# Rebuild & Customise Power Lok track???



## Alaskan (Jan 7, 2016)

I have Atlas flex track coming for an overhead layout, but I am very tempted to set a more conventional layout in a hobby room we have in our shop building. The hobby room has not been used since we went from PC's, hardline networking and dial up, to wireless and laptops in our home. 

I have two of these Life-Like Trains HO Scale Freightline USA Electric Train Set and the tracks have wear, tear and some abuse.

I read here at MTR that these Power Loc tracks can be decent if they're set up solid, and then tune all the joints, file level, smooth etcetera.

Today I inventoried the track checking for damage, six pieces are rust damaged, and several others have one or more of the copper contact pad missing. 

If I am nailing the track in place, I assume, I could use track joiners by clipping off the lock tab on the black plastic road beds, so they can be slid together?

The rusty track rails in the road bed can be slipped out, I assume they replaced with any similar piece as long as they are the same hight. i.e. a rail from a 9" section of 18" radius will most likely fit right into a 9" curve of the Power Lok black road bed?

What other interesting and helpful tweaks and mods can be done with track, make adapters to fit other brands, Peco Switches?


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I used steel rail in my original layout. I would avoid it. It requires allot of maintenance. You would be far better off just using NS track from the start. The time you spend cleaning and preparing this older steel track added to the time in the future required to maintain it will far outweigh and money saved.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

PowerLoc is only made with steel rails anymore, and the roadbed isn't anything to get excited about. Actually, the black stuff looks pretty crappy. I wouldn't waste your time trying to reuse it. Recycle it and don't look back.

If you really want to use a roadbed track, I would use either the Kato Unitrak, or Atlas TruTrack. The latter has the advantage of being standard Atlas code 83 sectional track clipped into a somewhat realistic looking plastic roadbed.


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## Alaskan (Jan 7, 2016)

Perhaps once my flex track arrives and I start working with it I will lose all interest in the old track. 

Right now the old train stuff looks like a box of fun and something to do in this rainy winter weather. 

But I do see and concede your points, 

simply put, if I am going to take the time to set up a layout, do it right and enjoy it. 

Don't do it half *** and then whine and complain abut it later.


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