Junnie;
Sounds like you not only have the motivation, but the resources and know-how to accomplish what it is you want to do. Best of luck to you and keep us updated, possibly even with pictures.
Mark
Lots of luck.
Big difference between shooting it down tubes (and Bachmann track is open at the bottoms) or painting the inside of a tank.
No paint within the cost factors I know of will hold up to constant wheel slip.
Another factor IS tractive effort.
That paint shiny?
You seriously are not the first to think you are going to re-invent the wheel and not spend the money everyone else has to to get the job done.
Known enough who, when they realized all the work was for naught, ripped it up and gave up.
But, if you’re young enough to do it again, and have enough money to throw at it, have fun!
Hmmm, let’s see…I’m 64 years old…don’t know if that’s “young enough,” but, I am retired, so, I guess I do have plenty of time to “do it again” if I have to. And fortunately, I do have *“enough money to throw at it”…*mainly because of all the money I’ve saved over the years figuring out low cost ways to do expensive projects like this one!!!
Junnie : )
I do it the cheapest way.
But I have learned in all my years what works and what doesn’t.
One of these days I’ll get around to buying a locomotive and actually laying track.
Maybe folks will listen then.
Maybe naught.
curmudgeon;
I love the look of that rustytrack; I assume you are exageratting for effect about it turning to powder; have left some lionel tubular outside for a year now and it looks like that but you can still operate an r/c train over it
If it’s Lionel 3-rail, it was plated.
This is literally powder.
The rail hads are gone in places, webs gone, base gone, I do have a later shot, I’ll have to upload it.
One thing about painbt:
The engineering of how railroad wheels work is there in no differential.
The right wheel is locked to the left wheel on any given axle.
In the prototype, the angle of the tread and the fillet at the flange caused the wheels to move across the rail head, finding the “sweet spot” where the diameter of each wheel matched the speed differential of the individual wheels on a curve.
Curvature is therefore limited.
Using R-1 (Bachmann curves) is the absolutely worst case scenario for this, as every wheel on every axle will be fighting the opposing wheel and something will be slipping.
This “wheel slip” created friction, which rubs at the finish/paint of the rails.
I could post photos of my locomotive wheels where the plating is gone, as is the copper undercoat, and I use 6’8" radius, not 2’ radius.
TOC,
So do you think you’d build one designed for operations?
And if you did build it, would you keep it clear year round?
Jack [swg]
Wow!!! I have never seen metal rust completely away in less that 3-5 years! What do they use in that Bachmann track that accelerates the oxidation process?
I have an old Minneapolis Moline tractor that has been sitting out in the meadow in font of my house for 40+ years exposed to the elements. There is not one spot on that old girl that has rusted through. The yellow paint has long gone, but the metal, while covered with rust, is still sound.
Junnie
Junnie,
You live in California, Dave lives in Washington state.
Big difference in the weather and what the weather will do to metal over time.
By all means experiment, and, when Dave is proven correct, as he always is, please acknowledge so and listen to what he has to say. It just might save you even more angst with other “doin it on the cheap” ideas you might come up with in the future.
Hi Tony,
1 - I have been given over 400 feet of Bachmann track, a loco, and some rolling stock, absolutely free of charge! Considering this, I fail to see how you could possibly surmise that this was a “a doin it on the cheap” idea that I came up with, or, that this delightful windfall could cause me the least bit of “angst”
2 - Remember that I plan to run battery powered locos exclusively on this track, and, that I am retired with nothing to do all day but spend time on my various hobbies. Therefore, I think you will agree, that my chances of being able to keep this track in operating condition for a minimum of 3 years are very, very good.
3 - The worst case scenario is that the “free” track starts to fall apart after one year and I have to replace it with “purchased” track. I seriously doubt that this will happen, since I plan to paint the track with industrial two part epoxy with UV blockers added. But, let’s say that It does, so what? The only cost to me will be my time and the $70 that I spent for a gallon of epoxy paint.
4 - Im confused, you suggest that I experiment, and then in the same sentence, infer that the track will disintegrate in a few months (Dave’s contention). Do you also believe that the track will disintegrate in a few months? Even if I apply an epoxy coating to the outside and treat the insid
A few commets…
I live in the Upstate of SC. I have a good deal of Bman Track stored in my garage (Closed enviroment). The first set of track from a 2005 Sams set has already began to rust on the Rail Head…just sitting there in my garage, no water anywhere (except in the air, we call it humidity).
I also have 2 2006 Sams sets and this year I placed some track around my Christmas tree from the 2nd sets…after the boys and I played for about a month (Running trains) I inspected after removing tree…it had also began to rust, seemingly where I had touched it…
I also noticed that the plating from the drivers had began to run off onto the track, and the wheels on my HLW Mack were More than dirty! This never really affected the operational aspects of the trains, but did interest me.
I have since installed some of the straight sections of track into my Garage Cabinets to store trains on and to help keep the dust and little fingers away…and yes it seems to be rusting too!
I run RC and Batt in the yard…on Used dirty brown cheap Brass 332 track…
You came to the fourm asking opnions, so I will share mine, knowing that I prob won’t convince you either…
If it were me…I’d use the Bmann track inside my home…whether inside for the Christmas tree, in the formal dining room, in the Sunroom…or like I did for a while a loop in the playroom floor to keep the kids interested while I was outside laying track (after months of stepping on-it was bent and retired—and rusted too).
