Piko vs. LGB

Handsomerob

Handsomerob

Catching the fever
So I'm looking for opinions of track, I have been buying LGB track but the shipping and currency exchange, along with brokerage fees is making the track really expensive, I have the option of buying Piko track in the country and have no international shipping or exchange.

So the question I guess really is, Is Piko track as good as LGB track?

this has probably been debated before but if I can save myself some serious coin from buying Piko in the country then my outdoor track may happen sooner then expected . . .
 
There is nothing wrong with the Piko track but there was a problem with their switches. Whilst they work OK in their switching duties, there were electrical continuity problems with the wiring underneath.

I remade the connections on mine but other G Scalers were not too happy. Having said that, I had to do the same to LGB and Aristocraft switches! It might be due to the wet climate we enjoy (?!) over here ;D
 
Have you investigated the Accucraft AMS track? Is that brand available for a good price where you are? I've been very pleased with the items I've used, it's mixed well with LGB (slightly different tie profile but not really noticeable once down on the ground).
 
I think that it is prudent to remake the underneath OR JUST double Up wiring on ANY make of points. Some are 'Press Fit' others are Screw. Whatever they do need some better long term solution.

We used Accucraft on the Ruschbahn in the Hidden Area's. Only problem was the Points where the Plastic on the Frog suffered somewhat from the LGB Track Cleaner causing wear on the Plastic. Of course the Sleepers are more to about 1:29 Scale which means that there are more of them to the Yard and are a bit Shallower. Having said that, I use the Accucraft Curves on my line with Peco in the Open and LGB in my Fiddle Yard. One station has LGB and Train Line 45 as does a Small Fiddle Yard. So mixing up is OK, all runs well.
JonD
 
We have a lot of Piko (original track bought by railway) which was used up/down quite regularly, and for the Santa's layout.. This works fine, and no trouble with points (turnouts).
We have since added more track (mainly LGB, and second-hand) with some s/h Piko, and this has needed a clean and the chewed up joiners changing. - All fine.
Sleeper spacing about the same, and colour / style of sleeper certainly near enough for use on theground outside without being noticeable.
 
I have tried them all and there is no doubt at all in my mind that LGB is by far and above the best.>
 
just dont use piko points.. they are rubbish ..they fail, electraclly..
 
55.5 said:
I have tried them all and there is no doubt at all in my mind that LGB is by far and above the best.>
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I've used Acccraft,USAT, Aristocraft and LGB and so far as I am concerned there is no real difference. My oldest track is secondhand Aristrocraft laid by me in 2002 and it is still there without any problem. I have found the LGB R3 points have given me some grief. The lead in to the check rails is too sharp causing reversing trains to hit it and derail. I have this problem quite badly with Bachmann stock. Aristocraft wide points do not have the same problem. I will modify my LGB points this year by adding a longer lead in to the check rail.
One of my Aristo points lost its frog connector after about ten years but this was easily replaced with a new wire.
Both Aristocraft and LGB have claimed that their brass is superior but I can't say I have seen any difference in performance.
Haven't got any Piko but I would expect it to be much the same as the others.
LGB point motors fit very easily onto Aristo points. I know I his because all my Aristo point motors failed but the LGB ones have per formed faultlessly despite being under water, frozen and subject to whatever else the British weather can offer. It looks as though Piko and LGB motors might be interchangeable but I haven't tried this.
Personally I would buy whatever is the best deal and look out for second hand track.
 
ntpntpntp said:
Have you investigated the Accucraft AMS track? Is that brand available for a good price where you are? I've been very pleased with the items I've used, it's mixed well with LGB (slightly different tie profile but not really noticeable once down on the ground).
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Yep I use a mixture of LGB, Trainline, Piko and AMS. All works really well together.

I use LGB, Trainline and Piko points. Been down in all weathers for 3 years now. None of my Piko's have failed to date.
 
No difference between the two brands in terms of rails - same code 332 brass. LGB sleepers are subtler, rounded items which (to me) suggest a more narrow gauge appearance. Piko's are squared off as per main line prototypes. Curve radii are not identical - check Piko's excellent online reference guide which shows Piko & LGB radii side-by-side and their entire track geometry.

On points, Piko definitely had a bad batch some while back, but I've had no problem with my 3, though they are relatively new (3 years old). Of the 19 LGB 16xxx points I have, 3 have developed electrical continuity problems after 10 years outdoors (joiners have failed at screw-in points due to freeze-thaw action) and 1 - the most recent - was supplied ex-factory with poor alignment between the frog and adjoining rails. Fixable, but irritating.

Bottom line, you pays your money and makes your choice, but expect issues with all points after sufficiently long in an environment subjected to frost/ ice. If I was laying track again from scratch, I'd buy any point I could get my hands on cheaply and install jumper leads from day 1.
 
Some of my LGB track and points are over 30 years old plus motors as well. I have never had a problem but my track is on a concrete base and I only run LGB for which it was designed :D :D
 
i have a total mixture, piko, lgb, aristocraft, ams, usally whatever was cheep at time, got a huge of aristocraft cheep as it was us sleeper style no europe, didn't bother me.
All main track has soldered connections, points have track clamps, so can be removed if they fail.
 
Well I have purchased a few last pieces of LGB track to go with the ones I already have and this will end up in my daughters room as a track along the ceiling for Thomas and Percy.

I will however be doing an outdoor track and well if the Piko Track is as well made as the LGB track and it is competitively priced (like I said I can get it in the country and pay a lot less for shipping and well the exchange right now is bordering 23%) I will save myself the Money and put more towards the actual track and not the shipping and brokerage fees.

I'm going to start with an area that is 10' x 20' ish and have more then plenty of room to expand. I have a large corner lot that's 1/3 of an acre.

I would pick a brand and stick with it I like consistency and unless absolutely needed would stick with the brand.

thanks for all the input.
 
Hmm. Just noticed this season that after 2-3 years the sleeper colour on the Piko track is fading. Since in some cases it is mixed in with LGB track on a long straight, it is quite annoying.
 
On my old layout at our previous address the LGB points were still in good working order when the line was lifted after around 12 years in situ, BUT the PIKO points which had been used when the layout was extended about 2 years before we moved house, were found to be in poor condition, 2 had already failed electrically, luckily I only had 4 Piko points in total!
 
So, the Piko was looking a little peaky!? - Sorry!! ::) ;)

From anecdotal evidence.. It would appear LGB and Aristocraft are best for longevity.. ??

I have s/h LGB which must be 30 years old?? Black as (insert expletive of choice), but still seems fine. Sleepers might be going a little pale round the edges, but that might be due to abrasion.. I am not qualified to comment on points though. - Except for the Peco ones we have problems with on the 'Harz' layout.
 
Handsomerob, your post specifically mentions PIKO and LGB. However I have no experience of those makes as I only have ever bought Aristo-Craft - being the best priced and available in the UK at the time I needed track.
What I found useful with the Aristo track was the small screws, whilst a PITA to begin with, once the knack of fixing them was gotten they gave a proven boon for electrical continuity. I never needed paste or any other products to maintain good track current. As I operate battery power mostly these days it is pretty academic.
Seeing that you are in The Dominion of Canada there are one or two good dealers over there. which you probably know about, and I am sure they would have some good second hand track on offer. Also you might give the newer Bachmann range a look. They are now introducing switches into their range and there seems to have been some good research done into the operation of switches. I guess being late comers they learned from others mistakes. ;)
Are you familiar with the Ottawa guys? If not check out the OVGRS web site. Lots of good advice there and a great bunch of guys.
http://ovgrs.org
 
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