Atlas n scale track is the chinseyest peice of junk track ever made. So today i was rebuuilding a siding and i see a swictch had broke… So i start ot fix that i find the peice of track broken take that i up another swicth breaks. I really hate atlas track actually i hate track laying. i might just do Kato unitrack for my next section of layout. Atlas says there track is durable!! i dont think so!! I like Atlas locos and there rolling stcok is cheap but there track… Tim[:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][V]
my HO Atlas snap-track is excellent.
I’ve notice the HO custom line switches are a little weak and you have to be more careful with them, but if I had to spend more money for something else I probably couldn’t afford half the size layout I’m building.
Modeling HO scale, I have stayed away of Atlas’ switches on the advice of a freind.
I’ve gone with some Shinohara switches from my Dad’s layouts & Peco switches I’ve picked up at my LHS.
I have never had a problem with Atlas flextrack or sectional track, even in my N scale years.
Gordon
Maybe you need to find a new hobby and quit crying???
I’ve used Atlas track for over 40 years and it just keeps getting better and better.
If you “Hate laying track” obviously there lies your problem. Learn how to lay track and you will solve your problem. Or, like I said, find a new hobby that isn’t so difficult…
No I love trains and love doing scenery[:)] But i hate trackwork. I can do it but it does not look great. And it is always frustrating. But what is also frustrating is the cost of Kato Unitrack.[V] any body else think Kato charges a little to much for N scale unitrack??? Tim
Kato Unitrack is expensive. I started using Atlas and so far so good.
yeah you should be more careful and pay attention yeah it takes a long time. on my layout i have nothing but Atlas and i love it. its just u want it too work right right when u put it together. takes practice just like everything else.
All I have ever used is Atlas track. Again it tends to be a little finniky to get it right. turnout points need a little tlc. I love the track. Very easy to lay. Looks ok with a little work. Peco more realistic but seems not to give you an even curve when forming radius’.
I don’t even own a layout, but was going to use Atlas code 83 track to build a layout soon. Sorry to hear of your misfortune with their product. I also like their locomotives, but have no experience with their track or accesories. Maybe I will be a little more careful in selecting the kind of track that I use in my tiny layout when I build it. I guess if my layout is tiny then I can afford the big bucks for Peco track or the like. I hope the layout does not loose any more switches. Hang in their Tim. From the red faces it looks like you blew a gasket! I probably would too.
Regards,
Brad
don’t think their is nothing wrong with the track.i assume you are using roadbed.regardless,perhaps if you slow down and just lay a couple of feet of track at a time.get down at track level and eyeball the track and make sure its properly laid.run a train and a few cars over the track.i’ve used atlas n scale products for many years when i was in n.i soldered all my rail except for a few places and never had problems with any of the atlas track components.try to be in a good frame of mind when you start laying track,if your not perhaps that is one of your problems.laying track is one of the things i love to do and it is one of the most important thing to do to make your trains run well.terry…
I started out with atlas track and it worked fine, you didn’t mention if you were using sectional or flex track, sectional is useless unless you want an oval. i switch to shinohara flex because it looked more prototypical then found micro engineering code 70 flex track ( it comes weathered or regular.) As already mentioned kato track is going to run you big bucks. so I would stick to the atlas and practice my track laying , before I go to a more expensive line…
RM2
I haven’t had too much trouble with Atlas N scale track, other than not being able to reliably creep a locomotive over turnouts or crossovers. The flangways are also way too deep, even for pizza cutters.
I am definetly staying in MR just was a little frustrated. thats all. Keith I know i need to be pateint we both do. see ya tommorow in school. Tim (Loco man)
Avoid Atlas track if you want to run trains and have them work.
Kato and Peco and Microengineering track rule.
- TRY a different brand - then you’ll have perspective.
- FIRE your gorilla.
ALL Code 50 trackage is ‘delicate’. Code 70 less so. Kato’s 'N’scale track comes with attached roadbed, but might provide better strength for you. They’re electrically better.
Can’t Hurt.
I’m just getting into model railroading, more for my son than myself, and have decided to start small with an N scale bookshelf layout. It’ll be a switching set-up (we both love operations) in a yard about 3’ x 1’. I’ve been researching all aspects and have been trying to settle on a track/turnout brand. However, I’m finding there’s just as many Atlas supporters as detractors. It’s confusing as heck. The whole set-up will have 11 turnouts when completed (all #4 or the Atlas “standard” size turnout) so I really don’t want to buy all those turnouts and be disappointed and frustrated on my first creation. Is Atlas really that “iffy” or are there extenuating circumstances?
I was a teenage when I experimented with N scale.
My Dad, older brother & I all had bought Atlas Flex-trak to use & never had a problem with it. That was 20 years ago!
I use Atlas HO Flex-Trak for most of the mainline & have never had a problem with it.
Since I started using my Dremel with the flexshaft to cut the rails, my track laying, at least I think, has gotten better!
The only thing I can suggest, if you are having problems with something, post a question about it to get some ideas on how to do what you want to do!
The problem with most RTR track is the inflexibility of it.
Just my 2 cents
Gordon
Tim,
Don’s right. If you start breaking things as you’re pulling them up, then I suspect that you are probably man (gorilla) handling it too much. I use Atlas Code 83 on my HO layout and have had no problems with it.
The key to effective tracklaying is patience and persistance. A long STRAIGHT rule (make sure it IS) - and more importantly, your God-given eye - are essential and especially helpful tools in making sure that your straight sections are straight and your curved track joints are tight.
Just like lining your eye down the length of a wood plank to see if it cups or warps, line your eye down the straight sections of your layout track and make the adjustments necessary to align it properly. You also have to keep in mind that as you adjust one area - unless they are tacked down - your “adjustments” will affect other areas, too. So, you need to go back and forth several times between sections to make sure EVERYTHING is aligned properly - both with itself and with others sections. Once it is, then tack 'er down!
Yea, Tim, it may…no, it WILL take you time to align your track properly, but both you and your trains will be happier in the long run - literally and figuratively. This is an area that you just can NOT compromise in if you want to enjoy this hobby to it’s fullest.
Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now…[:)] Hang in there, Tim. Keep working at it…
Tom
It also helps, at least helps me mentally, to go out and look down a long stretch of straight prototype track… Only the newest track with concrete ties and welded is really, really straight. Most will have some wave and variance to it – prototypes suffering from expansion/contraction and the like just as much as we do… Like I said, it’s mostly mental - just to relieve you from the pressure of trying to make it PERFECT.