I’m a newcomer…downright novice at this hobby but willing to learn and can work with my hands. Building…constructing or remodeling an HO set up…call it what you will. In the throes of building a new HO layout. What I have to date is not satisfactory and in need of major “renovation” Not even finished but what is up and running is less than satisfactory primarily due to the the switches …currently using Atlas…at least 15 yrs old from a prior set up and seriously contemplating starting anew. What kind of switches should I be looking at? Using Code 100 Flex track…Atlas brand but will pitch it if there is a consenus on a better product
As a warning…to those brave enough to respond…I may be back for more advice! Consider yourselves warned.
Scotch & Water…Buckhorn, Ontario …yes…the snow is flying and we are expecting more!
I’m assuming that you’re using the old atlas snap-switches with the solenoid motors. They work, but they’re a pain.
Before you go ripping everything up, you should know that the geometry of a snap switch does not match any other make/brand of turnout on the market, so you may have to re-lay the existing trackage.
With that, the following are all pretty nice turnouts (in no particular order)–
Atlas Customline
Walthers/Shinohara
Peco
Micro Engineering
Some may or may not be available through a Local Hobby Shop (LHS) in your area, though I believe that Walthers (http://www.walthers.com) sells all of these brands. Hope this helps point you at least in a general direction. I know that there’s a number of guys on the forums here that can probably answer your questions in greater detail.
Hi, and welcome to the great world of construction. I can sympathize with having to re-do trackwork, but it happens, a lot! I use mostly Peco switches on my RR (code 100, & flex track). I sort of fell in love with the way the Pecos have an over-centre spring that holds the points firmly against the rails. You don’t mention what sort of roadbed you have, or what kind of switch control you plan on. The Pecos lend themselves very well to hand operation because of that spring. If you contemplate using electric switchmotors, the benchwork becomes a player in which you use, as the Peco brand and most others mount below the track. Some Atlas models have their sw-motor mounted beside the rails. Where I wanted surface-mounted motors, I did some jury-rigging without regrets.
Before getting serious about redoing the track, is there anyone close to you at Buckhorn that has a layout to chat over, or a dedicated hobby shop with a demo? Everyone has a favourite brand, and a reason for the choice. Most work well.
I’m away for the weekend, but keep us posted on your plans. By all means fire the questions to the forum. Somewhere somebody has likely done something that will shine light on what you’re up to.
Everybody’s going to have a different answer to this, so feel free to choose what works best for you on several levels, function, cost, ease of installation, etc. The suggestion about visting local model rails or clubs is a good one, and most are eager to share their insights. Search for clubs in your area. Most of them welcome visitors, and there’s nothing like seeing the stuff in action to help you decide which way you want to go.
You don’t state what problems you’re having with the Atlas switches, but assuming that it’s functionality and not apperance, it might be worth trying to work them over before you decide to scrap them out. Many of us, if not most of us have got some Atlas switches lurking somewhere. In my case, I’ve found them to work fairly reliably, but they can cause problems from time to time.
Generaly speaking, Atlas makes two kinds of switches: snap switches and customline. The snap switches have an all plastic frog, the most recent versions of the customline switches have an all metal frog which is electrically isolated.
Once again limiting myself to my experience, there are three commonly encountered problems with these switches: derailment, lack of contact in the points, stalling over the frog.
As far as derailments go, there are two areas which are problematic, the points and the frog. Often the points are too blunt and snag the wheels causing problems. Solution is to file a bit on the points to taper them so the transistion is smoother. go easy with this, testing by rolling a truck over the problem area hold the truck down with a finger on top of the truck’s bolster. You should be able to feel a bump at the problem area, and also feel improvement when you get it right. Remember it’s a lot easier to take more off than it is to put it back, so file a little, test and repeat until you’re satsified.
i don’t know if you have anywhere you’d consider a LHS ( i had to look up Buckhorn to see where it is!) but George’s Trains in toronto has the peco code 83 track . it looks great and has pretty much the same operating characteristics as their code 100 except old style large flange wheels won’t work with it . also very nice is the walthers/shinohara code 83 . you’d have to relay everything if you decided to go with either of these , but i think you’ll be happy with the results if you do . just don’t be too frightened when you see the price tag on the switches !