Bachmann's brass track and LGB Brass Track Compatability ?

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Railway42 said:
Brass is the best conductor of electricity i.e. LGB solid brass and as so will tarnish in the open Aristocraft and Chinese are not pure brass so will stay brighter longer but are not so good for conductivity The same goes for Peco nickel-silver. Nice to look at not so good over long distance. So for electric locos solid brass is the best plus fish plates to allow expansion and subtraction.
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There is no such thing as pure brass as it is an alloy of copper and zinc plus and often other impurities and the mix varies. It has been stated before that the LGB has a high lead content which makes it tarnish quickly whether this is true or a myth I don't know.

The percentage of copper which is the most conductive metal in brass I think has little to do with the voltage drop as this is usually down to bad connections. The Chinese rail as well as staying brighter longer is also a little harder and wears better. If you want to get reliable voltage you need to run thick copper power cables to the track at regular intervals and not rely on the track connections and bridge the joins with wire. It is also best to buy long lengths of track rather than make do with the cheap 1 foot lengths that can be bought second hand.
 
Hi All.......
I think I have finally worked out the best track for my G-Scale loft layout ???
I have been looking at last years Thomas and Percy sets. These sets planted the seed in my head of what I wanted to do ;) ... ( ma lady said noooooooo..... ) to G- Gage that is.
The track contained with these sets was hollow nickel silver I think which is much easier to get hold of but fits my needs perfectly.

All I need ta do now is find a buyer for my Bachmann Solid Brass Track they have provided with my new Thomas Christmas Delivery Set. :P
 
dude2112 said:
.. The track contained with these sets was hollow nickel silver I think which is much easier to get hold of but fits my needs perfectly.
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NO, strongly recommend you don't use that cheap stuff, it's steel. OK for quick setup round the Christmas tree maybe but poor choice in the longer term. If used outdoors it rusts in no time at all. The hollow section is not as good a conductor as the solid brass rail. Not compatible with any other brands. It's mostly seen in sets, yes you can find packs of track for sale and points, but nowhere near as wide a range as you can find in code 332 from LGB and the other makers mentioned by others.

I've been happy with the AML brass track I bought from Track Shack. It seems good value for money, and plays nicely with my LGB track.
 
Thanks for your input ntpntpntp, I am only building my layout in my loft so it shouldn't matter about the weather resistance of my track.

I have however just purchased a Percy and the Troublesome Trucks set from last year for the bargain price of £199 with free delivery.......

Looking at this years new updated prices I think I still have a bargain as I get the loco, two trucks and controller cheaper than buying separately.

This set comes with the steel track you have mentioned so will set it up and make the decision....... ;)
 
We will never know the formula for LGB brass.Having spent time working in LGB service department in Nuremberg and seen the brass rail worked cold I would think it was Alpha Brass >65% Copper <35% Zinc. Brass is used in all electrical switch gear applications where it is important that sparks should not be struck. Corrosion-resistant brass is DZR brass with a small percentage of arsenic. In my experience the better the brass for conductivity the quicker it will tarnish.
 
Roger from Bachmann has got back too me.
He states that they ( Bachmann ) are using their own brass track in the new Thomas Christmas Delivery Set......

Fair enough, I cannot fault it. It looks to me weathered and dumbed down after modelling '00' and N-Gage nickel rail so am well happy..... :)

I have been very lucky ordering last years Percy And The Troublesome Trucks set from a company called Modelclear on that auction site.

After telling them I had bought the new Thomas Christmas set with Brass Track and asking if the track was compatible they admitted it was not, they could have just sold me the the set anyway's.....
They have however offered ta do me a deal with replacement LMB brass track, which is more but a good offer O0

I have taken on board all your responses and will stick too Solid Brass track from now on....

Cheers Andy.
 
Thanks all yet again for your input.... ;)
I was lucky enough that the sellers of my Percy set replaced the steel track with LMB brass track plus an extra payment from myself.

I am now on a mad search for LMB 45 mm track ta build my layout ;)

It makes sense and as so far you members are not wrong.... 8)
 
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