Major International Sellers of 32mm and 45mm Gauge Model Railway Track

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Good, durable track is a pre-requisite for outdoor model railways and fortunately there are still quite a few reliable sellers in the marketplace (although probably not as many as for smaller scales) but as usual these days most of it is manufactured in China so supplies can occasionally be interrupted.

 

For Garden Railway projects most modellers now tend to opt for 45 mm gauge track which is generally more stable, durable and easy to lay but this is not the only choice. 32 mm Gauge track is popular when modelling a 2' line (especially for Steam Powered locomotives) as it provides the most accurate representation of the prototype and there are devotees of other gauges but on balance, 45 mm remains the gauge of choice for the majority.

 

One of its major advantages is the degree of compatibility between track from different manufacturers. Most brass Code 332  track looks very similar and any difference between brands is usually quite subtle (probably to avoid patent and design infringement suits) enabling enthusiasts to extend their layouts with virtually any make according to whatever brand is available and priced advantageously at the time of purchase. (Bachmann Steel and Code 250 are the notable exceptions having differing profiles).

As mentioned previously the range of pre-formed sectional track sizes available can vary considerably according to the manufacturer. For example, at present Bachmann are unable to offer more than a few straights and curves in brass (small radius points are also now available) whereas Aristo-craft used to pride themselves on the huge range of individual sections in brass, stainless steel and even aluminium (or aluminum as they refer to this metal in the States) which can be ideal for battery operated locomotives.

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In this module you will find abridged particulars of each manufacturers range at the time of writing (or at the time of closure in the case of Aristo-craft ).

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LIST OF MAJOR INTERNATIONAL TRAIN TRACK SUPPLIERS 

 

The principal manufacturers of quality track listed purely in alphabetical order are;

 

• ACCUCRAFT AMS (USA)

• AMERICAN MAINLINE

• ARISTO-CRAFT  (USA)  -  Closed its doors for business on 31st December 2013 but products may still be available from POLKGENERATIONNEXT (abruptly ceased training)

• BACHMANN INDUSTRIES  - Proprietary Steel Alloy Track and Brass Track

• CLIFF BARKER RAIL TRACK (UK)  - Code 180 and 200 track

• CUMBERLAND MODEL ENGINEERING (USA) 1:20.3 Scale (“F” and “Fn3”) Code 250 flexible track for standard and dual gauge.

• GARGRAVES TRACKAGE CORPORATION (USA) -  specialising in G Gauge track

• H&R TRAINS (USA) - 'the world's best stainless steel track'

• J&W

• LLAGAS CREEK RAILWAYS (USA) - Code 215 and Code 250 components in aluminium or nickel silver in different tie patterns for NG, SG or "G"

• LGB (GERMANY) - De facto standard for G Gauge Narrow Gauge track

• MICRO-ENGINEERING (USA) - G-Trak range of  sectional and flexi track

• PECO (UK) - pronounced 'pee-ko'   Code 250 track

• PIKO (GERMANY) - I prefer to pronounce the name as 'pie - ko' to differentiate from Peco UK but many others insist on 'pee ko' which only adds to the confusion - An ever   expanding range of Code 332 profile brass track including straights, curves, points, crossovers and accessories.

• SUNSET VALLEY RAILROAD (USA)

• THIEL (GERMANY)

• TRAINLINE45 (SWITZERLAND):  Suppliers of Code 332 (Gauge 1) track

• TRAIN-LI (USA) - US distributors for TrainLine45 amongst other brands.

• USA TRAINS (USA) A range of Code 332 brass track in several lengths and pre-formed curved sections.

• MARKLIN - owners of LGB and their own ranges of track.

 

   

Aristo-craft (USA)

 

Recent History:

 

Aristo-craft finally closed its doors for business in December 2013 after some 80 years of trading and left a huge legacy of large G scale train products. The company, owned by the Polk Family,  used to market an impressive assortment of pre-formed track sections in no less than 4 materials (brass, stainless steel, nickel-silver and  aluminium); USA Standard Mainline and Narrow Gauge  sleeper  variants  and no less than 15 different radii curves up to a massive 20' diameter. It was possibly the most comprehensive range offered by any manufacturer and a good choice for ambitious layouts where flexible track is not the preferred solution.

