Mixing Track question

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C

completenewbie

Member
Not sure if this is the proper place to post this:

Is it ok to mix track types/manufactures?

I'm not too clear on the various types of tracks or what the differences are such as nickle or brass etc. I do believe however that the quick tracks are not what I want (I have 2 types of those- bachmann and life like which are not compatible).

Thanks in advance.
 
Compatible in what way? There are various measurements for track and different manufacturers might use slightly different measurements. The one constant *should* be the distance between the rails. The individual rail might be higher or thicker, the ties can be thicker, or spaced at different increments, or be different widths outside the rails.

But mixing brands isn't a bad thing. It just might require a bit of adjustment so that they line up correctly. A shim under the thinner ties for example to create a smooth transition.
 
I guess I meant compatible in that they will join together and let my train run?

Apologies if I'm not too clear - learning as much as I can as quickly as I can.
 


Atlas will work with Shinohara and will work with Peco and Walthers (Shinohara) and Micro Engineering and Bachmann (without the roadbed).

As long as the track is in gage and uses regular rail joiners and isn't on roadbed, track should work. However, since radii can be different between brands, I wouldn't mix any curved sectional (not flex) track together.

3 metals that track is/has been made from: steel, brass, and nickel-silver (NS). Steel rusts and becomes a poor conductor of electricity. Brass oxidizes (turns green) and becomes a poor conductor of electricity. NS oxidizes, but the oxidation is more conductive than rust or green brass, so that's why NS gets used the most.

Code numbers mean the height of the rail, in hundredths of an inch. Code 100 track is .100 of an inch. In HO, it would be similar to 150lb+ rail, which was used by the Pennsylvania Railroad exclusively. Code 83 is .083 of an inch, and is closer to modern rail, which is roughly 132/136lb rail. Code 70 rail is 0.070 of an inch, and I don't remember which weight of rail it translates into. There is Code 50 or 55 rail, I think.

If you have older rolling stock with plastic wheelsets, the larger flanges on those wheelsets work better on Code 100 than the smaller codes. I originally went with Code 100 for that reason, but now all my rolling stock has metal wheelsets, and now will replace with Code 83 and Code 70.
 
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Thanks Trey that helps a lot - I didn't know about the curve track and that helps to avoid a lot of potential problems I think

Thanks for the response
 
There will be very minor 'disagreements' in gauge, and of course in rail height, but there will also be differences in the cross-section of the rails.

So, as succinctly as I can, yes, by all means, you can mix and match, but the key to success is to ensure the abutments have the inner flange and tire running faces of the rail heads well aligned. Nothing else matters. Nothing.
 
Thanks Crandell for the response.

I guess you're saying so the train rides smoothly on the rails and connection is continuous?

Great community here, very glad I found this place.
 
You are welcome! :)

Yes, if you can live with, or cover up cosmetically (if the differences in appearance are sufficiently disparate to bug you), some variance in appearance. For example, tie spacing may be a problem...is a problem, actually, with some mixing. If you are going to be burying the ties in a yard, where ties rarely show, it is a moot point. Out on your pristinely ballasted main, though, it will be a place where you will have to shoot low angle shots if you are imaging because the join will show. Another example would be the "spike head" details. They vary from brand to brand, and even among codes in the same brand.

But for strictly running properties, wanting a completely smooth transition from one brand of track to another, and even one code of track to another, just make sure the rail ends meet properly for the sake of the tires and flanges. The trains won't care about anything else.

One tip to pass on to you: get a set of small needle files from a dollar store or a hardware store. They aren't more than a few dollars. Use a flat one to file a bevel into each and every rail end, whether you cut it or the factory did, on sections of track or on turnout exits....do 'em all!! You need to file a shallow bevel into both of the key surfaces I mentioned. Especially on tighter curves, this is a great way to ensure your flanges, already sliding along the inner face of the rail head, will be cammed nicely past the joins.
See below:

Railtipbeveldiagram.png
 
Wow, i see the details are going to drive me nuts!

That's interesting - so beveling the ends where one track joins another makes for a smoother track to track transition with different brands - "Who'd a thunk it?"

Frog - thanks for the response - but why use nickle over brass? Is brass a poor conductor or is there another problem?
 


Besides looking unreal, brass "rusts" so to speak and it doesn't conduct electricity.

Nickel steel also does, but it still conducts. You have to clean brass more often as well.

On my layout it is small enough that extra cleaning is no big problem.

Brass track, even when painted, still has the brass look on top of the rails, really stands out.

If you are just starting out do it the right way with nickle steel track.
 
transition

It also makes for a smooth transition from-to sections of track and/or switches of the same brand.

Gardner
 
Excellent - Thanks Frog, Gardner and of course Crandell.

I'm very impressed with this community - seems to not only have lots of great information, but friendly, helpful people as well.

Thanks so much to everyone for the responses and advice - it is much appreciated :)
 
Most track sold nowadays is either nickel-silver (which is NOT a silver alloy...also called "German Silver"). It is really a brass alloy, but the alloy is more resistant to oxidizing than brass track. As has been posted, steel track will oxidize fairly quickly. If you are just starting out, I would definitely recommend nickel silver track. That doesn't mean you should throw away any brass track you might come across. I've got some brass track with fiber ties that I've had from my very first HO layout, and I have found it very useful in yards, branch lines, RIP tracks, etc., where there isn't much traffic. A bit of polishing occasionally is all that is required.

One tip about keeping track clean: Use hair clipper oil on a soft cloth. Just wipe it on, but don'e drench the cloth. The oil is conductive and will reduce the pitting that occurs on all track as pickup wheels roll along and pit the surface of both wheel and rail microscopically, causing a speedup in the oxidation process.
 
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