Well I’m at the point in construction of my layout where I need to really think about my choice of track. I was thinking about going with atlas code 55, but I’m having some second thoughts. Atlas is readily available so I’m wondering if I should just go with there code 80. Easy and no problems…what do you all think?
Why were you thinking of the code 50? it is very demanding of one’s skills to lay and scenic/ballast that code of track and still get locomotives over it smoothly. Most fellows would only use it unballased (but in dirt) in a yard or industrial spur.
Why don’t you do a yard test first. See how you do, and how your rolling stock and locos do. If they go smoothly, no rocking or bucking, then you are okay. Still, most fellows would not go much smaller than code 70 on their mains.
I guess my main reason for trying it would be the realistic look, but I have done SOME, not much, testing and that really started to concern me. So it looks like I should stick with 80 then?
That is what most of us use if we don’t want the huge code 100. It seems to offer a happy compromise for most modelers.
Most of my rolling stock is really old and only runs on code 100, the club layout has code 75, and most of my fleet comes to grief on it - a lovely rattling noise as the backs of the wheels bounce over the sleepers!
Ian
Thanks for the comments guys, looks like code 80 it is. I failed to mention that I am modeling in N scale though, would your views change with this info?
I am in HO, and cannot answer that. I don’t know how the flanges in N-scale compare in relative size to the diameters of the wheels.