 

Whilst the rail height is the same as LGB it is not quite so wide saving on brass content and no doubt contributing to their competitive price. This proved to be an advantage when the world price of brass suddenly escalated by almost 100% overnight during 2007.

 

Although the firm no longer trading there remains a sizeable amount of their track still in circulation and you may still be able to find it available in the UK and USA from a number of retail outlets and on the second user market which is why they merit attention in this module.

 

Alas, you can no longer obtain track direct from Aristo-craft in the States. However, shortly after their closure you were, at least for a short while, able to obtain the identical track via mail order from the family company that arose, phoenix like from the ashes, to continue the business under the new name of PolksGeneratioNext.

 

Polks kept their operation decidedly small scale without endeavouring to recreate the original extensive  dealer network, either in the USA or overseas. Initially they concentrated on selling track-work having received a large container worth from China around the time Aristo-craft went into liquidation.

 

Unfortunately, although beginning to develop a market presence and the possibility that they might release many of the old track varieties originally marketed by Aristo-craft, these hopes and aspirations proved short-lived as Polks too, have now gone out of business rather abruptly for reasons that were never made clear to my knowledge.

 

There were rumours that this was partly due to their Chinese manufacturer (now owned by Bachmann Industries parent company) no longer being prepared to ship product to the USA.

 

It remains to be seen whether Bachmann will be able to resurrect the actual product line in the future although this seems doubtful as they would probably prefer to expand their own  brass track brand which has a slightly different profile and sleeper pattern. However, Bachmann recently launched a new range of "Eggliners" which bear a striking resemblance to the old Aristo-craft ones so watch this space.

 

Here are some of the features claimed by Aristo-craft and I have generally found them to be broadly true although not unique (see my comments in italics). One should always seek corroborating evidence and information from the various Garden Railway Forums and Magazine Reviews:

 

Conductivity 

 

Aristo-Craft's brass rail is said to have a very high percentage of copper ensuring that conductivity of their track is superlative (and claimed to be superior to that of the competition).

 

(This may still be the case but there were reports that following the near doubling of track prices in 2007 subsequent shipments from China in 2008 were reported as incorporating a lower copper composition in an attempt to keep retail prices down.)

 

The brass rail also features a very low percentage of lead which greatly inhibiting oxidation. Oxidation is the main cause or “browning" in brass rail which lowers conductivity, requires constant cleaning, and detracts from the appearance of the rail.

 

(This may well be why Aristo-craft rail appears to weather much more slowly than its counterparts.)

 

Durability 

 

Instead of being hollow, the rail in Aristo-craft track is solid for strength and performance. Aristo-craft track can endure the heaviest of locomotives plus trampling by your neighbours' kids with the greatest of ease and still perform like new!

 

(This marketing statement was no doubt intended to compete with LGB's famous marketing ploy of getting an elephant to stand on their track without damaging it – see LGB track article for the original photo. In fact, most of today's brass rail track for garden railways claim to be manufactured from solid brass.)

 

Every piece of track is strong and durable allowing it to survive outdoors in the harshest of condition. The plastic ties in Aristo-craft track are made from a high grade P.P. plastic for durability and quality.  An ultra-violet protectant stabilizer is supplied by a major U.S. chemical company who also analysed Aristo-craft's tie material to guarantee that the percentage of U.V. additive was correct.

 

(Once again this may have been true most of the time but some customers appear to have experienced UV damage to ties due to poor quality control at the Chinese factory which allowed a few shipments which were not fully UV stabilised. No doubt this was remedied in later shipments)

 

Ease of Use 

 

Track goes together securely and quickly with screw/rail-joiner system so that you'll spend more time enjoying your railroad and less time maintaining it.

