“If you gave up on Fast Tracks because of a shipping delay you’re the one who’s missing out, IMO. I’ll stick with Fast Tracks.”
Seconded.
Sorry to wander off topic but David reminded me of the whole NAFTA nightmare from the past…
Exactly! The leader of Canada’s Govt. at the time was named Mulroney. After he hornswoggled the country into the so called “Free Trade Agreement” Canadians came up with the saying;
Free Canada, Trade Mulroney!
Anyway, as most (including me) have said. Fast Tracks is a great company to deal with.
What do they sell fastracks? I have never heard of them before and they are going to be a credit valley railway I hear on sat. rambo1…
I’ve ordered from them twice. They are slow, but dependable. And I like their products.
@ Rambo1: They are a great company that sell track, turnout and crossing jigs as well as related equipment. Check out their website here:
They are a great company and I LOVE their product, I currently own the #6 standard, #6 crurved turnout and a 19 deg crossing in HO.
V/R
Chris
Warner Robins, GA
Fasttracks is an small, but outstanding company, nothing to worry about, IMHO. I can easily see them been swamped with sudden success, they have started advertising in some periodicals and have been mentioned many times recently on most of the main podcasts, and also have been interviewed, plus it is show season. They have the best product on the market, and it seems it is now paying off. Good for Fasttracks, I wish them much success!!!
+1
FastTracks makes a QUALITY product that is NRMA compliant. You will NOT get that with ANY mass produced track including Atlas, Microengineering, Walthers, Peco, etc. All of the brands listed are out of NMRA spec one way or the other.
Their prices are reasonable too. Give them time! It is worth the wait. Most MRR layouts take months to years to build any way! What’s a few extra weeks?
I’m glad they are doing well. And I hope they keep selling.
I’ve ordered stuff from that guy in Turkey before-- don’t worry, he’s reputable. There was even an order that got sent back to him for some unknown reason-- he sent me a photo of the returned package and asked if anything was amiss in the addressing-- it wasn’t-- so he sent it again and that time I got it just fine. I think I’ve done three or four orders with that guy with good results. And the shipping was slow every time-- to the point of it even slipping my mind until it finally arrived 
john
I made 2 orders, never had a problem. Check to see the status of the item you are orderign before placing the order. Many things they produce as needed, there is not a lot they stock. The lead times are mentioned for every item on their site. If you ordered something customized the lead time is even longer, but they DO tell you that up front. Since they make jigs and fixtures for just about any brand of rail and in any size, not to mention any scale, it’s not even remotely possible for them to keep a complete inventory. This is not like ordering from a large company with a big warehouse stocked full of train stuff, these are custom built items and it takes time to accurately machine things - even more so when this is just a small family enterprise without a barn full of milling machines cranking out multiple parts at the same time. In fact there is a complete video essay of the building and fitting of their shop shown on one of Tim’s blogs, so you can see just what their operation consists of.
I did give up and just use Atlas turnouts on my layout, but it’s not due to a lack of quality of their product, I just couldn’t get the trick of making good enough (to me) points and frogs. I think I was being too picky since the couple I made handled even extremely deliberate attempts to skew it to one side or the other without picking. Maybe next layout.
Dunno about Canada, but that increased scrutiny stuff is causing issues. My last batch of servos ordered from China were postmarked in China at the beginning of December. It was nearly the end of January when I got them. I was beginning to suspect the company even though I made 2 previous orders with no problems, and then eventually they did show up, and not hastily re-shipped after I complained, but actually shipped back when they said they did, it just took that long.
–Randy
Hi,
Crandell I think you nailed it.
Tim used to have his layout on this tour until two years ago http://www.trainweb.org/doubleheaders/dhsite.htm . At that time they had their CNC machines in the garage. If memory is correct the second person lives in Alberta who might be a brother, and they work this business together. Two years ago they felt a need to expand and moved into the country where there was a shed in which they set up their operation.
Tim always has circle layout at the above mentioned show and it is amazing how he done the track work. Both him and his wife are very down to earth and easy to talk to people.
Frank
Before I made my recent purchase, which was a coupla hundred bucks, which is a big chunk of change for me, I spent a great deal of time doing two things. First, because I really want my new layout to be as much fun to operate as it is to build, I want everything of very good quality. bSo before picking manufacturers I have comparison-shopped like crazy. Out of that, I chose Fast Tracks for all the same reasons others have stated here. Their stuff looks great to work with.
Then, also because it was all so interesting, I spent hours poring over their website. Two things became quite clear. One, they’re very up-front about explaining the most likely time-frame for shipments, which, if memory serves, they say will not be until about 18 days after the order. Second, they are up-front about the fact that since they’re a small outfit making SO many precision products, much is manufactured on an as-ordered or small quantity basis.
So, even as I’m dying to get my hands on the things I ordered, I understood that quality takes time and as I await receipt I’m looking forward like crazy to having the same experience that so many others have written about with these products. I have every reason to expect my patience will be rewarded as anticipated.
I’ve been on the Doubleheaders tour a few times. Anyone living in Southwestern Ontario should do it at least once. Tim’s circle layout is based on the CNJ Bronx Terminal and until you see it in person you can’t comprehend the amount of work that was put into it.
I have ordered from fast tracks many time and have never had a problem.
I ordered some Bullfrogs from FastTracks some months back and in what seemed a reasonable time received my order–with a bonus. Included in the package was what appeared to be an HO template for making turnouts. I e-mailed the folks and learned that someone in Australia with the same name as mine had placed an order on the same day, and elements of both were confused a little in the shipping stage (the shipping department sees the name, picks the stock off the shelf, etc.). I’m pleased to say I had the good sense to look at the retail price of the “free” template I got and shipped it back to Canada; my postage cost was almost immediately refunded by the FastTracks folks.
I’ve really enjoyed assembling and installing my Bullfrogs (I’ve thought of sending in a few tips for optimizing performance), but there’s more than a superior and economical product involved; I think the company, large or small, is one of integrity of the sort we prize in the hobby.
Michael Penn Moore
(and imagine if that OTHER Michael Moore were a model railroader; we might see some interesting videos!)
Michael, I believe they have a forum at Fast Tracks of a sort that would probably benefit from any tips you would care to publish.
Crandell
I purchased some track laying alignment tools from a guy in Turkey thru Ebay. I really like the design of these tools. He was up front that shipping would take 2-3 weeks. He shipped within 2 days of the order. Today is 3 weeks without recieving them. I also read somewhere in the last week that because of increased security screening in the US that it may add 2 or more weeks until delivery. I accepted the risks when I ordered from overseas. I will find something else to work on until they show up. There is always something else that can be done.
I am interested in finding out more about these tools. What is the sellers name?
Thanks
I attended Tim’s clinic this afternoon and a few things were explained. It is a small company where most items are made to order. Many of the tools are made by outside companies for Fast Tracks.Also as mentioned, everything in one order is held until all items are available to ship and then they are sent out. .
The big problem for them right now is getting the rail from Micro Engineering. ME has had a serious personnel turnover resulting the loss of the one few people who knew how all the stock is inventoried.
The seller name is : aaronyam. His Ebay store is: A1 Hobby Shop. He has a 99.9% satisfaction rating with more than 3000 sales in 2010. He is actually located in Istanbul, Turkey. If you buy the 4 or 5 item pack the shipping is free. I found him looking for track alignment tools in the Ebay search bar. He also has the option to pay in different currencies including the dollar. Hope this helps.
I am not associated with him.