Track Questions...

[FEC Railway]

All,
Just moved into my new apartment in Columbus GA and finally have the room to put up a layout.  The benchwork is getting bolted together as we speak but the track question has me stumped...so I come here asking for opinions/advice:
FACTs:
-I run a lot of MT cookie cutter wheels.  Its prohibitively expensive to re-truck my fleet en-masse at this time.
-All of my engines have stock axles and wheel profiles.

Desires:
I'd like to not break the bank.  I'm looking at appox 32 feet of running track.  I'd like to have possibly two sidings, a yard, industry tracks an a small switching operation.  I intent half to be double track with concrete ties and halfto be single track with wood.

What track Brand out there will allow me to keep to my desires without requiring a re-wheeling of everything I've got?
Where's the best place to find it in flex and switch form "on the cheap" and in bulk?

Thanks in advance!
Will

[jagged ben]

Any code 80 track will work fine for you.

If you want the more scale appearance of code 55...

- Micro-Engineering code 55 flextrack with wooden ties will accomdate pizza cutters, and is the most realistic looking for modeling North America.
- Peco code 55 will also work fine with your wheels, is very robust, but doesn't quite 'look right' if you're not modeling Europe.

Atlas code 55 will be problematic for your wheels.  Not sure about Micro-Engineering with concrete ties.

If your locomotives are not more than 20 to 25 years old, you are unlikely to have problems with their wheels.  If you do have problems, you could look into turning down the wheel flanges.  I'm sure others on this forum will give you advice on how to do it or who will do it for you.

[highway70]

Of course, you could use any of the brand code 80 track.

If you want smaller rail, Peco code 55 will fit your needs.  It also offers the widest choice of ready made switches. As "jagged ben" said some think it looks too European for North American modeling.  It is 100% compatible with code 80 (no need for special transitions) I like to use code 80 for "main lines" and Peco 55 for other tracks.

Brooklyn Locomotive Works has it at a pretty good discount off "retail" price:
http://www.blwnscale.com/

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Also, keep in mind, you don't need to re-truck everything, just replace the wheelsets.

[seusscaboose]

and metal wheels sound so much cooler anyway 

[robert3985]

If you're looking for the most prototypical North American appearance as well as pizza-cutter compatibility, there is only one choice...Micro Engineering code 55 flex and #6 turnouts.  ME makes both wood and concrete tie flex track, and the vast majority of prototype turnouts are laid on wooden ties, even with concrete ties elsewhere.

I cannot say for sure if ME concrete tie flex will clear pizza-cutters since I do not have a sample of it to "mike", but...I assume the clearances are similar or the same as their wooden tie flex.

If you need turnouts other than #6's that have a  "pretty close" to North American prototypical appearance and work well, Atlas 55 turnouts will work in a pinch if you sand down the tops of the doohickies that represent spikeheads on Atlas 55 track.  You don't have to sand much, and then...no buzz.  No, the tie sizes on Atlas and ME code 55 don't exactly match, but it's not overtly obvious and won't matter on your concrete-tied mainlines.

If you'd like to save a pot-full of money, you can learn to lay your own turnouts, which, if done properly, will yield excellent results and add a whole world of versatility and flexibility to your track planning.  Cost per turnout, not counting switch motors, is around $2.75, and you really don't need expensive jigs and fixtures.  However, the whole hand-laying thing is a topic for another thread, but the advantages are many, with the main minus point being the time it takes to build 'em.

Another related point is if you want to incorporate code 40 trackage into your layout for branchlines, industries or sidings, hand-laid code 40 track will accommodate pizza cutter wheel sets.  I know, because a significant portion of my modular layout is tracked with hand-laid code 40 on PCB ties (every fifth tie), and was specifically used (instead of ME code 40 flex) to allow other club members to run their pizza cutter equipped cars and engines on my trackage.

Just for sh*ts and giggles, here's a photo of my Park City Branchline trackage which is hand-laid code 40,  which diverges at Echo from the U.P. mainline.


For more fun, here's a photo of hand-laid turnouts combined with ME code 55 flex-track at the West end of Echo.  I could not have done this without being able to lay my own turnouts, since, at the time, only ME #6's were available in code 55.


Just to add more confusion, here's a photo I took on my good friend Nate's (Nato) layout, where I ballasted, painted and weathered Atlas code 80 flex to look like U.P. mainline trackage in Weber Canyon.  These factors will mitigate somewhat the obvious cosmetic flaws of this flex (which Peco trackage also has).


Finally, here's basically the same style of U.P. trackage on my own modular layout.  However, this is ME code 55, superelevated at Echo Curve, painted and weathered using the prototype as a reference.


ME track is "different" in a way that some people like, some people don't.  It is "stiff" and requires more careful laying than Atlas or Peco flex.  I like this feature because I lay my track to strict centerlines.  However, other modelers don't like it at all, and prefer to allow their trackage to find its own curves.  As an option, you can buy it with blackened rail, which for the concrete tie flex would be an advantage IMO.  I buy it unweathered because I paint and weather all of my trackage anyway, and the blackening makes soldering more difficult (I have to scrape it off before soldering feeders to the base).  I also like the fact that it is designed and manufactured in the USA.

Hey, it works well for me!  Your parameters may not be similar to mine...that's why I posted the photos so you'd get a good look at equal treatment of different track.

[GaryHinshaw]

I cannot say for sure if ME concrete tie flex will clear pizza-cutters since I do not have a sample of it to "mike", but...I assume the clearances are similar or the same as their wooden tie flex.

