Bob - Welcome to Trains.com! [C):-)]
Bob, For as much praise as the Atlas track seems to get, a friend in a local hobby shop had comments very similar to those you shared. Gargraves w/ the Ross switches is compeling, and I like the Made in USA of Gargraves. I agree that the MTH Scaetrax may be a bit more realistic, but I have heard some troubling things about their switches as well. Thanks again for your comments. Paul
The problem with the early production runs of Atlas O switches is electrical continuity due to the undersized wires. They have improved to a better gauge wires for the switches. Even so, it is still a great idea to put 18 gauge or 16 gauge jumper wires around the switches to ensure that the power on the track will not be interrupted. The jumpers are needed if you are going to be using MTH DCS with Atlas O tracks.
Andrew Falconer