You can also use the track for train storage as mentioned above…do something constructive with it so you don’t waste your “free gift”…or the thing I’d really consider is selling it on Ebay to fund a real track purchase…you would be suprised what some will pay for that track!
New trackage is about $3/foot before shipping…used can range anywhere from Free to around an average of $2/foot…I bought all o
Cale,
Thanks for providing a detailed account of your experience with Bachmann track.
Just this morning I started a long term project to measure the deterioration of Bachmann track under varying conditions when exposed to the elements.
I attached samples 1, 2 & 3 (shown below) to the top of a retaining wall outside in the location that I intend to build my garden railroad. By the end of the week I hope to have samples 4 & 5 completed and in place. As the project moves forward, I may add other samples with other treatments if I believe they offer viable and practical alternatives. I intend to periodically post the results of this experiment on this forum.
1 - Control Sample - no treatment at all
2 - Track section wiped down with WD-40 once a week - no treatment to the inside of the rails.
3 - Track section wiped down with 20W motor oil once a week - no treatment to the inside of the rails.
4 - Track section treated with metal etch, then sprayed with Clear two part epoxy finish with UV blockers - no treatment to the inside of the rails.
5 - Track section treated with metal etch, then sprayed with Clear two part epoxy finish with UV blockers - inside of rails treated with boiled linseed oil.
Regards, Junnie
I think Cale sums up my thoughts very succinctly. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with performing the experiments you’re contemplating, and if you feel it’s worth your time, energy, and money (however much or little) to play around with an idea, more power to you. Stranger things have come from similar experiments in other fields.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to have trains actually run and run reliably, I think you’ll find your efforts fruitless. NOT because of the material used in the track, but because of the shape of the track itself. You mention you have 400’ of track. Bachmann only makes 2’ radius curves. They, by themselves, are not the most reliable curves to run on. Yes, the trains will negotiate them, but they won’t be happy about doing so. Without knowing what the ratio of curves to straight in the collection you acquired is, I will bet that you’ll have far more curves than straight. That dictates that if you want long “straight” runs, you’ll have to put your curved sections back-to-back to form a series of “S” curves. NOTHING likes to run over that, and you’ll constantly be re-railing your locomotive as it tries. That’s just proven to be bad practice over the decades, and has nothing to do with material.
Getting back to your experiment, it may work, but it may also exacerbate the problem. Any painted surface the trains ride on will not nearly as smooth as polished metal. That’s simple physics. When dealing with the kinds of curves you’ll be using, ANY irregularity on the inside edge of the rail will give the flanges an excuse to try to climb up and over the rails. If the paint becomes chipped through use, that’s like giving the flanges a step ladder.
Again, I’m
The limit will be number of cars, how much string-lining and subsequent repairs will need to be done off 2’ high roadbed, and weasel-joice and motor oil on track…the antithesis of sanders.
Then, one has to consider the effects of non-plastic-compatible weasel-juice and motor oil on the ties.
Suspect Northern California, which still has far more UV issues than up in the Pacific Northwest, will deteriorate the ties rapidly.
Add the plastic-eating oils, the weekly wipe-downs, well, the issue of “doing it again” that enters into it is the curvature.
When you decide 2’ radius isn’t going to cut it, and you’ve built your roadbed, and have to re-build to allow reasonable curves…
There was probably a reason you were given 400’ of the stuff.
I’ve given it away.
I use it on turntable leads where needed, and abandoned grades, and in the bottom of my trash can, and that’s about it.
Hi Kstrong,
Thanks for the input!
The initial layout that I am contemplating requires approximately 150 feet of track. It is a large “L” shaped design. It will have 132 ft of straight sections and 18 feet of curved sections. (six 90 degree turns). The 400 feet of “free” track that I received is approximately 25% curved and 75% straight. This is based on the number of track sections, not on a measure of running feet.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I live out in the country on a 5 acre parcel…so, long, straight runs are easy to achieve. This makes it possible to use a few 90 degree turns with long straight sections between them. For interest, I may decide to add 180 degree turns at a later date.
Regards, Junnie
Hey ToadFrog,
What’s the matter? Your cat got your tongue! har, har, har…
Junnie
Hi all. I’ve been following this for a while now and learning a lot from you all. I was just wondering Junnie, where the pictures are that you were going to post? I just wanted to see what your lay out was going to be.
Thanks
Oh yeah where are the test photo/s pictures?
Hi Santa Fe,
I don’t recall indicating that I would be posting pictures of my layout anytime soon. I just received my track, loco and rolling stock last Tuesday! However, I have decided on a location for the first phase of my layout, but it will be awhile before I am ready to start laying track. As you know from reading this thread, I am trying some experiments with the Bachmann track to see if I can “weatherize” it for outdoor use.
Right now I am in my work shop building wooden trusses. I have two 8 foot sections completed. As I indicated previously, the initial phase of my layout will be elevated.
I am also in the process of converting my Bachmann 4-6-0 Big Hauler to RC / battery operation. I am using ProBoats Waterproof Electronic Speed Control with Reverse and a standard RC TX and RX. All components fit very nicely in the tender. I am waiting for delivery of the ESC to complete this project. I was turned on to this ESC by FJ in one of his postings on the General Discussion Forum.
Junnie