Large Scale Central

tie strips suggestions and source

Track and Trestles
#1

I was given a bunch of code 332 brass track where the ties are almost non-existent. They are very old, and the ties are brittle, missing, and in most cases just disintegrated from Florida sun. The rails can be cleaned up, though.

Can anyone recommend a brand and/or supplier for tie strips with good (read cheap) prices? Most of what I need are for 10’ diameter curves and straight track. Are all tie strips suitable for flex track, or are there some that will work only on straights or only on curves?

Thanks in advance.

tie

#2

You might try Microengineering. Tie strips will fit curved or straight. Though I ain’t sure what tie strip would hold up in Florida…:wink:

http://microengineering.com/products_gtfts.htm

#3

Thanks Ken, I’m thinking Train Li, $99 for 100 feet. Someone on Facebook said they used them to renew old Aristocraft 332 track.

#4

Yea, Train Li would be a closer profile of the LGB tie strips.

#5

There is the TrainLi european brown ties and these are not the $1.00 price.

The bulk price is for the American Manufactured concrete style ties and come in many colors.

LGB brown, black, red, white, blue, green, train babe pink and concrete grey. Not all colors are available all the time, and the price is for a box of 100. They are packaged in cellophane wraps of 10 which makes for easy bandsaw cutting to convert to flex ties.

#6

That track looks like USAT, Mike can you tell the manufacture?

Greg

#7

Greg Elmassian said:

That track looks like USAT, Mike can you tell the manufacture?

Greg

I’m not sure Greg, the only markings I can find on the existing ties are “made in China” and “screw->”. They definitely are not Aristocraft, mine are holding up nicely for 15 years or so. These ties are thinner (width wise) than my track, and the tie plates are a different design.

#8

Maybe they are Aristo USA (style) ties, or were. My Arist USA (style) ties say China and have a Screw with arrow marking on each tie strip.

#9

Actually Aristo had batches on and off that failed UV quickly, so it could be either, I’d need to see a closeup, preferably of the first few ties to be sure.

The Aristo sectional track had a narrower “spike” on the end ties, and one twice as wide for the rest.

I’m going to put some close up pictures on my site of various track for identification.

Was just curious, no big deal.

Greg

#10

Before Aristo there was REA, Did REA make track?? Also Kalamazoo.

#11

Yes, REA made track.

From my web site:

1984 - 19 June - REA and LGB enter into US distribution contract.

1985 - Aristo-Craft started making G Gauge buildings by licensing some Delton wood structure designs and converting them to plastic kits. These were successful and later converted to fully built-up and painted items. (from Jan-Feb 2010 Aristo-Craft"Insider")

1985 - October - REA sues SUPER SCALE MODELS, LTD.; and Charles C. Merzbach (they were selling “gray market” LGB) (they eventually lose)

1988 - January 4 - E.P. Lehmann terminated the contract.

1988 - REA teamed with Aristo-Craft to make 1/29th Lionel (Lionel is a trademark of Lionel Inc. and not in any way connected to Aristo-Craft) sized standard gauge trains in 1988. Aristo-Craft had designed and started selling a track line and then merged it into their partner REA. The track had the highest percentage of copper in the market plus screwed together rail joiners. (from Jan-Feb 2010 Aristo-Craft"Insider")

1988 - “Periodically, I get e-mails about discussions on other websites and they want my opinion. The most recent one asked about our Long Steel Caboose, which is the first product we ever made. This was some 24 years ago that we designed it and introduced it in 1988. At that time our direction was to be a toy train company and we were making a scale popularized by Lionel (trade mark of the Lionel corporation) in the first part of the century. Our partner at the time under our REA trademark was Bill Lamping and he wanted to make his favorite Lionel caboose. This was the model for our first product, not a scale model of a real caboose.” (Lewis Polk, Aristo-Craft forum 03-05-2010, 11:38 AM)

1988 - “The REA trade name was used during our partnership with Bill Laming and when that was dissolved we continued the line under the Aristo-Craft name.” (Lewis Polk, Aristo-Craft forum 03-05-2010, 04:12 PM), NOTE: it seems that the REA name was a partnership, and that partnership was dissolved. The 1990 REA catalog stated: “A joint venture of Polk’s Model Craft Hobbies, INC, and Railway Express Agency, Inc.”, the address on the catalog was 346 Bergen Avenue NJ.

