Why would we even discuss the relative appearance of UNitrack and UNBALLASTED flex? Your house looked ugly before a coat of paint. Same for you car. Unballasted track is simply unfinished. Finish the project and it looks fine and more realistic.
True, but you asked it by resurrecting a two year old "Atlas vs. Peco vs. ..." thread. Nothing wrong with resurrecting old threads, but people are likely to read the thread and comment on the original topic. You probably would have gotten a more direct answer by starting a new thread.
Not very (easy). Peco Code 55 actually has a Code 80 rail buried in thicker ties to leave only a Code 55 profile showing. Connecting Atlas Code 55 would require putting a rail joiner on the Peco, then soldering the Atlas on top of the rail joiner. Alternatively, you can try to cut off the bottom portion of the Peco track with a Dremel and some sort of grinding wheel, but it will be time-consuming. Then once you are done, the Atlas ties are thinner, so the Atlas rail won't sit at the same height as the Peco. That means you'll have to shim the Atlas stuff to get it level with the Peco or else you'll have a "hump" in the track somewhere. IMHO - ain't worth the trouble. John C.
Nice summary, John, which I won't repeat again in quote. This has been a repeating topic since about 2002. There is a search engine here, which will bring up all those previous threads, if you change the default time limit from "the past 30 days" to "since the beginning." This is a tired topic. If you just use the search engine, you'll find more info, many times repeated, about this topic, than you'll ever care to read.
Still no mention of Arnold-Rapido track? Blackened/weathered rail, staggered rail joints, compatible with all flange depths, turnout/switch machines that could be inverted and mounted out of sight below tie level - what more could you want? Plus, there was that great Mossmer foam roadbed, which gave a beautiful ballasted effect without all the mess - until years later, when it turned into gooey gum.
I can't seem to find can you hook Peco code 55 turnouts to Atlas code 80 flex track. I have read that peco code 55 has code 80 rail imbedded So will this work? kenny
This survey is too limited in its scope to address the pro's and con's of these systems. It is a step toward that summary which I will assume has been done either on a forum or one of the magazines. My personal experience started in 1975-6, I followed suit from the club in which I was a member and purchased Peco turnouts/switches, however I never installed operating machines. I used Atlas flex track because it was readily available and I liked the pre-drilled holes in the ties. Fast forward to about 2000, that is when I began using Kato Unitrack and 14 years later, I am not looking back. My goal is to run trains in an environment set in the autumn of 1940 Midwestern USA. I place reliability above realistic appearance at this time in my modeling experience.
I don't buy that Kato Untrack is more reliability than flex track, Untrack has to many joints. If a person doesn't know how to do track work correctly, then Untrack might be more reliability for that person.
I am all Peco C55 on my new build. Best track I have ever used and any switch configuration you need. Peco also makes inspection pits. After the track is ballasted the minor distance in tie spacing is forgotten unless you are a pencil counter. I also really like being able to set up a radius bending and soldering the flex track and it will stay there and not spring back like Atlas. Peco is available all the time. Cost is somewhat more but to me the availability was important and it is not made in China. How many modelers have been screaming because of the non availability of Atlas. Micro Engineering is ok but they don't like manufacturing turnouts because you can hardly get them and that goes back over two years when I started my new build. To me, I made a good choice in using Peco. Doug
I used peco on my n scale layout. Not because I didn't like anything else, purely from the perspective that being from the uk it was the most readily available track at the best price. I have thought about unitrack, but it is really expensive here because it is imported.
Thanks for the info Mike!! I am really thinking of that route I like working with flex and The peco Turnouts are of good quality. I will have alot of strait run on my new layout most 30 in radius Think I got that right Kato make the 27 or 28 somthing like that there biggest radius. Bigger steam will look good going around it. I plan on using the Kato double track concrete tie for my high speed line. But thats last it will bee in the back as the 2 mains be in the front and so one lol. kenny
what follows is opinion and insight that is mine and I do not claim that it is true to anyone else: back in the early 1980's when I was getting back into the hobby after marrying and having a place of our own, through trial and error, I discovered that in HO scale the only turnouts that I could find which we useable-- not causing derailments--was Atlas, snap switches and #6's. as those model railroads of that era, continuing into the 1990's expanded and were rebuilt, Atlas continued to be my turnout of choice because of its reliability and performance. Their flex track and sectional track matched well so it was Atlas all the way. When my wife found interest in N Scale in the later 1990's, I packed up my HO collection and we ventured into an N Scale layout. Her interest weaned but mine grew with the new possibilities that a smaller scale provided in less space...my HO layouts were always smaller and more limited than I wished they could be. So, then in N Scale there were obvious choices to make--one being what track to use. Having the very good experience with Atlas I soon discovered that their performance and reliability in N Scale was = to that of their HO Scale track. It was clear that I would go with Atlas, all the way, without exception. I do not regret that choice even though Atlas turnouts and flex are currently unavailable. In fact, in a time of disability and not having a layout I have sold all my Atlas except for some sectional track. It has helped make ends meet in this time. But, when I am able to reengage in building, it will be with Atlas. Why? I sense it is a generational thing...being an end of the line baby boomer with much of the traditions and customs of the generation that preceded me. The best word I can find to describe that way of being who I am is "loyalty." It is something that I grew up with, seeing it in my parents and finding it to be something within myself. I stay with Atlas because of loyalty. That is the best way I can describe my relationship with that manufacturer. FWIW... Sincerely, Gary L Lake Dillensnyder
I voted for Peco because, Code 55 itś easy to get in old europe, they have switches, the old pizzacutters run on it, on my shelflayout I mixed it up with rocco and GT-Flextrak both code 80 with no problems.
