Well now that I am getting started with my model railroad after 3 years of planning and getting into my new home, I see there is no code 83 or 100 available. I’ve heard why. Is there anywhere to find it until someone starts making it again ?
Thanks, Rob Cooper
Crandell (Selector) has it all in Canada. [(-D] Sorry I know that was not helpful but he bought a lot and has stalled on building his new layout!
Cuda Ken
The supply of flex should be replenished shortly, summer is generally a slow period for layout work- Atlas seems to have a decent excuse moving/ relocation of factory, but don’t know what’s up w/ Walther’s. Think other’s would have taken advantage of their situation for increased sales of their product.
Ken, may have something there. Crandall cornered the market on that flex track… Now we just need to see the rest of it laid. Sorry Crandall- couldn’t resist!
M.B. Klein has some Atlas flex track in stock here
And of course Micro Engineering, Peco and Shinohara have always been available albeit at a higher price. Possibly some others as well.
Good luck
Paul
Hi,
Try EBAY !!!
I talked about this with my LHS guy a couple of weeks back. He’s heard everywhere from October to January for Atlas flex track.
I know. Not what you wanted to hear, right?
This is just a comment/experience item on my part. My Santa Fe in Oklahoma was started before code 83 was even a factor, so the major part of the commercial track is code 100 ME. With a three deck layout I am not about to rebuild it to change track size. I do have code 83 and 70 in some places but not the main lines and I don’t use Atlas anyway so not a problem.
But I notice a shortage in all of them now. Where I used to be able to walk into my local pusher and buy a few sticks of any code, today he has zilch. I had laid away some extra flex some time ago, so have a little to draw from, and since the railroad is “finished” I get by, but he hasn’t had much flex in any brand or size for many moons now, and if I needed some additional, I would have no idea where to go. Everyone I talk to has the same story.
Bob
Track is one of those things where a well stocked LHS may have stuff that is not currently being shipped.
It is an odd situation with Atlas and in fact the Walthers online catalog does show makes other than Atlas are not currently available. Some guys speak highly of Model Power, if you like Code 100, and it is shown as :“in transit” but not in fact available right now. Micro Engineering is mostly available, which is an odd twist of the usual, and most of the Peco line is available. Precision Scale is not available except Code 70, and other parts of their line are “Special Order” only.
Walthers Shinohara Code 83 is on sale by the way
Dave Nelson.
The Atlas shortage is the cause of all the shortages. I’d be willing to bet that Atlas probably makes half the flex track, or something on that order, and everyone else makes the the other half. So, when they suddenly stopped production to switch factories, half the supply dried up. We’ve been buying up all the other brands because we can’t get Atlas, and the other companies weren’t prepared for the extra demand.
Atlas may be the ‘600 lb Gorilla’ of track in the US, but I suspect Peco may be the ‘Uber Gorilla’ of track. They have a huge world wide market and they have a very extensive line across all of the major scales. After Peco/Atlas, everyone else is just fighting for a poor 3rd place…
Atlas normally is shipping track on a regular basis from the factory. I think Walthers-Shinohara does ‘batch’ jobs once or twice a year. I tend to see a good selection of Walthers at several LHS’s, then it sort of dries up until there is a big shipment.
Myself, I have 260 sticks of Atlas code 83 downstairs. I still have too much summer activities(storm came through Tuesday night, and I have a large tree limb that will need to meet the chain saw yet this morning). One has to balance their activities. I went dancing last night, but I did install a sound decoder first(was 20 minutes late to the dance)!
Jim
Well, umm…Crandell did buy several thousand pieces of Atlas flex, but the sellers seemed very eager to complete the deal…don’t know what all the fuss is about. I got mine. [:-,][(-D]
Seriously, I had to do some scrambling back in May when I ordered my last 25 sticks. Meanwhile, I elected to go with Peco Code 83 in the yard because the turnouts I salvaged from the last layout, and the new ones for the new yard, are all Peco Streamline Code 83 #6. I even got the joiners for that system to keep it efficient. I feel the Peco track is very good, at least as good as the Atlas. If you don’t mind the joins taking a bit longer between your Atlas ends and the Peco, why not use Peco, as Jim has just said. I think you’ll find it a most worthy substitute. Just select the right match…they have several types.
Crandell