Old West/Late 1800s Track ?
- Thread starter RR Bob
- Start date
Depends what you are talking about.
Micro engineering makes code 70 flex track and switches and code 55 flex track. If you use code 70 you could use all commercial components. Code 55 flex could be used on siding and yard tracks.
Having said that, I do handlay all my track in code 70 and code 55, just because I can, it allows me more flexibility in the design and its cheaper.
I model 1900-1905 and do NOT model the "old west". If you draw two lines, one E-W and one N-S that cross through St Louis, in the 1880's, 1890's probably 75% of the US rail mileage and car fleet will be in the eastern half and 50% of all the US mileage will be in the NE quadrant. By 1910 there wasn't a point in Iowa that was more then 10 miles from a rail line. Some western states, Utah and Nevada for example that only had a handful of lines that crossed the state. The PRR had a couple classes of hopper bottom gon (coal car) and boxcar that those classes alone had more cars most western railroads had cars of all classes of all types.
Micro engineering makes code 70 flex track and switches and code 55 flex track. If you use code 70 you could use all commercial components. Code 55 flex could be used on siding and yard tracks.
Having said that, I do handlay all my track in code 70 and code 55, just because I can, it allows me more flexibility in the design and its cheaper.
I model 1900-1905 and do NOT model the "old west". If you draw two lines, one E-W and one N-S that cross through St Louis, in the 1880's, 1890's probably 75% of the US rail mileage and car fleet will be in the eastern half and 50% of all the US mileage will be in the NE quadrant. By 1910 there wasn't a point in Iowa that was more then 10 miles from a rail line. Some western states, Utah and Nevada for example that only had a handful of lines that crossed the state. The PRR had a couple classes of hopper bottom gon (coal car) and boxcar that those classes alone had more cars most western railroads had cars of all classes of all types.
Last edited:
Thank you Dave. That is a beautiful layout !!
DanRaitz
Active Member
It depends on how prototypically accurate you want your track to be?
Most (if not all) available flex track comes with molded on tie plates, which did not come into general use until 1900. Prior to that the rail was spiked directly to the ties, to replicate that look the best option is hand-laying your track.
Then comes the question about rail size? Most rail sizes of the period that you're interested in was very light, compared to todays rail.
Rail is measured by how much a 3' section weighs. Rail for your period of interest mostly weighed less than 100 lbs. per section.
Code 100 rail equates to 156 lb. rail in HO Scale.
Code 83 rail = 132 lb. rail.
Code 70 rail = 100 lb. rail.
Code 55 rail = 75 lb. rail.
I would recommend nothing smaller then code 70 if you are considering hand-laying. You can (and a lot of people have) hand-laid code 55 you just have use PCB (Printed Circuit Board) ties (about every 5th or 6th tie) and solder the rails to them.
Most (if not all) available flex track comes with molded on tie plates, which did not come into general use until 1900. Prior to that the rail was spiked directly to the ties, to replicate that look the best option is hand-laying your track.
Then comes the question about rail size? Most rail sizes of the period that you're interested in was very light, compared to todays rail.
Rail is measured by how much a 3' section weighs. Rail for your period of interest mostly weighed less than 100 lbs. per section.
Code 100 rail equates to 156 lb. rail in HO Scale.
Code 83 rail = 132 lb. rail.
Code 70 rail = 100 lb. rail.
Code 55 rail = 75 lb. rail.
I would recommend nothing smaller then code 70 if you are considering hand-laying. You can (and a lot of people have) hand-laid code 55 you just have use PCB (Printed Circuit Board) ties (about every 5th or 6th tie) and solder the rails to them.
Last edited:
