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.
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
Sheldon,
Thanks for the info.
Bob
Melt the track down and make you a brass locomotive! lol
If I can find 6 more curves, maybe I will solder them all together as a frame for a round mirror.
and it will never rust....
Another suggestion.
Toss it in the garbage.
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 :)
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.
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.
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
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 (http://www.google.com/patents?id=J3xPAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=3379873&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=0_1#PPA2,M1)
Quote from: Zytx on June 25, 2008, 05:46:41 PM
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. :-)
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
Quote from: Zytx on June 26, 2008, 12:04:49 AM
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!
Unfortunatly, yes. But I store all locomotives in the house for the winter.
Bob
I live in Alberta ; 9 months of winter and three months of poor skiing. We can have summer in the morning and winter in the afternoon.
Don :P
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.
Bob, if I gave you a hand grenade, how would you make use of it?
He would probably dig himself a dugout to water the livestock. Cheaper than diesel fuel and fertilizer and more inviromentally friendly.
Don :)