Posted By Gary Armitstead on 13 Feb 2012 09:34 PM

Brandon,

 

Hopefully Paul Burch will chime in here and post some pictures of his layout using SV code 250 aluminum rail on SV 1/29 standard gauge ties. You can see for yourself just how nice, well weathered and scale ballast can really look! Some pictures he has posted here and has sent me, look like photos taken on a 1:1 prototype railroad. I defy you to tell the difference.

Posted By Dan Pantages on 14 Feb 2012 01:45 AM
but railroads did not use standard gauge ties for laying narrow gauge track.

If your track represents 2 foot the ties should not be 5 feet long. Hard to explain, the ratio of ties length to track gauge should be the same.

Posted By Scottychaos on 14 Feb 2012 05:54 AM

http://hawkinsrails.net/lagniappe/mngrm/mngrm_lagn8.jpg" />

(not my photo)

If your track represents 2 foot the ties should not be 5 feet long. Hard to explain, the ratio of ties length to track gauge should be the same.

Posted By Brandon on 14 Feb 2012 03:55 PM
Paul: Thanks for the offer but I think with your description and some Euro accucraft aluminum rail (display/testing) I'm good. I'm starting to see that this perfectionism isn't going to end well. I've even been trying to figure out if the if LC's narrower 5mm rail is more to scale than say SVR's 6mm rail. I think if there were a true "1/29 code 250" rail choice I'd go with that regardless any small quirks it had but since I have to error one direction or another I become worried about picking ties that are too narrow if it looks bad when I get 1/24 locos or if it's not as "stable" or won't hold ballast as well as the narrow gauge ties that have larger gaps between rails and wider ties.

Here is a picture of my samples I've bought or had sent to me:

To note, the dual gauge SVR track has the SVR 7mm rail in it, the 6mm LC rail with standard gauge ties is the bulk of what you see, with the SVR standard gauge (1/32) ties placed between some of the LC 1/32 ties just for visual comparison.


When I looked at photos online of locos over ties, the ties came just about to the sides of the loco which isn't the case as you can see in this picture, which is why I was siding with 1/24 narrow gauge ties and I figured the wider ties would be more 'stable' and make ballasting easier, but it sounds like those are all incorrect theories? I also think the graining in the LC looks more realistic than SVR and the SVR ties are a bit glossy which I wonder if that's a con or if it will dull out.  SVR ties are tapered which could help in holding track down yet LC is very sharp on the corners which also might hold track ballasted in crushed rock (with sharp corners as well) better.

You are REALLY in a quandary here, correct? Now, mind you, I'm building a Colorado narrow gauge railroad and I'm using SV code 250 rail with SV NG ties on most of my layout. What...MOST?! Yes because I'm using AMS NG ties on a few of my bridges. I'm also using GMM ties and catwalks on my two truss bridges (48" steel and 60" aluminum), a 48" open deck bridge and 16 feet of arch bridges. The AMS ties are going on a set of open deck bridges on a 90 inch radius curve. The remainder will be SV NG ties. I DO like the AMS NG ties better, but they are not always available. So you DO have to make compromises now and then. We all have done that here. It just comes with the hobby in large scale. Remember what Paul told you, you won't notice any of these SLIGHT differences from two or three feet away and five years from now, YOU WILL forget the differences! The hobby is for enjoyment and relaxation. Just find the ties that satisfy you and START building. No matter how much you worry about this decision and do all the planning, down the line eventually you'll say to yourself "I wish I had done it another way". It's happened to everyone of us. Enjoy the hobby.