down 23 years in 3 different gardens. So I can recommend it.
To see how it wears look no further than the front page of the current issue of Garden Railways. The H10 is on one of my original pieces bought in 1988. I put older track in less used places like the mine siding. Photo 5 in this article shows the K4 on the Aristo where it spreads the track. Its a heavy Accucraft loco. As you can see from the article the Peco track looks ok as mainline track . That is until it is seen next to the Peco gauge one track in photo 9. The point has had to have a slight amount of plastic removed from the chairs to allow large 1:29 flanges to clear it.
Whilst I live further north than our friend in South Devon I live on the east and drier side of the UK, perhaps this could explain why the track spreads. Admittedly it only happens when the temp reaches 35C. But I would be interested to see whether I have just got one piece of bad track.
Pacific Northwest = Atristo-craft Stainless + Split Jaw rail clamps. I'm using track power and will let you all know how it has done since it was put down last year.
P. V. & W. RR. htttp://home.comcast.net/~PVandW
Pile-On comment here. Things have changed greatly since this thread first opened. LGB (hungary) is readily available again at my LHS, just picked up six cases of 1.5 meter, @$200 each. Thats twice what I paid for my first rails, but at least I can get it in quanity now. Also picked up a case of Pico (same price) and from 5 foot cannot see difference.
Tom Trigg
I live in the United Kingdom in an area generally warmer than a previous poster. I bought my Aristo brass track five over years ago - I was not aware of the other makes at that time.
I have never had any issues with the ties opening out of gauge and (I guess it depends on your ability to kneel or not) I did not assemble the track before laying - track being joined as it was laid . The mini screws can be a pain at times but generally it is a knack to locate them, part of the learning curve I guess ,. I like the screws: they have ensured electrical continuity on my railroad but I do check them over a period once or twice per year to ensure their tightness. The other advantages are usually available from my preferred suppliers, good range of diameters, switches etc. and generally able to withstand small - and sometimes -large feet. The latter is important to me as I am not as sure footed nowadays than I used to be.
All my track is at ground level by the way.
I don't recall mention of how long you have had your track but most of Aristo-Craft products do have a warranty. Contact your supplier or the UK importer if you feel you have a good case.
Alan, Oliver & North Fork Railroad
https://www.buckfast.org.uk/
If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. Lewis Carroll English author & recreational mathematician (1832 - 1898)
Lots of good information Ian, but I do have to ask, "How hot does it get in the UK?" My Aristo track has been out for several years and I have often run in the hot sun when the tempurature is in the 90's in the shade and the track is in the sun, so I know it's a lot hotter on the rails. Touching the rails will burn you. But I have never had the gauge change enough to derail anything. And it isn't that I only run light weight stuff. I regularly run an Aristo Mallet.
Bob
I've used Aristo LGB and Peco
Here are my findings
Aristo: Good looking sleepers, Big profile rail. Unrealistic brass rails which are still yellow after 5 years. Main problems are the difficulty of joining rails with the screws, as you need to join sections before laying the track . Ok for two pieces but not much good for a 10 metre length. Also I find that in hot weather (even in the UK) the plastic softens and so the gauge widens enough to derail stock.
LGB: Good looking matches Aristo. Brass soon tarnishes to a realistic brown. Big profile only realistic for Pennsy main line etc. Only bends with difficulty or rail bender. More expensive
Peco: G scale Nickel silver. The most flexible, but keeps shape well. Good looking for narrow gauge lines. Better profile rails for 1:29 Doesn't match the above. Its the cheapest (in the UK)
(To join Peco to LGB: use Peco joiners and cut a slit in the LGB rail immediately above the foot. The Peco rail joiner will fit snugly into this)
Peco Gauge 1 Nickel Silver. Much smaller profile accurate for 1:32 a little small for 1:29. Wheels on LGB, Aristo and USA trains hit the chairs.
(Join Peco Gauge1 to Peco G scale as above)
I use mainly Peco G scale as it combines smaller profile with greater flexibility and strength. Its readily available in the UK and much cheaper here than LGB.
However another consideration should be the availability of point work Aristo and LGB have a larger range than some others. So even though you are just starting Its worth thinking about.