 

 (This may be also true and is a practice also adopted by USA Trains and Bachmann but some maintain that the resulting joints are poor from an electrical conductivity standpoint and advocate fitting jumper wires or clamps. In my experience the 2mm hexagonal screws are very small and fiddly and can easily get dropped and lost. It helps to magnetise the special tool that come with each box of track and to place white card or paper under the track whilst you are installing it so that the screws are easier to find should this happen. This solution is not quite as elegant if you need to lift and move any track sections at a later date).

 

Range 

 

Aristo-craft's major selling advantage was the sheer range of track types available. You can opt for USA or European style sleeper spacing and either brass or stainless steel rail (and often aluminium or nickel silver variants). There are at least 13 different sizes of pre-formed curved track; 6 lengths of straight track, 9 types of switches (points) and a whole host of accessories and useful add-ons including a very nifty track gauge, re-railer and rail clamp.

 

(It is difficult to contest the view that Aristo-craft did offer the widest possible range of track groupings – especially on curved track which extended to 20’ diameter and far exceeds that of any other manufacturer, even today.)

 

Brass Track (European & USA Style) 

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Perfect for the model railroader who uses track power and wants good all-round every-day use.

 

(As mentioned above the composition of Aristocraft brass rail includes a high percentage of copper and a low percentage of lead which ensures good electrical conductivity whilst inhibiting oxidisation)

 

Stainless Steel Track (USA Style only) 

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‘Stainless Steel does not conduct electricity as well as brass (which is mostly pure copper) but is Ideal for those who intend to use battery power and require a high-end track product for their layout. However, this can be overcome by running an extra pair of feeder wires to the furthest point of the layout. The native conductivity is still far greater than on tubular steel track found on many O Gauge trains and Aristo-craft's formula is the most conductive of the international grades to be found.  Best of all, there is less time spent on maintenance and more time running your trains.

      

Aristo-craft USA-style Stainless Steel Track is almost impermeable to tarnishing and most outdoor debris will not stick easily to its surface. The silvery colour is more authentic to the prototype and the sleeper pattern (14 ties per foot) is appropriate to USA style trains.’

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(Aristo-craft stainless steel track was reportedly made in China from an alloy of standard ‘18/8’ alloy which refers to the amount of chromium and nickel (respectively) in the product together with a minute portion of carbon.  It can easily worked and drawn to achieve a high tensile strength. The resulting rail  is strongly resistant to corrosion and oxidisation but does not conduct electricity as well as brass. It’s chief advantage was price and very little maintenance.)

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Aluminium Track (Euro-Style only)      

 

‘Probably the optimum choice for the cost-conscious modeller who runs exclusively with battery power or live steam.’

      

(This track is a low-cost alternative to Brass and Stainless Steel and was introduced to the Aristo-craft European product line in 2008 (just after the price of brass went through the roof). Whilst Aluminium itself is a relatively good conductor the problem arises in creating effective joints between rails. Aluminium is difficult to solder so track power users may encounter more difficulty in operating their trains on such a layout, especially larger installations. It is also softer than other metals and can be damaged quite easily. For some reason Aluminium rail has never really caught on. However, if you confine your operations to battery power or live steam, this should not prove a problem for you and the financial savings can be put to go use elsewhere on the layout’)

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Nickel Silver Track 

 

Not found in Aristo-craft’s Track Portfolio but possibly produced in small batches.    

 

Product Codes 

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In preparing a preliminary draft for this section I intended to say that here were simply too many product lines to list here but they can all be found on Aristo-craft's Online Catalogue which can be viewed on their website but regrettably this is no longer the case.

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It may, therefore, be helpful if I listed the main categories of track and the original dimensions just in case you are able to locate a supplier.

