The crew of the D&D must be lazy. They don’t work in snow, wind or rain. Maybe that’s why they’re running behind on their work!
Ric Golding said:
Hey Tom,Looking at your pictures again, I focused on your track. What brand is it? Have you painted it? Is it Marvin’s plastic rail?
Hi Ric,
I am currently using up a supply of Aristo Craft brass track I had left over from when I had a big circle with two wires soldered on when we lived out in the country. This was my first experiment in large scale choo choos. When we moved in to town the previous HO empire I had came down and the Garden RR was begun. I always painted my track as an HO modeler and decided to do the same in the Garden for a little more realism. I particularly felt OK with this since I was going to go battery power/RC.
So I use Walmart spray cans to spray the track with primer and a rust brown for the rails. The ties are then brush painted with three shades of brown acrylics (craft paints).
A good train buddy’s dad passed away and left him with cases of LGB track and my friend gave these to me to use. Most of my straight sections will come from this very generous offering. Again this track will be painted too.
I would like to use the plastic rail a little later in the construction as it looks to be a very good product and certainly easier to bend than the brass rail.
Hoping to learn more as the build continues.
Doc TomDoug Arnold said:
The crew of the D&D must be lazy. They don’t work in snow, wind or rain. Maybe that’s why they’re running behind on their work!
It can be difficult to get our crews motivated to advance our railroad dreams. Doc Tom
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/RailRoadManagement.jpg)
Tom Grabenstein said:
Doug Arnold said:
The crew of the D&D must be lazy. They don’t work in snow, wind or rain. Maybe that’s why they’re running behind on their work!It can be difficult to get our crews motivated to advance our railroad dreams. Doc Tom
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/RailRoadManagement.jpg)
(http://www.tallcomanche.org/Comanche_Artillery_Vulgar_Brawl_Cartoon.jpg)
Tom, You said - “I would like to use the plastic rail a little later in the construction as it looks to be a very good product and certainly easier to bend than the brass rail.”
Yes, but you would also have to protect it with paint. It is not u/v protected.
Ric Golding said:
Tom, You said - "I would like to use the plastic rail a little later in the construction as it looks to be a very good product and certainly easier to bend than the brass rail."Yes, but you would also have to protect it with paint. It is not u/v protected.
Tom is it the plastic track by train-li? I had heard it does not hold up well outdoors even if protected from UV. I read it on another forum but forget were. It the sun warped the track or caused it to be wavey. Im sure someone else can chim in. Possibly SE Lounge.
Here it is. This should be the train li stuff. Comment made by Pete (Daisy Beach RR) on SE Lounge:
Yes. I did test it outside. As suspected, the sun turned the rails to cooked spaghetti, and my sections with wide-spaced ties floating in ballast became a rollercoaster ride for the locos, as the track conformed to every dip and bump and sideways camber. I cannot see using nylon rail outside unless perhaps you use both the maximum number of ties (a la standard gauge) AND provide a rock solid and perfectly level base for it. But somebody else is gonna have to do that test
Shawn said:Ric Golding said:
Tom, You said - "I would like to use the plastic rail a little later in the construction as it looks to be a very good product and certainly easier to bend than the brass rail."Yes, but you would also have to protect it with paint. It is not u/v protected.
Tom is it the plastic track by train-li? I had heard it does not hold up well outdoors even if protected from UV. I read it on another forum but forget were. It the sun warped the track or caused it to be wavey. Im sure someone else can chim in. Possibly SE Lounge.Here it is. This should be the train li stuff. Comment made by Pete (Daisy Beach RR) on SE Lounge:
Yes. I did test it outside. As suspected, the sun turned the rails to cooked spaghetti, and my sections with wide-spaced ties floating in ballast became a rollercoaster ride for the locos, as the track conformed to every dip and bump and sideways camber. I cannot see using nylon rail outside unless perhaps you use both the maximum number of ties (a la standard gauge) AND provide a rock solid and perfectly level base for it. But somebody else is gonna have to do that test
Ric and Shawn,
Thank you for carrying this a little farther. The track I had been considering was the train-li brand. In my earlier reading no one had really commented on what it would do outdoors. It looks like it has now been tried and “found wanting.”