1990 - Aristo-Craft and REA parted company as REA was spending its time and fortune in litigation against another company. Aristo-Craft also moves its production from Korea to China. (from Jan-Feb 2010 Aristo-Craft"Insider")

More history on my web site: http://www.elmassian.com/trains

Regards, Greg

#12

Greg, Here is a closeup of the end. It has a narrower tie plate at each end than the rest. Aristocraft?

#13

Yea, that looks like the Aristo USA (style) track I have.

#14

David Maynard said:

Yea, that looks like the Aristo USA (style) track I have.

I guess all the track I bought back in the late 90s has Euro ties then! I really didn’t remember. I located an old 5’ box that I saved and it is ART-11099.

#15

Yep I agree, looks like my usa style Aristo also, the “single spike” on the end and the thin slot in the tie.

Many people bought euro style without knowing, especially with all the numbers and it was confusing. Also dealers often did not warn you when you orded Euro, often they ran out of the US style and sold Euro without telling people.

Regards, Greg

#16

As an update, a very kind stranger saw my post on Facebook and sent me a box of Aristocraft tie strips!

At times I am amazed by the kindness of the human race, Thank you Martin!

#17

This is a lot – see if it is helpful.

As to tie durability, with 14 years of So.Calif. heat 'n sun, I have found repeated coats of Rusty Brown spray paint (Rust-oleum, Krylon) has helped preserve the ties. Yes, I am aware of the LGB durability endorsement and have a large portion of LGB track. Nonetheless, the painting does extend durability – especially with the Aristo ties. Spray the entire track and then take a block of wood with a cloth attached and wipe off the rail tops. A little lacquer thinner helps with the quick removal.

Secondly, for durability sustained when plant enthusiasts walk on track, In those areas of track-walking, I doubled up on the tie count per track section. It works wonderfully to sustain human weight. Anyone with a “garden” railroad and a dedicated “gardener” in the family, will experience humans walking on the track. I bought a bulk pack of ties – mix of LGB and Aristo – and doubled the ties by cutting the separating tabs with a pair of cutters and then threaded them on to the rails. No matter if curved or straight, the ties went on and, in some instances, compressed against each other. The strength payoff is remarkable. I’ve had no criticism from any fellow garden RRs as to appearance --maybe because they are also doing it.

Third – stainless track has memory. If you have created the curves and threaded on the ties, it will secretly (mainly at night when you are asleep) try to return to being straight. Yep! It pulls on those Aristo ties and finally you will see where the rails have gotten slightly wider in places. Yipes! Derailed trains are the result. OK, the doubling up on ties works! My stainless rail has been down for five years and the stress-breakage on the ties is now history thanks to doubling ties at the curves. Looks fine! And, see below, I don’t use the ties that have the tiny rail supports.

Fourth – forget the end ties with the those tiny rail supports. LGB and Aristo have the same gambit on the end ties on the ends of their 12 inch tie sections. Notice the end ties do not compare in strength to the others. I have a box of end ties I have cut off. I only use them as fillers to stick in between the factory-spaced ties on any straight track on a bridge or trestle.

That’s it. Good luck and please report your experience.

Wendell

#18

Thanks Wendell, I’ve replaced the ties in several of my curves and it got easier as I developed a technique of slipping them on the rails. I notice on the curves, I can only get a few of the tie screw holes to line up to the thread holes in the rail underneath. I only screwed the ends to keep the tie strips in place.

Do you screw the ties to the rail?

#19

Hello Mike and others-

Forget the small screws attaching the ties to the rail bottoms. You will find the track ties don’t move once in place. If you slip on additional ties randomly, you will get some of the advantage of strength in keeping the rails equal distance from each other. The random feature looks authentic as it was used for the same reason.

Glad to help you.

Wendell

#20

I take all the screws out of the ties to the rails… My track sits in aglime, and once wet, it dries hard… To adjust track and ties, one usually has to hammer the aglime to break it up… By taking the screws out of the ties to the rails, it allows the rails to move back and forth with the heat and cold, and not disturb the embedded ties.