How bad really is Atlas brass track?

Now, my research suggests that brass track is taboo, and makes people wince at just the thought of it. but how bad is it?
I plan on running a DCC++ powered layout. I have the DCC++ base station in the works, and I even have a TCS MC2 on order for my Athearn GP38-2. but all I have is 1970's brass track. will it work until I get something better, or is it best not to even bother with it?

~Travis

 

Sell it for scrap and buy rail that isn't green.

 

Ok, I haven't found much track I can afford. do you, or anybody else know where I could buy track really really cheap? eBay looks pretty costly, even for the stuff with molded rail-bed.

~Travis

 

There's a reason brass track is no longer used. You'll spend more time cleaning it just to get mediocre performance, especially since you're going with DCC. Track isn't cheap, especially turnouts, but you'll save yourself untold frustration. Start small and simple, and get new track as you can.

 

thanks for the input, I will put some better track on my "wish list" while I get some other stuff setup.

~Travis

 

Brass oxidizes. Oxidized brass does not conduct electricity worth a darn. So, in order to get electricity to your engine, you get to sand the whole length of your railroad with sandpaper, while trying not to damage the ties or ballast.

If you run your engine over every inch of your track several times every single day, you don't have this problem quite so much, but the edges are still liable to oxidize, which means one spot of dirt on the surface of the rail can stop you if the edges in that spot oxidized on you.

Wouldn't you rather spend that time and effort improving your pike...?

 

Maybe try to hand lay track?

 

Nickel silver, got it. I will verify what I have in my wish list and make sure that it what it is.
It will be a while yet before I am ready to lay track anyway, so I can stock-pile a little at a time as I can afford it, while I figure out my layout and build up some bench work. at least, being a carpenter, I am in my element there.

I think that is a tad advanced for me. I will start with pre-fab track.

~Travis

 

yeah, I can understand now that it is a lot of work to use brass track. thank you for that explanation.

~Travis

 

Looks like you already got the answers to your original question. I almost left the hobby thanks to the A brass track. Everything said here about it is true.
Nothing like the nickel silver we have today. Wonder how many nickels it takes to.....?

 

ATTENTION: That brass stuff is as old as god ! Do not go there !! Best cleaned loco wheels will still stall on green oxidization of brass. Listen to your new friends here ! Go with either Atlas or Peco code code 83 nickel silver flextrack. Learn the proper way using a proper, made for the hobby, rail clipper, only !! Any other wire-cutting devices will squeeze end of rail out or shape as it slices ..Your rail ends need to be square, as they face one another at joints. No room here for cutting corners (pun) with track laying. It has to be as close to the real one's (1:1 scale) track installment standards as possible or you are asking for lots of regretful, frustrating moments on out, something which has no use in a hobby made for happiness. Do everything tip-top, as far as track laying, at the beginning, and you'll have a tip-top running layout. Spend good, solid time at this most important phase of model railroading.. Slow, steady and 'to the book' is the ticket to success.
One other thing: The old brass stuff was code 100.. This rail height would scale out to some 11-12" if was prototype whos' highest rail is 7-9" in most the western hemisphere. The early hobby industry maintained this so as to make toy engine's and car's wheel flanges deep enough to keep trains from derailing by kids running trains at 230 Mph around overly sharp curves at the beginning decades of toy electric trains in the world. Code 83 rail scales out to just about the highest prototype 52 lb. rail (One 3' section weighs 52 pounds). So it looks so much better than code 100...If you do wind up anchoring your track with tiny nails say, do NEVER allow nail head to pull the plastic tie downward. Stop tapping with the hammer soon as head is just on top of tie...logic will tell you why. Check out removing/maneuvering ties at ends of flex and proper rail joiner insertion.. Remember, you want a tip-top running road before all other concerns past benchwork...M

 

wow, that's a lot to think about all at once. thank you though.

~Travis

 

MarklinLA has pretty well summed it all up. Nothing will frustrate you more than to have trains that stall or derail. Track work is probably the most important part of the hobby. I would also add that you should look at flex track and stay away from sectional track. This was you'll have a lot more flexibility for a track plan sot being stuck with designated radius curves, plus you'll have fewer joints to contend with.

Yes track can be expensive, but if you check out some of the on line retailers, they do sell items below retail prices and do have sales on track from time to time. I will also agree with looking at code 83 rail because it does look so much better and closer to scale. I went code 70 just because it looks so much better, I had an N scale layout before I changed to HO scale and the oversize rail was one thing that turned me off besides the poor running locomotives available back in the 70's.

You'll end up being so much happier to have your trains running properly by going to N/S rail and taking your time laying the track properly.

 

???
~Travis

 

There is a list of sponsors here who will mail order from their own web-sites some of the finest train stuff out there.

I resent, that we can't mention retailers in a positive vein here and know the administration here is overly sensitive to such issues.
One of the reasons I don't work here BUT do support TB. You can reference the sponsors here and link to them. No problem
with that.

But let's not get a discussion started here over this issue but accept it for what it is. It is what it is.

Now what was that about the Brass Track? Mark in L.A. caught on quick enough. I remember when he asked a similar question.
He's right you know!

 

what is the cheapest retailer to buy nickel-silver flex track in HO? I have searched around, but it all seems to be over $100 for a 25-pack.

~Travis