# Question about track



## ktcards (Sep 22, 2012)

What is the difference between steel, steel alloy, and nickel silver track and if there is a difference how do you tell which is which?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Magnets stick to steel, they don't stick to the Nickel silver track. I'm not sure what steel alloy you're talking about.

Nickel silver won't rust, and any corrosion that does happen happens to be conductive, so it'll cause less issues, especially for outdoor use.


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## ktcards (Sep 22, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Magnets stick to steel, they don't stick to the Nickel silver track. I'm not sure what steel alloy you're talking about.
> 
> Nickel silver won't rust, and any corrosion that does happen happens to be conductive, so it'll cause less issues, especially for outdoor use.


Thanks, Bachmann track is listed on their packaging as being steel alloy. I've got a whole box of silver track and was wondering how to sort it out.

Ray


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Hard to say what they have, but the nickel/silver is the best IMO. For O-gauge with magnatraction, having steel is an advantage, but for HO there's no upside to steel.


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nickel silver won't rust, and any corrosion that does happen happens to be conductive, so it'll cause less issues, especially for outdoor use.


Unless you find a trainboard that sat for a few years hoisted up in someone elses garage, that had mice running all over it. Mouse urine will corrode the track. 

This track was so bad it needed sanding with 1200 grit wet/dry sanding film. Lucily it did clean up well. It was a freebie, and I put $100 into it with completing the wiring and replacing some switches. It was a 4x8 cookie cutter, that did not have scenery yet. I sold it for $250.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

To tell the differance between steel / steel alloy and nickel silver track, If a magnet sticks to it then it's steel or steel alloy if it doesn't then it's Nickel silver.
Bachmann black road bed is steel or steel alloy and gray road bed is Nickel silver.


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