I use ME code 55 with concrete ties and I have some yet-to-be-converted pizza-cutter-equipped rolling stock.   There is a faint hint of flanges hitting the clips but it's not consistent, nor is it enough to compromise operations.  I wouldn't hesitate to use that track if it appeals to you, but you might want to try a sample before you commit, to see if it bothers you.  I would definitely avoid Atlas code 55 with pizza cutters.

-Gary

[kelticsylk]

First thing first...You specify concrete ties. As far as I know only Micro Engineering make flex track with concrete ties. As for flex track with wooden ties you can select Atlas or Micro Engineering. I know zilch about Peco except that the rail is actually taller than it looks because some of it is buried in the tie strip.

I'm using wooden tie Atlas code 55 on the Allegheny Eastern except for the helix, where I went with code 80 in an effort to save some money. Some of my rolling stock has oversized flanges and they seem to run fine on the code 55 track, they just "clatter" when moving. I also have an old Trix 4-6-2 with oversize flanges and it does the same thing. Turnout frogs can cause problems because the wheels will ride up on their flanges and possibly derail, but you can file the frogs deeper.

I have been replacing my wheel sets with metal Intermountain for several reasons, most of which have nothing to do with clearing spike heads. The metal wheels stay cleaner, work better with some control systems for block occupation and such, and even sound better. I'm thinking they would even click and clack if I put minute notches every 40 scale feet.

As far as price goes, the price can go up if you want "pre-weathered" track. I believe only Micro Engineering sells that. From both companies Code 80 is less expensive. You can save a little more on both code 80 and code 55 if you buy in 100 piece bundles. If, however, you are like me and cannot afford to fork over the lump sum of $300-$400 you'll be buying a handful each week and have to pay full price. I have not shopped on line because a lot of stores on the web want to sell you 100 piece bundles. They also charge extra shipping (about $7) because of the length of the box, making it kinda expensive to only buy a few pieces at a time.

The price of turnouts is steep. Figure about $15 to $20 a hit depending on the rail size. If you're layout requires more than a few, you may want to learn how to make your own. It's not as hard as it looks, but does take some practice. The more turnouts you make the easier it is. As you get better at making them you can go back over the ones that didn't come out so well. For the Allegheny Eastern, the track plan calls for almost 100 turnouts, some of them wyes and curved. If I purchased Atlas (or anyone elses) some where between $1400 - $2000.

For 32 feet of single track mainline you are going to need at least 13 pieces. You'll need about 7 more pieces for your double track. The sidings require a few more pieces. A yard can eat up more than you realize. Altoona yard on the Allegheny Eastern uses more track than I like to think about. 10 tracks about 12 feet long (120 total feet) is about 50 pieces of flex track. That's a third of all the track on the entire layout!

I like the code 55. It is easier to work with and looks a lot better. It's about 8 scale inches tall and pretty close to the size of 152 pound rail the Pennsy used on the mainline. Code 80, on the other hand, is over a scale foot tall, That's about a third of a 36" diameter wheel and the oversized height is clearly visible (at least to model railroaders).

I buy the 12 pack Intermountain wheels sets for about $8 a pack. I only buy one or two packs at time because it's more affordable than buying 100 wheels sets in one fell swoop. $8 every week or so doesn't hurt the wallet as much. It also regulates the amount of time you might spending re-wheeling rolling stock.

Atlas track seems to be in short supply. A friend who owns my favorite hobby shop says he can't even get their HO track. The story he told is that Atlas lost their manufacturer in China and is in the process of gearing up a new supplier. On the positive side the price per 30" piece of Atlas code 55 is close to $5 now, making the Micro Engineering track a good alternative for the price and availability.

Hope some of this info is helpful.

Regards
Frank Musick

[mmagliaro]

I'd think that you should not rule out changing your wheelsets.

A bulk pack of 100 Fox Valley wheelsets costs about $60 and you can do 25 cars with that.
Engines are a little more problematic, but not if your engines are < 20 years old, except for a few
odd cases like Arnold.

In the grand scheme of how much this layout will cost to build, I don't think the cost of
the wheelsets is much of a deal-breaker and therefore that should not be a driver of what track you choose.

Code 55 looks so much better than code 80 that embarking on a whole new project, and limiting yourself to code
80 due to the cost of wheelsets does not make good economic sense.  If you like code 80 for other reasons,
then that's fine.  But if you are avoiding code 55 because of the wheelsets, I think that is a mistake.

[jdcolombo]

I'd have to agree with mmagliaro.  Don't let your current wheelsets, which are fairly easy to change out, control your selection of track, which isn't easy to change once you've made the investment, laid it, ballasted it, etc.

For nearly 20 years in the hobby, I used Peco Code 55 because there wasn't much of a choice, and despite the European prototype, there were lots of things about Peco I liked (including its near-indestructibility; man, that stuff is tough).  But two years ago I started a new layout in my basement, and switched to Atlas Code 55 because the appearance of the Peco began to grate on me when I took photos of the layout (not so much when I was operating, though).   That switch has been successful, but mighty expensive.   So pick the track you want the first time.   Besides, I suspect at some point you'll want to get rid of the pizza-cutters anyway.  Might as well do it now.

John Colombo
Modeling the NKP in 1957

[MichaelWinicki]

Agree with John & Max.

Go low-pro.

[kelticsylk]

One more comment on cost and availability. I just spent $4.79 a piece for Atlas code 80 track at a local hobby shop. Prices for Atlas on that level make the Micro Engineering track a bargain. I can get their code 55 weathered track for less than that. Atlas used to be an affordable alternative, but I'll have to switch over. By the time Atlas gets their act back together, my layout might be finished.

Frank Musick