Tinplate vs Stainless

Do you rely on MagneTraction?

ADCX Rob posted:

Do you rely on MagneTraction?

No.  I run a Lionchief plus 4-6-4 Hudson on MTH realtrax but I'm thinking about switching to Gargraves or Ross 

ADCX Rob posted:

Do you rely on MagneTraction?

Stainless is not very magnetic and thus won't benefit MagneTraction equipped locomotives.

I can't speak to the virtue of stainless v. tinplate except, as already mentioned, Magnetraction works better, by far, on tinplate--which is not an issue for you.

Cosmetically, Ross looks better with the individual spikes on each rail and tie which Gargraves doesn't offer with its wooden tie products.  However, somehow I found myself with a box of 1,000 O scale spikes on my Gargraves/Ross layout, so I'd grab some needle nose pliers and install them in the rails/ties on the sides of the track that were visible; e.g. inside rails/ties on a curve; rails/ties visible only from one side; and, etc.--when I needed a relatively mindless activity in the train room to pass the time and feel like I had done at least something useful.

Operationally, you can't go wrong choosing either Ross or Gargraves.

Good luck.

PS:  I'll be happy to send you the box of spikes; there must be at least several hundred left.

If you don't need it for climate conditions, skip the stainless. It's somewhat harder to work with and difficult, if not impossible, to solder with ordinary tools.

I went for the Gargraves stainless because my layout is in an attic in very humid coastal SC. Unfortunately, I got the phantom center rail which is not stainless. When I clean it there is sometimes a very thin film of rust that wipes right off. If you are in a humid area, I'd suggest getting all three rails stainless and painting the sides.Gargraves has lock-on like clips and track pins with wire drops that make wiring the stainless easier than it was a few years back.

If humidity isn't an issue the tinplate should be less expensive and easier to solder to. If I was back up north, that is what I would have gone with.

I used SS Gargraves on the stone bridge on our club's modular layout. The remainder of the layout is Atlas. For whatever reason, the SS Gargraves track always stays cleaner than the Atlas. I used SS track on my attic layout.

"If you are in a humid area, I'd suggest getting all three rails stainless"

If your layout is in a room or building that is properly "closed off" from the outside room, there is no need for stainless. I live on the Gulf Coast, in Mobile, which is at least as humid as coastal SC (we're probably splitting hairs, here) and my GG tinplated track does not rust, unless it sits unused a long, long time. My train room is a separate backyard building, with A/C - but the A/C is on only when it's hot and I'm in the building.

Uncontrolled area (even an always closed but unsealed garage) - yeah, the stainless is better, I suppose.

ADCX Rob posted:

If you don't need it for climate conditions, skip the stainless. It's somewhat harder to work with and difficult, if not impossible, to solder with ordinary tools.

I agree with Rob. Stainless does resist rust, but as Rob stated not worth the problems or the extra money.

I  have Gargrave and Ross track products that are not stainless and they work just fine.

My carpentry skills aren't as good as I wish, Therefore, when I built my layout I used Lionel "O" Gauge tinplate track. It worked for me many years. 

if your engines have Magnetraction then both tinplate and stainless Gargraves do not offer the attraction that postwar O gauge track does.