Can any one tell me about Peco's new SL-300 n scale track?

[Paradise275]

I saw this advertised for sale in a hobby shop and was wondering if this new track with wooden ties is more prototypical for North American railways.
Has anyone tried it yet?

Rick

[SP-Wolf]

Bottom line - It is not U.S. prototype.

Regards,
Wolf

[thomasjmdavis]

Could you link to the ad you are talking about? Are they advertising some feature that makes this SL-300 track "new" and therefore perhaps different from the SL-300 track that has been around for decades? AFAIK, SL-300 is Peco code 80 and SL-300F is Peco code 55 flextrack. The only distinction I see in the latest run is that it is much more expensive than the last run...but that is just the way of things, lately.

Several years ago, they did make a change in the manufacture of their turnouts, which is to say they created a "universal" turnout that is a compromise between the older "electro-frog" and "insul-frog" turnouts, in order to produce a turnout that did not have the dead spots of the insul-frog, while at the same time being more DCC compatible out of the box.

[Mark5]

Looks like the same old Code 80 flex that Peco has had for decades:

https://peco-uk.com/products/flexible-track-with-wooden-sleeper-2

[Doug G.]

Yes, Peco started producing N gauge flex track long about 1963.

Doug

[learmoia]

Yes, Peco started producing N gauge flex track long about 1963.

Doug

60th anniversary special?

[Doug G.]

Yeah, real special. $7.20 a section.

EDIT: Actually, considering inflation and the fact that a 36" section of Peco flex track was $1.35 in 1963, I guess the $7.20 price doesn't seem all that outrageous.

Doug

[NtheBasement]

Yep, $1.35 in '63 comes to $13.58 today.  https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=1.35&year1=196301&year2=202307

[Doug G.]

International Models, in New York, was selling Peco flex track with the claim that it was usable with Treble-O-Lectric track, which it was by virtue of them both being 9mm gauge. However, it took some finagling to mate the two since the track profile was different. Treble-O-Lectric track had/has no head. The rail just goes straight up and the joiners have to be "fit".

I had the same issue with mating Treble-O-Lectric track and Atlas.

Doug

[mike_lawyer]

Man, if only Peco made a North American line of track like they do in HO Code 83.  I would be all in.

[learmoia]

With the rumor that Peco is doing American Code 55 Switches, could this be American Code 55 Flex?

[Skeebo]

Hey all, I have some information on this,
     Peco had a booth at the this weekends NMRA National Show in Dallas which I attended. It was manned by two people, one of them a design engineer. Amongst all their other track offerings, He had on display rapid 3D prototyped track and switches for a planned future line of N scale track built to American standards. He was very interested in our opinions and concerns. And having built several large layouts with their earlier code 55, we gave them to him. We talked to him at length regarding all the faults of their earlier track and asked questions about their plans on how to power it etc.
     It is still early in its development, but they are planning on code 55, not code 80 just buried deeper in the ties such as their current offering. and it looked much better. While it was still held over by a centering spring, it was better as was the throw-bar setup and much better looking too. He did relate they planned on using the new uni-frog concept as they have recently released in HO. My three N scale buddies are with me, building another friends new massive HO scale layout using the latest Peco HO uni-frog system and in my opinion it is the best track system currently available in HO. Sending a design engineer with the prototype to the NMRA National show looking for opinions tells me, Peco is serious about releasing a quality offering. Given their history of manufacturing complete lines of componants, I believe their future system will warrant serious consideration.
     Hope this answers some of your questions
          Jim

[Cajonpassfan]

Sound promising, thanks, Jim.👍
Otto K.

[EJN]

Man, if only Peco made a North American line of track like they do in HO Code 83.

I had an N scale layout where I mixed Atlas & Peco flex track (code 80). After the ties and rail sides were painted, and the track was ballasted (Woodland Scenics brown ballast), from 3 feet away I couldn't tell which was Atlas and which was Peco. Is this really a big deal visually, or is it something people obsess about because they *know* about it?

[nkalanaga]

Atlas and Peco code 80 didn't used to (1970s) look much different.  Both were made to the same basic standards, and were interchangeable.

I haven't bought code 80 track since the early 80s, so can't say how they compare today.