Greetings, when I built my layout a couple years ago, I used Atlas Flextrack and all Atlas turnouts. I found out how difficult flex track is to work around radii without getting kinks. However my bigger concern with Atlas is on their standard insulated turnouts. I noticed my rolling stock wiggling in a rather non-prototypical fashion when crossing the turnouts. This is very noticeable when taking close up videos. Has anyone had success using Micro Engineering Flex Track instead of Atlas, and what alternatives are there for Atlas turnouts that don’t make each wheel “dip” into it when crossing the frog?
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Our club has been using Peco turnouts for years. Some have been there for decades without any issues. I have some at home and I like them.
If the frogs on your Atlas turnouts seem a bit high, you can file them down flat.
Simon
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Thanks Simon for your reply. The issue with the turnouts is not the frog being too high, but rather there is a small gap in the middle in the middle of frog where rolling stock will dip into it when crossing. I put a very small piece of wood to fill in the gap which eliminated the issue, but if I ever decide to use this spur, I’ll have to pull my shim out. I was wondering if another brand would be better.
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Which Atlas turnouts do you have? Code 83? Code 100? Newer production, older? #4? #6? “Snap Switches”?
Atlas code 83 Custom Line turnouts work just fine. I’ve been using them for decades, so have many of my friends.
Flex track requires that you do some planning and engineering before you install it. Generally some sort of trammel or templet is used to get an accurate centerline for the track. Micro Engineering flex track is much harder to work with in my opinion. Once bent, is stays that way and is then hard to make small adjustments.
What wheels or brands of equipment are you running? If you are running newer high end equipment that may have came with narrow “code 88” wheelsets, you will find they drop a bit into most brands of turnouts.
If you have much older Atlas code 100 turnouts, the did have a more generous frog clearance.
There are other brands, PECO and Walthers both make nice lines of track and turnouts that are more expensive than Atlas and have some feature upgrades - assuming those features fit your modeling needs/goals.
The Atlas “snap switch” is a “train set” switch. You only want to use Atlas “Custom Line” turnouts.
Sheldon
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Thanks Sheldon for your response. I used new Atlas Customline Code 83 turnouts as you have pictured.All of my locos and rolling stock are less than two years old. It took me a while before I noticed how the rolling stock wheels dropped in the gap on the frogs. Afterwords, I took a single boxcar and ran it over the other turnouts to see if I just had a bad one. But this happens on all turnouts. Don’t get me wrong. They operate great. They do not cause shorts or derailments. It’s just that if you like to video your trains close up making them look realistic, you can’t do it at a turnout. Who would’ve thought a train running over a “frog” would cause the car to rock back and forth!!! LOL
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Well, not sure I get it. I use sprung metal trucks on my freight cars, and they don’t drop in the frogs of my Atlas turnouts.
So I will ask again, what brands of equipment? Do they have narrow “semi scale” wheelsets know as “code 88”? If so, they are going to drop in. Because those turnouts are designed for code 110 NMRA standard wheelsets.
This might help you understand the mechanics and why narrow wheels drop in frogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbSmoUH1Cqk
And while PECO or Walthers may perform slightly differently, if you are using code 88 wheels, the results with other brands of mass produced turnouts will be the same. They are all built close to NMRA standards.
Sheldon
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Hey Sheldon, I use code 110 NMRA standard equipment, however, I only have a couple cars with Kadee “sprung” trucks. That could be the game changer I’m looking for. I have a clear “test car” that is the size of a 40’ flat car, but it’s plexiglass so I can see through it to determine problem spots on my layout. I’ll put some sprung trucks on one end and run it back and forth a few times, then flip it over and try it again with the non-sprung trucks in the other end and see if I can feel the trucks drop into the gap. Thanks for your feedback, that makes a lot of sense.
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So here is another consideration. If the trucks are too loose, too much side to side play, than even the smallest irregularity will make them rock.
Some people like the idea of getting one truck tight enough that it just swivels while leaving the other one just a bit loose to allow for track irregularities.
Larger, longer modern equipment is going to be more prone to wobble with too much play in the trucks do to its increased height, weight and length.
I use mostly sprung trucks because they equalize, putting an even load on all four wheels of the truck. The advantage of metal trucks is a bit of extra weight down low where it helps with tracking.
Additionally, I did extensive rolling tests many years ago and even spoke with Sam at Kadee. The result of all that was that I replace the Kadee wheelsets with Intermountain wheelsets to get the freest rolling truck possible.
Sheldon
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Would you be interested in learning a new skill? If so, fast tracks has the supplies to build your own turnouts from scratch.
I literally just posted this fix for a Walthers turnout in another thread, but I believe it’s relevant here. Hopefully, this link works: Bizarre derailing Issue on a Turnout - #3 by davefoxx
DFF
So I seem to be noticing a theme here in that a lot of us are having trouble with turnouts.
I’m using Bachmann Flex-track on my HO system and two of my engines came with the original starter set. What I find strange is that I can run the trains for 15-20 minutes with no issues and then have a derail out of the blue. I’ve read a lot about changing out the spring steel on the mechanism under the track for a slightly stiffer grade.
I also bought two Bachmann cross-overs and will occasionally have derails on them after no problems for period of time. And the derail isn’t on the crossing but running the train straight across it.
I have added weights to all of my freight and passenger cars, which has helped.
I’m open to other suggestions.
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Suggestions? Get rid of the Bachmann turnouts.
I don’t have any trouble with my Atlas turnouts.
Sheldon
Hey Everybody, I came up with a very simple fix for issue I was having with wheels dropping into the frog on Atlas turnouts. Originally I carved a small piece of wood to fit in the gap and it worked great but it would render the turnout inoperative without removing the shim. So, last night I took some “plastic wood” putty (about the size of a small pea) and filled the gap. I let it set up for about 2 minutes, then I took a box car and ran over it both ways to cut the flange grooves in so the trains could safely navigate the turnouts. I did that to all 5 curved turnouts on the main line, and it worked perfectly! I threw the switches and the cars roll right over it like they had eyes! The big question is why didn’t Atlas make those turnouts with an insulated frog without that big gap. My thought is if the “plastic wood” starts to chip off after a few months I can use a permanent fix with JB Weld. I didn’t want to start with that stuff because if it didn’t work I’d have to replace the turnout. You can drill and tap JB Weld! That’s stuff is rock hard. Photo attached.
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And now we get the critical information - the curved turnouts.
Do you have regular turnouts? Do they work fine?
By their nature curved turnouts have difficult frog geometry, especially in the smaller radii offered by most of the commercial manufacturers like Atlas. At an inside radius of 22", this not a turnout that will ever be on my mainline, maybe in an industrial area, but not on the mainline. The outside radius is well below my mainline minimum of 36".
Yes, reworking them to ride on the flanges is likely a good fix. i would glue some styrene strips in the bottom.
Sheldon
PS - Micro Engineering does not make curved turnouts - pretty much Atlas, Walthers and PECO.
Hey Sheldon, yes I do have regular turnouts but they are not on the main lines. They are on spurs and in the freight yard. Never had an issue with those. I should’ve clarified myself in the beginning. Thanks for your patience.