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The company's product coding convention was as follows:

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11XXX Euro-Style Brass Track (11 ties or sleepers to the foot)

12XXX Euro-style Aluminium Track (11 ties to the foot)

13XXX Code 250 Brass Track & Flex-track (more accurate scale than Code 332)

20XXX USA Stainless Steel Track (14 ties / sleepers to the foot)

30XXX USA-Style Brass Track (14 ties/sleepers to the foot)

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The company's aluminium track was introduced in 2008 as a low cost alternative to stainless steel and aimed primarily at customers who employed battery powered locomotives as the electrical conductivity was inferior to both stainless steel and brassYou may still be able to obtain an old Aristo-craft Catalogue (eBay are a good source but also private book-sellers) and you can also download the complete Aristo-craft 2008-9 Catalogue from the invaluable Gartenbahn Database from the following web page link:

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During Aristo-craft’s existence they produced pre-formed straight sections in five lengths marketed as ½ Straight, One Foot, Two Foot, 3 Foot, 4 Foot 6 Inches and 5 Foot but the track was manufactured to metric dimensions very similar to those of LGB. See the actual or best estimated measurements in the table below:

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Curves were available in many different diameters from as little as 31” up to a massive 23’ as summarised in the table below:

 

 

 

 

 

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As you might expect Aristo-craft also manufactured an array of switches (points) and crossings although the performance of the former (certainly older versions) did not quite measure up to the rest of the company’s track.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For more detailed advice I can do no better than point you in the direction of Greg Elmassian insightful comments to be found at the following web page links:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rail Joiners:  

      

Aristo-craft track comes ready supplied with metal rail joiners

(fishplates) incorporating tiny pre-drilled holes in the side for

inserting miniature 2mm diameter stainless steel hexagonal

screws and tightening them with an either a slotted Philips

Pozidrive head screwdriver (early production) or an Allen key

(more recent manufacture)

 

These screws are stuck in pairs waxed to the underside of the sleeper (tie) strip and the relevant tightening tool is usually included when purchasing a complete box of track sections. The screws can be released from the wax by prizing them off the plastic web and placing in the hot sun or in a container of hot water. As they have a low melting point be careful not to leave the actual track in hot sun or you will return to little globules of melted red wax and hard to find screws. If you wish to use this method on other types of rail you will need a 2mm tap and drill set which was in Polk’s catalogue when they were trading but no longer available. However, you are likely to find a suitable drill in the UK from any number of suppliers.

 

When lifting track with this type of rail plate connection always remember to unscrew the rail joiners beforehand (and try not to lose them which is a strong possibility if you are as clumsy as me) or you may damage the rails.  I  eventually discovered that one way to avoid losing the miniscule screws is to place a large piece of white card or paper under the joint but this is not fool proof as they can still roll off into the ballast or soil – perhaps a piece of white material or cardboard tray might be better.

 

Availability in the UK is not as good as it was (supply seems to have been badly interrupted prior to the end of December 2013 due to the impending closure of Aristo-craft ). In the past the company occasionally made special offers via their USA retailers - unfortunately these generous deals (e.g. 3 products for the price of 2) were not usually available to loyal customers in the UK and their extensive dealer network is no more. 

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Aristo-craft Track Documentation :

     

Aristo-craft “Insider” Magazine: For many years Aristo-craft published an informative house bulletin called "Insider" which covered company news, new product announcements and introductions, production processes, a current price and availability list and details of their dealer network. These are quite hard to find these days but fortunately Gartenbahn have a section devoted to this periodical on their website where you can also download copies for your own collection.

 

 

 

Aristo-craft Catalogues: Few and far between these days. Best to try and source from a specialist model railroad bookseller.

 

Overall Pros:

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• Wide choice of sizes and styles

• The widest radius curves available

 

Overall Cons:

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• Still available but Increasingly difficult to find since company ceased trading

• Sizes are nominal (the track lengths /radii are actually nearer to the slightly shorter metric equivalent i.e. 2’ is equal to 600m

• Care needed to avoid breaking fragile ties/chairs from rail

• Switches reported to exhibit some problems

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At the present time the Bachmann Brass Track (Code 332) line-up comprises the following product