Ian
North Yorkshire England
Sorry for the misunderstanding, I do agree that there is no point in reviving the thread. I hope the Bears win the superbowl, I'm tired of hearing about the Steelers are going to win here in central PA. - Peter
Modeling the Bellefonte Central Railroad
Fan of the PRR
Garden Railway Enthusiast
Check out my Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PennsyModeler
LGB and Train-Li track will tarnish to a brown conductive finish very fast outdoors, Aristo and USA will stay bright for years.
For switches/cost, I feel Train-Li is the best, followed by LGB then Aristo. I do not like the USA with the huge coils and short leads of their switch machine. My opinions!!
PS, Train -Li has metal frogs that can be powered on the R2 and R3's R7 has a glass enclosed reed for powering the frog and polyfuse protection for the frog.
LGB has plastic frogs
Aristo has plastic frogs on the R1 and Wide switch, #6 had a microswitch that needs protection if used outdoors.
You do get what you pay for in the switches.
PS, Aristo has brass and stainless, Train-li has brass and nickel plated, LGB has brass and used to have nickel plated.
Beware that nickel plated can not have the LGB track cleaner used on them, the plating will wear off in time.
PJM, the guy who revived the thread just added another comment... That's the guy that I'm "speaking to".... yes, several posts AFTER that, someone did ask a question... '
I'm talking about reviving the thread in the first place with basically no added value...
I can ask a question too, how about those Bears?
I can surely say that Aristocraft does not use stainless screws on their brass rail clamps (part #ART-11930. I live on the water (salt water) and I'm starting to see rust. Not good.
I installed a 30 foot trolley track 4 yrs ago USA Trains 5 foot sections and recently tried it out after 3 yrs of total neglect. After brushing it off, I ran my Gustaf handcar back and forth with little hesitation. My experience with Aristo switches[brass] old switches is that they were put together with screws that rusted out, maybe new ones don't?. LGB switches are/were assembled with stainless screws that are also magnetic. I also got a lot of used LGB track at good prices on e-bay, some was heavily tarnished and I have to remove the connectors scrub down the ends of the track and install Aristo ss connectors. Cheers, hiker
magic conductor I have been in the hobby now over 15 years and have had a railroad in both Florida and Tn. So I have dealt with the great and the not so great weather conditions. Beyond any shadow of a doubt I always use Aristo Craft track exclusively. Maybe I have been lucky. But I have had almost no problem with their track.
I have been in the hobby now over 15 years and have had a railroad in both Florida and Tn. So I have dealt with the great and the not so great weather conditions. Beyond any shadow of a doubt I always use Aristo Craft track exclusively. Maybe I have been lucky. But I have had almost no problem with their track.
The OP may not read this, but someone else asked a question and we have responded to him, he only posted on Jan. 16, 2010. - Peter
Yep, so one person commented 3 years later and everyone piled on.
Helps to read a thread from the beginning....
The OP has only 9 posts, and that one in 2008 seems to be his last.
Check the OP guys, thread is from 2008
Still good info, but methinks the OP is long gone.
Have fun with your trains
I have almost the exact type of set up: Aristo brass track, Split-Jaw rail clamps, pole sander. Works great but I still want battery power
I live in the Chicago area. I lay over a hundred fee of Aristo's brass outside.
Brass has a larger temperature expansion factor that Stainless.
After a couple of years all my Brass track is a beautiful black finish, Looks real.
First thing I would advise is ordering quick-jaw rail joiner clamps. As soon as you open your box of track remove the supplied rail joiners.
To prove my case, first try setting up some track using the supplied joiner. Then do the same with slip-jaw. when you immediately fall in love with Slip-jaw. Buy a 6 inch long ball allen wrench with handle. Cover the allen wrench shank with heat shrink tubing.
I also suggest purchaceing a plaster's wall sanding pad and handle. Wrap the pad with a medium (GREEN ??) fiber scrubbing pad to walk around and clean the rail head.
I have never had problems using LGB track for a track powered layout. - Peter
Bernie,
Welcome to the hobby. It's a great one. I use Aristo and if you go to their web site, you will see their Jan-Feb track sale is on. You buy 4 boxes of any type track, or swtich and you get one for free. Can't beat that.
