Everything I have heard about ME track over the years indicates that it is produced in small quantities and not widely available. It'd be really nice if the location of reliable retailers wouldn't remain a complete mystery.
I will make it really easy. Please go to the N Scale forum index of threads and scroll up to the fourth sticky at the top of the page. Please follow the links and you will get to our retailer policy. As to dissemination of information about non advertising retailers, we have a good feature here, PM's. I really don't want to come off as a smartass here but an inordinate amount of staff time is spent on posts regarding retailers.
Well my original take was that unitrack can get pricey when it comes to switches, So that is my minus for unitrack. I contemplated using unitrack and expereimented with ballasting it and found it very acceptable. Previous layouts had peco snap switches and atlas flex. I was ok with that too. Newer layouts have been Atlas c55. Despite all the people favoring Atlas c55, the one thing I miss from other track types is a decent above board switch machine. I also do believe it is more finicky, but an experienced modeller will figure this part out too. Or they can search up my long posts about hair pulling moments with locos that won't track through switches. Our OP is a G scaler. One G scale steam loco is the price of many peoples n scale layouts in their entirety. As a G scaler you may not be as used to the fine tolerances we N scalers deal with. Seriously, when it comes to adjusting loco wheels for switches you may not be able to see the differences with the naked eye. I couldn't see how my loco wheels were out of gauge with an NMRA gauge because it's not that fine of an instrument. I was almost to the point of scrapping my layout till I figured out to use the actual c55 switches as my flange gauges. Oh yeah, the problem was the wheels were too narrow! My advice to most people is that you need to play around with the material. To go on someone else's advice may not suit you. It is worth getting a Kato start set and just playing with it. It is also worth getting some of the other brands and playing with them. I would even go so far as to suggest building a small layout with concentric ovals of different tracks complete with ballast. I am still curious about peco c55, anyone use it?
I'm going to re-emphasize what David said in the first response to the OP: What track is "best" for you depends on your objectives and modeling style. I think most people would agree that the height of realism would be properly-ballasted hand-laid code 40 rail. I don't have the time or inclination to go that route, but if you are ever in San Diego and have a chance to see the Southern Pacific Lines club layout there, it's hard to argue with the looks. Probably the next most prototypically-realistic look would come from Atlas or ME Code 55 track, again, properly ballasted. This is the route I'm taking with my current layout, which almost certainly will be my last, in a 25 x 14' basement room with staging yards off in another room. Prior to my current project, I used PECO Code 55 track; it is less prototypical-looking in tie spacing because it follows European prototype. But it is darn near indestructible, and the "spring over" design of Peco turnouts means you can use them without some kind of turnout linkage/electrical switching, which is mandatory for Atlas Code 55. When I first started in the hobby, I bought Kato Unitrack. I still recommend it today to people starting out in N scale, because it allows you to get up and running quickly with well-made track that is also almost indestructible. Properly laying and ballasting flex track is an acquired skill, and much can go wrong if you don't have that skill. There's nothing more frustrating to a person just starting in the hobby to have constant derailments and poor operation because the track isn't laid perfectly (and in N scale, you really do need to lay it almost perfectly to avoid operational problems). Unitrack doesn't need that skill; it's almost impossible to screw it up, and if you move on to flex track, there is a ready market for used Unitrack -or you can do what I'm doing, and using it for my staging yards in my new layout. None of the available track options are bad; none are perfect. It all depends on what you want in terms of prototypical realism, time invested, and money invested. John C.
One reason I often recommend Unitrack to people getting into N scale or the hobby is that it can easily be snapped together and apart for the purposes of looking at what sort of layouts work. When you take #6 switch even at full MSRP ($25.00) and consider that it already has a mechanism in it so that you don't need to add something just to use it or operate. If you're comparing turnout expense I think a more honest comparison would be between Unitrack turnouts and fully equipped turnouts from other manufacturers. I think it's exceedingly myopic to figure that any one way is the right way and everyone else is wrong. I really do feel that it depends on what you want to do. I intend to eventually do some finescale hand-laying of track and I will be using stock rails and probably PC board ties, but this does not mean I will conclude that this is the way everyone should do their own railroad.
That is a really in-depth analysis and it helped me in deciding which track to use for my new layout. Please say more... Michael
I just got back from a day in Flagsatff. Just getting caught up... Go ahead...I'm ready now :tb-smile:
First: To the OP - my personal apologies for letting this go off topic. Second: It is a thread like this that directed me to Unitract ever so long ago Third: Flagstaff, Was there in '78 man. Loved the place, (was cleaning hotel rooms at the Grand Canyon).
There is no "right" answer to your question. It depends on a lot of things. As you can see reading through this thread, there are lots of opinions. Unitrack is the best for me, but may not be the best for you. Each track has it's advantages and disadvantages. With this in mind, here's my suggestions: If you want track that is very easy to use and ultra reliable then Unitrack is for you. It's slightly more expensive than flex, but only slightly when you add everything up. It looks finished right away and can be made very good looking if ballasted and weathered. The biggest disadvantage is that it is sectional track, and while they make a good variety of sections, it's not as versatile as flex. Atlas flex with Peco switches would also be a good choice. I don't care for Atlas switches, though many use them and like them. I much prefer Peco. I just think they are better switches. Peco code 55 flex and switches are also a good choice. The rail is actually code 80 but it is embedded in the ties and looks smaller, but cars and engines with large flanges will run with no problem. Kato, Peco and Atlas code 80 can look very good when ballasted and weathered. The rail is too large and the ties are spaced too wide. It's not very noticeable in a finished scene, but shows more in pictures. If you are very fussy about track you shouldn't use any of them, but they are fine if you want decent looking track that is very reliable. Atlas and Micro Engineering code 55 are more delicate and difficult to work with, but not impossible. The tie spacing and rail height are much better than code 80. Wheels with large flanges will have problems. ME can be hard to get at times. If you want ultra real looking track hand laid is the best. It is the most difficult but looks the best. Some modelers love to hand lay track, but many don't. Since you're coming from G scale I would suggest Kato Unitrack. You are used to big trains. N scale is very reliable, but tolerances are much closer. Unitrack will allow you to get trains running right away. You can have all track laid and wired in one day. That would be difficult with flex and impossible with hand laid. I hope this helps you make a decision.
