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Texas Eagle 77 posted:
pennsy484 posted:

SCALETRAX thin center rail also lends itself to being camouflaged (more so in areas that have a limited viewing angle)

20181030_234013

Nice Shot! Have seen great results with Atlas. My only exposure to Scale Trax is the switch found in the MTH Union Pacific MOW gondola with swtich load. Its nice but have not seen it available any where down here in Texas.

Also, my apologies for being off topic but please tell me more about the construction of the highway overpass?!

The overpass is a kit from Riverleaf Models.  Yes, I like it too, it caught my eye while surfing and I made a place for it, so I stood up next to the mountain that was there and knocked it down with the edge of my hand.   

TexasSP posted:

Another thing to reiterate about scaletrax is that the tie gap issue really disappears once ballasted and weathered.  Rich really has the process down, and following his advice yields great results.  For me scaletrax flex was easier to work with than flex in HO and N Scale following the staggered connection method Rich shows in his videos.

With all due respect to Rich's artistic genius and superb craftsmanship, I have to disagree with TexasSP's comment that the tie gap disappears once ballasted.   Take another look at Rich's first lovely pic in the set that he posted.   The locomotive looks great, and the distance view is convincing.   But look at the track to either side of the locomotive.   For me, the illusion breaks-down, with the glaring incorrectness (to my eyes anyway) of the tie spacing.   Look, you could fit two+ ties in the space between ties.   That is not prototypical for mainline track, but OK for a light spur.

As the builder and operator, I spend a lot of time directly above the layout, or looking from a close distance, where the tie spacing will jar the illusion, for me anyway.

No disrespect intended, both track systems are great.   Neither are perfect, as many others have observed.   There is no right or wrong to this choice, its subjective, choose which looks right to you - accurate tie spacing or better rail height/width.

I wonder how many folks have considered using more than one track system on their layout:  scaletrax for spurs or a light branch line or perhaps for yard tracks, and Atlas-O (with the clearly heavier rail) for the mainlines. 

Just for the fun of it, check out what the craftsman at TW Trainworx can do with lowly FasTrack: Rocky Mountain High.   The distance and angled shots look pretty good, but the illusion breaks-down with a closer-in pic.   Doesn't look as good as Rich's work with ScaleTrax of course - just for a fun comparison.

 -Ken

Last edited by Ken-Oscale

For new alignments at the club, we've been switching from Gargraves to Atlas -- primarily because of oxidation issues from the salt air. Rich Battista's flex track laying technique works very well for Atlas track, by the way.

For my use at home, I've decided to use ScaleTrax since most of my rolling stock is newer (no Postwar) or has been switched to scale wheels. ScaleTrax tie spacing and "spiking" more closely resembles concrete ties on a commuter line rather than wood on freight lines, but once you get the ballast and ground cover down it isn't as noticeable. It's easy to flex and the low profile looks great.

2013-03-31 12.26.182013-03-31 12.29.182013-03-31 12.40.49

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T4TT posted:

Has anyone mounted the switch motor under the table for MTH's Scaletrax?  I bought Rich's DVDs, they are phenomenal!  

It can be done, but it would have to be handled differently. You'd need to drill a hole into the throw bar and have the clearance hole under the turnout rather than next to it like a Ross. The machine wire would have to be cut down so it doesn't catch on anything rolling over it, but that shouldn't be a big deal.

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