I prefer "proper rail", however many clubs and individuals use
flat steel bar on-edge as rail; it is cheaper, easier to work
with and much easier to get - but it looks ugly. It might
however be a case of following the trend because I will have to
balance my desire for aesthetically-pleasing track with (financial)
practicality. That said, from anything beyond about 3m or 4m you cannot really see the
rail and certainly once you are running on it you don't notice. I asked at two miniature railways I visited in Australia and
neither of them knew of a local source of steel rail, both got
theirs from either Europe or Japan.
I have drawn up a die to have some aluminium rail extruded
locally here in New Zealand. Unfortunately, it works out about
twice the price of using flat steel bar, so it doesn't
really work out to be cost effective. The trouble
with aluminium is that it will expand about twice as much in the heat as
steel will and the sun is pretty fierce in New Zealand. Add to
that it'll wear a lot quicker.
What I will do is lay 3-rail 5" and 7¼" gauge track as I know
several people with 5" gauge locos.
I now wish I hadn't sold
my
5" gauge quarry Hunslet before coming to New Zealand.
Oh well, it seemed like the best thing to do at the time.
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