I had come on here to brag on my son. He is in third grade an competed in the school science fair. His project tested nickle silver and brass track. His porject took second place and is headed to the regionals!
We tested the track’s conductivity using a multimeter to measure resistance. We then dropped a hammer on each type of track to test durability of each.
We tested each type of tracks’ ability to resist oxidation by placing a section of each outside for four weeks. We then placed a locomotive on this track and measured the voltage required for it to begin moving vs. a control.
That’s really cool! It’s nice to see the next generation taking an interest in both model railroading and science. Tell him to keep up the good work! By the way, which track did better in each test?
But as with all alloys, who made than can have an impact. Both are mainly copper with zinc added to impart the desired properties, with nickel displacing a lot of the zinc in nickel silver alloys. Both are about 25% the conductivity of copper, with zinc being better.
For an accurate comparison, both samples should come from the same manufacturer and code so they’ll both have the same profile. (Everything should be the same except the alloy).
Measuring resistances that low is tricky with a multimeter. But you use the tools you have.
What a neat story this is. It reminds me of a very brief article in Model Railroader many decades ago that might be the basis for another model-train based science project.
I am relying on my memory here (an increasingly foolish thing to do). It seems at a trade show LGB had a display where one of their big trains was running in an oval of their track placed in a shallow tub of water, to show that it was safe to run outside. At the conclusion of the show it was found that the rails were now two different colors. Something to do with electrolysis I assume, one rail being - while the other was +. Or maybe it was electroplating? (Those might be the same thing).