To build my 2’x 14’ switching layout I decided to use Atlas code 83 track. It is easy to find and work with and I am pleased enough with the result. Soon I will be extending my layout to go around the room. I will be plugging my switching layout into the round the room layout as a peninsula.
I am considering switching to another track manufacturer with more realistic track. I was looking at Walthers code 83 track, but I notice that a lot of it is not in stock at Walthers. Is there a problem with the supply flow of Walthers track? I have also looked at Peco and Micro Engineering track. Are Walthers, Peco, and Micro Engineering turnouts all equally easy or difficult to wire for DCC? I am wondering if I should stick with Atlas track since I already have experience with it.
Walthers used to get their track from Shinohara and the owner of Shinohara abbruptly retired and went out of business. Walthers has found a new manufacturer but does not yet have the variety they used to have with Shinohara.
ME flex track is more sticky to curve and while it can be done, a lot of people don’t like it. I have no experience with their turnouts.
Peco code 100 does not have prototypical shape of their turnouts, although the turnouts are shorter in length than Atlas, which can be an advantage. Peco used to have insulfrog, and electrofrog turnouts. They are moving toward Unifrog turnouts.
While you don’t need insulated rail joiners for Atlas, you will for Peco. I don’t want to put wrong information in this post, so I don’t know if it’s for all versions of their turnouts or not.
When I returned to the hobby, this time in HO I went to the train shop where they had about six different brands all next to each other on a piece of plywood and you could compare them all. Some do look better than others and it comes down to how much of a details man you are. Beauty is also in the eye of the beholder.
I kind of like the track that stays where you have laid it down over the springy stuff, but I am fine with either. How it looks is more important to me.
I notice there is still Rapido bendy track around in some stores. I have not seen it in person but people really like how it looks, plus it comes with joiners.
If you are happy with Atlas, stick with that, at least you know there will be no filing or other work involved to get it to go together and once painted and ballasted you need to pull out the magnifying glass to notice a difference anyway.
Just curious, what is it about Atlas Code 83 track that doesn’t meet your realistic track. A standard North American Rail is 6” ±½” high depending on the railroad. Atlas Code 83 rails are .083” or a scale 6”. The Atlas Code 83 ties are .096” = 8⅜” square. The Atlas Code 83 ties are spaced at .152” or 1’ 1¼”.
With a little ballast and a felt tip paint pen along the rail sides my Atlas Code 83 Flex track looks pretty realistic to me.
If you don’t like the Atlas brown ties a paint pen of your choice would take care of the colo
From an appearance standpoint, I painted my Atlas code 83 and will (at some point) ballast, etc. So my take is whether I or those looking at it scrutinize the details or just see the overall effect. The painting has a significant effect. I imagine for photos to send to MR the accuracy of detail could matter, for visiting modellers the differences might(?) matter, but for most purposes, including your own view, painted & ballasted Atlas code 83 is pretty darn satisfying. (I used code 83 Atlas flex and like it just fine.)
When it comes to turnouts there are many factors. I chose (in 2012) Walthers-Shinohara code 83, partly due to the variety of items, I liked the DCC aspects (I conservatively wired the metal frogs) and it looks just fine connected to Atlas code 83 flex when both painted the same color. But there are many turnout aspects (beyond appearance) to consider. I think perhaps the W-S offerings may be gone, so today I would weigh the Atlas, Peco & ME, considering all factors.
I’d probably focus on the turnout decision first, then the remaining (flex, etc.) track aspects.
…while this is a combination of Micro Engineering and Shinohara/Walthers.
I thought the spike and frog shapes on the Atlas track would bother me a lot more than they do after weathering and ballast.
Walthers and ME turnouts are DCC-friendly, so they work the same as Atlas from a wiring standpoint. Micro Engineering doesn’t include jumpers from the closure rails to the rails beyond the frog, so you have to add your own feeders or ensure there’s a good joint with the next rail (i.e. a soldered joiner).
Note that tie thickness and rail cross section vary by brand. If you aren’t experienced in tracklaying, minimizing the places where different brands have to interface is a good idea.
Snap Switches by Atlas do not have powered frogs. The Custom-Line turnouts do,
“Custom-Line Turnouts have metal frogs that can be powered if necessary. NOTE: A Snap-Switch and a #4 Custom-line Turnout are not interchangeable in Atlas layout plans.”
This can be critical when choosing turnouts with powered versus non-powered frogs.
Our club used Atlas Code 83 track and Customline turnouts with a few Peco curved turnouts thrown in. I think it looks pretty good, although we could have used Code 70 track on some of the spurs. Recently we ran out of Code 83 track so I put a piece of Code 100 in one spot to see how it looked. It looked ridiculous next to the Code 83.
Last week I visited a LARGE layout being constructed utilizing code 83 of this track and turnouts. It really does appear to be excellent quality product.
Also built in live frog if desired, and the track is pre-weathered, rust color.
Atlas has concrete tie track in Code 83, so Peco is far from the only one.
Peco 83 is north american style track, not British style like their Code 100 and 75. And they now have code 70 to go with the code 83, so you can use lighter rail for sidings and stick with the Peco line.
Out of all the visitors to my layout, most of them are not model railroaders, the only comment I have ever heard about the track (all Atlas ) is “How did u get it so smooth?”
I started in this hobby in 1968, my first layout was TruScale wood roadbed track, some their “ready track”, some their kit form.
I worked in this business starting in 1971, I was taught how to hand lay track and build turnouts by the master craftsmen at the Severna Park Model Club at the tender age of 14.
I have seen, touched, used or otherwise experienced most every track product in this hobby that has been manufactured in the last 50 or 60 years.
On balance, the Atlas Custom Line system is hard to beat for value and performance.
The fact that the Custom Line turnouts make crossovers and yard ladders without cutting is a feature I like. I also prefer their wiring approach.
And like Rich said, the flex track is the best in terms of ease of use and quality of result, not to mention price.
Unless someone updated and reintroduced the TruScale wood roadbed line, I’m staying with Atlas.
As background: I build around the room switching layouts. I’ve used Atlas nearly exclusively in the past. This time I’m going with Peco 83.
The main reason is that after reusing the Atlas track from 2 previous layouts, its got enough dings and loose rails that I need to buy new stuff anyway. I thought that I would try PECO simply because I haven’t before, and I feel like learning what its about.
The other reason is that PECO switches stay put as you change the route with your finger. Atlas’ throwbars are loose to where its best to use switch machines or some device to keep the point rails stuck to the stock rails. Too much work to install them on a layout where I’ll be inches from each turnout. PECO turnouts also tend to be more compact from point to frog, saving a bit of space if your layout has a cluster of turnouts in a confined area.
Having said that, I think their flex track is a bit more difficult to work with.
Also, Atlas makes sectional track. Some people laugh at using it, but I sometimes find it useful that with switching layouts, getting a short perfectly straight or curved portion made from sectional track is much easier than trying to produce the same few inches of track from a long piece of flex track.
Pick your poison, but really, neither is a real poison. These differences are just nitpicky things really.
