LGB and Aristo-Craft Track

[bandit59]

I'm going to expand my track layout and I have one question. My entire layout is LGB track and a friend has a lot of Aristo track he want's to sell. How is the compatibility between the two? I like the fact you can screw the track together on the Aristo. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers!

[N-builder]

They are compatible since they are both solid brass.

[kttii]

More info about track in this thread:
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/...highlight=code

As to your first statement, yes G scale is confusing since how nothing is standard, G scale can range from 1:22.5 scale ratio all the way to 1:32 scale ratio and everything in between.

Now for your second question, ALL G scale trains will run on the same track which is 45mm and is called Gauge #1 track. So whether you buy Aristocraft track, USA Trains track, LGB track etc. it's all 45 mm. Now here is where it gets tricky, some brands of track will not match properly with others. For example LGB track is made by metric lengths and Aristicraft is made by standard American measurements, so mix and match of track may not work.

You can however mix and match manufacturers of trains with no problems, but here is the catch, you must use hook and loop couplers if thats what you want to do since how hook and loop couplers is the ONLY standard coupler in the G scale world period. Most manufacturers offer both hook and loop couplers and knuckle couplers. Knuckle couplers will not interchange between manufacturers and so a Aristocraft car with a knuckle coupler will not couple to a USA Trains with a kncukle coupler. If you wanted to run knuckle couplers you would have to convert everything to a kadee coupler since you want to run a variety of manufacturer trains.

Another point of running different manufacturer trains is that since there is so many scale ratios, a USA Ultimate series 40ft box car which is 1:29 scale ratio looks kinda funny coupled to a MTH Trains 40ft box car which is 1:32 scale ratio, if that doesn't bother you, than yes you can run them together.

When it comes to running locomotives correctly on Gauge #1 track or as many people mistakenly call it G gauge track, there is only one thing you have to worry about which is curves. All Locomotives have a minimum diameter curve that they will run on, any less and you risk damage and many derails. I actually have a chart in the G scale section of what locomotive will run on what diameter curve.

Now here is where it gets a little more confusing. LGB makes 2 different types of profile track which is code 332 and code 250. Be careful if and when chosing LGB track, especially used. All USA Trains, Aristocraft and Piko Track are code 332 only. If you choose code 250 track, beware you will have interence problems when running USA Trains and Aristocraft trains on such a low profile track since the wheels are meant to be run on code 332 profile

There is alot of information in the G scale section that me and many others have put in over that past year, be sure to read up on it by opening the pats threads to 1 year old

Good Luck, any other questions need answering, we can help

[kttii]

And then there's the metal wheel flanges that could cause derailment on code 332 or 250 track (depending on which flanges you have):

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=110958&highlight=bachman

In the G scale world, most of the rolling stock has plastic wheels. Manufacturers such as Bachman include metal wheels on rolling stock, but not really the best metal wheels in G scale. All USA trains Ultimate series rolling stock has metal wheels included and are really a good type of metal wheel.

So when and why should you dump your plastic wheels? If you have a small indoor Christmas layout, you really don't need to convert to metal wheels. If you have a large indoor or outdoor layout you should consider installing metal wheels. Metal wheels help keep your track cleaner, they run smoother and change the center of gravity of the freight car you are installing it on for the better. Your train cars would also be more reliable without derails. There are many different qualities of metal wheels, so be careful when selecting them. Bachman metal wheels for example are a metal wheel made by just one compound of metal and thats it. USA metal wheels for example are made from 3 compounds of metal which include Nickle making them a strong long lasting wheel. They are also precision machined from a piece of metal roll stock rather than being made in a pour forged method like those cheap Chineese tools. When I went to replace the plastic wheels on my USA American series woodside freight cars, I went with USA Trains only because of the quality of wheel. There ae however many other manufacturers that make a good quality metal wheel.

Another important detail when chosing a metal wheel is how do you want to run your railroad? If you want to run it more realistic like a rivet counter on code 250 track, you can't use the standard metal wheels on such equipment like USA Trains as the wheel flanges are way too deep and would hit the ties and frogs on code 250 switches causing huge derailments. There are specialized manufacturers that make metal wheels just for code 250 track which have smaller wheel flanges. Such wheels are made by Gary Raymond for example. In the same token you wouldn't want to run small whell flanged metal wheels on code 332 track, again, derailments could occur.

Is it really worth the cost for metal bearing wheels? Such manufacturers like Roll E Z make a metal wheel axle with a bearing in it which reduces friction, especially in a corner. In a corner, the roller bearing metal wheels roll independent from each other on the same axle which allows the outside wheel to roll faster than the inside wheel. The regular metal wheels are fixed on a axle don't move independent from each other causing the outside wheel to drag in a corner and the sharper the corner, the worse it drags. Of course there would be hardly any drag on a 20ft diameter curve, but a huge one on a 4ft diameter curve. If you plan to run long trains on grades and in a few S turns, metal wheels are worth there weight in gold. If you want to run a 5 car train on a figure 8, it isn't worth the investment. For me, I invested the money only on one train which is headed by 3 of my USA SD40-2 locomotives. The reason why I chose to upgrade this train is due to the smaller drive wheels that the USA SD40-2 locomotive has and the fact I pull 18 cars with them on 8ft diameter curves. Without converting all of these 18 cars over, I was going thru traction tires every year. After the conversion, the 18 car train rolls freely than ever and have not yet had to replace a traction tire yet. The other USA locomotive powered trains have larger drive wheels, so the cost to change over the other cars is not necessary. The bearing metal wheels I picked out already have the bearings installed. There are bearing kits out there which just provide a bearing and you install it into a truck which is a pain in the butt for me as you have to disassemble the truck and drill it out for the bearing and press it in.

So remember, there is metal wheels for code 250 track and code 332 track. Sometimes some of us commercial model train buyers forget about the code 250 track, wheels and switches that are out in the G scale world for those who wan more realistic trains.

[Trains]

I've been into G scale about 30 years. My first layout was outside and all that was available was Aristo Craft 3 foot straights and LGB 4 foot radius curves. I used a conductive grease in the joiners when I put the track together. The layout was outside for 18 years before I rebuilt it. I didn't have any problems. As far as metal wheels they are all good, I have San-val, USA and Aristo. Haven't had any problem with any of them.

Don