Okay guys, I haven’t been in the hobby for thiry years. I’m thinking about coming back. When I was in it last I cut my own ties, laid my own track and made my own swithces.
Considering the current advancement of the hobby is this foolish, and if so was the best track and switches to buy these days.
Thanks in advance,
Darrell
Hi Darrell:
Any discussion of the “best track” is sure to get some passionate responses[}:)] . First of all, though, what scale are you planning to model in?
me i would go with code 83 track atlas flex and walthers switches or maybe even peco switches ( bit more money though)
hope it helps
look in to dcc unless you have a lot of equipement around still
Not foolish at all. I love hand laying track.
Best looking, best operating, … There is no best. I really like the Atlas track both code 100 and 83 because it is so common and easy to work with. Peco code 100 is good if you can deal with the European look and constant curve diverging rails. I prefer the Peco code 83 that looks better because they are done to North American standards. I really liked the Atlas Roco code 83 (no longer made), and the Rivarossi had some intersting pieces. I don’t really “like” Shinohara but will use it, it can be tweeked to be great. Then there is the Walthers stuff. Micro-Engineering’s looks really great. I am certain you can find someone who will swear by and at each of those types listed above.
The only thing I would say to avoid is all the new “toy grade” stuff with the plastic roadbed pre-attached.
If you’d like to jump start the old feelings, this is a business that is getting some customers. I am about to launch on a switch building process using their product.
A number of people who have been in the hobby a long time, and who have historically preferred to lay their own track, have spoken up in earlier threads over the past year saying that they now prefer to use commercial track that is non-ballasted. It works well, is easy to use, looks fairly decent, and is both fast and cheap! I guess when you think you will live forever, handlaying track is a challenge and quite pleasant and interesting to do. It looks wonderful, too, but the new Atlas and Walthers stuff, Peco too, is easily painted to look just like a miniature version of the real thing.
Welcome back!!
-Crandell
Darrell, Just [#welcome] back to the hobby
If you handlaid all of your track before, you have the skills, so I’m just going to reference time, convenience and good operation.
Lay all tangent and curved track with flex. The modern varieties all look good and go down fast.
Build your own turnouts and specialwork. You will be able to achieve smooth-flowing track and minimize the number of rail joints (each of which is a potential derailment site.) I just strip the ties off the flex where a turnout will be, bend the flex rails into stock rail configuration, then install frog point, wing rails, guard rails and points on proper switch ties. Most folks notch their stock rails for the points. If you do, file the notches on the bench before you anchor the modified flex section to the roadbed.
Hand-laying a dozen turnouts will free up enough $$$ to make a down payment on that (fill in the blank) you want, or possibly pay for it outright.
Having never attempted to hand lay track, maybe I shouldn’t even respond but it seems to me to be the hardest, most time consuming way to do it. Flex track and commercial turnouts work well, look good, and can be made to look even better with painting and weathering. A layout of any size would require tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of ties to be laid. I just wouldn’t have the patience. I’d much prefer to use my time to detail structures and scenery. To me, it would give me a greater return for the time invested.
[#welcome]
If you like doing it, then there’s no reason not to do it again. However, with today’s track you can easily have good looking track with tieplates and scale spikes. It’s really a preference thing.
Enjoy
Paul
I came back to the hobby a year ago after the past 20 years on and off 3 rail O. I too had previously hand laid my track - Code 70 rail in HO. I am amazed at what is now available.
If you are interested in highly detailed track, check out the Proto87:stores web site (http://www.proto87stores.com/p87stores/index.htm). Proto87:stores has some magnificent scale-size components such as tie plates and spikes. No connection other than I like their stuff. Hand laid track can look even better than the best prefab when and where you want it to.
yours in hand laying track
Fred Wright