Hello. I have a question for someone out there. I have 25 year old Atlas track that was stored away. Back then there was only one kind of track. Now all these years later I see Atlas code 55 and code 80. Of my old track what the heck is it that I have. I have to decide weather to build my layout out of Atlas of which I find I have quite a bit of, OR Bachmann EZ which I also have OR forget both and go with Kato Unitrack of which I have none. I am the guy that wants to build (as a rookie) The Atlas "Atlantic Longhaul Lines" layout. Any advice? Thanks, Bill
Bill welcome to Trainboard! Measure the height of your old track with something that will measure in thousanths of an inch. That will tell you what size wour track is for sure. However I'd lay odds it's Code 80. Which is also 80 thousanths inch high. Code Whatever jost refers to the height of the rail in thousanths of an inch. There is nothing wrong with your old stuff, if you wish to use it ,do so! you can buy new stuff to match it's height or mate it to other track like unitrack. There are manny threads here on trainboard about how to do it! Good luck and have fun!
If the track is 25 years old it will be the code 80 variety. Atlas' N-scale code 55 product line has not been around that long. Jamie
I used my old track in my visible staging yard. It works fine there on long, straight yard-type track. I wouldn't mix track sizes unless you absolutely have to. It is a potential problem. As I progress in my layout construction, I think I will have that staging area track detailed and weathered, so maybe I should have used better track.
The Atlantic Longhaul Lines (ALL) layout can be done with Kato Unitrack, but you will have to enlarge the table. IIRC, ALL used 9 3/4" & 11" radius track. Kato doesn't have track that matches it exactly. Additionally, Kato turnouts are bigger than the Atlas brand turnouts and the diverging route radius if different than Atlas'. It can be done. Just be prepared to make adjustments to get everything to fit properly. Good luck. The ALL layout is a nice layout. Nice long mainline run with a little industrial switching. Can also serve as a departure point for expansion. Darrell, quiet...for now
True track I'm starting a layout with Atlas' new True-track. I've only recieved a few pieces so far (vendors arn't getting it fast enough) and it looks great! I'll try to post more pics over the next few weeks.
Bill: Welcome to Train Board. Come to the N Scale Unitrack Users Group and see what can be accomplished with Unitrack. You will be pleasantly surprised. Follow the link below. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/group.php?groupid=50
Bill... If you have a lot of C80 track...use it. C80 is still as good a track as any. My entire layout is with C80. It looks fine and is a lot more forgiving and easier to lay then say C55 for us 'rookies'....thnxs. :tb-cool: .
I would have to agree with Bob. If I was to build a new layout , I would use new track no matter what brand as I think the quality control and just general plastic manufacturing has gotten better since you bought the track you have . That said , I would most certainly try to use Kato Uni-track. I am currently using cd55 Peco and Attlas cd80 mix (in the hidden staging). Mike
I'll interject one comment (as a guy that has some 35-year old C80 in service now on its third layout)... It doesn't rot, and it doesn't rust. Works just as good as it ever did....EXCEPT The switchpoint electrical connections. Those corrode. Rivets, tabs, joiners, whatever. That's what deteriorates. Before you re-install any old switches, I highly advise you sharpen your soldering skills and put tiny wire jumpers around those places. Photos available if you need them. I'd also toss all the original rail joiners. Every one. Replace everything as the corrosion that accumulates, even a little, isn't worth the fight. And burnish up the track ends when putting stuff together unless it still looks brand new. The railheads will polish up nicely as you clean track, but if you're planning a 'finished layout' through the whole process you want to take the extra time so that electrical problems don't come back to haunt you. I have a lot of legacy equipment. Entire current layout was built with C80 in 1983-86 and it's holding up just fine. But I did jumper every single switch when I put it in. I'm slowly replacing some areas with Peco C55 and electrofrog switches. But, I jumper those too prior to installation. I also soldered up about 80% of all the rail connections at the rail joiners leaving expansion gaps about every 48". On those, I jumpered around them as well. Overkill? Not looking like it any more! Now I'm also one of those guys that paints and ballasts everything, soaks it with water during ballasting, adds turf, just plain abuse. Soldering rail and adding jumpers lets you get away with that, instead of watching stalled trains on nicely painted and sceniced track. If you don't plan to go there on this layout (which is fine) don't interpret the extra work as a 'must do' at this point of life. When I started in the 70's, C80 flextrack was 'stiff stuff'. It stayed where you put it, and it always held gauge. The 'spaghetti' stuff that came later developed a reputation for moving under temperature condition changes (which I can live with) but it also had a tendency to tighten gauge in curves (which I couldn't). There were more that a few curves that got relaid along the way with 'stiff stuff', or on anything 11" or tighter, soldered-up sectional track. I still do that policy. I don't trust flextrack gauge at 11" or tighter. If I remember right, that Atlantic Longhaul Lines had some relatively tight, double-track curves. It also had some rather tough grades, so anything you do to 'expand' the space to have wider curves gives you lower grades and is just a 'good thing'.
Hi, My current layout (started in 2004) is being built with flex track that I purchased in 1986-1990. It a mixture of Atlas and unknown brand made in Italy that I recovered when disassembling the last layout. Because of the age of it, it is all code 80. Why did I used track that is old and used? I had and still have more then I needed for the layout as planned when I began. Of course the layout has changed and expanded (Visit the railroads website & click "Layout History") in the almost 5 years that I have been building it and I still have more then I need to finish what I have planned at this time. I had boxes of new cork roadbed. I had not been to a hobby shop in years and did not know about the new Kato or Atlas products. Looking at it from a different perspective after the fact, all my locomotives and rolling stock at the start of construction were purchased before 1994, it may not have worked well on code 55 because of the wheel flanges. Gary
I just got a bunch of true-track from woo woo woo woo woo woo last week. I laid some out to play with it. It's pretty cool! Unfortunately they are very slow with production and getting new stuff out. I need a lot of the stuff they just announced in May but it won't ship till Sept! Here is a pic of what I messed around with on the floor.
