What colour are Peco Code 83 wood ties?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I have searched the Peco site and Walthers and nowhere can I find the colour of Peco Code 83 ties. Are they black or brown?

Anybody?

Dave

2

The ties on the ones which I have are black, and the one Peco in the photo below is that which leads to the dump shed for the coaling tower…

Here’s a better view, taken just a few minutes ago. The Peco, centre-frame, is the upper of the two shown, and other than painting a few ties and adding ballast, the area has not yet been detailed…

Wayne

3

Thanks Wayne

Dave

4

I never like to disagree with doctorwayne, but my Peco Code 83 flex track and turnouts are a rich, and somewhat shiny, brown color.

Rich

5

So you removed the over-center spings…?

6

I’m guessing that you’re referring to the photo, so no, the springs are still in place. For turnouts close to the edge of the layout, I prefer the sprung turnouts, as there’s no need for any other control method, including Caboose Industries ground throws.
For that reason, I also bought some Micro Engineering turnouts, but am not all that enthused about them.

Wayne

7

I used to worry about tie color; then I realized painting the track makes it a moot point.

8

Exactly, if you paint the track then it doesn;t really matter. I have in my hands right now a Peco Code 83 #4 turnout, my room lights are off so I only have what light comes in from the window (it’s somewhat sunny today here, but the sun is already over my house, so no direct sunlight is coming in through the window) plus what is given off by my monitors, and the tie color is definitely a dark brown, not black. The simulated wood grain on the top is a bit shiny.

–Randy

9

Perhaps I painted more ties than I thought…[:P]

I found a recently acquired Peco turnout, used, but not yet installed, and it appears to be black on top, but the bottom is definitely dark brown.
I went back to the one on the layout and scraped the paint off one of the ties, but it still looks black. Two ends are connected to Atlas track, and the third to an M.E. turnout, all brown (but with some painted ties).
The turnout in question was given to me by a friend, new in the package, and I recall it as having black ties, and I think that may be why I painted so many of its ties.

EDIT: It seemed odd to me that I would have a recent Peco turnout with black ties when everybody else has Pecos with brown ties, so I took another look, using an LED bulb in a trouble light, rather than the layout’s overhead fluorescents…

BROWN??? Well, that’s it for me in model railroading, as I’ve unexpectedly gone blind. My apologies to all. [banghead][:$]

Rich, Bertram’s will be in the mail first thing tomorrow morning.

Wayne

10

Oh yeah!!! [Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y]

I have cleared a spot…a place of honor…on my layout …for Bertram’s.

Rich

11

Thanks everyone,

My feeble mind had not thought about the fact that the ties will eventually get painted so the colour is a moot issue. I was worried that if the Peco Code 83 turnouts were black then we would have to spend the extra money on Peco track if we went with Peco turnouts.

Railandsail - I have removed the springs in all my own Peco turnouts because I will be using tortoise switch machines. If you are going to operate the turnouts directly leave the springs in. If you take them out, getting them back in is a PITA.

Dave