SM 45 track

Dr. Bond of the DVLR · Post by **Dr. Bond of the DVLR** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:23 pm

There is no track section on this forum so I have put this here.
I am rebuilding my railway and want to move away from my Guage 1 scale track.
I am looking for SM 45mm trackrto represent 2 ft 9 and 3/4 inch gauge. I DO NOT WANT G scale track but SM 45 track with a slimer rail profile. I do not have heavier locos so do not need a heavier profile which I think looks ugly.
I can not find any SM 45 track and can only find G 45 track which I do not want. Can anyone help?

mhlr · Post by **mhlr** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:30 pm

G45 is practically 16mm scale 45mm track. There is no "Sm45" that I am aware of.

Dr. Bond of the DVLR · Post by **Dr. Bond of the DVLR** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:32 pm

No the G 45mm track has a larger rail section that I am not really a fan of.

andysleigh · Post by **andysleigh** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:33 pm

just go 32mm,

mhlr · Post by **mhlr** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:38 pm

andysleigh wrote:just go 32mm,

I told him that, and it's cheaper too!

TommyDodd · Post by **TommyDodd** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:39 pm

Your other options would be to use one of the self-assembled track systems such as brandbright wooden sleepers with either chairs (for bullhead) or pins (for flat-bottom), buy in FB rail only and make your own spiked track (you need a table saw for this, really), or opt for the ultimate in self-sufficiency and go for 100% recycled railway. Rick Collett did this and wrote it up in SMT a few years ago. The ingredients were ballast (swept up chippings after roadworks), sleepers (old railway sleeper sawn up which Rick got for free since he worked for BR at the time) and rail (a double thickness of the steel banding used to hold bricks on pallets, scrounged from building sites who were happy to be rid of the stuff).

Dr. Bond of the DVLR · Post by **Dr. Bond of the DVLR** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:44 pm

Hmm, how easy is the self assembly stuff. MDLR has it I think??
sounds interesting and looks nice too.

TommyDodd · Post by **TommyDodd** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 11:04 pm

Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote:Hmm, how easy is the self assembly stuff?

I haven't done it myself but know people who have. The general verdict is that it's fine provided a suitable amount of care is taken, but labour intensive if there's a lot to do. Building a jig helps. Some systems have their weaknesses e.g. the brandbright chaired track- the "push in" chairs come out after a few years weathering, so some experienced users recommend glue. The biggest difference is that the stuff is rigid when assembled and won't bend to a curve, so if you want a curve of X' radius you have to build it like that.

laalratty · Post by **laalratty** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 11:06 pm

Why don't you use Peco? Although it says G-45, it is a lot more to scale then typical G scale stuff like LGB

MDLR · Post by **MDLR** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 11:18 pm

TommyDodd wrote:I haven't done it myself but know people who have. The general verdict is that it's fine provided a suitable amount of care is taken, but labour intensive if there's a lot to do. Building a jig helps. Some systems have their weaknesses e.g. the Brandbright chaired track- the "push in" chairs come out after a few years weathering, so some experienced users recommend glue. The biggest difference is that the stuff is rigid when assembled and won't bend to a curve, so if you want a curve of X' radius you have to build it like that.

I think I'd echo all of that, but I'm wedded to it as I started off with it (coz at the time Peco wasn't completely stable in sunlight) and it would cost too much to change to Peco now!

Having said that, it smells GORGEOUS after the annual creosote treatment!

minimans · Post by **minimans** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 12:45 am

What size is the rail that your after? normal 'G' Scale (How I hate that phrase) is code 332 but ther is an awful lot of code 225 about from various manufacturers including accucraft and aristocraft now i believe. I have about 400ft of code 225 aluminium rail here in the states going spare but it doesn't do you much good "over there" as it were........................

Dr. Bond of the DVLR · Post by **Dr. Bond of the DVLR** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 8:46 am

Does anyone have a picture of the Peco G 45 track? If the profile IS smaller than G scale track I may go for it.
Getting the G45 track, removing the sleepers and rebuilding them really does defeat the object of having a smaller profile than the G45 track!
How easy is the self assembly stuff to bend (I'll be doing alot of twists and bends in the track) and get smooth corners and how does it work out price wise?

SillyBilly · Post by **SillyBilly** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 1:15 pm

PECO G45 uses Code 250 rail, as does this Accucraft track:
www.track-shack.com/index.php?cat=AMS_Code_250_NG_Track
So that should give you a genereal idea of it.

Dr. Bond of the DVLR · Post by **Dr. Bond of the DVLR** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:03 pm

Still looks too chunkey rails. I really like the lightweight look of the SM32 stuff.

andysleigh · Post by **andysleigh** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:04 pm

Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote:Still looks too chunkey rails. I really like the lightweight look of the SM32 stuff.

a good reason to convert to 32mm gauge then

pauly · Post by **pauly** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:06 pm

andysleigh wrote:
Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote:Still looks too chunkey rails. I really like the lightweight look of the SM32 stuff.
a good reason to convert to 32mm gauge then :D

whats with you Andy?

all you ever try to do is convert people and argue about Edrigs

andysleigh · Post by **andysleigh** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:07 pm

pauly wrote:
andysleigh wrote:
Mr. Bond of the DVLR wrote:Still looks too chunkey rails. I really like the lightweight look of the SM32 stuff.
a good reason to convert to 32mm gauge then :D
whats with you Andy?

all you ever try to do is convert people and argue about Edrigs :lol:

its part of the religion,
like JW's

Endless, Nameless · Post by **Endless, Nameless** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:38 pm

The Accy track isn't the best example. Massively chunky sleepers. The Peco G-45 looks much better- far lighter than LGB. The rails are a larger profile than SM32 but they look fine- I'd say the rail profile compares well scale wise to, for example, the W&LLR (or the Welsh Highland, except that's 2ftish, and yes I know the W&LLR is 2'6" which doesn't scale to 45mm either). If not, make yer own- or use gauge 1 which costs the earth and hide the sleepers in deep ballast!

Personally I'd quite happily use Peco G-45. It's very different to LGB.

Dr. Bond of the DVLR · Post by **Dr. Bond of the DVLR** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:26 pm

does anyone have a picture of it
My railway is 2ft 9 and 3/4 inch.

PCLR · Post by **PCLR** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:28 pm

i think your try what i wanted to do, in the end i gave up i am now thing of changing gauge???

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