brass track
- Thread starter unkaboose
- Start date
trailrider
Well-Known Member
The negatives you will hear about brass track (on fiber ties?): It corrodes easily and is hard to keep clean. The fiber ties will warp if you ballast using water-based glue.
The positives (IMHO): It conducts electricity somewhat better than nickel-silver. If it is on fiber ties with the metal clips going through every other tie, it is much easier to bend and have it hold its curve. The clips hold the brass rails to the tie strips much more securely. When you use rail joiners, just pry the clips open enough to slide the joiner on, and then squeeze the clip to hold the joiner. I use the fiber tie strips in places where I need to use model spikes to hold plastic-tied rails in place (I may need to ship under the fiber to match the height of the plastic ties.) I don't ballast, and with the fiber ties they are thinner, and don't look bad on top of cork roadbed. I have also used acrylic paint over the cork, and put down the track while the paint is still tacky! I also use brass turnouts, including some double-switch turnouts in places where I can't use available nickel-silver stuff, or where the type of double-switch requires more switch machines on other brands.
I do use nickel-silver for most of my current layout, but I have some of the old brass-on-fiber flex-track that I used as a kid some 60 years ago, on sidings. I just go over them with a Bright Boy and occasionally with Wahl's clipper oil, and they work fine!
If I had room for a larger layout, and you didn't want the brass stuff you inherited, I'll tell you to ship it to me. But, as it stands, there just isn't room for anymore track of any kind on my "spagetti bowl" of a layout.
The positives (IMHO): It conducts electricity somewhat better than nickel-silver. If it is on fiber ties with the metal clips going through every other tie, it is much easier to bend and have it hold its curve. The clips hold the brass rails to the tie strips much more securely. When you use rail joiners, just pry the clips open enough to slide the joiner on, and then squeeze the clip to hold the joiner. I use the fiber tie strips in places where I need to use model spikes to hold plastic-tied rails in place (I may need to ship under the fiber to match the height of the plastic ties.) I don't ballast, and with the fiber ties they are thinner, and don't look bad on top of cork roadbed. I have also used acrylic paint over the cork, and put down the track while the paint is still tacky! I also use brass turnouts, including some double-switch turnouts in places where I can't use available nickel-silver stuff, or where the type of double-switch requires more switch machines on other brands.
I do use nickel-silver for most of my current layout, but I have some of the old brass-on-fiber flex-track that I used as a kid some 60 years ago, on sidings. I just go over them with a Bright Boy and occasionally with Wahl's clipper oil, and they work fine!
If I had room for a larger layout, and you didn't want the brass stuff you inherited, I'll tell you to ship it to me. But, as it stands, there just isn't room for anymore track of any kind on my "spagetti bowl" of a layout.
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
I used it and seems fine. I have some really old turnouts with brass track and fiber ties and for some unknown reason they did not warp, even though ballasted with water based glue.
I even have the brass mixed with other kinds of track and do not experience track problems.
I even have the brass mixed with other kinds of track and do not experience track problems.
trailrider
Well-Known Member
I do too! I even have a couple of brass double-slip turnouts (I don't recall if these are Atlas or Life-Like), with the switch machine attached permanently. They sit in the middle of some nickel-silver leads because they are just what I need there. The neat thing about them is that no matter which way the points are thrown a train approaching from either of the four lead tracks won't derail. The train will either curve around to one track, or cross to the next track. With Shinohara double-slips, you have to be sure the points are thrown to accept the train, if the points are aligned for a different direction from the other end of the turnout! Wish they still made them! Not sure what I will do if the solenoids burn out someday.
