Atlas C55 t/o's?

[Joetrain59]

I'm in the midst or drawing a track plan for new layout. Want to use curved t/o's in 18" radius curves. Atlas curved turnouts look they may fit better than Peco. Atlas has 21.25"/15" radii.
 How reliable are Atlas C55 t/o's? They are in stock at several places. Actually, if availability was reliable, I'd like to use the Atlas track over Peco.
 Thanks,
 Joe D

[John]

Joe . there are several threads here on the forum that provide in-depth reviews and discussions of the problems ..  they are not without problems, the most flagrant of which are the closure rails, the frog is too big, and the throw bars.. if you seach on RW you can find several threads on how to fix all of these, if you are willing to tinker ..

I use them, and am mostly ok with them, as long as you realize there are limitations

[Rossford Yard]

First, just in case you are not aware, Atlas and Peco Code 55 are not compatible, since Peco is really just code 80 with part of the rail hidden in the ties.

As to curved turnouts, I have used both.  I don't know what it is about Atlas, but I have had curved turnout problems since back in the day with their HO ones.  Never had any problem with the Peco turnouts of any kind, solid as a rock, but after you see the true C55 of Atlas, they look a bit clunky, at least to my eye.  Even then, if you are relying on curve turnouts to make your plan, you might wish to favor reliability over looks.

On my last N scale layout, I used all Atlas C55 track and turnouts, and the only trouble I had was the curved turnouts.  Not 100% bad, just a few, whereas the straight turnouts gave no problems at all.  The rails near the frog on the curved TO came out of alignment at the pivot point.  I did solder a few and it seemed to solve the problem.  I also kept a few extra on hand and replaced one instead of fixing. 

It was enough of a problem that on my new, smaller layout, I simply designed it to avoid using the curved ones.  They aren't very prototypical anyway.

Hope this helps.

[Mark W]

To save you from searching, here are two of the most recent iterations of the topic:

Definitive Atlas Code 55 Turnout Guide

Atlas Code 55 Turnouts...

[nickelplate759]

I've used both, but not together.  You could mix them, but it will be a fair bit of work where they join, since, as was indicated above the Peco uses Code 80 rail that they make look like code 55.  It might be worth it if you really wanted a piece that only Peco makes (like a double slip, for example).

However, a bigger challenge is that they don't both work well with the same wheels.  The Atlas Code 55 requires your wheels to be in gauge, and rewards you for that by working well with even the narrower tread wheels from Fox Valley (for example).  However, anything with narrow gauged wheels (even a little) will climb guardrails and/or frogs.      Peco will work with slightly narrow gauged wheels, but the price you pay is that  wheels that have narrow treads won't work well, and wheels that really are correct in gauge will be likely to pick turnout frogs.  I've seen people address this by shimming the flangeways on the guardrails, but I don't have enough experience to know how well that works.

[jdcolombo]

Atlas Code 55 flex works very well and in some ways is easier to use than Peco, because it is "spring-y" and easier to lay on curves than the Peco, which is stiff, and requires some pre-flexing to lay on curves.

As others have noted, Atlas Code 55 turnouts can have issues, although I have over 80 #7's on my layout that have been mostly trouble free (mostly - not completely).  Peco turnouts will need the flageways shimmed (.010 x .060 styrene strip works perfectly for this) to avoid issues with properly-gauged wheelsets sliding over too far and picking the frog point.  There is no perfect commercial turnout.  Each brand has strengths and weaknesses and each will likely require some aftermarket work to get reliable operation.  Also as others have pointed out, using Peco Code 55 with Atlas Code 55 is problemmatic.  The Code 80 rail issue can be addressed by filing off the rail at the bottom, but the real problem is that Peco Code 55 track has MUCH thicker ties, and therefore the track ends up at noticeably different height, requiring shimming of the Atlas track, which in turn results in "humps" at the shimmed joint if you are not extremely careful with track laying.

If you want a turnout that will work perfectly, you need to build your own.  Use Atlas Code 55 or ME Code 55 rail with FastTracks ties and you will have a perfect turnout that will be a drop-in fit with Atlas Code 55 flex track.  If all you need is a couple of curved turnouts made to a specific radius, you may be able to find someone who would build a couple for you using FastTracks jigs or a paper template.  They would cost at a minimum twice as much as a Peco or Atlas, but if made correctly, they would work perfectly.  My hand-laid turnouts (#6's made with Fast Tracks jigs and #4's made from a template) are the only turnouts I've ever used that worked perfectly - no wheels dropping into the frog, no picking points at either the frog or point rails, no loose joints, no improper gauge, etc.  I can run my Big Boy across my hand-laid #4's; I can't run it across my Atlas #5's because of the slop in manufacturing tolerances.  And forget running it across even a medium-radius Peco without shimming the guardrails.  If you want perfect operation, hand-laid is the only way to get there short of re-working commercial turnouts to fix their issues.

John C.

[mmagliaro]

I have one Atlas c55 curved turnout in my layout, and I will never use one again.  It is not  a QA problem.  It is a design problem.

I suspect that I see these problems more than others because I run a lot of steam, and if you run longer wheelbase steam,
the problems are more apparent because a rigid long-wheelbase steam locomotive will not tolerate narrow gauge, or rails that are not even in height.

In addition to the litany of Atlas c55 turnout woes you will read if you look at the links already posted into this thread, the curved
turnout suffers, I think, even more from the wonky throwbar and from point rails that are not in gauge.  In addition, the curved
fixed rails of the turnout tended to "creep" inward over time, narrowing the gauge, requiring me to ream and file some more.

Of all the turnouts on my layout, if I ever sit down and scratch-build a replacement, that Atlas curved turnout will be the first thing to
go. 

If you can, try to design your trackwork to avoid using that Atlas curved turnout, in my humble opinion.

[Joetrain59]

Well, after reading the comments here, and Ed K's new thread, Atlas C55 is out. I'll stick with Peco. I've shimmed the turnouts before. I could probably work in straight t/o's. This time, I will need to pay more attention to wheel gauge, and better tracklaying. Handlaid sounds nice, but I don't want to spend the time, at this stage of my life. If you remember, I inquired about Unitrack, and was sent some to mess with. Passed on that. Yeah, sad that no commercial t/o is perfect.  Thanks for the input so far.
 Joe D

[jdcolombo]

It's too bad Peco doesn't make a line of North American Prototype N scale track like they do for HO.  I've seen their HO track - it is superb.  And their existing N scale track, aside from the flangeway issue (which is the result of a slight difference in modeling standards between the Europeans and NMRA, I think), is pretty much bullet-proof.  We use Peco Code 55 on our Ntrak modules because it's the only thing that will stand up to the abuse.  We have 25-year-old Peco track and turnouts on that Ntrak layout that are still working fine.  The guardrail shimming is a five-minute job, but I don't particularly care for the plastic guardrail (and it means repainting the shim from time to time).

I love the look of the Atlas Code 55 stuff.  The flex track is great.  The turnouts, not so much, although the problems are fixable (easier to do so at the bench before installation).    ME flex is great too, and their turnouts also have issues.

If I ever built another layout (highly unlikely), I'd use Atlas flex with hand-laid turnouts.  Once you get into a groove, making a turnout takes about an hour.  Make one a day, and soon you have a stockpile big enough to do a layout.

John C.