# New to garden railway New Bright track ???



## Conductor Pops (Apr 2, 2012)

Hi Everybody
Found this site through Bachman Forum. Me and my three year old grandaughter are into trains. We started with her out using my old HO dc controlled 3x6 ez track layout. She has out of scale buildings and figurines from grandmas christmass display, dinasours, dora figurines ,and lions chassing people. My layout started with an Ho 4x8 ez track double oval, two DCC controlled deisel locos. And has grown to a steam spectrum with sound loco, that loops 30 ft down the side of the wall through a wall to onother rooom and back through the wall to onother 4x8 layout and back. Me and her are having fun playing trains togather. 
But as the weather is breaking we decided to take our fun outside. We bought from a local hobby store a used (Wich by your alls standards is a toy), New Bright electric train and brass track. The cool thing was is that we asked the lady to show us if it worked . She hooked it up and it was a little jerky. Maddy says Pop's i think we need to clean the track and wheels. Ha Ha thats awsome at three years old . Bieng semi retired with a part time job. I decided 50.00 was a cheap way to get into garden railroading.So here we are after cleaning the track and wheels laying out the track outside wanting to go around the tree under a waterfall over a pond and back around the tree aproxomatly a fifty foot dog bone. We bought more track off ebay only to find out that our original track was 380 and what we bought was 384 track ,different connectors, Went back to ebay found more 380 track but wow these guys want 14.00 per piece. Well we found that Hobbylink had strait 384 track in stock, we bought 18 straits 3.22 each. But no curves available till july.
Here are my questions
My plan was for us to play with this train and track to get our feet wet and as she grows we can get into real bachmann locos.
Will they work on this track?
Is there any place that i can find more of this track? 
Will any other track work with this track?
I would hate to have to scrap the New Bright track thing $ and limited time with the grandaughter. It has her interest now i dont want to slow it down having to sell the track to buy more. 
Any help would be appreciated.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Unfortunately the New Bright is either battery or A/C power, most of garden railway engines run on DC track power, or battery. And there is live steam, not for little ones as they are hot. 

Bachmann track has been hollow in the past and is not suited for outdoor use. 

Keep reading on this forum and you will see lots of options, and do ask questions. 

My preference for a robust train is a Playmobil set (hard to find now) or LGB starter sets. These run for years.


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## Polaris1 (Jan 22, 2010)

Track is the one Common item that defines G Gauge Garden Railroading. 

In all cases it is 45 mm wide (between the 2 rail heads)... = 1.77" or approximately 1 3/4"...... 

It should have UV (Sun ultra violet) protection material embedded into the ties for Outdoor use. IF Not, plastic ties crumble... 

Pure Brass track, Aluminum track or Stainless Steel track are the common Track materials. 

Common/StandardG Gauge Rail heights (No ties) is 0.215" or 0.250" or 0.332"... & Hollow Track will not be durable out doors..... 

The Actual G Gauge Rolling stock (Engines & Cars) scale Range is 1/32 to Big 1/20........ 

As for getting into the G RR hobby...... I'd look at PIKO G or LGB starter sets that run on DC Power... These are German companies... 

Start with a small loop outdoors, get running, and then consider some expansion.... 

Dennis M from GBay, WI


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

My plan was for us to play with this train and track to get our feet wet and as she grows we can get into real bachmann locos. 
Will they work on this track? 
Pops, 

The Bachamnn locos need 12-18VDC trackpower, and they look very strange on 2' radius (4ft diameter) curves. Most of the New Bright trains are battery powered - can you tell us the name of the set you bought? 

Will any other track work with this track? 
It's usually not too difficult to make different kinds of track work together but you have to be willing to cut the ends and get some rail clamps to hold them together. 

I think your biggest problem is that it isn't designed for outdoor use and will probably crumble after a few years in the sun ?


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## Conductor Pops (Apr 2, 2012)

Wow Dennis
Thats a lot to take in. It was so easy with the Bachman ez track. looks like we will be doing our home work.
Thanks
Mike


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## Conductor Pops (Apr 2, 2012)

Pete
It's a used Chicago & Western railway #3750 2-6-2. The tender is the electrical pickup 18v AC power transformer and 384 track style.
I guess the only good thing is that the whole setep is under. a big tree, lots of shade.
Thanks
Mike


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## desertdan (Apr 2, 2016)

I know this will probably sound a little strange, but I'm looking at using wooden straight track for my garden. My garden is housed in an old carriage house on my property. I opened up two sides of the carriage house for sunlight and I'm planting shade loving plants and shrubs. The floor of the carriage is dirt. I'm planning on installing a G scale New Bright train on an elevated shelf about 8 feet above the garden. The tracks will get no moisture other than humidity. One problem with plastic track is poor traction. A New Bright engine can only pull four cars including the tender and anything over that the engines wheels start slipping. While removing the old side walls from the carriage house I found that they were tongue and groove. The tongue edge fit the trains wheels very well and offered good traction. Obviously, I can't use this material for curved track and besides, I have enough curved track for the project. But as others have noted, New Bright straight track is very expensive. I need about 50 feet of straight track, and I have plenty of the tongue and groove boards to build that amount of track. Have any of you tried using wooden track?


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Any material suitable for outdoor use could be used, when the train runs on its own onboard batteries. But for simplicity, look for good used track from the likes of LGB, Aristocraft, Piko, Kalamazoo, USA, or Bachmann(must have brass rails). Pretty much anything else wont hold up in the sunlight or heat, even under a shade tree the UV rays will get it. Other material like Alum and Stainless steel have been used, but most of that is beyond the scope of a beginner garden railway. I prefer LGB brand track myself. I watch for it used on ebay and thru the local shop, Zionsville Train Depot down near Indianapolis. He deals mostly in second hand G scale and has excellent prices on used track when its in stock. I know he has some long straight sections, turnouts. A full circle of LGB radius 1 curves(used to be mine, was excess track I didnt need). Mike


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Mike, Dan - you do realize that is a 2012 thread ?


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

desertdan said:


> I know this will probably sound a little strange, but I'm looking at using wooden straight track for my garden. My garden is housed in an old carriage house on my property. I opened up two sides of the carriage house for sunlight and I'm planting shade loving plants and shrubs. The floor of the carriage is dirt. I'm planning on installing a G scale New Bright train on an elevated shelf about 8 feet above the garden. The tracks will get no moisture other than humidity. One problem with plastic track is poor traction. A New Bright engine can only pull four cars including the tender and anything over that the engines wheels start slipping. While removing the old side walls from the carriage house I found that they were tongue and groove. The tongue edge fit the trains wheels very well and offered good traction. Obviously, I can't use this material for curved track and besides, I have enough curved track for the project. But as others have noted, New Bright straight track is very expensive. I need about 50 feet of straight track, and I have plenty of the tongue and groove boards to build that amount of track. Have any of you tried using wooden track?



Welcome to the board,
I hope you realize that the New Bright brand is more of a toy than a scale model.
Most folks making their own track have used metal strips for the rails, if wood works for you, then go ahead and do it, it's your railroad.
As Pete noted it's an old thread and those names haven't been seen here lately. Odds of you striking up a New Bright conversation are low. My wooden track experience goes back to Brio and I couldn't get enough!
Be prepared to be the first on your block to try using the T n G, I wish you the best of luck.
John


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