# Brass rail and treated ties?



## Amber (Jul 29, 2011)

I was wondering if treated wood will cause corrosion of brass rail. I read somewhere else on here that treated wood will attack aluminum rail material, so I wanted to find out if it will do the same to brass. I've been using that composite porch deck "wood" that's a mix of recycled plastic and sawdust, like "trex", for my 1/6th scale ties, it doesn't rot, but it also doesn't hold track spikes very well. Of course, with my luck, the treated wood would rust the spikes away. I suppose stainless spikes would solve that issue, but I don't have any of those right now.
Any suggestions?


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Amber 

AFAIK, the "OLD" chromated copper arsenate (CCA) pressure treated lumber will not attack the brass. The "NEW" PT materials are Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ), Copper Azole (CA), Sodium Borate (SBX), and Micronized Copper Quaternary (MCQ). These newer types of treated woods may be less toxic, but they also contain higher levels of copper, so they're much more corrosive than the old CCA treated lumber.   

However, to the question.... since brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and these new compounds are mostly copper-based, I think you are probably OK. 

Perhaps one of our real chemists can jump in with facts.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Probably better off to use redwood or cedar ties.


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## Amber (Jul 29, 2011)

Thanks for the info! 
I can't get redwood here, but I can get cedar. I'll have to see what I can scrounge up.


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

If the corrosion is electrical in nature, perhaps it would help to use a sacrificial component - same as in marine applications? I don't think that would help a chemically-based corrosion, though. Perhaps some barrier between the wood and rail, like the steel plates used by real railways? Would also add to prototypical appearance, albeit while increasing cost and effort.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Use the cedar, down here, So.Az. the termites are eating redwood... 

Don't use Stainless Spikes, use plain old steel, rusting will help hold the spikes in the ties 
Also your spikes should have a chiesel tip, not a point. The chiesel edge should be across the grain when in use. 
The Chiesel will cut the grain of the wood as driven, a point will tend to split the wood and is easier for nature to lift. 

Good to see you back online. 

Happy Rails 

John


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## Amber (Jul 29, 2011)

Yes, I think I read another thread on here a while back about stainless spikes not staying in as well because they don't rust. It makes sense to me. 
I'm not sure if anyone makes small scale spikes suitable for code 332 rail that have a chisel point. I'll have to check that out. I suppose if I had the ambition and the time, I could reshape the pointed ones with a small file. That might take a while though, considering how many spikes a person needs to use.  
The bugs up here don't seem to bother the cedar, I'm using cedar fence picket boards to build my raised beds in the garden, so far, no problems. They are a bit on the thin side though, they're cut 5/8ths inch thick instead of the normal 3/4s inch. They'd probably work ok for making ties, if I can find some decent ones with not too many knots. The ties that I had made before were 3/4s" thick by 1 inch wide, basically a 1/6th scale 4 X 6, and 10 inches long, a scale 5 feet.


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## ralphbrades (Jan 3, 2008)

Miss Amber, 

All my wood is "treated" either using either the tanalith process or a bucket of creosote... The wood support work is painted with red cuprinol more for looks than need. In the years that the track was stored in the shed prior to laying nothing seems to have happened to it other than getting dusty. Now that it has been down for a couple of months other than normal muck and oil -nothing seems to have bothered it. I use brass pins to set the white metal chairs into the sleepers (which are wood of various species -from old furniture!) -the ends of these were then folded over with a hammer so they would never come out. The sleepers are secured to the decking with copper covered square twist steel nails driven through the holes drilled into the ends of each sleeper... 

My sleepers (and trackwork) are all classical 1920's era thus I have sleepers that are 5/8ths wide by 3/16ths high by 5 inches long all set at the rate of 24 per yard (and yes I did work out the Imperial to Metric sizes). This takes Gauge '3' rail (code 250) of 63.5mm gauge. A typical Gauge '3' loco is round the 15 Kilogramme weight mark -so I think your fence pieces are going to more than adequate for what you want to use them for. 

regards 

ralph


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