I have a large box full of old K-Line super streets and was thinking of using a long section for a main line down an ally. All straight with some short stubs. Is this a practical idea? Will the pick up rollers on a typical diesel get enough voltage from the thin center rail?
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Its hit or miss. The issue isnt the center rail, its the depth of the flangeways vs the height of the flanges on the engine. You can end up with the wheels not making contact with the rails, and you have no ground.
The same issue happens with some cars... some will ride up on their flanges, while others have shallow enough flanges to ride on the rails. Running with 2 rail cars actually has some benefit here.
I know a guy who runs MTH switchers through super streets and they're pretty cooperative. I suspect most modern stuff is ok, the issue may be with some of the older items that have really large "pizza cutter" type flanges on the wheels.
My Lionel Trackmobile worked fine on SuperStreets (straight and O16 curves).
I used SuperStreets to make a street path from one yard to another. The same Trackmobile serviced both yards. The Trackmobile never pulled freight on the SuperStreets
Dave, are you just wanting to use these because you have them, or because you actually want to do some street running?
For streets or paved areas like an intermodal terminal, I like to use 1/4"Masonite over GarGraves track, then you won't have issues with flanges. Just remember to leave enough of a flange way when you cut the strips that go up against the center rail.
Big_Boy_4005 posted:Dave, are you just wanting to use these because you have them, or because you actually want to do some street running?
For streets or paved areas like an intermodal terminal, I like to use 1/4"Masonite over GarGraves track, then you won't have issues with flanges. Just remember to leave enough of a flange way when you cut the strips that go up against the center rail.
Elliot, I was just going to use them because I have them and I'm doing a tear down - redo. After a lot of cost analysis I'm going to stick with K-Line shadow rail which I have a ton of so most of my cost will be bench work and scenery. The main places I wanted to use it was off of turn outs into alley's behind buildings just little short stubs. There was a lot of this where I grew up before EJ&E abandoned down town Aurora.
Money talks! Nothing wrong with that. A lot of my layout is recycled from materials purchased over quarter century ago. That's my cheap side talking. So what did I just do an hour ago? Drop over five bills on Mr Muffin's latest sale.
Scrimp and save, then turn around and blow it. Isn't that part of the fun of this hobby? YOLO!!!
Big_Boy_4005 posted:Money talks! Nothing wrong with that. A lot of my layout is recycled from materials purchased over quarter century ago. That's my cheap side talking. So what did I just do an hour ago? Drop over five bills on Mr Muffin's latest sale.
Scrimp and save, then turn around and blow it. Isn't that part of the fun of this hobby? YOLO!!!
You hit the nail on the head Elliot but there's no such thing as blowing money on trains.
Good point Dave!
At least we have our priorities straight.
How thick is the plastic under the flangeway? You might be able to deepen and widen the flangeway if you have a router table and guide.
Pete
It's very thin plastic Pete not routable.
Dave Ripp. posted:It's very thin plastic Pete not routable.
As Dave said a superstreets section is very thin plastic. For the record, as closely as I can measure on my ruler graduated in 16ths of an inch, the thickness of the base under the rail groove is about halfway between 1/16th and 1/8th of an inch so let's call it 3/32nds of an inch.
HTH,
Bill
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