G'Day Everyone My story starts with my girlfriends uncle giving me a large amount of his rolling stock and one of my dad's friends asking me if i could detail some of his HO rolling stock as that i hat done a really good job on a N-Scale KATO C44-9W, once he sore that he wanted me to do some of his stuff, This brings me to where i am now with a N-Scale layout in my bedroom and a BRAND NEW HO shelf layout frame just under that. http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php?cat=1989 Now after drawing a track plan up on Cadrail and building the frame work and putting down the subroad bed, know i am up to laying track. SO what do you guys think that i should use for track. . . . . I desgined the layout around #5 turnout but what brands make these and what brands look good and work well and what flextrack should i ues. . . . . . . . So could you guys PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me out with this small Problem as that im only 16 and any help is GREAT help at my age. Thanks Ashley
What size rail are you planning to use? I used code 100 Atlas on the layout here. Code 83 Atlas over cork should work OK. Walthers has #5 switches available in code 83 otherwise there is PECO but I don't know the number gauge of them. Atlas has #4, #6 & #8 switches in the "Custom Line" track. The layout here is a shelf layout sixteen inches deep around all four walls of the room.
I can confirm the Atlas code 83 over cork works well. And if you use the flextrack and Customline turnouts it looks pretty good as well. I'm using Atlas code 83 snap track on my layout. It works, but I'm going to have to work pretty hard to get it looking good. I know there are quite a number of folks that love the Peco turnouts. One of the main reasons is the builtin spring for the switch points. Just push the points in the direction you want them aligned, and they snap into position and stay there. No bulky switch stands or unrealistic switch machines (as in the Atlas Snap Track).
PECO Code 83 has flextrack, turnouts (#5, #6, #8) and #7 curved turnouts. I' very contented with these products.
I use Atlas code 83 along with Atlas switches. They might not 'snap' like Peco's, but that is easily rectified with these: http://www.cabooseind.com//pr1.html I love these silly things... they might not be the most accurate switch stands in the world, but they're rugged (I have resused some on three consecutive layouts and they still work great), plus the genuine feel of 'throwing' a switch is a very enjoyable act. If you're a perfectionist than no, they're not going to fit perfectly 'in scale' with HO... but they are both a functional and easy-to-install-and-use way to make Atlas code 83 switches workable.
^^^^ I 2nd that. I like the atlas custom lines with the ground throw. For mainline operations on my next layout I'm going to have the ground throw hooked up to a linkage at the front of the layout-past the end of the scenery, and simulate the look of the real automatic switch machine with some scratchbuilt parts at the turnout locations. I've also found if you are careful, you can mount a N-scale throw on the HO scale turnout, it looks much more to scale but it only has about .015" more throw that the turnout does, so you must be very precise in mounting the ground throw.
Peco has a line of Code 83 and Code 75. The 83 is more to US prototype regarding it's spacing, the 75 is most likely like the Code 100 line, ie UK proto, as it uses the same foam ballast inserts. Peco is probably more readily available here.
its more or less your opinion on track to use, they all have there pro's and con's. I currently have most of my layout laid with Atlas code 83 with custom line #4's and 6's, however i have found that there is a metal bar embeded in the ties on atlas switches that if it corrodes then your outta luck. I would choose Walthers if I where you, there turnouts are made by Shinohara (Great manufacture there!). personally i would go for walthers but go for whatever works.
