I have used N code 55 in the past and more recently have been looking at code 40 does anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks,
John
Hi John. Welcome to TRW! I've been running both Code55 and Code40 trackage on my sectional layout for decades, handlaying all of my turnouts. I started doing this before there was such a thing as "Fast Tracks", having to learn how to both lay track and build turnouts from a few obscure articles in old model railroad magazines, but, for me...it was well worth the effort.
The main benefits of hand-laying turnouts (not track) is that the turnouts, if done properly, are much smoother running, more reliable, more robust, easier to repair, available in whatever size or style you want to make, never suffer a shortage due to a manufacturer's country's political problems, equipment breakage or going out of business...and they are much cheaper, than any commercially made turnouts. Lots of advantages to hand-laying your turnouts, the only disadvantage in my mind is the time it takes.
However, even though there are some of the same advantages to hand-laying your track, you'll find that it's quite a bit more expensive to hand-lay track than to buy your flex, mainly because of the PCB ties, which are becoming increasingly more difficult to get, LASER cut ones being excessively expensive IMO. I purchased my PCB ties years ago when Rail Craft went out of the hand-laid turnout business and I bought their entire inventory of 1ft PCB tie strips for a song...and I still have enough to last me well past when I make my last turnout on my workbench!
Also, with PCB hand-laid track, there is not an easy way to apply tie plates & spike details.
I use my stash of Rail Craft Code55 flex for my layout's mainlines, but I hand-lay all of my branchline's and other industries' trackage in PCB Code40 trackage. Since I make all of my turnouts anyway, Code40 isn't a problem, and I like being able to custom-position my ties for light-duty trackage for the added contrast between it and my heavy-usage UP mainlines.
Because of my old Code55 Rail Craft flex's (now Micro Engineering) tiny spikeheads, there's no problems with pizza-cutter flange usage if you feel a need to run that old junk. Because Code40 rail is actually 0.043" tall, you won't have any problems with pizza cutters on your hand-laid Code40 either because there are no spikehead details on your hand-laid trackage since it's soldered to your PCB ties, with wood or Styrene flat ties in-between.
However, several years ago when Micro Engineering's (previously Rail Craft) injection tool wore out, they cut a new injection tool, but made the spikeheads much taller for some unknown reason on their new trackage...including their Code40 flex...and only low profile flanged cars and engines will run on it...unless you sand down the spikeheads before painting, weathering and ballasting...which is a rather tedious process. I've done this on one of my UP center sidings, and it looks pretty good, but I had to be very careful to not sand away too much.
Now that Micro Engineering is under new ownership, they are concentrating on getting their sh!t together, but will be producing more N-scale flex and, hopefully more than just a single #6 N-scale turnout in the near future.
I won't use Atlas55 flex track under any circumstances because of their way oversized blobs that hold the rails to the ties, the loose-rail floppy flex, and its short lengths. Luckily, I have a big stash of old Rail Craft Code55 which I use on my sectional layout for my mainlines.
Another way of laying Code40 is by 3D printing your own tie strips and laying your rails into them, which automatically puts them in proper gauge. A couple of our long-time TRW members have done their versions of 3D printed Code40 tie strips and one of them, Ed Nadolski
@ednadolski has freely given his second-to-last stl file out to those who requested it. I wish Ed would do a Code55 tie strip, but now that I'm getting proficient with SketchUp, I'll be making my own and printing them out on my new 10" LCD 8k 3D printer. This process finally gives us N-scalers the best-looking trackage in the history of N-scale, but...ya gotta have your own 3D printer and know how to make your 3D models for full proficiency.
As for me, I'm still pretty happy with zero tie-plates and no spike heads on my Code40 trackage...BUT, I haven't laid any Code40 with 3D printed tie strips yet...which may totally change me being "pretty happy" with it....
Speaking for PCB Code40 hand-laid trackage, I've found, even with my portable, sectional layout which I take to shows sometimes, that it isn't any more fragile than my commercial Code55 Rail Craft flex...which means I don't find either to be particularly fragile. But, I'm not walking with my knees on my layout, nor dropping roofing hammers or anvils on my trackage.
Photo (1) - Hand-laid Heavy-Usage Mainline Code55 Track vs Hand-laid Light-Usage Industrial Code40 trackage on my short demo section...
Photo (2) - Hand-laid PCB Code40 Park City Branchline trackage with Rail Craft Code55 UP Mainline track on top of photo...
Photo (3) - Hand-laid PCB Code40 Park City Branchline trackage closeup with Big Boy parked on it...
Since I really enjoy building track & turnouts, I find hand-laying them to be almost a Zen-like part of the hobby of model railroading, the benefits being much more than merely saving money or a feeling of accomplishment when done. There's something special about seeing your trains run smooth as silk across your excellent looking trackwork after you've taken the time and made the extra effort to treat it as something that deserves to be modeled...equally with your rolling stock, engines, structures and scenery...or, seeing a monolithic construct of turnouts on your bench before it's finished....
Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore
