Has anyone mated Atlas Code 65 Tru Track with Atlas Code 55?

[Rossford Yard]

Have trouble on the drop in lift out bridge on my layout.  Laid track on cork roadbed, so while the horizontal alignment stays true, vertically, it shifts a lot.  Just saw Pelle Soeberg (?) book where he uses wood blocks same height as cork road bed at junctions on his beautiful modular layout (Now at Train Life in Provo, UT).  Will probably do that, but.....

I do have a few small pieces of Tru Track, and figured would kill 2 birds with one stone - solid foundation with no play and lay track at same time.  Rails are surprisingly different sizes, probably not enough to use ME Code 55 to Code 80 rail joiners, but looks a bit to much to file down the C 65.  Tried a shim under the C55, but......with the rail joiner, not enough difference to eliminate the bump at the rail connection.

Just wondering if anyone has a trick for this, or if there are any rumors of Atlas doing a transition piece?

Thanks in advance.

[nkalanaga]

If I had to do it, I'd use some PC board.  A couple of the wide PC throwbar ties would work, or just a piece of PC board. 

Solder a piece of 0.010 brass to the bottom of the code 55 rail.

Glue the PC board down SOLIDLY, making sure it's at the same height as the underside of the code 65 rail, so that sits level.  You can solder it now if you like, but it will probably move in later steps.

Lay the code 55, with the shim on the PC board, and shim the ties as needed so that it sits level.  The top of the rail should be even with the top of the C65, and the underside of the brass shim should be on the PC board.

Fasten everything down solidly.  The Tru Track shouldn't be a problem.  I've never tried using Atlas C55, as it wasn't available when I laid my track.  If I was doing it, I'd use some Micr-Engineering spikes, and spike the outside of both rails, for three or four ties, putting the spikes between the ties.  They can be removed later if you like.

Solder the C55 to the PC board.  If you haven't already soldered the C65, do it as well.

Gap the PC board.

You should now have a joint that will never move!  I did that, with ME C55 flex on both sides, at both ends of my swing-gate entrance.  In that case, I used throwbar ties on both sides of the joints, laid and soldered the the track across the gate, in one solid piece, then cut the rails at both ends of the gate.  No rail joiners, or sliding adjustments, needed, everything lines up fine when the gate is locked in place.  The rails haven't come loose even when accidentally caught on clothing - or an arm.  The arm didn't come out so well...

[MetroRedLine]

NO idea why Atlas bothered to make True-Track as the freakishly non-standard Code 65. What were they thinking? If they wanted a more prototypical-looking molded-roadbed track option then it should have been Code 55 from Day One.

[jargonlet]

Just wondering if anyone has a trick for this, or if there are any rumors of Atlas doing a transition piece?

I thought atlas announced transition pieces recently. I could be wrong though.

[Atlas Paul]

Transition track is coming - item #2093.

As far as the size of the rail chosen for True Track - the extra .010" allows the flanges on most wheels to operate without hitting the spikes.  As this track is designed to be taken apart and reassembled, the spikes have to be of sufficient size to hold up to the possible stresses from these operations.

[Dave V]

NO idea why Atlas bothered to make True-Track as the freakishly non-standard Code 65. What were they thinking? If they wanted a more prototypical-looking molded-roadbed track option then it should have been Code 55 from Day One.

I thought the idea was that it would look as close to scale as they could get it and still handle pizza-cutter wheelsets.  But yeah, since they're the only code 65 in town and never developed the line beyond a few train set pieces...it's not especially useful.  Really the only way they could have made a go of it and hit Unitrack where it hurts would have been to release a full line comparable to the Kato line with different turnout numbers, a huge array of curvatures, and different lengths...and that would have been a tremendous and risky investment.

[jpec]

Transition track is coming - item #2093.

As far as the size of the rail chosen for True Track - the extra .010" allows the flanges on most wheels to operate without hitting the spikes.  As this track is designed to be taken apart and reassembled, the spikes have to be of sufficient size to hold up to the possible stresses from these operations.

I really like the product; I wish there was a #6 turnout available...

[DKS]

I thought the idea was that it would look as close to scale as they could get it and still handle pizza-cutter wheelsets.  But yeah, since they're the only code 65 in town and never developed the line beyond a few train set pieces...it's not especially useful.  Really the only way they could have made a go of it and hit Unitrack where it hurts would have been to release a full line comparable to the Kato line with different turnout numbers, a huge array of curvatures, and different lengths...and that would have been a tremendous and risky investment.

On the one hand, it was kind of ballsy to take on Unitrack. And to be honest, the tie spacing alone makes for better appearance. So, kudos to Atlas for trying. That said, the turnouts look pretty toy-like, and that beige ballast color is a real head-scratcher. How many railroads use that color ballast?

[Rossford Yard]

Transition track is coming - item #2093.

Thanks, I thought I had heard that, but couldn't find it...…

Any schedule?  Only so long I can go without running trains!


Might have to try other alternatives.

nkalanaga, good advice, and I actually used those metal ties, just put them on cork roadbed, which I need to cut out and replace with something dimensionally stable, I think.

[EmdFan]

There’s a #5 turnout and 17” radius curved section coming, just not sure of ETA.

[Philip H]

Having played with some of this when it first came out I think the ballast color may make for easier painting and blending then the darker grey Kato.

[nkalanaga]

A lot of  the MILW's Pacific Extension ballast was beige, especially in Montana.  I've heard that they used ordinary river rock in places, because sharp-edged ballast wore the ties out too fast.

Of course, the whole purpose of sharp-edged ballast was to hold the ties in place, and round river rock defeats that purpose, but the MILW, at least by the late 40s, didn't like spending money.

[Rossford Yard]

Transition track is coming - item #2093.

Nov 2017 announcement, proposed container date Q3, 2018.  I guess that could be now through September if its on schedule?


Given my rate of progress, it will either not be done, or done wrong and ready for a new solution by around that time......

[Point353]

Have trouble on the drop in lift out bridge on my layout.  Laid track on cork roadbed, so while the horizontal alignment stays true, vertically, it shifts a lot.  Just saw Pelle Soeberg (?) book where he uses wood blocks same height as cork road bed at junctions on his beautiful modular layout (Now at Train Life in Provo, UT).  Will probably do that, but.....

I do have a few small pieces of Tru Track, and figured would kill 2 birds with one stone - solid foundation with no play and lay track at same time.  Rails are surprisingly different sizes, probably not enough to use ME Code 55 to Code 80 rail joiners, but looks a bit to much to file down the C 65.  Tried a shim under the C55, but......with the rail joiner, not enough difference to eliminate the bump at the rail connection.

Just wondering if anyone has a trick for this, or if there are any rumors of Atlas doing a transition piece?

Thanks in advance.

When Atlas first displayed True-Track at an N scale collector show, the sample pieces had code 55 rails installed because the code 65 rails were not yet in production.
You might want to see if you can slide the code 65 rails out of the True-Track roadbed and replace them with sections of code 55 rail.

[Rossford Yard]

When Atlas first displayed True-Track at an N scale collector show, the sample pieces had code 55 rails installed because the code 65 rails were not yet in production.
You might want to see if you can slide the code 65 rails out of the True-Track roadbed and replace them with sections of code 55 rail.

I tried it and the code 65 rail comes out easily, and C55 can be put back in.  I didn't have the matching short piece, so at the moment, slid in some flex track rail and will trim.

Genius of Railwire at its finest.