WHAT TRACK YOU LIKE BEST ????

I use Lionel tubular track with 096  curves and Ross Switches and Woodland Scenics foam road bed and Brennan’s ballast.

@mikey posted:

I use Lionel tubular track with 096  curves and Ross Switches and Woodland Scenics foam road bed and Brennan’s ballast.

Thanks for the pics.  Looks great. I am working on a new layout and have been planning to use the woodland scenics foam roadbed.  How was it to work with (especially concerned about curves)?  What did you use to glue it down?  I use O27 tubular track as I like the lower profile.  I just purchased some cedar ties to fill in the gaps.

@Mannyrock posted:

Great info on ties under O gauge track.

The online cedar pack looks interesting, but most cedar is very open grain, and it may be that it does not take the stain well, creating and uneven coloring appearance.

On the other hand though, this may actually look more realistic.  :-)

Mannyrock

I actually would prefer uneven… I spent much of my youth walking train lines (and jumping trains).  The placement, color, etc of the ties was quite varied.  But, I can’t really get too realistic, just closer than it looks without the fill in ties!

@Chills posted:

Thanks for the pics.  Looks great. I am working on a new layout and have been planning to use the woodland scenics foam roadbed.  How was it to work with (especially concerned about curves)?  What did you use to glue it down?  I use O27 tubular track as I like the lower profile.  I just purchased some cedar ties to fill in the gaps.

I did not glue the road bed down,I pinned it until I screwed the track down and no Problems on Curves,3 main Lines 096 and sidings 072.

Mikey

All depends on your goals for realism or lack thereof due to the actual height of our rails available from most manufacturers. MTH ScaleTrax was the only one that attempted to give a better more prototypical appearance by using a noticeably smaller (and lower) overall rail on the outside and an 'inverted T' reminiscent of Lionel Super O track for the middle pickup. The others using 3 actual rails appear too bulky and overpowering, especially true with Atlas.  MTH achieved a smaller track size differential that made our scale equipment appear more massive.  I liked ScaleTrax and enjoyed working with it. Easiest flex (think HO flex) of all and solid rails. Needed more switches but their #6s were very good.

Ron H above went quite a bit further above using Atlas 2 rail Code 148 and added a N scale rail down the middle for electrical pickup. This looks great as in his photo here:

ScaleTrax was almost as nice as seen on my old layout here. The models appear to be larger than most due to the lower profile of the rails.

Especially this shot

Lookin good Sam !

Had Scaletrax incorporated a similar RR Tie system as Atlas using their own lower profile Rails and center blade they would have easily had the runaway best 3 rail track system out there by far!  Some years ago I took a short section of Atlas and pulled the 3 rails. Substituted rail and center blade from ScaleTrax and the effect was terrific.  Wish I still had some photos of the result - MUCH improved over stock ScaleTrax AND especially over Atlas. :-)  If any of you guys have some of both around, give it a try - Very nice looking hybrid track.

Another improvement would have been to cut down the size and height of the center blade to make it less obtrusive as illustrated by Ron H's use of N gauge rail with his set up. The center pickup doesn't have to be as large or as high as the two outer rails at all.

I wish MTH would release something like Scaletrax 2.0 which would include more ties but still be backward compatible with the original Scaletrax. The rail profile and height is beautiful. It has often been stated that MTH Scaletrax rail on an Atlas O tie strip would be the perfect combination.

Hello Suzi - I just posted a separate thread about this very concept!  I had a decent layout (24' x 16') some years ago using ScaleTrax and really liked it. After awhile however, the odd tie spacing got to me and a move necessitated dismantling it. Since then I have been (reluctantly) acquiring a good supply of Atlas in the event I am able to build another large layout.  :-)

Check my thread on the Atlas forum "Hey Atlas...  "

C.SAM,

I apologize for what was a repetitious thought to your response. I generated my response without the benefit of reading all the responses to the thread including your proposal of the same concept. It seems like we're just a couple of the many that would like to see an increase in ties.

Suzie - glad you are of the same mindset!  Just for the fun of it, some years ago I pulled the rails from a section of Atlas and replaced them with rails and the blade from ScaleTrax. It looked terrific!   Atlas should seriously consider revamping their system using smaller rails at least. Perhaps something could be worked out with Mike to produce a Hybrid system using Atlas ties as the base. The Atlas rails are so large they certainly must contain way too much metal and at current prices should be able to save quite a bit in manufacturing.

I use Ross switches and have been very pleased with their performance. For track I have used Atlas 2 rail flex track and Micro Engineering 2 rail code 148 flex track. I lay the center rail with N gage nickel-silver rail. The center rail is lower than the scale 2 rail track. It is also inverted so that a larger width of rail is provided for the roller pickup on the locomotives. The track is mounted on a cork subsurface. All of the track is soldered and ballasted. I have found that the Micro Engineering 2 rail flex track is better than the Atlas 2 rail track. The quality of the plastic ties is superior for the Micro Engineering track and the ties are more realistic. Overall, the combination of the Micro Engineering track with the Ross switches provides a realistic appearing track along with very consistent operation. A few photos are included. 

Does Ross make any of their track with UN blackened center rails ?

Does anyone have photos of Ross Bed out-of-the-box and of Ross Bed installed within a layout ?  Is it similar to Woodland Scenics’ foam for under the track ?  Or is it intended to be a substitute for ballast ?

Do Ross sectional 072 & 084 curved sections match Lionel FasTrack in dimensions ?  Have any of you used Ross 072 & 084 sectional track with LCCA FacTrack Modules ?

Thanks in advance for your responses !!!

@Paul Duesing and @Ron H do you guys have to cut down the wheel flanges/change to two rail wheels on all your locomotives and rolling stock?

Paul, that's a terrific idea to invert the N gauge rail. You track is among the nicest I've seen recently. Some years ago Ron H. and I talked back and forth about improving our track and he used the 2 rail and added N rail as well for part of his layout. Looks really good.  Q:   How do you attach the N rail? Do you cut a groove in the ties to increase the solidity?

I did the same thing with Gargraves track awhile back . I removed the center rail and inserted code 100 HO track into the slot upside down. Had to ramp it up for turnouts and grade crossings. Not everything would run on it. Depended on how much play the center pickups had.

Some really nice track work on this thread.  I’m so impressed what you guys can do.

@c.sam posted:

Paul, that's a terrific idea to invert the N gauge rail. You track is among the nicest I've seen recently. Some years ago Ron H. and I talked back and forth about improving our track and he used the 2 rail and added N rail as well for part of his layout. Looks really good.  Q:   How do you attach the N rail? Do you cut a groove in the ties to increase the solidity?

Initially to fasten the center rail I cut a small groove in the ties and used #4 straight slot brass wood screws. The center rail sets down in the groove and is soldered to the brass wood screws. Later I realized that a slot in the ties was not necessary and simply soldering the N scale rail to the brass wood screw at about a 6 to 8 inch spacing works fine. Of course the center rail needs a slight ramp upward to mate with the Ross switches.

@BillYo414 posted:

@Paul Duesing and @Ron H do you guys have to cut down the wheel flanges/change to two rail wheels on all your locomotives and rolling stock?

I have not had to modify the wheel flanges at all. The code 148 Micro Engineering track works fine with the high-rail wheel flanges. I have had to lower some of the rollers on a few of the engines. On some engines the roller pickup can be bent down slightly with ease. On a few I have used a spacer under the roller pickup mount.

Just to be odd, I've really come to like K Line Supersnap track on my little layout.  Easy to work with, good connectivity, and really like that black center rail.  That and my local shop sold me a bunch of it for pennies on the dollar some years back.