i am very new to hobby and decided not to use ez track that came with the trains. want to use code 83 flex track. can you tell me good brand to use? also want to use shinohara turnouts. do you have to use code 83 turnouts with code 83 track. what is difference to code 70 and code 100?
Code 100 is 17 thousandths of an inch higher than code 83. Code 83 is 13 thousandths higher than code 70. The code no. is the height of the rail in thousandths. You can either shim up (free) or use a transition piece (pricey). It is better to use the turnout the same as the larger say 83 to 83 then if going to 70 on the diverging route shim it up gradually, say 8 to 12 inches, to meet the turnout. This arrangement is more prototypical and there is less chance of derailing than an abrupt change.
you don’t HAVE to use code 83 turnouts with code 83 track , you can shim it as johncolley says , but why would you want to ? unless your main line is code 83 and your siding is code 70 , which is prototypical as the railroads use lighter rail on sidings that have engines running on them less frequently or not at all
I am not sure how the Shinohara turnouts and the WalthersShinohara code 83 turnouts compare, but I use the Walthers and have had great success with them. The price is right for a quality turnout and the dependability has been excellent. The only suggestion I have, if you choose the Walthers, is to order many more than you first need. They are very popular and sell out fast with a waiting time of about 3 months.
REX [:)]
thank you so much for info
leibshin & rexhea
Shinohara is code 100 and 70. Their code 83 is sold as ‘Walthers’.( made by Shinohara) Be sure to specify ‘DCC friendly’ or ‘Power routing’ type when ordering since Shinohara is changing over to ‘dead frog’ type’s. Get all with the same type frog if possible. They wire differently. Avoid confusion.
someone just said something about soldering flextrack before you try to bend. can you tell me anything about that? lynne
Good point Don. I forgot to mention that very important fact. I use DCC and the Walthers DCC friendly turnouts. I made the mistake of ordering the wrong ones last summer and had to do a lot of aggravating modification work.
Leibshin
I use a different method, but many will solder their track together with the sliding rail to the inside and at the start of the curve and holding it straight. Then they flex it around the curve, cutting the spike heads to allow the rail to slide forward.
I prefer to flex my track around and let the sliding rail insert into the new section, pushing its rail forward and etc. Where the rails meet, I cut the spike heads to allow for a rail joiner to be installed. The advantages to this method are you only cut off the spike heads at the joint and you have staggered joints allowing for a better mechanical connection.
REX [:)]