# G Gauge/Scale Brass Track Compatibility?



## Seaboard Air Line Fan (Mar 22, 2012)

Hey folk, I don't post much but the last few days have prompted me to do so.

No stranger to trains, I'm mainly O-scale but also have HO and G.

I recently converted a Bachmann 4-6-0 Annie to BPRC (Battery Power, Remote Control), using a RCS Australia Rx, Tx, a MyLocoSounds sound board, and a 12v, 2000Mah NiMh battery pack form All-Battery.

I've had this engine for a couple of years and over those years purchased 5' diameter and 8' diameter loops of Bachmann brass track, along with 12 pieces of brass straight sections.

Now I want to get a couple of turnouts/switches. From what I can see Bachmann only offers turnouts for 4' diameter track. Trying to figure out the sizes of other manufacturers track systems is a PITA.

So...this is a pretty straightforward query, what brand(s) of track are compatible with the Bachmann brass track, without having adapters?

BobD.


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

AFAIK, the Bachmann brass track is code 332. So most other track will join to it without special adapters. The tricky part is that the geometry of the pieces of sectional track is different between manufacturers.

If you want to make a dead-end siding, this is not an issue. If you want a passing siding, it matters because the length of (for example) Piko switches might not match the length of Bachmann straights. So you might have six 1' straight tracks from one manufacturer, but the switches from another manufacturer are 15" long. That might mean cutting some track shorter to make it fit.

The track geometries are:

*Bachmann* (pg 259)
http://resources.bachmanntrains.com/bachmann2016/

*Piko*
http://www.piko-america.com/99350_G-Track_Brochure_2013.pdf

*LGB*
http://www.lgb.com/media.php/lgb/LGB_Gleissystem-Info.pdf

I assume you don't have any track planning software? Most of these tools have libraries that contain the different kinds of track. For example, I have AnyRail which includes LGB and Piko track sections in the library... so I can mock something up and see how close it comes. This was important for me, since a lot of my track is second-hand. That meant making things work, rather than buying exactly what I needed.


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## Seaboard Air Line Fan (Mar 22, 2012)

Thanks riderdan!!!

I do have AnyRail and the old Atlas O software. I couldn't find the Bachmann track diameters I have in the AnyRail library so I used LGB (I think) when playing around with the program to come up with a simple dogbone plan. Now I want to add some turnouts for sidings and industries.

This will be a big help!

BobD.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Don't entirely trust the dimensions of track libraries in AnyRail (or any track design software for that matter). Use it to design the layout but when laying it all down, the plan is good for a guide only. Check the geometry and mark things out yourself with the track in hand. There are a number of discrepancies, one of which is that AristoCraft track is designed around LGB metric sizes but then rounded off in Inches on the packaging for the marketplace. AnyRail have designed the AristoCraft track segments according to what is written on the box rather than what is in the box therefore an error that no one wants to acknowledge.

Andrew


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## Dunbar (May 5, 2016)

Hi Seaboard,
Some of the other members can verify this better; but I was told to be careful with Bachman track if running it outside. Apparently it does not hold up outside very well. If inside, you should be fine. Again, the more experienced members can elaborate better on this.


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## R.W. Marty (Jan 2, 2008)

Dunbar said:


> Hi Seaboard,
> Some of the other members can verify this better; but I was told to be careful with Bachman track if running it outside. Apparently it does not hold up outside very well. If inside, you should be fine. Again, the more experienced members can elaborate better on this.


Dunbar,
You are probably thinking of the steel tubular track that comes in Bachmann starter sets, you are correct it will rust out over a few years depending on climate.

However the new (last few years) brass track offered by Bachmann is perfectly suited for outdoor use
and compatible with the other brands of brass, excluding the sectional issues mentioned above.

Good luck with your expansion


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## Seaboard Air Line Fan (Mar 22, 2012)

Thanks folks! The Bachmann brass sectional track I have seems like good quality stuff. I'll probably need to get a bag of screws cause I'm sure to lose some along the way.

I have an O-scale layout in the house (If I had started with the G stuff I have, I probably would have zero O scale) so all I can do inside right now is a circle for my G. An outdoor RR would be cool, but there's indoor projects that must be done first.

BobD.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Many of us wind up mixing track manufacturers, availability, and price can be pretty big influences. There is a lot of used track on the market today. Any of the code 332 is pretty easy to interconnect. The Bachmann brass is made lighter as the bottom is not flat, but recessed up.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Trainli lists their switches in real feet (however the track is metric so 300mm is really just short of 12 inches. 1200mm is more like 47 3/8 inch, not 4 foot.
Also the trainli web site does have a chart on many switches with a compatibility chart.


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## Seaboard Air Line Fan (Mar 22, 2012)

Thanks guys.
TrainLi looked promising, until I saw the prices!!!

Anybody make their own switches? I've never tried it but I'm more than willing.

BobD.


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

A number of guys here build their own. You can buy the materials and work completely from scratch, or buy ready-made frogs and such. I think there are even templates online that you can print to lay everything out.

