Good morning fellow Railroaders. A little about me. I was very blessed to have a Father that loved the Hobby and it rubbed off on me over the years which is a good thing. As many know, raising Children,other things related to the Children etc, took a lot of time away from this Hobby for me. So now, after my Dad's passing, Kids are gone - I get some much needed time to re establish this Hobby in my life. There is simply no better relaxation for me other than these trains. So- this is going to sound a bit odd, crazy or maybe just plain ignrant (Lol) but here is what I have. Starting from Ground up. I have a 14 X 18 Outdoor building that I had the Amish build for me specifically for this purpose. It is fully insulated, Walls, ceiling and floor. Electric etc. I am set there. I am struggling to some degree as to which HO scale track plan I may want- but this one is on me and I will figure that out in a few weeks. In teh meantime, my Dad left me with an immense amount of new Items when he passed. Some of which I am not certain are out dated etc etc. I want to ask of you to help with me the direction on these items and maybe bounce some ideas off of you all to see what my best direction would be with these items.
Question Number 1#. Dad left me with 3 Full cases of new HO Atlas Code 83 Track/ and over 40 Switches. What are your thoughts on using these existing items. Let's bounce question #1 off a few of you folks.
I appreciate your help with all these questions. Thanks - John
websterdamasQuestion Number 1#. Dad left me with 3 Full cases of new HO Atlas Code 83 Track/ and over 40 Switches. What are your thoughts on using these existing items. Let's bounce question #1 off a few of you folks.
Should be OK. Which switches? Snapswitches are really tight and don't work with some trains
CC
Hi John and to the Forums. This is a great place to come with questions such as yours.
I, have never used code83, but in my thinking there are lots of model rails that are using it, it is made by Atlas which is a good sign and if that amount of track and turnouts were left to me when I was starting, you could bet your boots that is what I would be using.
It sounds like you have a great start, lots of us would love to have a seperate Bldg., but at the temps we get here I had better keep it in the house as I can only afford to heat one building.
Keep posting either here or in the Diner (Jeffrey's Trackside Diner) you'll find here in this forum as well, and let us know your decision and how you are progressing.
Good luck and Happy rails,
Johnboy out..............
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Atlas code 83 track is decent stuff. It's not the fanciest, but it's a quality product people have been using for years. As mentioned before, the turnouts, or switches, come in different sizes. In its code 83 line, Atlas offers Snap-Switches (very tight) no. 4 switches (tight) no. 6 switches (medium) and no. 8 switches (large-ish).
A book such as Track Planning for Realistic Operation (available on our website by clicking on the "shop" tab above, or at your local hobby shop) will go a long way toward answering a lot of your track-planning questions and help you avoid some common mistakes.
Have fun and keep the questions coming!
Eric
Are the tracks brass (gold color) or nickel-silver (silver color?) Brass track is older and harder to keep clean, but many still use it. I'm not sure anyone is making brass track anymore, or if anyone ever made it in code 83.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Welcome back, 5 posts in 4 years, you might have your posts moderated for another 4 years unless you pick up the pace.
Code is the height of the track, so Code 100 is 0.1" high, Code 83 is 0.083" high. Unless you are modeling small branch lines, which are even smaller, Code 83 is more realistic, so I say use it.
You didn't give us enough info on the turnouts. The Snap Switches have plastic frogs which cannot be powered. For small wheel based locos, powered frogs are an advantage, but not everyone thinks it is essential. Powered frogs have to be metal. There are tricks to attaching wires to the Atlas pot metal frogs, so ask.
Eric gave the same advice I would give. Get that book. Newbies pack way too much track and turnouts in the available space as does the Atlas track plan book.
You say your dad left you new stuff, but new may be old new stuff. The detail has improved markedly over the years. Roughly half the hobby moved from good old DC to something called DCC. I can't tell if you are aware of the electrical difference, but it is a choice you should make before you start wiring your railroad. DCC controls your locos, DC controls your track. Each has ardent supporters.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Hi websterdamas!
Welcome back to the hobby! Be warned - a lot of people are going to be very jealous of you having your own dedicated building to house your layout. Be prepared to hear some whimpering in the background!
Seriously, I'll try to answer your question. Please don't be offended if you already know whereof I speak:
websterdamasDad left me with 3 Full cases of new HO Atlas Code 83 Track/ and over 40 Switches.
Have you determined which models of switches you have, and what 'size'? Atlas makes Code 83 Snap-Switches, Code 83 Custom-Line switches, and Code 83 True Track switches and track.
True Track has a molded plastic base added to the Snap Track switches and sectional track pieces that looks like gray ballast.
Snap-Switches have either an 18" radius or a 22" radius diverging track. They are OK for shorter cars and lower speeds but if you are trying to back a string of long passenger cars through a Snap-Switch you may have problems.
Atlas Custom-Line Code 83 switches are available with both smaller and larger curves. The #4s will operate about the same as a Snap-Switch. The #5s are great for yard ladders but speeds must be kept to a minimum. The #6s will work with just about everything out there with the possible exception of some longer brass locomotives. The #8s will look great and handle anything, but they take up a lot of space. Given your layout space and track plan, you might have trouble getting #8s to fit in. My club is building a new permanent layout in a 20' x 25' space. The #8s were a no go.
As for the track, is it 'sectional' or 'flex' track? Sectional track comes in short pieces around a foot or so long, both curved and straight. Flex track comes in three foot lengths, and as the name suggests, it can be bent from side to side quite easily in order to form the curves.
If it is Code 83 Flex track then I'm pretty sure it will be nickel-silver, in which case it is fine to use. If it is sectional track with brass coloured rails then the best use might be to strip the rails out and use them for trackside details, painted appropriately of course. If it is sectional track with nickel-silver rails then you might be able to use it as filler strips between the flex track and the turnouts.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!