Been a while since I was last here. I recently purchased my first home and have a smallish room that is now a partly roughed in bathoom.
I am planning on using it for a layout setup and was thinking of usine N Scale, as the room is fairly narrow but long.
Just wondering if it will be easier to use handlaid track where I place each piece by hand or should I try snap track, if that is the correct term, where I basically just “snap” the pieces together to create the layout.
This will be my first layout in about 10 years. My last layout was in HO scale and was a simple oval with a few spurs.
Thanks for any help and sorry if I have left out any additional info
Snap track is fun and quick. It is also expensive. At least in my experience with the EZ-Track brand of turnouts, they need some work out of the box, some of it extensive work. And those turnouts are very costly.
On the other hand, laying your own flex track (hand laying means cutting and placing individual ties, and then actually spiking down the rails in gauge) affords you an opporunity to do it your way, and to learn the skill to boot. Additionally, you are not locked-in to ‘their’ curve choices. With flex track, you create your own geometry.
Knowing what I know now, having done both, flex is the way to go. My opinion, of course.
I think you are mistaken about what handlaid track is, or you are not very clear how you defined it.
For handliad track, you glue individual wood ties to the sub-roadbed. Then you spike down two individual rails as you go along. Handlaid track is done just like the real railroads did it. Anything else is either flextrack or sectional track.
Model track today is more detailed than it used to be a long time ago. Any system will work and make a good layout. It is all down to personal preference these days. If this is your first layout, I would suggest that you try some of each type of track.
There seems to be three basic track types today for N scale. One is sectional track (snap track is an Atlas brand), and one is flex track. Sectional track comes in two varieties. One is without a plastic simulated roadbed, and the other is with a plastic simulated roadbed.
Snap Track is a brand of sectional track that is aimed at beginners. The snap track switch is a regular curved section in one direction and a regular straight section in the other direction. It preserves the geometry of a simple layout so that you will have no cutting and fitting.
Sectional Track generally offers a variety of curves, turnouts and crossings, but not straight tracks. That is you would use three foot lengths of “flex-track” as your straight pieces. There will be cutting and fitting, but the geometry will look more realistic.
Flex track allows the use of flex tracks for all tracks and curves but anticipates the use of sectional turnouts and other “special work”.
Hand laid track is something else all together. You buy a bag of wooden ties, and lengths of loose rail, and you build everything yourself. Some people who use hand laid rail will nonetheless use pre-built (sectional) switches, others will build their switches and other special work from scratch. Those who as build their own switches tell us that it is easy, but I have never even thought of attempting this.
Bottom line, you probably want to use sectional track of some sort, especially if you will be building a long thin layout without any loops. The LION thinks this is what you should do, and you should become used to cutting and fitting tracks together. LION will not build switches, but him has no problem cutting them up and fitting them to his layout.
Here is some of my track work. It is not world calss, and many adjustments have been made since this photo was taken. The rear four switches are “Snap Switches” as described above, the switches in the foreground are No. 4 “Custom Line” switches.
Many of us use flex track, with good results. That said, there IS a learning curve to laying, cutting, and fitting flex track. It’s not hard, but doing a good job the first time will take time and care. I’d say it’s more time-consuming than it is hard. Using so-called “Snap Track”, or sectional track, or “stick track” as I call it, there’s much less of a learning curve. The geometry is already done for you, cutting and fitting is already done as well. There’s already provisions for the rail joiners without the need for removing ties. Naturally, some cutting or fitting may be necessary, depending on your track arrangement, but this will be limited to just a piece or two.
It isn’t really an either/or choice, since sectional track and flex with the same rail height can be joined end-to-end without much difficulty. If you find laying curves challenging, try using curved sections with flex track spiral easements and tangents. And, as Lion said, most people (even those who hand lay) end up using commercial specialwork.
Of course, as a dyed-in-the-wouldn’t contrarian, I see no problem with erecting whatever specialwork I need, from a simple #5 turnout to a puzzle palace of crossings and slip switches. OTOH, hand-laying plain-Jane track would bore me to tears (been there, done that) so I prefer to use flex where there are only two rails involved.
Aside to Broadway Lion. Try assembling a simple switch. You might like it. I’m sure you’d love the price…
As a general rule in economics in a non-pathological economy, the more you use basic elements and materials to fashion what you need, the less costly will be the experience. It also takes more of your time and generally more learning.
You can make a nice porkchop meal at home for two for about $5, all imaginable costs included. Throw in a generous glass of wine each, and you have spent $8. At a restaurant, you won’t get out of the place in Canada for less than $50, plus tip, taxes included.
Flex track can be had in bulk purchases for about $5/39" length. EZ-Track will set you back about $10 for the same length if you get a good deal on eBay, and free shipping. If…
One of the better N scale modelers in the Milwaukee area – and by no means a beginner – uses Kato uni-track for his entire layout. He is constantly changing his track plan and the layout never looks the same way twice when you visit. At some cost in realistic appearance it opens up new opportunities for the modeler that he personally enjoys exploring. To each his own and the hobby is varied enough that a case can be made for nearly every option. And the Kato system has more variety in it than the average “snap track” integral roadbed system.
Perhaps some day Larry will happen upon the “perfect” track plan. He may well then either switch over to flex track or perhaps use his Kato uni track collection, which is obviously extensive, in a more permanent manner. Or maybe he’ll just make a note of it and keep changing. That is his way of having fun.
“Snap Track” is a brand name of sectional track made by Atlas. You might be thinking of “Click track” which is a generic term referring to track that comes in sections, but that has roadbed (Kato Unitrack) or sub-roadbed (Bachmann EZ-Track) attached.
I’m using Unitrack on my HO layout. It’s very easy to use, and allows you to test out different track plans without having to glue down cork roadbed or cut and fit flextrack.
While I’m known to use snap track on some small switching layouts I prefer using flex track.
When I was in N Scale I used Kato Unitrack on my dining room table switching layout(I’m a bachelor) and found it was bullet proof and I highly recommend it for small layouts.
Just a word of warning before you start buying sectional track if no one else has mentioned it. The different manufacturers track sections are NOT compatible with one another (I’m speaking of the ones with the built in roadbed).
FYI, I started my N Scale layout with the sectional pieces that came in the box with the train set back in the early 70’s. This was just the plain sectional track (rail on ties, no built in roadbed). I never liked the look of the trains going into the curves as there was no gentle curve, just a jerky turn into a corner. Not very realistic.
Then I started reading about flex track and I started over using the info that I had learned. I went slowly and made sure that all my roadbed was sanded level with no humps and bumps. my track was straight with no kinks and I learned how to do a neat solder joint on my track joiners and wires. Until then I had only soldered copper water lines together with a Propane torch for my job where neatness was not a priority as long as it looked decent and didn’t leak.
Do yourself a favour and check out flextrack a little more before you commit. Just my [2c] worth. Also, get yourself a good pair of rail nippers to cut your track, I found Xuron to be very good, but only use them for rail cutting, not for wire.
