Just left my LHS K-10 model trains few minutes ago. Rumor has it that Atlas will being moving there track manufacturing to another plant next year. In the mean time none of his suppliers have any flex track in HO or N scale. His shop that normally has 5 to 8 cases of flex track on hand is down to a few sections and none coming at this point.
Guess we don’t have to worry about no cork roadbed!
Cuda Ken
Instead of spreading an unfounded rumor, did you check the Atlas Model Railroad Company web site? There’s no mention there of any track shortage in any scale made by Atlas.
Klein has 44 cases of 25 in stock, and 170 of the 5 packs. But they do have a notice that syas “due to a supply limitation, limit is 2 per customer”
Only for flex track, turnouts, sectional, crossings, etc. they have no limitations on.
Other sellers have similar notices.
Not likely Atlas will post this on their web site, the only news they ever post is new releases. There IS a thread in the forums about track availability but withotuy an account there I can’t do any actual searches.
–Randy
Atlas is moving their manufacturing to another source line by line…they are doing the track line right now. Things should be back to normal by the end of the month.
Your right Carole, lets just say none of my LHS suppliers have any to ship to him.
Cuda Ken
I seem to recall some interview with some Atlas official that the price of Code 83 will drop compared to Code 100, it probably has to do with the slow advance to the code 83 world and higher quality models, or demand for them, moving the manufacturing might mean a better manufacturing process, dunno, but Code 100 may be slowly on its way out. Just trying to remember the commentary but thats kinda the gist of it, someone out there might correct me or add to this.
I have always bought it by the 100 piece case, still have a case or two around, I think that will hold me until theymake the next batch - no mater where they make it.
dinwitty, I suspect that code 83 sales have long ago surpassed code 100, but I suspect both will remain available for the forseeable future.
Sheldon
Old news, and as others have noted not completely true. Here’s the explanation from Atlas about what’s been going on.
I’m sure Atlas will put up a message stating “we are out of track for the rest of the year Please don’t buy our competitor’s product. Thanks!”
funny because I needed some track and my local hobby shop guy said that he has been trying to get some from his suppliers for a few weeks now and hasn’t come across anything. He did say he heard something about a factory moving though.
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Quick, everyone run to your basement. Oh, right. That’s where we are already.
OK, everyone run to your workroom and start building your inventory of rolling stock and structure kits. I could literally spend a year doing that alone.
But, thanks for the heads up. I don’t need track now, but I’ll pick up a couple of pieces so I don’t get caught short in a month or two when construction moves out that way.
Good news for hand layers! But there are others around. Walthers/Shinnohara, ME, and Peco come to mind immediately. We still have plenty to choose from. What is really shocking to me is that 1 ounce bottle of RR color paint costing $5.95 ! Ouch that hurts !
Pete
I don’t which parts aren’t completely true, but here’s what Paul Graf of Atlas had to say about it in Atlas’ forum.
**"**In an effort to minimize price increases and improve availability long term, we are in the process of moving production of all of our products from the existing primary supplier to other suppliers. The majority of the rolling stock and locomotive tooling has been moved, and production of these items has been returning to normal levels. Track and accessory tooling is currently in the process of being moved, and there will likely be some disruption of the supply line, but we expect it to be measured in terms of months, not a year.
Paul Graf
Atlas Model Railroad Company"
Sounds like a disruption in track supply to me.
Personally, before I would pay the high prices of those other brands of track, I would go back to hand laying.
But $5.95 for a jar of paint does not seem bad to me at all. That seems right in line with 1968 when everything else was one tenth of todays prices - gas $.038, cars $3,000, houses $30,000, freight car kits $2, jar of model paint $.060.
And I took inventory, I have about 450 feet of Atlas code 83 flex - I can hold out until they make some more.
Sheldon
Sheldon
And the average income was probably around $4,000 per year, if that.
Average income of model railroaders was about that - in 1949, per the survey I just read in MR. Neat info in these old magazines. Haven’t gotten up to 1968 yet.
-_Randy
Never touch the stuff!
That’s a little harsh.
I was unaware of this issue until Ken raised it on this thread. It is good to know for future planning.
Thanks, Ken, for letting us know about this shortage.
Rich
So…4 months later, still no Atlas flextrack! What’s up??
This time around, even MB Klein is out of stock, at least regarding Code 83 flex track.
Rich