Mark
M. Gilger - President and Chief Engineer MM&G web
Web Site: http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/
Aristo-craft SS Track.
Toad
Yes, I would imagine that would be quite the sight. While certainly not quite as visual, consider a prayer from an edit bay in a Denver TV station, too.
Back to the question at hand, most all of the brands of track will be as good as the other in terms of build, quality, and connectivity, so long as the rail is the same size (Code 332, 250, etc.) I think it comes down to more of an aesthetic choice. Find a tie shape and spacing you like, and chances are good you can get rail to fit in whatever material you wish, either from the same manufacturer or someone else.
Later,
K
EMPIRE II LINE wrote: Boy aren't we a bit sassy tonight T. Don't scare him/them away and make'em think we just drink tooooo much coffee all the time around here...... Byron C.
I appologise to any that I offended. My only excuse would be that we got the worst of all news from my wife's cancer doctor and I've not been in a good human mood the past few days. My boss even sent me home from work early because entirely too many of our chuch members were showing up and delivering prayers of support. Just visualise this: I'm standing in my department (Sporting Goods at Wal~Mart) surrounded by over twent people, all on their knees, and the pastor leading the group in prayer. Talk about a show stopper!
Aristo ties disintegrating was a problem with the earliest runs of the stuff that took some time to show deterioration, Aristo for a while offeed free replacement tie strippes, but that was a while ago, anything made in the last few years now has not had the same issue.
Personally I liked LGB best for switches, least amount of problem encountered, for track they are great but towards the end they got real pricey. Nowadays any NOS in a hobby shop is there because someone forgot they had it. All my LHS (local hobby shops) got cleaned out by horders panic buying after the LGB fallout.
Aristo track is great but I always got USA track instead, same track, even comes from the same factory in China, but was always less expensive than Aristo, but all makers raised prices earlier this year and they have remained high ever since. Aristo wide radius switches have had good reviews but the R1 (4' diameter) ones have stalling and derailment issues in my experiences.
Piko is new on the scene, not much known about them yet, looks to be a somewhat clone of LGB track. If this is true of their switches (once they arrive), then thats good, LGB switches were they best.
There are other brands, Llagas Creek, Sunset, Accucraft, higher quaility but they can be very pricey.
Most of the above (except LGB and Piko) offer a choice between brass rail and stainless steel rail, if your planning a track powered layout and can pay a little extra, get stainless, lot less maintanence that brass.
If you planning battery and radio control, try picking up second hand brass track on ebay or aluminum rail is also offered by some the same above brands, and is least expensive of all the above, but its not as durable, more prone to bending forces so plan accordingly.
Good luck.
ttrigg wrote: This question has been discussed adnausuiemm in this forum. I'm sure there are at least 50 identical threads in the last six months. I would ask you to answer the following questions, to your self, and then do a bit of reqading on these pages.1. Are you going to be pushing electrons? (Track power? Battery?)Do you want the rails to age naturally or do you want silver streaks running through the garden?Answer these two questions to yourself, and start looking at the previous postings of this issue. Suggested reading list: http://cs.trains.com/forums/1512419/ShowPost.aspxhttp://cs.trains.com/forums/1502870/ShowPost.aspxhttp://cs.trains.com/forums/1424850/ShowPost.aspxhttp://cs.trains.com/forums/1283599/ShowPost.aspxhttp://cs.trains.com/forums/1212277/ShowPost.aspxhttp://cs.trains.com/forums/1192536/ShowPost.aspx
This question has been discussed adnausuiemm in this forum. I'm sure there are at least 50 identical threads in the last six months. I would ask you to answer the following questions, to your self, and then do a bit of reqading on these pages.
1. Are you going to be pushing electrons? (Track power? Battery?)
Answer these two questions to yourself, and start looking at the previous postings of this issue.
Suggested reading list:
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1512419/ShowPost.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1502870/ShowPost.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1424850/ShowPost.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1283599/ShowPost.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1212277/ShowPost.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1192536/ShowPost.aspx
Byron C.
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