Brass Track

[Yampa Bob]

A friend gave me some old brass HO track sections Code 100,  6 - 18"curves, 2- 9" straight, one damaged, 1- rerailer, 1- RH #4, 1- LH#4 damaged.

Imprint on bottom of turnout is  "Made in Italy by Casadio" with a USA patent number 3379873.

Anyone know the history of these?  My friend said his Uncle had them for about 25 years.  I have no plans to use them, maybe just keep for conversation pieces.

Just curious.

[Atlantic Central]

Bob,

That track was sold by AHM (Associated Hobby Manufacturers) which was the former version of what is now IHC.

Brass track has the dramatic problem of oxidation that is no a conductor requiring constant cleaning - glad those days are gone!

Sheldon

[Yampa Bob]

Sheldon,
Thanks for the info.

Bob

[Paul M.]

Melt the track down and make you a brass locomotive! lol

[Yampa Bob]

If I can find 6 more curves, maybe I will solder them all together as a frame for a round mirror.

[ta152h0]

and it will never rust....

[rogertra]

Another suggestion.

Toss it in the garbage.

[grumpy]

Bob
Use it for diorama's. Diorama's are good ways of displaying  the loco's not currently on your layout and buildings you may not want on your layout
Don

[Yampa Bob]

Don
Great idea, the local museum has some old locos, I'll donate the track to them for a static display.

Throwing them away would be like throwing my friend away.  When someone is kind enough to give me something I try hard to make use of it.

[Woody Elmore]

There was a time when people would paint brass rail an appropriate RR color ans then use a "Bright Boy" on the top. Brass rail will oxidize but you could use it if you wanted to. It could be used on a siding.

Take the ties off the straight sections and you have a good starting load for gondolas.

Did you know why some gondolas are 40 feet long? Rail came in 39 foot lengths so the inside of a forty foot gon would just accept the rail.

[VTBob]

I have both nickle silver & brass track on my layout, & surprisingly the brass track keeps a better electrical current then the nickle silver. I am forever having to redo joints on my mainling (nickle silver) because they don't seem to have good conductivity , but I've never had to do anything to my sidings/branchlines (brass)

It seems that the brass is better to adjust to the wide tempurature changes, then the nickle silver.

just my 2 sense,
Bob

[Dr EMD]

Here is the link associated with the US Patent Office.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=J3xPAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=3379873&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=0_1#PPA2,M1

[rogertra]

I have both nickle silver & brass track on my layout, & surprisingly the brass track keeps a better electrical current then the nickle silver. I am forever having to redo joints on my mainling (nickle silver) because they don't seem to have good conductivity , but I've never had to do anything to my sidings/branchlines (brass)

It seems that the brass is better to adjust to the wide tempurature changes, then the nickle silver.

just my 2 sense,
Bob

Bob.

You should really solder all your nickle silver rail joints.  Just relying on rail joiners for electrical contact is not a good idea.

That's my two cents worth.  :-)

[VTBob]

hey roger

Actually all my joints are soldered, but it's partly the fact being that my layout is in an uninsulated garage, & I live in vermont. The solder joints break in the winter all the time on nickle silver, but they seem to stay on the brass track without issue.

Bob

[rogertra]

hey roger

Actually all my joints are soldered, but it's partly the fact being that my layout is in an uninsulated garage, & I live in vermont. The solder joints break in the winter all the time on nickle silver, but they seem to stay on the brass track without issue.

Bob

Uninsulated in a Vermont winter?  I lived in Montreal and can relate. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!