SMP Scaleway

Discuss the prototype and how to model it.
shipbadger
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SMP Scaleway

Postby shipbadger » Wed May 16, 2012 3:54 pm

Over the years I have at least looked at, and in most cases seen the various types of plain track available for our use. In most cases I probably even have some in the bottom drawer of my store. One type of track I've never seen mention of is that offered under the SMP Scaleway brand, listed as available in phosphur bronze or nickel silver. A search of this forum turned up a blank. I wonder has anyone any experience and can tell us about it? Failing that has anyone actually seen any of this track? Has it ever been reviewed in S4 News or MRJ?

Tony Comber

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Tim V
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Re: SMP Scaleway

Postby Tim V » Wed May 16, 2012 4:03 pm

Are you sure it's offered in 18.83mm?
Tim V
(Not all railways in Somerset went to Dorset)

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barrowroad
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Re: SMP Scaleway

Postby barrowroad » Wed May 16, 2012 4:23 pm

Tony,
As you may know I have used SMP Phosper Bronze rail on Sheep Pasture - all hand built of course and bought from Scaleway around 15 years ago. I have never seen any ready made track sections in P4 though.


Robin

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Russ Elliott
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Re: SMP Scaleway

Postby Russ Elliott » Wed May 16, 2012 7:25 pm

I think Ray Hammond reviewed SMP flexi in a very early Snooze?

Philip Hall
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Re: SMP Scaleway

Postby Philip Hall » Wed May 16, 2012 8:34 pm

SMP Scaleway was indeed made in P4. Whether it's still available, I can't say. I used a lot of it on my old 'Taw Vale' layout, and I still have some odd bits tucked away. The basic version was actually a shade over 18.83mm, and the 'gauge widened' version that was also offered came out more like 19.2 or 19.3, which I thought was a bit excessive even for the ridiculous curves I had in places. It was criticised at the time, I think, for the basic nature of the chair mouldings and how well they held the rail, and the chairs were later improved in a re-tooling, but I never had any problems at all with either version. Phosphor bronze rail was offered later on; I believe this was to try and replicate slightly rusted rail.

The main problem was that the sleepers were a touch too wide and too close together, and this applied to the versions in 00, EM and P4. But once it was laid, ballasted and weathered you tended not to notice. You had to cut the ties between the sleepers before curving. All this was well before the revelation that was K&L (later C&L) and the P4 Track Co.

Although I shall be using steel rail on my next layout, I still have some SMP odd short lengths and I shall make them up into usable lengths with new rail for sidings and fiddle yard trackage. Although it's in EM, Roy Jackson has literally miles of it on Retford and it's fine.

If I can find some, I'll try and post a picture later on.

Philip

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Paul Willis
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Re: SMP Scaleway

Postby Paul Willis » Thu May 17, 2012 9:02 am

barrowroad wrote:Tony,
As you may know I have used SMP Phosper Bronze rail on Sheep Pasture - all hand built of course and bought from Scaleway around 15 years ago. I have never seen any ready made track sections in P4 though.


I have half a memory of Iain Rice using it on some of his mineral railway meanderings in the early 1980s. Written up in the late, lamented Model Railways magazine. I'm afraid that I don't have my collection of these to hand to check in detail.

He seemed to use a real mixture of whatever came to hand, so if it was available as ready-to-lay, I'm sure some would have made its way onto a baseboard somewhere!

There may also have been mention of it in his book on Building Finescale Track, as the key advantage was the colouration for slightly rusty rail, and I'm sure that is discussed there in the introductory chapters.

Must try and dig them out and have a read again...
Flymo


Flymo
Beware of Trains - occasional modelling in progress!
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craig_whilding

Re: SMP Scaleway

Postby craig_whilding » Thu May 17, 2012 9:36 am

Flymo748 wrote:There may also have been mention of it in his book on Building Finescale Track, as the key advantage was the colouration for slightly rusty rail, and I'm sure that is discussed there in the introductory chapters.

Flymo

I always think the rail head then looks odd with PB rail as it doesn't show any sign of use in colour whereas nicely treated NS can have a good looking 'used' colour on the top.

Philip Hall
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Re: SMP Scaleway

Postby Philip Hall » Thu May 17, 2012 9:46 am

Here are the pictures of Scaleway track. The ballasted piece has had the web between the sleepers cut away and the sleeper spacing increased, only done as this was a display base.

Seems one or two pictures are not quite as sharp as I'd like, for which apologies - taken in a bit of a hurry.

Philip



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shipbadger
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Re: SMP Scaleway

Postby shipbadger » Fri May 18, 2012 8:19 am

Thanks for the replies to my question. If the price given on the website is still accurate there would be a monetary advantage in using the Scaleway trackage in hidden areas of the layout as opposed to C&L. I have several boxes of the 16.5 mm gauge track for my forthcoming British HO layout (it's the nearest you can get to a 'true' HO track without completely handlaying and there are no suitable chairs available anyway). What concerned me was if the problem of Ratio Emtrack was also apparent ie the shrinkage that produced undergauge track. From the comments it seems the opposite may be the case, perhaps they aimed for an allowance for shrinkage!

Tony Comber


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