track brass or n/s

[Anonymous]

getting back into m/r after 30 yrs.
? long time ago ho track was all brass, is brass better than the new stuff?
should i look for brass or just buy new track?[?][?]

[jimrice4449]

About the only place you can find brass track is at swap meets where the predatory stalk the unwary. NS is far and away the preferable. Brass gunks up w/ an insulating oxide and requires constant cleaning.

[Anonymous]

The oxide of brass inhibits electrical transfer, after a few days of no operation the insulating oxide layed builds and low speed performance becomes frustrating. The oxide of nickel-silver is semi-conductive, so track-to-wheel contact problems are reduced. NS also looks more like the prototype steel rail.

If you have a trainset that only comes out of the box every once-in-a-while and gets set up on a table or under the Christmas Tree, than brass rail is fine. If you are building a permanent layout... throw the brass rail out and go nickel-silver.

[jecorbett]

Brass track has gone the way of vinyl records. Nobody makes it anymore. Nickel silver has replaced it for good reason.

[Anonymous]

thanks to all. any brand better than other? building 10'x24' layout and only want to put track down once

[jecorbett]

Atlas is probably the most popular brand for flex track. You will get varying opinions on their turnouts. Atlas ties are thicker than other brands so if you mix brands, you might need to shim the skinnier ties in a transition piece.

Also you should know that code 83 track is now commonly used as well as code 100. You will want to decide which you want to use. 30 years ago, code 100 was all there was unless you were into hand laying track on individual ties. Code 83 has become the new standard because it is closer to prototypical size but Code 100 still has its proponents. The average person probably would not even notice the difference but model railroaders have a keener eye for that sort of thing.

[AntonioFP45]

While some modelers prefer Peco or Shinohara, your "best bang for the buck" would be the Atlas Code 83 flex track. Looks good and is not too torturous on the wallet. The ties are a realistic dark brown color.

For turnouts, however, Peco Code 83 offers quality, very realistic appearance, and good performance.

[Anonymous]

In garden Railroading a large pesentage of the people prefer brass rail. I guess each scale has to learn the same old leasons on their own, not willing to hear what other scales have to teach them.

I use code 197 N/S rail on my small garden line.

[modelmaker51]

QUOTE: Originally posted by OLD DAD

In garden Railroading a large pesentage of the people prefer brass rail. I guess each scale has to learn the same old leasons on their own, not willing to hear what other scales have to teach them.

I use code 197 N/S rail on my small garden line.

I would think the oxide becomes less relevant with the larger scale because of the weight of the locomotives.

[Anonymous]

Modelmaker, you are correct to a point. If one of the larger locos are run it will crunch through a certain amount of crude. That would also be true to a lesser extent in the smaller scales. But if a smaller loco such as a 2-6-o or o-4-o is run oxide and or dirt starts to become a problem.
Even in the garden space can be a problem for some people necessitating the use of smaller locos.

As time goes on and the use of battery powered radio control increases, the question of what type of rail to use outdoors will become less important.

Larry T.

[tangerine-jack]

QUOTE: Originally posted by OLD DAD

In garden Railroading a large pesentage of the people prefer brass rail. I guess each scale has to learn the same old leasons on their own, not willing to hear what other scales have to teach them.

I use code 197 N/S rail on my small garden line.

Brass is far and away the most popular for a number of good reasons. The first of which is price- at about $2-$5 a foot (depending on where you buy) compared to $6-$10 for stainless or nickle, you can see a significant cost savings right up front. Also brass is easier to bend or shape, we are talking on average code 335, so working with metals of that size can be difficult. After a while the brass tarnishes to a very nice brown/black color which is preferable in some minds to the shiny steel look.

On another note, not everybody uses track power. Some use battery/ RC and others live steam, the conductivity of the track is of no concern then. I use 335 brass with track power, outside, and I clean my track maybe once or twice a year. Even with NS or SS, you still have to clean the gunk off the track once in a while anyway, so track cleaning frequency really doesn't factor into the choice.

[tomikawaTT]

If you have some brass flex track, use it on the ends of single-ended spurs where no loco will ever operate. Clean, it looks like unused prototype rail a day after a rainstorm. Allowed to corrode, it looks like prototype rail that hasn't felt wheels for a while.

If you have loose brass rail, it can be used for guard rails and such. Or, cut to appropriate lengths, it makes good spare rail (stacked by an MW building) or flat car lading.

The one thing you don't want to do is run powered units over it.

[Anonymous]

In the spring I can run the first train of the season over my N/S rail without cleaning it. My loco may sputter a bit the first time around but after a couple more trips it smooths out and runs great.
I do clean the rail before an open house since the gremlins love to cause trouble when ever people are watching.
My layout has been removed to make the house ready for sale.
I will build a new layout at our Rapid City place and use my N/S rail to hand spike my track. By building my own track I keep the cost down to the price of ready made brass track. Plus I enjoy spiking my own track and building my own switches.

I may even hand spike my HO track but use store bought switches.

Larry T.