What gauge of track?

[slack]

I am rebuilding my layout and have  a good amount of code 70 ME track but I am not really thrilled with it just wondering what code most other On30 guys use?

[ebtnut]

The track issue for On30 is a bit tricky.  A lot of folks just use the Bachmann E-Z track (HO) because it comes with the sets.  The problem is that the tie size and spacing is correct for HO, but in O the ties are too small and too close together for correct appearance.  Peco makes On30 track, but the tie size and spacing are more suitable for European practice.  I believe Micro-Engineering now makes proper On30 flex, and I believe they use Code 83 rail, which is a good choice for O scale narrow gauge.  Code 83 is about 60 pound rail.  The Code 70 rail is very light, scaling in at about 35 pound rail.  Typical HO Code 100 rail is about 85 pound rail in O - pretty heavy, but both the Rio Grande and EBT used rail in about that range. 

[mabloodhound]

I personally prefer Code 83 rail.   I use the Atlas HO flex and after ballasting I find the ties, although short and not properly spaced, are almost not an issue and hardly seen.
If you are a purist, then either the ME or Peco On30 flex but if you want to save money, then look into HO flex.   Your Code 70 could be used in the yards and sidings where lighter rail is acceptable.   Operation should be fine.

[nosamnod]

There is never a definative answer to this one because narrow gauge railways by their very nature tended to use up all sorts of rail - in many cases whatever they could get hold of.

For my last layout which was based on the Maine two-footers, I used ME code 83, which was about right - but for the logging layout I did before that, even though it was 3 foot gauge, I used a lot of code 70 - as it was intended to represent light rail which could be taken up and moved easily, as logging lines often did.

Here in the UK on the other hand, code 70 would be right for many of the lightly laid narrow gauge lines we once had, especially some of the industrial concerns.

So to an extent, it depends on what kind of railroad you are actually tryng to portray. But for a general purpose USA narrow gauge line you really can't go wrong with the ME code 83. IMO, the Peco On30 track is far too hefty for all but the very heaviest laid railroads. It does look a bit like the trains are running on the edges of girders....although it undoubtedly performs well.

[ebtbob]

Good Morning all,

      Since I use On30 as my cheap man's On3,  I use Micro Engineering code 100 On30 flex track.   The kicker is,  while ME makes the On30 flex in code 100,  they do not offer any turnouts in code 100,  go figure.

[Joe Satnik]

Has anyone ever removed every other tie on standard HO non-roadbed track?

Joe

[Anubis]

Hi there Joe,

I have done that.

When I moved over to On30, after being a dedicated HO-er for 40-odd years, I had such a stock of Peco Streamline track that I thought it was a silly idea to not use it.

I effectively removed every second (or third) sleeper, then painted and weathered the Peco track and sleepers up nicely. Once I added the ballast,  no-one (not even me) could tell the difference.

What appeals to me about this method is that each sleeper has its own chair and spikes, even if the sleepers themselves are not quite 'prototypically' long enough. I prefer that to seeing rails soldered to PC sleepers, with spikes only about every ten or fifteen sleepers.

But what is "prototypical" on your railway anyway? By its very nature, narrow-gauge means cost-cutting on everything, so why not on track?

As the man said, It's your railway - so do whatever you feel is right....



John

[Ballard Southern]

I just got to this one....   for what it's worth, I built my first On30 with old Atlas HO and didn't like it much.  Guess at the time I felt I should have been more "correct".   Built my second with the Pico On30, which was OK, (worked real well) but I felt it looked oversize.   I got out of railroad for awhile, but just jumped back in and am working on On30 #3.   I happened to have 22 Pico HO Insulfrogs and a full box of matching flex, so guess what got used.   My layout is all small local yard and laid flat (no roadbed) so after graveling and dirt I don't think the ties will matter.  Right now, sitting on top of a full cork surface, I'm finding that I rather like them because they take away some of the "My gosh, those cars are small..." factor.

Dick in Seattle
Ballard Southern