Anyone have any problems with atlas code 55 switches. I have begun to test run some engines and cars in my yard and have 2 or 3 switches that seem to derail almost every time. Just wondering if anyone has had this problem and if there are an fixes out there?
same problems here to. the wheels come off the track on the switch frogs. i heard that this is not the a problem to the track but is a problem with the gauge of the wheels. i have some intermountain locomotives that i really am impressed with their detailing but they run terrible on atlas code 55 track. this track was a real disappointment for me too. i spent almost three years collecting flex track and switches before i finally built me a layout. it took me almost a year to lay all the mainline and yard track before finally running my first train and what a disppointment this was.
"i heard that this is not the a problem to the track but is a problem with the gauge of the wheels." Its a problem that nearly all scales and gauges go through in regards to manufactured track components... manufacturers of models allow too much slop and your doomed to fix it or get rid of it. Sometimes its a design issue, sometimes its a quality issue, but it is common never the less.
I've had to widen the gauge of every loco I run. Open them until they run well. The other problem is mostly with #5 switches. If the wheels raise up going across the throwbar, I've had to file the plastic of the throwbar with a narrow needle file along side the rail. The track is great. The switches are the problem.
The flange ways of the #5 turnout are too narrow. An NMRA Gage would quickly show this. Buy an NMRA Gage and check the problem turnouts before you go spreading all of your wheelsets. All you'll probably need to do is take a file to the gaurd rails. Jason
Yep, I was having the problem mentioned after gauging loco wheels and used the gauge to find out it was the Atlas 55 switches causing the problem because of bad gauging. Locos rolled through the ME and hand laid turnouts w/o any issues.
Conrail Dan- You stated that you were collecting the track for a few years. I would suggest you contact Atlas directly and send them one of the bad ones. They will be able to determine if it is the track or not. If it is, they will send you a new one(s).
An NMRA gauge is an indispensible tool and should be in every Model RR tool kit. Its a multi-purpose gauge for measuring those critical dimensions for good operations.
You can easily fix it. Boring, but you can fix it. You only need to disassemble the truck, remove the axle from the truck and use a plier and your hands to fix the gauge. Use a NMRA or MTL gage to check it.
I never disassemble trucks. I just stick a small screwdriver between the wheel and the gear housing and pry the wheel inward or outward. I do this VERY CAREFULLY. But I've yet to break a truck.
I'm not trying to be a smart alec here, but I can not imagine spending years collecting and laying track without ever setting up a test run to see how well it would work, or at least testing sections of what I had layed before getting it all layed. When I got my first batch of code 55, the first thing I did was setup a test run with a couple of switches and a few pieces of flex track- I didn't solder it or glue it down, I just used rail joiners and alligator clips - and ran some short trains on it to see how well I liked it. I have not had any problems with the switches, but I do not have any of the #5's.
Another case of not using the NMRA Track Gauge. Don't just ASSUME that all the wheels and trackwork is in GAUGE, get the NMRA Gauge out and MAKE SURE! Check wheel, track, clearance gauge EVERYWHERE on the layout. Do it on every NEW piece of rolling stock and engines. And if you have a piece of equipment that's not staying on the track, check it. Check all track work every so often. Sometimes things will get loose and change gauge. I had more problems with derailments until I got a gauge and now it's the first thing I grab to check out new rolling stock and newly laid trackwork.
I would add to porkypine's list that sometimes track will be in gauge and then go out of gauge SIMPLY because of stresses put on the layout by temperature change, expansion and contraction of the substrate, changes in humidity, and any of several other factors. I have been using an NMRA gauge to fix all sorts of problems at our club layout. Probably 3/4 of the time the problem with a tricky spot of track is related to gauge. Just make sure you turn off the track power first. :tb-wacky: Adam
The first batch of Atlas No. 5s were too tight through the frogs, but easily corrected with a few swipes of a needle file. I had only the very first batch so I don't know if this was corrected later; I've read that it was. I've noticed that the Atlas switches are susceptible to misalignments, especially in vertical dimensions, and even more so if they are twisted between the approach track and the diverting tracks. They are not as robust in construction as my former Peco switches--they can't be, given their good looks. I've also noticed that it is easy to bend or, worse, kink the rails between the points and the frog. This was caused by sloppy installation on my part: once trying to force a switch into position, once by too small gaps, so that expansion of the surrounding rails ruined the switch. With 85 or more switches on my road, I'm not upset that i made two mistakes. In sum, checking gauge on both trucks and track is essential, as mentioned above. But any misalignment can also cause switches to go haywire, especially a twisting one.
I hear ya about being disappointed. I’m disappointed just reading this thread. I’ve been struggling with the idea of building a new layout using C55 for awhile now and I get discouraged every time I read problems like this. I probably have read 100’s of posts suggesting gauging, but rarely does anybody ever say what to do about it. I like seeing the advice given. I understand warping, wear and tear, but I think it’s pretty crappy to buy a train or switches that are out of gauge right out of the box. What happened to quality control?
Well, don't be too worried about it! I have been researching this issue for about 18 months now, and I'm convinced that it is such a relatively minor problem that I am about to lay 4+ scale miles of mainline (about 133' of flex track) and 50+ turnouts plus staging and a double track 10-turn helix using Atlas code 55. Of course, mind you all of my locos and rolling stock are new so no wheel flange issues and I will probably not have many (if any) turnouts smaller than #7, so I am not really in the "high risk" group. But if I have to file a few guard rails here or there, the trade off is well worth the payoff in terms of how great the Atlas code 55 looks. Not trying to dismiss the issue--it is certainly real--just trying to add some perspective. Jamie
Well I can because that is what I did too. Remember not all of the C55 track was released at one time. I did not get any of the #5's or 7 turnouts. The #10 switches which every one was pining for came out well after the code 55 line was introduced. Even now they are adding to the C55 line with curved turnouts. With the #10 I tried one and saw no problems. From what I gather the problem is really three different problems with the #5's. From the narrow flangerways to an electrical contact issue in the frog to a vertical misalognment in the frog. I haven'y heard of any problems with the #7's or 10's.
