This is probably a bit premature as I don't have a line yet.
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.
Whilst at the
Hamilton Model Engineers I studied their trackwork. They use flat steel
on-edge of about 20mm x 8mm section and mostly dual 5" and 7¼"
gauge.
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 plain, flat steel bar, so it doesn't
really work out 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.
I emailed
Cromar White about shipping 27mm steel rail to New Zealand -
they'll get back to me. 1 ton of rail yields about 260m of
track.
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, never
mind.
Watch this
space.
