Model Railroading > Rail issues....

Ok, I've been looking through some of the pictures and videos of poor track and it got me to wondering... Just what material out there could be subsituted for rail that would offer the flexibility that real steel has in real world conditions? It would almost have to be like a stiff thread or something, but with electrical conductivity. Thoughts?

Real steel is not flexible in real life. I think nickel silver is about as flexible as you can make electrical connectivity.

Are you asking for something more flexible that flex track?
Roger Beckett

You can beat up nickle silver rail so that it's as bad as the worst you seen on worn down branchlines and yards. But the trucks on our model cars and locomotives are not as flexible as the prototype in most cases, and cannot handle beat up track. The rigid trucks will "tripod" on dips and often derail.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

I have some trucks that have seperat bolsters and are sprung they work much better than ridgid. Years back Lindberg made trucks that rolled very free and were sprung but for some reason they are no longer made and not used.
They didnt have metal wheels but rolled so free any little dip in the track and off they went. There have been some trucks made over the years all metal or plastic with metal wheels and have about twenty passenger six wheel trucks
that are all metal and sprung they work much better than any of the plastic side frame metal wheel trucks that were on the cars before.

What was the reason for the shift away from sprung trucks? Cost?

The Lindburg trucks are still being made by EB Products, P.O. Box 0147, Glenview, IL 60025-0147. These are the trucks which were included in the Rib Side Car Co MILW Rd freight car kits. They make Bettendorf, Andrews and National Timken versions. They come assembled and sprung. There is a choice of steel or nonmagnetic brass axles and brass wheels.

I have not seen them for sale anywhere except with the Rib Side Cars. They come in a variety of colors and are smooth rolling. They are proudly made in USA.

I think the OP is referring to how the rail ends flex on bad track as equipment moves over it.

The EB trucks can be found at Greenway Products .com and sell for $6.50/ pr.

BAB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have some trucks that have seperat bolsters and
> are sprung they work much better than ridgid.
> Years back Lindberg made trucks that rolled very
> free and were sprung but for some reason they are
> no longer made and not used.
> They didnt have metal wheels but rolled so free
> any little dip in the track and off they went.
> There have been some trucks made over the years
> all metal or plastic with metal wheels and have
> about twenty passenger six wheel trucks
> that are all metal and sprung they work much
> better than any of the plastic side frame metal
> wheel trucks that were on the cars before.
>
> What was the reason for the shift away from sprung
> trucks? Cost?

Finding the dammed things when they fly away while trying to insert them.

One-piece trucks are easier for the mfrs to mold and stick in a kit box, and easier for assemblers to handle in RTR kits. There's also the fact that many mfrs didn't get their spring rates or their truck design quite right, and the trucks would not equalize properly anyway. The third issue was having a pair of skinny metal springs looking right in a truck -- did anyone ever make one with three springs in there?