Vintage o-gauge track id: Help please!


D

DMORGAN122190

New Member
I have some track that my wife wants out of the garage, but I do not know much about it and would love some help. I purchased it recently from an elderly couple so I am assuming it belonged to their children (50-60yrs old). It is a 3-rail O-Gauge (O-54?...curves together make a circle apprx 54"). Actual wood ties about 3/16" thick and stainless steel track. The only marking I can find is on the back which says "STAINLESS". I have attached some pictures...any info that you can provide regarding possible mfg, value, etc would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Douglas
 
Doug, I've done a search of my usual sites and come up empty, This is not O-27, this is scale O gauge track, complete with correct profile rails and wood ties. I've never seen anything like this before. I can't even tell how the rail is secured to the ties. If those rails are indeed stainless steel, it would have been incredibly expensive material to use for model railroad track. You don't even see stainless steel track today because the price would too high. Stainless steel in 1950 was more expensive than silver. I wish I could give you some help on this but there's nothing I can find on the net that remotely resembles that track. The best suggestion I can give you is find a train show in your area and hope there may be an old-timer there that's seen it. I have no idea how much it's worth but I suspect it's a lot more than any other O gauge track around.
 
Thanks

Thanks Jim for your time and efforts. I have never seen anything like it before either. What I forgot to mention in my original post was that most of the straight sections are 37" long....that was the first thing that caught my eye.

Anyway, if anyone else out there has any info I would be greatly appreciative.

Thanks!
 
Could this be older Gargaves track? I'm no tin-plater/Hi-railer but I do recall that they did once upon a time offered a stainless steel version of their track line and it looked rather like what the photos show. Just how long is each section of track?

NYW&B
 
Measurements / piece count

Thanks for your help too!
(14) Straight @ 37"
(1) Straight @ 30"
(1) Straight @ 28"
(1) Straight: Rerailer? @ 37"
(10) Curves @ 36" +/-
(3) Semi-Curves @ 36" +/-
(1) 'S"-section @ 37"

Any idea if 50-60yrs old is the right age range for this??
 
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Doug, Gargraves O-gauge 3-rail straight track does comes in 37" lengths. Likewise, they began offering stainless steel rail as an option back in the 1950's. How long this practice continued, I have no idea. Nor can I locate any info regarding curved track sections from years ago. I'd suggest posing your questions to the tin-plate/Hi-rail sub forum on this or similar sites.

NYW&B
 
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I checked all the possible Gar-Graves track combinations also and none have the right rail profile or the thin wooden ties. Try posting in the tin plate section as was suggested but I think this came form an obscure company as scale three-rail O scale track wasn't common in the 50's. Almost all the scale hi-railers laid their own track. I'm wondering if this isn't handlaid track that was made from a kit, much like Fast-Trak switches are today. I'll sure be interested if you can find out anything.
 
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