Atlas turnouts (not) getting scarce again

[Kentuckian]

Fenton Mo (St Louis area)

I was unaware that ME code 55 turnouts were  being manufactured anywhere!

[davefoxx]

I have 30 or so on my layout that were the old non DCC ready that I've reworked to make them DCC compatible. I cut the rails just before the frog (between the points and frog) and add a PC board tie for the throwbar. Then add insinuated railjoiners on each leg of the frog when installing them on the layout. (Emphasis added.)

You know, I think @GaryHinshaw uses "insinuated rail joiners," because he only butts the rails together without a physical joiner.     Sorry, @rodsup9000, I couldn't resist.

DFF

[TLOC]

#10’s left and rights are in stock (24 each) per Hiawathahobbies.com. They are a great store outside of Milwaukee.

I have a question about building the code 55 turnouts. If a person were to build a stock of 100 left and rights any # wouldn’t the time factor in building drop considerably? I have never built a code 55 but have done 70 and 83’s and after about the fifth one was assembling them in a 1/2 hour, assembly line fashion, using the Fasttrack jig. Wouldnt a $22 to 25 handlaid turnout be sellable if quality built? Or is N handlaid much tougher or slower than HO because of the delicate size of the rails?

Thanks
Tom

[Maletrain]

Model railroading requires 2 things: track and locomotives.  The rest is basically window dressing. 

Where there is plenty of track and rolling stock available, there is a lot of participation in a particular scale.  Where all of that has to be scratch built (e.g. S scale), there is hardly any activity, compared to other scales/gauges. 

So, if N scale starts to suffer from loss of track, and participation in N scale drops, because of that, to the number of folks who are able, willing and blessed with enough time to build their own track and switches, then the market for all  other items in N scale will dry up, and that will cause the manufacturers of other things N scale to dry up, too.  It is harder to scratch build things in N scale than in S scale, and, because scratch building typically results in less accumulation of inventory than buying pre-made, I would expect people to gravitate to a larger scale because the space available for a layout would be easier to fill with larger scale items.

For those reasons, I don't think that being able and willing to roll your own switches is going to make you immune to the effects of serious down turns in the availability of either of the 2 basic items of model railroading.  Not a lot of folks are modeling TT scale, any more.

[Atlas Paul]

There is starting to be some obvious out-of-stock situations for Atlas turnouts.  This was posted on one of the list-serve groups: "The problem is that the Chinese supplier of turnouts and related track products for Atlas and all US and European companies has ended production of train supplies in favor of more profitable product lines."

Hoping Atlas Paul can give us some verification and prognosis.

I just got back from visiting all of our suppliers in China.

The track factory is a bit behind and we beat on them pretty good.  We should be seeing shipments at 30 day intervals for the next few months as they ramp back up from the Chinese New Year break.  The factory has not moved onto producing lines other than model railroading, but the closure of one of the larger factories last year has dispersed production to many of the other factories and the related movement of tooling and getting it running at the new factories has slowed everything down.

We are also sourcing secondary suppliers for some of the more common items. 

It was so much easier when all of our stuff was in one factory, but that also created a risk with that factory.

[Englewood]

I always feel like the build your own switches crowd are looking down on us common folk who have no desire to build our own switches. I'm sure I could build my own switches, but I have zero desire to do so, and won't even try. And no amount of "peer pressure" will change my mind.

[DKS]

I always feel like the build your own switches crowd are looking down on us common folk who have no desire to build our own switches. I'm sure I could build my own switches, but I have zero desire to do so, and won't even try. And no amount of "peer pressure" will change my mind.

This.

[jdcolombo]

This.

When someone says, in effect, "OMG! I'll die if no [Atlas, ME, etc.] turnouts are available," I think it is within bounds to reply with a "Maybe you should investigate building your own, rather than dying." 

I'm not a missionary.  Just noting that this is an alternative, and in some ways produces better results.

John C.

[GaryHinshaw]

I love my hand-laid turnouts, but I consider making them a real chore (I'm not sure why because I enjoy plenty of other similar hobby tasks), so I totally understand those who forego that option.  I'm sure Atlas appreciates the need for a reliable track supply chain and they're doing everything within their power given their business constraints.

You know, I think @GaryHinshaw uses "insinuated rail joiners," because he only butts the rails together without a physical joiner.     Sorry, @rodsup9000, I couldn't resist.

LOL.

[DKS]

When someone says, in effect, "OMG! I'll die if no [Atlas, ME, etc.] turnouts are available," I think it is within bounds to reply with a "Maybe you should investigate building your own, rather than dying."

I don't think anyone is saying they'd necessarily die. Just more hyperbole.

Oh, and BTW, I used to roll my own. So, it's not like I'm prejudiced one way or the other.

 

[Maletrain]

Thank you Atlas Paul!  Now, we can drift this thread into TRW Neverland without me having to check it so often.

[mmagliaro]

About 10 years ago, somebody was regularly selling hand-made turnouts on eBay made with Atlas c55, ME c55, and a whole gamut of other sizes of rail.  He was making #6, #8, #10, and a slew of various curved turnouts.  I even contacted him and had him make me two curved turnouts that were not in his standard radius offerings (I wanted a 20" outer radius with a 14" inner radius).  The were excellent.  I still have them.  I think I paid $25 - $30 each for them at a time when a commercial ME or Atlas turnout was going for around $12-14.

I think there is a market for this, and at that price point, it wouldn't be high volume.  Whether you could actually produce enough of them per hour to really make any money, well, that's the trick.   Even if you could kick out two per hour and get $30 each for them, that's $60/hr.  Now you have to factor in materials, shipping and taxes, but I bet you're still making a really good buck doing this.

Can you guys who do this all the time make two per hour?

[Point353]

Suppose that the world's supply of DCC decoders was produced by a single supplier (located in wherever).
Imagine that supplier suddenly disappeared, perhaps because the factory burned down or a more lucrative contract to produce some other type of electronic devices was offered to them.
Would the advocates of hand-laid track also push for DCC users to assemble their own decoders, including acquiring the equipment required to accomplish that task?

[wazzou]

Can you guys who do this all the time make two per hour?

Don't confuse me with one who does this all of the time.
I think it would be mandatory to have a supply of pre-cut rail, pre-bent frogs, filed point rails, pre-cut ties and pre-gapped PCB ties + a FT jig or one of your own making in order to knock out 2 per hour.
You'd have to spend a fair amount of time at the outset getting all of those things accomplished.

[TLOC]

As I get older I wonder if I could build 2 an hour anymore. Yes, to do so requires everything be ready for assembly but does one invest in the tools to build if there is not enough of a market? I think there might be a market for 8, 10, and 12’s but could one build and sell enough of them and of course come out ahead?

As I asked is code 55 that much more delicate? I presume it would be but as I noted. I don’t know. Atlas will again solve their supply chain issues and most likely prior to anyone being able to market a handlaid turnout.  I had never heard until today that ME doesn’t have financial resources. Is this because of the embezzlement issue of years ago, or an age factor that the owners don’t want to invest more? Or just a guess?

Tom