Any one ever experience problems with Atlas code 83 track ?

[nkalanaga]

Bryan:  OK, I'll take your word for it.  My experience with new ties has been limited, and was 40-50 years ago, so I just assumed that at least the major roads today pre-drilled them.

On the other hand, how many major railroads hand-spike their track today?  I imagine a spiking machine has no trouble with a solid tie.  If that's the case, then probably nobody drills them anymore.  The big roads don't need to, and the shortlines don't want to pay extra.

[Missaberoad]

Hand spiking is still really common... any time an individual tie needs to be replaced it's done by the section gang by hand.

We currently have a mainline rail program going on and all the spikes besides the first 4 are being hammered in by hand.

I imagine they would be drilled for a major tie program... but the day to day stuff is mostly brute force...

[wazzou]

It certainly is done at times. 
It's a pretty big time consumer in the plants to set-up and drill large quantities of ties.
There has been a lot of contraction over the last couple of decades in the tie treating business through mergers and/or purchases.

I've sold a fair number of ties to Class I's, regionals and shortlines over the years.
I definitely have sold some that were pre-drilled for specific tie plates but I have a contract currently for 100,000 ties to a major US Railroad and they are not pre-drilled, though the same Railroad has had them done in some past years.

[nickelplate759]

I recall back in the 1970s watching a tie replacement crew working on the B&M in New Hampshire.  One of the steps was drilling the new ties; this was done after the ties and tie plates were put in place.    There were two men (one on each rail) each with a machine to drill holes for spikes - followed, of course by the machine that put the spikes in.

Pre-drilling the ties before insertion under the rails seems impractical other than for new track.

[nkalanaga]

I imagine the ones I saw were for new, or rebuilt, track, as the BN was doing a lot of work at the time.

[MarkInLA]

MEA CULPA !

Back in July and maybe elsewhere I claimed code 100 represented 14" tall rail in HO.. This was wrong !! Perhaps Atlas code 100 including the out of scale ties comes to 14". But blank code 100 rail in HO is somewhere near 9 scale inches tall, which is perfectly fine for heavy HO main line...
I am very sorry for the thick-headedness back there...M 

[nkalanaga]

Forgiven.

[Teditor]

The big question, has the actual original problem been sorted out.

Ted (Teditor) Freeman

[davefoxx]

@Teditor,

No, it appears that @Freight Train just switched to Code 100, and the mystery was never solved.  He also has not been on TRW since the middle of June 2020, so we may never know.

DFF

[perezbill]

Is it possible that there is something wrong with the track itself?

[MarkInLA]

I don't get it.. As long as your equipment has the modern, lower profile flanges you will have no mechanical problems running on code 83.
In fact today's flanges are OK on code 70 and, I believe, even code 40.. I have 4 DCC/Sound locos and a ton of Atlas code 83 from my last layout and never had the problem you described..
Anyway, if you do go Atlas code 100, yes, stay with the brown tie type, only.. The black tie ties, designed in the 1950s, are way out of scale; too wide, too far apart.. And the switches have all plastic frogs, notorious for stall-outs..
Hope you've solved your problems..M

[Dave V]

I don't get it.. As long as your equipment has the modern, lower profile flanges you will have no mechanical problems running on code 83.
In fact today's flanges are OK on code 70 and, I believe, even code 40.. I have 4 DCC/Sound locos and a ton of Atlas code 83 from my last layout and never had the problem you described..
Anyway, if you do go Atlas code 100, yes, stay with the brown tie type, only.. The black tie ties, designed in the 1950s, are way out of scale; too wide, too far apart.. And the switches have all plastic frogs, notorious for stall-outs..
Hope you've solved your problems..M

Truth to everything you said except with regard to modern Atlas HO track.  It's still the case that code 100--even brand new stock--has the familiar oversized black ties.  The code 83 has the better scaled brown ties.

[MarkInLA]

Dave V..
I could have sworn I saw Atlas HO code 100 with correct scaled brown ties.. Maybe I was seeing O scale, tho..
And, yes, I very well know 83 is to scale for decades now.. But the black tie stuff has got to go !

One interesting thing about their sectional V flex track is, the sectional have way better looking spike heads than the flex !
Reason I assume is the flex needs heavier spike simulation to withstand the the forces against them when curving it.. M

[ronw1970]

I am with you on this. I too believe there was Atlas Code 100 with brown ties for a short time

[MarkInLA]

>>>>  Just so you all know, the OP is about 15 months old !! <<<<