While posting another question on this bulletin board concerning Atlas Code 100 track, Mr. Gibson stated this opinion
My guess is once code 83 tooling costs have been paid off, code 100 will be discontinued - much like brass track. (When the price discrepancy disappeared no one wanted it).
I was very intrigued with this statement. Mr. Gibson is very knowledgable person and has been very helpful to me in answering my questions. I took his thougts very seriously. Do the rest of us think that Code 100 track is going out like brass track once the tooling with Atlas and Peco is paid for with their Code 83 track. I would want to know before I purchase any new track and waste my hard earned money on Code 100 track items. What do you all think? Please respond with your honest thoughts.
I am sure Atlas has paid off the toolings costs for their code 83 line. Peco is still developing their line and is still adding more componants to the line. They will not dump code 100 production if there is a market. Brass trackage sales slumped as folks went to N/S trackage. I was rather amazed that brass trackage lasted so long. Remember, Atlas just released their code 100 #8 turnout. So they must have faith that code 100 trackage will be around for a while.
Peco is invested in code 100 track for the European markets as well as the US market. I don’t think it will go away any time soon. If it does, It may be 15 or 20 years from now.
My HO modular club has a standard of code 100 for all track so the pizza wheels will still run. Its amasing how many deep flanges that are still going around!!!
Though granted that code 83 is much more realistic looking (at least to the camera), I don’t forsee the ‘death’ of Code 100 for some time. There’s too big a base out there for it. As far as brass track–it died because it was constantly oxidizing and interfering with good running, as HO scale became more advanced in operation capabilities.
Code 100 may not be ‘prototypical’ because of its height, however those of us who use Code 100 have managed to ‘camoflauge’ that discrepancy with painting, weathering and ballasting. I use Code 100 on my mainline (Code 83 on secondary track and yards) not because I have ‘pizza-cutter’ wheels on any of my equipment–it’s all to RP25 standards–but simply because I’m more comfortable with it’s ‘heft’ and frankly, it looks better under my big articulated steamers. Frankly, to me, a big 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone on Code 83 or 70, looks like an elephant treading two parallel strips of thread.
And if Atlas just came out with Code 100 #8 turnouts, it doesn’t sound to me as if they’re considering relegating that size track to the Dinosaurs–at least not yet.
To be blunt, 100 code has been around all my life and will continue to be around long into the future. As long as SOMEBODY makes HO scale DEEP pizza cutter flanges, there will be a need for 100 track.
I use Kato code 83 and replace deep flanges if necessary; Ive not had to do that yet because I stay with those locos and stock without the deep flanges.
And as long as it’s affordable and a very strong performer, that holds up for people without the experiance to critique wheels to stay on Code 83 as well as they would on Code 100, it;ll be here. I plan to use it. And SP used hevaier duty rail for sidings than others did for mainlines. SO Tom’s humorous comment on Elephants and 2x4s is accurate
Ah, thank you, sir. I spent my youth on Donner Pass, and the rail there was HUGE! You’re right, SP used hefty rail on their mains–at least on Donner Pass and their Valley runs, it just stood UP on the ties, and you could see it from the highway. For comparison, all you had to do was travel about 50 miles north of Donner Pass and look at what WP was using in the Feather River Canyon. And as much as I love WP, their rail by comparison looked like a branch line.
As I said, with painting, weathering and ballasting, Code 100 can be made to look something less than overpowering.
I use code 100 because I find it easy to work with and because I don’t like code 83. As far as code 100 going out the door because there’s a lot of code 83 out there, don’t sell the farm yet. Like taxes and backaches it’ll be around for many years to come.
For at least the next two decades, and perhaps as much as the next four, there will be a hefty market for Code 100 rail. Once natural evolution creeps in, with a number of changes coming together to cause a shift in the way we do things (think style and popularity), I figure the pressure to have things look more prototypical will win out in the end. Sort of like gravity’s influence all through the Universe. It’s about the weakest force, but it has an impact over really loooooooooooooooooooong distances. I can see Code 83 being the kingpin in 20 years.
Imagine how many layouts are out there that have been built with code 100 track. I had intended to increase my layout this winter. Hopefully there will still be code 100 track available.
IMHO, Code 100 will be around for at least a while. There have been many HO cars and locomotives produced over the past several decades (Bachmann, AHM, Rivorossi come to mind) that have “Pizza Cutter” wheel flanges that might be in trouble on Code 83.
BTW: Don’t forget the hobbyists that model the Pennsylvania Railroad up until the PC merger. Pennsy used 155 lb rail in heavy traffic areas. Code 100 rail is closer in size than 83.
Personally I’m sticking with Code 83 track. [:D][tup]
I’ll echo everyone elses responses as well. My entire 13 X 25 foot layout is code 100, and when I finally get around to working on a planned expansion, it too will be code 100.