Hey guys, I was hoping you could help me out. I am looking to build my layout in Code 83, and prefer the black tie look of the Walthers track. I know the Atlas Code 83 has all assortments of shorter straights and curved pieces but in the brown ties. Is there any company out there that makes these smaller pieces with the black ties? Or for all straight sections, jog overs and miscellaneous sections am I going to be cutting and using flex track? I am aware of Peco’s track selection but didn’t notice the shorter assortments.
If I understand your question properly, the answer is simple: use the Atlas track, but first, take it outside and spray it with a rattle can of black paint. Clean off the rails when dry with a Brite Boy or similar fine abrasive track cleaning eraser.
First off use flex-track, laying it is not “rocket science” and you won’t have all those joints every 9 inches. Get yourself some cork roadbed and Atlas flex-track, then get a wood yard stick and drill a small hole at the 1 inch mark and use that as a pivot for laying out your curves. Try to work in “easements” if you can and just start drawing out your desired track plan on your table.
The biggest requirement for smooth track work is “patience”, the more time you take with your trackwork the better your trains will run.
Sectional track is great under the Christmas Tree…
Atlas makes those smaller pieces of track with black ties, but it is Code 100. I don’t think that anyone makes Code 83 with black ties, at least not in smaller pieces like what you are looking for. If you really want to work with those smaller sections of Atlas Code 83 stock, why not just spray them black to suit your needs?
I fully agree with Mark’s opinion: use sections of code 83 flex track and spray it rail tie brown (or whatever shade of brown you perfer), curving it as necessary and cutting it to whatever lengths you need and completely avoid using any sectional track. Sectional track in small lengths is intended for toy train boards, not serious model railroad layouts and in the long run can create more operational problem than I care to relate.
My voice is in agreement; if you are concerned enough about the appearance of bare tie colour that you feel the need to ask your question above, then you might as well accept that the best look will come after you have made the ties look like they are under real trackage that wasn’t laid just yesterday afternoon.
Instead, you will have to paint up both the rails and the ties after you have ballasted, and even the ballast will need some weathering, say some grime and rust stains nearest the rails. After such treatment, the plastic colour of the ties is kinda…well…moot. They’ll be heavily altered if you do the weathering correctly.
If you want black ties with code 83 rail you might consider Central Valley tie strips and use ME code 83 rail. Its not hard or any more difficult to use then flex track.
While I am in accord with using flex track I will go a step farther.
Use snap track as needed for smaller sections of track instead of cutting a full lenght of flex track…You will still have the same number of rail joints either way but,won’t be cutting $6.25 piece of track to do the same job as a small section of snap track…
Thanks for all the responses and for my delinquency in a reply. Normally posts would show up in my email but for some reason they didn’t this time. I like the idea of painting the track but I also found on further research through Walthers that Shinohara makes a whole line of code 100 that I didn’t personally see. Double Crossovers, Wyes, Curved Turnouts, etc. I think I kinda got nervous when I couldn’t find anything but Code 83 Bridge Track and thought that my whole idea for my layout was in jeopardy. Thanks again for all the replies, and I think I can use them to bring my ties closer to the same color.
I just switched to code 100 for my new layout. Price and turnout selection were the big deciders. If you’re going with 22 inch or sharper curves I would agree with a post earlier and using snap track for curved sections. Flex is great but for tighter curves it can be a pain to work with. Soldered snap track is much easier for those applications IMO
Yeah I noticed the price as I was beginning to look at purchasing the code 83! I like the idea of the flex for straight shots and some offsets but I would think getting the proper radius would be a bit challenging.