# Track reliability



## jackpresley (Dec 19, 2017)

I was talked out of code 55 track and went with Kato unitrack for my current N project. Now I'm second guessing this decision. Especially since the locomotives and rolling stock will all be new.

I see a pretty nice library of Peco code 55. I even see Micro-engineering code 40.

I'm wondering if I screwed up. Don't get me wrong, I value reliability over realism. I don't want to spend my operating time re-railing trains with my old fat hands. Second place would be prototypical look.

I'm sure there are some folks laughing at that last sentence noting I bought unitrack. I was hoping that a little extra perimeter ballasting would increase its realism. Maybe that was a bad assumption, too.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

jackpresley said:


> I was talked out of code 55 track and went with Kato unitrack for my current N project. Now I'm second guessing this decision. Especially since the locomotives and rolling stock will all be new.
> 
> I see a pretty nice library of Peco code 55. I even see Micro-engineering code 40.
> 
> ...


Who talked you out of the code 55 track? Somebody who had some Unitrack available to sell?

There is definitely a place for roadbed track in our hobby, especially for those who aren't putting in a permanent layout and want to reconfigure track plans. It also takes a lot of the attention to detail out of the tracklaying process. If you're going to use sectional track, Unitrack is pretty much top of the line.

Any sectional track, though, is limited by the pieces available, whereas flex track and commercial turnouts has almost unlimited potential. For those who are willing to take the time to carefully lay what we call "bullet proof" trackwork (smooth, kink free, without awkward arrangements like S curves) and solder rail joints, though, there is no reliability or functionality benefit to roadbed track. But only you can say how much effort you're willing to invest.

If you want reliability with minimal effort, then you made the right choice. If you don't mind some work to get that reliability, then you probably got a bad deal. And obviously, non-roadbed track with real (or fake, in the case of Woodland Scenics, which still looks fine) gravel ballast is going to look better than molded plastic, although as you noted, you can pretty it up.


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## jackpresley (Dec 19, 2017)

CTValleyRR said:


> Who talked you out of the code 55 track? Somebody who had some Unitrack available to sell?
> 
> There is definitely a place for roadbed track in our hobby, especially for those who aren't putting in a permanent layout and want to reconfigure track plans. It also takes a lot of the attention to detail out of the tracklaying process. If you're going to use sectional track, Unitrack is pretty much top of the line.
> 
> ...


I'm too embarrassed to answer your first question, although they weren't pushy on Kato -- just code 80. 

Regardless, your response makes me feel better. With table top experimentation, the Kato has sure been nice.

For the holy grail layout, I'm still undecided on H0 vs. N, so I guess I really should consider it an educational write-off.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Code 55/40*



jackpresley said:


> I'm too embarrassed to answer your first question, although they weren't pushy on Kato -- just code 80.
> 
> Regardless, your response makes me feel better. With table top experimentation, the Kato has sure been nice.
> 
> For the holy grail layout, I'm still undecided on H0 vs. N, so I guess I really should consider it an educational write-off.


jackpresley;

I use, and like, Micro Engineering's code 55 N-scale track. I also have some Atlas code 80 for hidden staging areas. Both work fine, but the Micro Engineering code 55 looks worlds better. Whoever pushed code 80 N-scale track on you wasn't doing you any favors. (Perhaps they had a lot of code 80 track they wanted to unload? hwell
Very early N-scale had way oversize rail,(code 80) and wheel flanges, because it was thought necessary to keep "The little tiny trains" on the track. Baloney! Modelers found out that smaller rail, and wheel flanges, worked just fine in N-scale, the same as they did in other scales. 

I think CTValley has mentioned that he uses Micro Engineering HO-scale flex track, but I don't know which code he is using.
Code 55 has been used in HO-scale for sidings, branch lines, etc. On the prototype, such secondary trackage would usually have leftover, smaller, rail. The newest and heaviest rail would normally go on the main line.

As for code 40, The San Diego N-scale railroad club runs on many scale miles of all-hand-laid code 40 track without problems. (They built their layout before the code 40 flex track was available.)

My point is that rail height does not affect how well/poorly a model railroad runs. That's really a matter of having track that is properly laid, on a good foundation, according to reasonably conservative design standards, (Not trying to operate large locos and cars on too tight curves and/or too steep grades, as many model railroads do) and with all track and wheels properly gaged. This is equally true for any scale, including the full-size prototype. They operate many trains per day, with a very, very, low percentage of derailments, all on a one inch flange. That's equivalent to an N-scale flange .006" deep, or an HO one .012" deep. Most model wheel flanges don't even come close to being that shallow.
Track is track, pick whatever scale, brand, type, you like. As long as you're careful to install it correctly , as mentioned earlier, any decent kind you choose should work fine.

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## rrjim1 (Mar 12, 2015)

No you sure didn't screw up there is nothing wrong with using code 80 except being a little over scale. There is a lot of items in n-scale that are over scale. If you started removing everything that was over scale you would be left with very little. If you do plan on being a rivet counter Peco is a very good track, I have used the over scale code 80 stuff for over 25 years without a single failure, and I have over 125 switches.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

traction fan said:


> jackpresley;
> 
> I think CTValley has mentioned that he uses Micro Engineering HO-scale flex track, but I don't know which code he is using.
> Code 55 has been used in HO-scale for sidings, branch lines, etc. On the prototype, such secondary trackage would usually have leftover, smaller, rail. The newest and heaviest rail would normally go on the main line.


Yes, I do (Code 83, non-weathered), and I like it. I don't differentiate between sidings and mainline, though, as the minor difference in appearance isn't that important to me.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

jackpresley said:


> I'm too embarrassed to answer your first question, although they weren't pushy on Kato -- just code 80.


Don't worry, I won't press you. 

The takeaway is never rely on the purchasing recommendations of someone who has a stake in the outcome.


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## ThomasJ. (Mar 5, 2017)

After my earlier years using Atlas track and switches and putting up with the sometimes frustration of switches burning out and derailments, I decided to go with uni track on my last two layouts.Now there's hardly any frustration and never any switch problems, and for the realism aspect , a little extra time on ballasting and weathering and it's all good as far as I'm concerned. I just wish it wasn't so expensive though. :-(

The pic below is my latest work in progress and only shows the recently ballasted track with weathering.


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## jackpresley (Dec 19, 2017)

ThomasJ. said:


> After my earlier years using Atlas track and switches and putting up with the sometimes frustration of switches burning out and derailments, I decided to go with uni track on my last two layouts.Now there's hardly any frustration and never any switch problems, and for the realism aspect , a little extra time on ballasting and weathering and it's all good as far as I'm concerned. I just wish it wasn't so expensive though. :-(
> 
> The pic below is my latest work in progress and only shows the recently ballasted track with weathering.


Thanks for sharing. Confidence builder. Yours looks great!


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## Colorado1445 (Nov 11, 2017)

Also Kato unitrack has conversion track so you can mix and match various brands of track and flex track


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## jackpresley (Dec 19, 2017)

Colorado1445 said:


> Also Kato unitrack has conversion track so you can mix and match various brands of track and flex track


Thanks. Yes, I've seen those and hoped to pick a couple up yesterday, but they were sold out. I plan to use flex track on the long sections of the layout and in the tunnel.


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