Whether you go that route or not might be partly based on if building switches is something you want to spend your time on. Some people really enjoy it and find it relaxing. I bought a kit to build a wye and found it too finicky for someone as imprecise as I am. Your success (as in most anything) will partly depend on how good you are at building things to precise specifications and how much attention you pay to detail. 

I bought my R5s (new) for about $70 each. Much like Brer Rabbit, I value my time at a dollar a minute. Since hand building those switches would have taken more than 70 minutes, required spending to buy the materials, and would have not been enjoyable (to me), I considered it money well spent.


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## Seaboard Air Line Fan (Mar 22, 2012)

riderdan, true enough. I'm retired and have time on my hands (unless I'm running trains or playing golf) to make a couple if I wish, and can find the necessary components.

I run BPRC so I don't have to be strict as far as wiring goes, not sure if that gives me an edge or not.

BobD.


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## Cataptrra (Mar 16, 2015)

And what's up with USED TRACK prices? 

I've seen used going for more than what a box of BRAND NEW TRACK of the same quantity and length would be! 

Was checking e-bay the other night for some Aristo-Craft 5' straight sections and found one that was 14 pcs, and from the photo's looked very used, would need an extensive cleaning, but think the price was somewhere around $600+...Are you kidding me???

I could get a box of USA Trains track of the same length, only 12 pcs per box for around $369 BRAND NEW, no cleaning required or needed. But 2 pcs more sure wouldn't add another $230+ to the cost with new track. This being brass, solid rail.

Personally, as dusty and dirty as the track looked, if I were to offer anything, since I'm going to have to scrub it all clean before I could use, well, let's just say, from what I saw of it, I wouldn't offer over possibly $50 for it. And the Shipping charges were twice to three times what most Hobby Dealers ship for a full 12 count box of the same rail! Utterly ridiculous for used track that's going to need cleaning like that. But that's ME, your rail miles may differ.


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## Dunbar (May 5, 2016)

Cat,
I have been watching track prices for the last 2 months. Depending on the week, sometimes theyre up, sometimes theyre down. But on average, seems like good used track should be bringing $2.50-$3.00 a foot. I have been seeing new on ebay and at shows going for $4.00-$5.00 a foot . Last show I was at, a guy was selling brand new, 4 foot lengths, 6 in the box for $100.00. He had 4 or 5 boxes.


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## Dunbar (May 5, 2016)

That was the show at the Tampa fairgrounds back in July


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## Cataptrra (Mar 16, 2015)

Dunbar said:


> Cat,
> I have been watching track prices for the last 2 months. Depending on the week, sometimes theyre up, sometimes theyre down. But on average, seems like good used track should be bringing $2.50-$3.00 a foot. I have been seeing new on ebay and at shows going for $4.00-$5.00 a foot . Last show I was at, a guy was selling brand new, 4 foot lengths, 6 in the box for $100.00. He had 4 or 5 boxes.


At 2.50 a foot wouldn't be that bad, then those 14 5-footers would only be about $175. But as dirty and used as those I looked at appeared to me, I might offer .50¢ to maybe .75¢ a foot but no more! $52.75 wouldn't be that bad a price, but then some of those ridiculous and exorbitant shipping charges I've seen on eBay, I'd still end up passing on the tracks. 

Why? 

Because it'd run the cost up way too high. 

If more reasonable on both price and shipping and it'd have a buy it now option, then I'd probably go for it. But not the way a lot of those listings are! Just far, far too rich for my pocketbook for used items!

And this is one fool and his money that P.T. Barnum just isn't going to get.


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

For used rail (and switches) check with your local Garden Rwy Club. If you weren't a continent away, I'd offer you used code 332 brass (different manufacturers) for $1.50 per foot but you'd pay more for the freight than for the track! SVGRS also has new in the tube LGB rail and boxes of LGB ties. That stuff (being new and still shiney) would be more like $4 per foot (rail and ties).

Check local and save!


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## Cataptrra (Mar 16, 2015)

Dick Friedman said:


> For used rail (and switches) check with your local Garden Rwy Club. If you weren't a continent away, I'd offer you used code 332 brass (different manufacturers) for $1.50 per foot but you'd pay more for the freight than for the track! SVGRS also has new in the tube LGB rail and boxes of LGB ties. That stuff (being new and still shiney) would be more like $4 per foot (rail and ties).
> 
> Check local and save!


With what's going on with Hanjin going bankrupt, we're all going to be seeing HUGE shipping charges. Check out the "Hanjin Shipping BANKRUPT" post I posted in the NEWS forum here. There's a link to the story there and this is going to bad, real bad for the entire globe!


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## Dunbar (May 5, 2016)

Im really surprised someone here in the states hasnt decided to tap a niche market and make LGB/Aristo style brass track and sell it at a very good price. Brass is not that expensive.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Still cheaper to make in China, and don't forget the injection molding of the ties.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

There are ties made here in the USA, look at the concrete version at Trainli and these are available in several colors. And for storage shelves, there is their plastic brown rails.


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