Brass Track?

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I just was looking in my old train bin and came across some brass track that was my grandpa's. He said he liked brass track because it conducted electricity better, blah, blah, blah. LOL. Anyways, I just wanted to know if I should use that over nickle silver(And if anyone else has brass!). I know they stopped making it...for a reason obviously. I just wanted to know if that reason was for good or bad.

BTW, most of it is Atlas Snap Track(Theres one or two German companies in there...).



Curves...First 3 rows are 15" radius, last 4 are 18" radius.



Straits...not much I can tell about that exept it's all 9" pieces, with a few cut for 6" & 3" pieces. There are also 2 "X" tracks and 1 bridge.



Switchouts...3 right and 3 left. All of them HAD motors, but I took them off to clean them and misplaced them in our move.



Whole lot.

[Anonymous]

If you want to continually clean the track so you can run on it, keep and use the brass. It tarnishes/corrodes fairly quickly and this gunk does not conduct electricity. That's why nickle silver is now used, it's corrosion does conduct electricity OK.

It's up to you - save a few bucks and cause a lot of work, or choose nickle silver.

Bob Boudreau

[MisterBeasley]

Wow! Brass track! It's a collector's item!

In our neighborhood, they collect on Thursdays. Put it out by the curb and with luck they'll take it.

[IRONROOSTER]

Your pictures take me back to my first layout.

It was a small layout, 4x8 with no tunnels, and a limited budget. I had to clean the rails a lot. Wore out a couple of Bright Boys. It had Snap switches and sectional track. My second layout I added flex track that had fiber board ties. I even handlaid some brass rail on my second layout. It worked because I didn't have much track and I could reach it all easily.

Now I only use NS. If you can afford it, that's the way to go.
Enjoy
Paul

[Don Gibson]

Nickel Silver is an alloy of brass, looks slightly better, doesn't tarnish or oxide, and since there is no silver in it - any claims that nickel-silver oxide conduct's electricity is a myth.

It doesn't tarnish - but it does contaminate - so cleaning accumulated dirt, oil & crud off of it is still necessary.

[scubaterry]

Spitfire - I asked the same question about three months ago. I went to a yard sale and picked up a butt-load of HO stuff for 150.00. ANyway ended up with a whole box (12) of unused brass flex track. Everyone said I should throw it away. Fortunately I didn't listen. I used about half of it on a yard area and I have to say i don't clean it any more than my NS trk and it is doing just fine and I saved myself a bunch of money. Of couse down here I have to clean my track everyweek reagardless. SO I would say use it. Just put it where you can easily reach it for cleaning. Hey I don't know how long Brass track was around before NS and everyone managed to make it work. As long as you are aware of its shortcomings It you got it use it..
Terry[8D]

[Anonymous]

Nickel Silver is an alloy of brass and tin I believe.. The reason why it still conducts electricity through a tarnished surface is because of the presence of the tin.

Your mileage with brass might vary depending on the environmental conditions in your area, but where I am near the ocean, there is high humidity and brass does tarnish easily. And when that happens, my engines run very jerkily with sudden stops and flying starts due to poor electrical pickup.

With brass track I had to clean the rails every week or so on my old layout to ensure reliable electrical contact and smooth running. My new layout uses nickel silver and I had to clean the rails maybe twice a year.

[Anonymous]

The brass track probably caused more new to the hobby people to leave the hobby than any other reaons except for Hook horn couplers.

[warhammerdriver]

I believe that there are at least two quality levels of brass track. I have some 40-50 year old Lionel HO scale brass that has an orangey tint to it, and some MUCH newer (20-25 year old) Bachmann (and some no name) brass that is much yellower--clearly a brass color. The newer stuff tarnishes very easily, just sitting in a box. the Lionel shines like brand new--sitting in the same box. Both are clearly brass, but the quality of the Lionel is head and shoulders above the other.

I guess brass track would be the ultimate test of the mag wheel cleaner and gleam track cleaning methods.

[Anonymous]

AVOID BRASS TRACK AT ALL COSTS!!! BTW, they didn't stop making it,, order N/S Model Power flextrack from hobbylinc and they'll send you brass and tell you it's NS.

[james saunders]

just leave it alone...

N/S is much better


james

[tomikawaTT]

Things to do with brass-rail track:

Cut straight pieces to 5 3/8 inch length, cosmoline the rails, stack next to your MOW shed in the yard. It'll come in handy next time your gandy dancers have to put the line back together after a derailment tears up the track. (I've yet to see a model derailment that damaged the track, but this is what the prototype roads use pre-laid panels for.) They can also be used, properly banded and tied down, as flat car loads.

Put assorted lengths of tie-free rail up to (but not over) 5 3/8 inches long, on a spare rail rack which can be soldered up from some odd lengths of - you guessed it.

Use some of the curved sections as training aids - once cleaned, brass solders just like nickel silver, and snap-track ties will melt just like flex-track ties until you teach yourself how to solder drops without melting them.

A limited amount can be used at the bumper ends of spurs, where cars may be spotted but locomotives will never run.

