Micro-engineering. Their code 55 can accomodate the current MT pizza cutters, although the old spiral backed MT pizza cutters had even a larger flange and will hit the spikes.
A guy who's name evades me right now posted about taking the edge of a flat head screw driver and running it along the inside spikes of Atlas C55 to make it track deeper. I tried it on my layout in a test spot and it fixed the pizza cutter issue there. I plan to do this to my whole layout eventually.
That one fact kept me from going C55 on my current layout. I really like the design of the Atlas C55 switches but the flange issue ran me off.:tb-sad:
I am trying to take it little bits at a time and convert over to Fox Valley Models LoPro's they work like a charm but I am digging through the seat cushions for lo pro money:tb-biggrin: Man oh Man do they work... ok I think I am done now:tb-wink:
If Peco made a US prototype version of their code 55 like they do with their HO track the line at the LHS would stretch around the block. Their current code 55 track is among the best engineered in N scale. I've decided to use Atlas code 55 on my U.S. prototype home layout and anything that won't run on it, well, it just won't. Any old stuff with pizza cutters I'll run on the club layout.
The ME code 55 flex is definitely pizza cutter friendly. I just got my first bundles of ME code 55 flex and put it down next to a piece of Atlas code 55 flex and placed a Red Caboose autorack on the Atlas to do a test photo. I noticed the autorack bumped along the Atlas track and realized it was equipped with MT trucks and the pizza cutters were going bump in the night. Placed it on the ME track and there were no issues. This was actually my first ever experience with the pizza cutter effect after hearing about it for so long. Jamie
The other option is the Atlas Ture Track. At code 65, it's difficult to tell its not C55, and I ran an older Rivarossi steamer on it
Aha! And thereby lies the problem! The ME switches are available in kit form only - they keep saying they're gonna have some new assembled ones, but I'm not holding my breath. And they come in #6. Period. I've read good reviews of them and bought a pair 'way back when they were available. I decided against them at the time and finally sold them off last spring. Their track is the best. Plus it comes in weathered and concrete ties. But you will still have to have switches that work if you insist on using pizza cutters. For myself, I run nothing but low profile, mostly Atlas wheelsets for MT trucks. If my trackwork causes problems, I fix it instead of hoping it will go away. Life is a series of compromises.
Has anyone tried to use a file while the wheels are spinning on the old steamers to turn down the flanges?
I have done that, However use light pressure if you do that so that you do not over heat the motor. The best way is to disassemble the truck and put the wheel assembly in a !/2in. variable speed electric drill and spin the wheels and file away, this is how I did all of my wheel flanges before obtaining a small lathe.
Upon further review... I just started laying out the ME code 55 concrete tie flex track on my layout. For my test car, I am using a Red Caboose autorack equipped with MT trucks and pizza cutter wheelsets. When I ran the autorack along the newly laid track, I was surprised to hear it riding along the spike heads. It is not as bumpy as the Atlas code 55, but you can definitely hear it and feel it as you push a car along the track. Not sure how I didn't notice this the first time I tested a car on the ME track. A bit surprising since I have always heard the ME code 55 track did not have the pizza cutter problem. Not a factor for me anyway since I will be replacing all of my wheelsets. Jamie
Years ago I decided to use ME code 70 pre-weathered track, but man what a pain the ME turnouts can be. Because of the powered frogs and being power routing, even more pain and suffering ahead if I decide to convert to DCC. Lately, any new track additions use Atlas code 80 turnouts. Another problem is that while you can use Atlas metal track joiners between code 80 and code 70 ME track, insulated joiners have to be ME plastic ones - the different base profile of the ME track won't allow use of Atlas insulating joiners.
I'm not sure anyone ever said that the concrete tie track didn't have a pizza cutter problem. I can tell you from experience that the wood tie ME code 55 is fine, but I would never extrapolate that the concrete tie track was the same. Thanks for sharing the info.
I probably just assumed (incorrectly) that all non-Atlas code 55 track did not have a problem, since most of the places I read about the problem are usually on threads ranting against the Atlas code 55 track. I shoulda' known better than to trust a rant! Jamie
My cleaning train still has pizza cutters - I don't hear anything on either the wood or concrete tie ME, but the Atlas switches sing right out! Since I don't need to run that train all that often, it doesn't bother me all that much. And I run low pros on everything else...just think it looks better, and I see no difference in operation with the LPs.