I hope we get more input from others regarding this product as “cooked spaghetti” would proably not work well on my mountain RR. This site (LSC)is very informative and there are many knowledgeable folks here. I look forward to hearing more about real life eperiences with the train-li track in the great outdoors.
Doc TomTk’s. for show us Tom… Like the detail and name on the shay… “Miss Kit” neat.
You don’t normally get the summer heat that we do in California but Fairplex even had to replace the Aristo tie strips they were using because long-term they didn’t hold up. The LGB tie strips have not had any problems.
The Gateway Garden Railroad Club was a Beta test site for the track that Train-Li sells. I personally only used it for exactly what it was designed for, as inside display shelf track. Some of our club members have tried it outside for sidings. The jury is still out on its success.
This was the discussion -
http://www.largescalecentral.com/LSCForums/viewtopic.php?id=12651
Ric Golding said:
The Gateway Garden Railroad Club was a Beta test site for the track that Train-Li sells. I personally only used it for exactly what it was designed for, as inside display shelf track. Some of our club members have tried it outside for sidings. The jury is still out on its success.This was the discussion -
http://www.largescalecentral.com/LSCForums/viewtopic.php?id=12651
Thanks for more info. Good discussion on the topic site you linked. I enjoyed the creative use of the gondolas for paper towel and bathroom item holders…nice.
So it sounds like “more research is needed” before widespread recommendations for outdoor Train-Li track usage. I am still about 1 year away from needing to try it or buy more brass track. So probably good timing to follow this topic further. Thanks for all the input.
Doc TomNoel Wilson said:Miss Kit is my beautiful wife who has put up with me and my trains for 32 years. Thanks. Doc Tom
Tk's. for show us Tom.. Like the detail and name on the shay.. "Miss Kit" neat.
Tom,
I’ll make sure the subject comes back up at one of our meetings and get a report of how the track is holding up outside. It is now going through its first Winter. I can report that the stuff in my basement constantly subjected to the extensive weight of real large scale cars (multiple scales) and semi-regular florescent lighting seems to be holding up as expected.
Ric Golding said:
Tom, I’ll make sure the subject comes back up at one of our meetings and get a report of how the track is holding up outside. It is now going through its first Winter. I can report that the stuff in my basement constantly subjected to the extensive weight of real large scale cars (multiple scales) and semi-regular florescent lighting seems to be holding up as expected.
Ric, The discussion about Track-li at your meeting would be helpful to me as I ponder the decision on whether or not to use this type of track. The Internet is a great way to disseminate knowledge about our hobby. Thank you to you and your group in advance for any more info on this interesting track alternative. Doc Tom
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/rrmtge.jpg)
Have no clue about the track, but the Train-Li bender is a top notch product that will bend more track that you can stand! 
cale
C. Nelson said:
Have no clue about the track, but the Train-Li bender is a top notch product that will bend more track that you can stand! :)cale
Great for stretching out or bringing alive those tight muscles, also.
…grinning…
I have wide curves and all my track bending was over my knee! Only hurt a little!
THOUGHTS OF SUMMER The boys are getting a case of “cabin fever” hanging around the Elkmont Post Office and Little River Lumber Company Store this Winter.
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/ElkmontPostOffice.jpg)
(Picture from the LRRR Museum, Townsend Tennessee) Seems there is only so much whittling and spit-tin and chew-in you can do on a given day. So naturally, story telling and tale swapping soon become the order of the day. There was this lazy day this past summer when Bobby, Jimmy, Harry, and Steve-O took “lil steamer” the pet “dawg” out for some fun on one of the logging flats on the trestle above Tremont.
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/RRfun2.jpg)
Well sir, the game “fetch” took on a whole new meaning when it included a railroad spike tossed off a flat car 50 feet in the air. “Lil steamer” was too happy to oblige and did good in all aspects of locating and retrieving the special prize.
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/RRfun1.jpg)
Management needs to get these guys back to work and away from all this mischief!!! Doc Tom
Did you build that flatcar? It looks good and would fit in on my layout.
My crew has been busy building despite the rain. Hopefully I can post some pictures.