The raw rail stripped from brass snap track can be used for fence posts, motor vehicle parking bumpers, fabricated end-of-track bumpers and anything else your prototype of choice cobbled up out of worn-out rail. (My prototype used it to fabricate side trusses for pedestrian overpasses!)

Brass rail can be used for bridge guard rails, or at grade crossings to keep the gravel out of the flangeways. It can also be used to make pushrods for mechanical linkages.

The one thing I, personally, will never do with brass rail is try to convince my prima donna locomotives to run on it!

Chuck

[Train 284]

Brass track is better for garden railroads like I have.

[AntonioFP45]

I have a box load of brass Atlas snap track pieces ranging in age from 25 to 30 years old. Most of it is still useable. However, I have no intention of using it for my new HO layout.

The Peco Amcerican Code 83 and Walthers Shinohara Code 83 perform so much better and look very realistic.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I had some brass N-scale track. Yes. N-scale. I found a good use for it. I cut it up, painted it and it became HO picket fences. How's that for recycling.

[tatans]

All you guys who hate brass track so much, get rid of it ! ! ! dump it in the garbage or sell it to someone who appreciates it. There must be tons of this stuff sitting around under layouts by the boxfull and just as many guys out there that will put it to use, I tried for 3 months to get used brass track and most responses were " I just ripped it out and threw it away" guys were even throwing away unopened huge boxes of brand new brass track, a guy at a hobby shop gave me a large new (but old) box of mint brass track, it's like a treasure to me, what I don't use on the layout I use in construction projects. So all you "plutocrats" with piles of brass track laying around, I'm sure there are lots of children and others that would love to have it, make sure you let them know it's available.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Spitfire: I have some brass track on my 12x24 layout. Some of it is at least 50 years old with fiber ties. If you can get nickel silver it is deffenately better. If you want to use the brass clean it up and have at it. With your stuff I'd be more concerened with the rail joiners being corroded and not making contact. The brass could be used for yard tracks and sidings. Basicly clean it and use it if you want just remember that it may take a little more care. By the way I've got a basement that is as dry as the desert so that helps a bunch.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Corrosion in the joiners is exactly the reason I solder my rail joints after the tracks in it's final position.

[AltonFan]

Unless the cost of nickle Silver track is prohibitive, go with the nickle silver for all the reasons given here.

I you do decide to use the brass track anyway, get thee to a Radio Shack or electronics shop and get a can of contact cleaner. This works on the nonconductive oxidation and restores the track's conductivity.

If there are some pieces of fancy (i.e. expensive) trackwork in there, like double-slip switches, it might be worthwhile to keep them, even if the rest of your track is nickle silver.

[Budliner]

I have been using brass track for over 3 years, and have cleaned it only 3 or 4 times.
I have the layout up in the house, in the computer room. I have not had a problem.
I do want to get all new peco or micro engineering flex track, but at over $95 for 25 pc
I will use what I have for now I did not ballest it so that it can be removed easy




K

[Don Gibson]

It works as good as nickel s. but requires cleaning more often - especially when unused.

[tomikawaTT]

Oops! Forgot one very good use for that ancient Atlas flex with fiber ties.

It can be bent into the exact alignment of one route through a puzzle palace of specialwork, and will hold that shape without glue or track nails. That allows pushing long and derailment-prone rolling stock through the alignment to assure proper tracking once the hand-laid turnouts replace the test pieces. Of course, I still have to lay the specialwork, but that involves skills I've long since mastered.

Incidentally, hatred is far too strong an emotion to waste on inanimate objects like brass rails. I reserve that for the idiots who want to kill Americans and destroy America because we are too free for their Fundamentalist Muslim tastes!

Chuck.

[Newyorkcentralfan]

Don Gibson wrote:

"Nickel Silver is an alloy of brass,"

Since when? Last time I checked nickel silver was an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. No brass whatsoever.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_Silver

Eric

[Newyorkcentralfan]

"Incidentally, hatred is far too strong an emotion to waste on inanimate objects like brass rails. I reserve that for the idiots who want to kill Americans and destroy America because we are too free for their Fundamentalist Muslim tastes!"

First, that does this crap have to do with model railroading?

Second, last time I checked muslim fundamentalists don't have a problem with American freedom they have a problem with interference in the political and socio-economic affairs of their region and the support of oppressive fascist dictatorships and monarchies in the region.

The problem is the that muslim fundamentalists have confused blameless America with Dumb***istan which is responsible for committing the crimes above and have unfortunately retaliated against American when they should in fact be retailiating against Dumb***istan.

We need to get them better maps and intelligence.

http://www.lukecole.com/Electoral%20Maps/dum***istan.gif




Chuck.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Newyorkcentralfan
Since when? Last time I checked nickel silver was an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. No brass whatsoever.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_Silver
Eric

Just for your reference... Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. So technically, yes there is Brass in Nickel Silver.

http://www.ballardbrass.com/nominal-chemical-composition.html

[Anonymous]

Some old timers I know used Wahl Oil (affectionately called whale oil) on brass track to slow the oxidation down. One drop per rail is the recommended dose.