Is it better to run DCC on Nickel Silver or Steel alloy rails?

[Trainfan1225]

Is is better to run DCC on Nickel Silver or Steel alloy rails? I am currently running steel alloy rails.

[GN.2-6-8-0]

Stay with the NS,no worry of rust as you would have with steel rail plus it's easier to work with.

[rogertra]

Yes, nickel silver is always best.  Period.

Cheers

Roger T.

[jbrock27]

N/S

[electrical whiz kid]

Steel is not, in my opinion, a good alternative.  I have always used Nickel Silver.
While not as conductive as brass, there is less of a maintenance issue as compared to both brass and steel.  Looks better as well. 
This issue has been discussed at length here, though.  I believe you can retrieve information on this site.

Rich C.

[Trainman203]

This subject ought to be in the frequently asked questions section.

A good question for the Bach Man might be, why is steel rail sectional track made and offered?  Given the various issues with it.

A question for the readers with experience might be:  what's worse, steel rail or brass rail?  Brass rail was really hard  to keep clean , has not been around for years now. Many older timers like me started on brass rail many, many years ago and were  glad to have it at the time.

[richardl]

This subject ought to be in the frequently asked questions section.

A good question for the Bach Man might be, why is steel rail sectional track made and offered?  Given the various issues with it.

A question for the readers with experience might be:  what's worse, steel rail or brass rail?  Brass rail was really hard  to keep clean , has not been around for years now. Many older timers like me started on brass rail many, many years ago and were  glad to have it at the time.

You would be really surprised at how few ever read FAQ pages.
I have been in forums since the late 1990s and have seen how many ask a question when the answer is in the FAQ section.
You can easily Google the question and usually get hundreds of links. The plus side of searching is being able to build a nice set of links to help in modelling trains or just about any subject. Beats getting led by the hand.

Rich

[jbrock27]

A question for the readers with experience might be:  what's worse, steel rail or brass rail? 

Given a choice between the 2, I would pick the brass.

I also have to agree with richardg/l.

[electrical whiz kid]

Good.

Rich C.

[Desertdweller]

When I started in HO in 1968, brass rail was the only type widely available.  The stuff does tend to oxidize and require frequent cleaning.

Nickle silver was (at first) available only in flex track in my area.  It was more expensive than brass, but didn't require as much cleaning.  Actually, nickle silver rail is a type of brass alloy.

I really never had any experience with steel rail.  I think either brass or nickle silver rail would be superior to steel, as steel rail actually rusts.  Steel rail would be more difficult to cut, and probably would be impossible to solder to.

The question is: why is steel rail even produced?  No one seems to like it, and everyone seems to advise against it.  The production costs between steel and brass must be small.

Les

[Len]

Pro's and Con's of brass, steel, and nickle silver rail types:

Brass - Pro: Best electrical conductor of the 3, Con: Corrodes quickly; blue/green corrosion is nonconductive; corrosion builds up on pick up wheels, interfering with operation, particularly DCC; track and wheel cleaning is a constant battle.

Steel - Pro: Less expensive than NS, Con: Attracts dirt like a magnet; less electrically conductive than brass or NS; while not as bad as brass, lots of cleaning required; not as easy to solder as brass or nickle silver. Note: While it gets dirty fast, rust isn't really much of a problem with steel rail. It's actually an alloy that tends to resist rust for the most part. Unless you keep it in a damp basement or garage.

Nickle Silver: Pro: Less cleaning than brass or steel rail; decent electrical conductor; larger variety of curves, turnouts, crossings, etc., than brass or steel; more 'code' sizes available than brass or steel, Con: Generally a bit more expensive than brass or steel.

While all will work with DCC, the fact it requires so much less cleaning gives nickle silver the nod from me. A switching to metal wheels reduces the dirt on rails problem even more.

Len

[Irbricksceo]

I find it interesting that it is called nickel silver actually, a better name would be Nickel Brass or perhaps Stainless Brass. After all, Brass is Copper and Zinc primarily and NS is a Copper, Zinc, and Nickel Mixture. The Nickel does the same thing chromium does in Stainless Steel, helps it fight corrosion.

I do agree that if you have any intent of making a layout you should go NS. Steel is really only used in train sets.

[electrical whiz kid]

Ah, yes...
...A track is a track is a track-by any other name should smell so.....well, like a track...

a verse by Willie the Shake....  (oh vell; it could be verse...)

RIch C.

[rogertra]

This topic reminds of a discussion I once had in my technical theatre career.

When building a new community theatre in a small town in northern BC, the question came up about the colour to paint the stage house and what colour the fabric for legs and borders should be.  The people on the committee, being mainly the town's "arty" types wanted various colours but I insisted on black for both paint and fabric.  "But black's such a depressing colour" I was told.  My answer was, "If you use black, nobody in the professional theatre world will ever question your choice of colour, ever."

It's the same with nickel silver rail.  If you use nickel silver rail, nobody will ever question your choice.

They may question your choice of code, if you use anything larger than code 83 but never your choice of rail. 


Cheers

Roger T.

 

[jbrock27]

If people want to devote energy to questioning other's choice of Code, they're free to do so, if that is what turns their crank.  It is not what is going to influence my choice.