Best rail for gradients - NS or brass?

[viaEstrecha]

I will be laying a graded stretch in the Spring - the gradient part will probably end up around 12m in length at about 1 in 30-ish but is on the branch so won't be taking huge trains. I have enough flexible LGB rail 'in stock' to do it in either brass or nickel silver - has anyone any recommendation on which to select, based on their own experience? Is either material less prone to greasing up with organic gunge or likely to provide better grip?

 

[korm kormsen]

i think, brass should have a rougher surface for less slipping.

 

[Neil Robinson]

If it's genuine LGB nickel rail it'll be nickel plate on brass.
The plating has a poor reputation and apparently flakes off all too easily and quickly.
The above is hearsay, so I respectfully suggest you obtain confirmation elsewhere. If true you'll end up with a brass running surface regardless of the rail used so it won't make any difference to performance.

 

[bobg]

Metallurgically speaking (took a bit of spelling that one), the best grip is had with "like" metals, i.e if using brass loco wheels then brass track is best. with stainless steel wheels then likewise stainless track etc. Having said that I'm not sure if most wheels aren't nickel plated so probably nickel based track would be best.

Bit tricky that one as there may well be other things to take into consideration.

 

[simon@mgr]

Yes

 

[coyote97]

brass is affecting the adhesion by getting corrodated on the upper surface very fast. Some kind as silver does, too, or untreated Aluminium.

It does not corrodate deeply, because the corrosion-skin prevents oxide to reach deeper strutures.


But for this skin, the brass rails have sometimes a better "grip" than others. Disadvantage: the corrosion-skin does not let current flow.
So u have to clean it or drive (like i do) R/C-accu-operations.

U can roughen a solid brass railwith sandpaper, what brings all three effects fast and good: good traction, good current flow and fast corrosion to make sure it does not work any more 3 or 4 days later.

nicle-plated rails are more slippy, because the skin tends to fill the scraps and stays gloomy and shiny, what always is a "pointer" for good slip.
But the flow of current is well. And it does not corrodate.
Roughen the nicle is dangerous. When u reach your brass-underground, u loose the well current-picking-attribute. For more, Nicle isnt very hard, you will drive down the roughended surface quite fast (i only talk about roughening with a middle-fine sandpaper. Rubbling it up with a deep knurl is -in my eyes- not good.

So it is at yours. Me, i would EVER prefer to have a safe current-picking than pulling 2 cars further.

And one time more: thiel-gleis does nicle-plating with used tracks. No clue here if its worth it.


Greetings

Frank

 

[whizzo]

Hi, if it is a help , i started in gauge 1-which was all nickle silver track - when i saw the light, Ha Ha i changed to g scale +all the track to lgb (brass ) but still have 1/30 ish gradients much better grip - stainzs loco pulls 4 -4wheeled coaches, no problem //-with no extra weight - regards Dave

 

[Geoff the garden nav]

Seasons Greeting to every one.

The first LGB flexi track I bought, about two and a half years ago was Nickel plated; reduced to clear LGB from GRS Princess Risbrough. They were rather apologetic about it at the time, I remember being told its just the same as normal brass code 332 rail with this plating which had been tried and which hadn't really worked out! (It was half the LGB 1500mm flexi list track price at the time), from postings I have reads on this forum and GSM before that seems to be the general sentiment.

Bits of plating fell off as soon as I tried to bend it to quite gentel radii, other small patches flaked off seemingly at random, however this seems to have stopped I have to say that over the last 2 1/2 years the of 30 metre it has proved easier to keep clean than the rest, a plain lgb and aristo brass mix. The nickle plate section includes the steepest section of the line 12 metres with a 1 in 30 gradient, I decided to subtly blend my railroad into the garden, (a bit too subtle?). Single headed Aristocraft U25B's or RS3's manage 15 x 40 foot wagons, all metal wheels with no trouble, however a lil critter struggles with as few as 4 cars on wet or dirt on the rails! they weight a fraction of the different versions of the above.

I my be wrong but I don't think the nickle plating makes much diffrence to the friction its mainly the number of driving wheels and above all weight.

Geoff the garden navvy

 

[stevedenver]

brass is affecting the adhesion by getting corrodated on the upper surface very fast. Some kind as silver does, too, or untreated Aluminium.

It does not corrodate deeply, because the corrosion-skin prevents oxide to reach deeper strutures.


But for this skin, the brass rails have sometimes a better "grip" than others. Disadvantage: the corrosion-skin does not let current flow.
So u have to clean it or drive (like i do) R/C-accu-operations.

U can roughen a solid brass railwith sandpaper, what brings all three effects fast and good: good traction, good current flow and fast corrosion to make sure it does not work any more 3 or 4 days later.

nicle-plated rails are more slippy, because the skin tends to fill the scraps and stays gloomy and shiny, what always is a "pointer" for good slip.
But the flow of current is well. And it does not corrodate.
Roughen the nicle is dangerous. When u reach your brass-underground, u loose the well current-picking-attribute. For more, Nicle isnt very hard, you will drive down the roughended surface quite fast (i only talk about roughening with a middle-fine sandpaper. Rubbling it up with a deep knurl is -in my eyes- not good.

So it is at yours. Me, i would EVER prefer to have a safe current-picking than pulling 2 cars further.

And one time more: thiel-gleis does nicle-plating with used tracks. No clue here if its worth it.


Greetings

Frank

quite right
having messed about with very very steep grades with dirty track only recently -and then cleaning the same-the oxidation indeed adds substantial traction-engines that could barely climb the grade but sputtered with conductivity issues would later run flawlessly while sllipping and no longer being able to climb!