Track

[eZAK]

Atlas's coating on the center rail is widely known but hardly talked about.

It needs to be scraped off or removed with a Scotch brite pad from the top of the rail.

Gargraves and others use a tinting process that doesn't require scraping.

[lionelsoni]

Traditional tubular track is tin-plated steel.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Actually Rob, a few issues back in CTT there was an article comparing the different styles of track and their electrical properties. Atlas' nickel silver alloy which is uncommon for 3 rail is the standard for 2 rail. I'm not sure what process they use to blacken the center rails on either Atlas or Gargraves.

[Anonymous]

I have Atlas track, and everybody has there own preference, but it seems to me that the material used in ross gargraves, and lionel tubular track; I think it's tin, seems to give better contact then, the stuff that atlas uses for their center rail . I build layouts for people in my spare time so I have used different track, depending on what that individuals choice was, and I seem to have noticed that the conductivity of the atlas is less ,it seems more pron to get dirty, and it's harder to tell if it's shiny clean . I would greatly appreciate any input that anyone has... Thanks a million Rob