No , no, and yes. LOL!!!
I need to make the tips a lot thinner too , so they do not add to how far you have to spread them, thanks for the info, I will give it another try!
My aristo track/ ties have only been down for 13yrs however I will say that the Euro ties (what aristo called them) as Todd shows above have survived well but the American ties(what aristo called them) have not fared so well but still working. However I only go roundy round and Amtrak derails no matter what the track work looks like according to most!
Sad thing is as I just recently read an article from Model Railroad magazines from the 50’s era that Gary Buchanan was gonna pitch. The Polks were ICONS for the model railroading hobby ( I have learned a lot from them old magazines so far Gary…thank you !!!) !
We need more of that and less bitching about what we have available to PURCHASE
Rooster you are so right, i know it’s more expensive but I prefer to buy new to keep the companies going. I want new thing and new different cars !
I was unaware of the Aristo formula issue when I bought my track or the ‘free’ replacements. All was purchased new and trying to support the industry. But frankly it pisses me off when this type of thing happens. And will take a fair amount of time and money to fix. But they are long gone so does no good to get blood pressure up. Their tiny piece of a lip seemed to break off really easy too. Are the new Bachmann ties the same, just better (hopefully) plastic formula since same factory and Chinese company? If I have to go thru this, I want to make it only once.
The Communist Chinese aren’t our friends.
The problem arose when suppliers wanted raises, they substituted lesser ingredients and pocketed the differences and the companies only became aware of the switch when we complained. Aristo tried to make it better by offering the replacements …
Not to get political BUT I’ve been saying for years that American companies chasing the low cost labor so they could show profits and get their bonuses and stock options will come home to roost. We won WWII because we could crank out the tanks, jeeps, planes, etc., BECAUSE we had manufacturing here. It has now become painfully obvious with this Chinese virus. Hopefully companies will learn their lesson and Americans won’t just chase cheap made crap because of price. Years ago I remember reading about someone at Bachmann complaining to the Chinese bigwigs about parts availability and was told something to effect that we make this shi#t cheap enough and if it breaks they can just buy new. That’s always stuck with me. And cheap don’t always translate to just price.
Off my soapbox.
My experience mirrors others. I have a combo of LGB, Aristo and USAT track on my RR most of which was bought used so I don’t know how old it is. I live in Mass. so we experience the 4 seasons and temps from 0-100. The track has been down since 08 and the only issue I have had is with the much older Aristo track. The ties turn grey and get brittle. Luckily I don’t have much of this really old type so I can stick it on out of the way sidings.
Aristo when they came out with the SS track was a hit and mis as they did not at first treat for UV. My track has been down since 05. aristo stated they had this issue and all you had to do was ask for replacement ties which I did. Some of the track has held up well others not so I got some good and some bad. We have high temps here and my RR is almost totally in the sun so it takes a beating. I had a short test strip using the Train-Li ties and they work good . Later RJD
My track is all Aristo - a mix of USA and EU ties. It has been laid since 2005 and no issues apparent at present. However, I live in a temperate climate therefore no very high or very cold temperatures. As my back yard is shaded by bushes, small trees and hedges no track is ever in continual sunshine.
Mickey Kelley said:
Not to get political BUT I’ve been saying for years that American companies chasing the low cost labor so they could show profits and get their bonuses and stock options will come home to roost. We won WWII because we could crank out the tanks, jeeps, planes, etc., BECAUSE we had manufacturing here. It has now become painfully obvious with this Chinese virus. Hopefully companies will learn their lesson and Americans won’t just chase cheap made crap because of price. Years ago I remember reading about someone at Bachmann complaining to the Chinese bigwigs about parts availability and was told something to effect that we make this shi#t cheap enough and if it breaks they can just buy new. That’s always stuck with me. And cheap don’t always translate to just price.
Off my soapbox.
Corporate greed is an easy target, but there are many factors driving manufacturing to China, including unions and government (tax policy, regulation and trade). Perhaps the biggest factor is market forces - the American public’s unending zeal to acquire more stuff (including model trains) at bargain prices. I’ll plead guilty to that.
Mickey Kelley said:
So my question is, before I do this again, is there a brand that is really substantially better? Can I replace the existing Aristo ties with another brand of ties?
I saw a few suggestions !
Neal S said:
Mickey Kelley said:
Not to get political BUT I’ve been saying for years that American companies chasing the low cost labor so they could show profits and get their bonuses and stock options will come home to roost. We won WWII because we could crank out the tanks, jeeps, planes, etc., BECAUSE we had manufacturing here. It has now become painfully obvious with this Chinese virus. Hopefully companies will learn their lesson and Americans won’t just chase cheap made crap because of price. Years ago I remember reading about someone at Bachmann complaining to the Chinese bigwigs about parts availability and was told something to effect that we make this shi#t cheap enough and if it breaks they can just buy new. That’s always stuck with me. And cheap don’t always translate to just price.
