code = what metal?

[MitchyG]

Thanks for anwsering my code questions, but that created another question......


What is code 83 rails made of? What is code 100 rails made of?

 

[hamltnblue]

Both are currently made of Nickle Silver by the major manufacturers.

 

[flyboy2610]

As far as I know, code 83 is available only in nickel silver.
Code 100 is available in nickel silver and steel. I don't think you can get brass track anymore, but maybe someone knows otherwise.
I would get nickel silver track, though. Less problems than with steel or brass.

 

[kenw]

code has nothing to do with the type of metal, only the size. rails can be made of:

1) brass (inexpensive but corrodes quickly),
2) nickel silver (which is a type of brass but doesn't corrode as quickly)
3) steel (which should be avoided at all costs)

most modelers use nickel silver (sometimes abbreviated NS).

 

[Littlefoot14]

Code describes the hieight of the rail bud, i think. Theyre usually both made from the same stuff, just different hieghts in rail. Code 83 is more prototypical both in rail hieght and track color.

 

[dave1905]

Code is the size of the rail, it is the number of thousandths of an inch it is high. So code 83 is .083 high and code 100 is .100 of an inch high. Other common rail sizes are codes 70, 55 and 40 (respectively .070, .055 and .040 inch high).

Code 100 is or was made in both brass and nickel silver. The rest are most commonly made in nickel silver.

 

[trailrider]

"Code" numbers are a measurement of the height of the rail, irrespective of scale or the type of ties, roadbed, etc. In other words, Code 100 O-scale track is the same height as in HO, that is .100". The corresponding scale weight would vary with the scale. I'm not sure of the exact correspondence of each code in a particular scale, but HO scale code 100 would be equivalent to almost twice that of O scale. If (and I can't recall the equivalence) code 100 track was equivalent to 175 lbs/yd real rail, then O scale code 100 would be the equivalent of 96 lb rail. The ratio of the scale weights is the ratio of the scales, 1/87 to 1/48.