Off my soapbox.
Corporate greed is an easy target, but there are many factors driving manufacturing to China, including unions and government (tax policy, regulation and trade). Perhaps the biggest factor is market forces - the American public’s unending zeal to acquire more stuff (including model trains) at bargain prices. I’ll plead guilty to that.
I said that above. “and Americans won’t just chase cheap made crap because of price.” It is my belief that most people, most of the time, buy based on price. So WE are part of the problem.
Mickey,
I started laying Train Li nickel-plated track, with US-style ties, in 2012. I use rail power, BTW. I’m still very glad I did, for the following reasons.
- The ties have held up very well, no noticeable change (I’m in Maryland, and we have a lot of climate swings)
- The nickel plating is easy to clean, just like stainless (I use a swiffer a couple times a year to get dirt off, but there’s no oxidation to deal with)
- The underlying brass rail is a great conductor
- The nickel plate is as tough as nails; but if you grind it off with a Dremel, you can solder to the brass
- Because of their biting-in design, I’ve yet to have a Train Li rail joiner connector come loose
- The flex track bought was 5’ long, and it was a lot of fun to use their bender and a cheap Dremel-like tool for cutting
- It was easy to stagger the joints for smoother running over curves
There are issues with the Train Li switches I’ve purchased, but those have been resolved with occasional maintenance (such as removal and screw tightening, or perhaps additional jumpering).
Tough decisions, but good for you to ask them and consider your options!
Cliff
I have not laid any track as yet but have acquired quite a bit of used REA/Aristo brass. So my takeaway from this thread is I’m going to need to replace the ties and not with Aristo ones. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Dan Gilchrist said:
I have not laid any track as yet but have acquired quite a bit of used REA/Aristo brass. So my takeaway from this thread is I’m going to need to replace the ties and not with Aristo ones. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Hi Dan - I f your “used” track was used outdoors, and the ties are still solid; they will probably last a good long while. Any that are brittle now should get replaced.
Cliff Jennings said:
Mickey,
I started laying Train Li nickel-plated track, with US-style ties, in 2012. I use rail power, BTW. I’m still very glad I did, for the following reasons.
- The ties have held up very well, no noticeable change (I’m in Maryland, and we have a lot of climate swings)
- The nickel plating is easy to clean, just like stainless (I use a swiffer a couple times a year to get dirt off, but there’s no oxidation to deal with)
- The underlying brass rail is a great conductor
- The nickel plate is as tough as nails; but if you grind it off with a Dremel, you can solder to the brass
- Because of their biting-in design, I’ve yet to have a Train Li rail joiner connector come loose
- The flex track bought was 5’ long, and it was a lot of fun to use their bender and a cheap Dremel-like tool for cutting
- It was easy to stagger the joints for smoother running over curves
There are issues with the Train Li switches I’ve purchased, but those have been resolved with occasional maintenance (such as removal and screw tightening, or perhaps additional jumpering).
Tough decisions, but good for you to ask them and consider your options!
Cliff
I had acquired the Aristo track, but now am expecting on replacing the ties. I did have it all soldered since I “was" running the track powered LocoLinc but am seriously consider going battery when I get to the new layout.
Mickey Kelley said: Can I replace the existing Aristo ties with another brand of ties?
Yes !
Mickey,
If you need to mix new ties with old, and match the appearance and especially the height, you might get a sample tie section from the manufacturer’s you are considering. For example, here’s Train Li’s tie page (these match LGB’s well, but I don’t know about the others).
Dan Gilchrist said:
I have not laid any track as yet but have acquired quite a bit of used REA/Aristo brass. So my takeaway from this thread is I’m going to need to replace the ties and not with Aristo ones. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Aristo ties are becoming harder and harder to find, so choosing a different manufacturers ties would probably be a good idea anyway.
Dan Gilchrist said:
I have not laid any track as yet but have acquired quite a bit of used REA/Aristo brass. So my takeaway from this thread is I’m going to need to replace the ties and not with Aristo ones. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Since your ties may or may not be bad and are packed away, I’d pull any real bad ones and spray paint the rest with a UV resistant paint.
From cutting track to fit places, I have extra ties and I only replace the ones that go bad.
The strips are in 1’ (approx.) lengths, I’ve seen them fade to 3 colors on a 3’ section of track, as if they mixed them together to move 'em out.(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-undecided.gif). I painted some to be old (sidings) and others in various states of fade to show periodic repairs. I was committed to paint, I decided to tell a story. Mine are the eruo ties (clamps not spikes) on SS rail.
