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Turnouts…Is one brand better to use than another?
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[quote]QUOTE: <i>Originally posted by claycts</i> <br /><br />After working with and setting up 120 turnouts this is what was found: <br />Best to worst in order (we bought at least 5 of each for testing) <br />1. Micro Engineering , Very consistant from piece to piece. Hard to get <br />2. Walthers (this is what we went with) Easy to power frogs and few problems <br />3. Peco, did not like the snap action or the basic design (others will disagree I am sure) <br />4. Atlas, HARD to power the frogs, half of them need bench work due to points or loose frogs. (gave away 20 #4 to a club) <br />We are using Atlas code 83 flex track which is .012 higher than the Walthers, we filled the difference and no problem <br />This is the results of 6 people trying to help build the railroad at my house. <br /> <br /><b>Foot note on the Atlas,</b> the depth of the wheel flange on the frogs was all over the place with most being to shallow for the older wheel flanges. The #8 Mark IV was the best they had to offer with the #4 the not so good offering. <br />[/quote] <br /> <br />Two things: <br /> <br />1) In my prior post I probably should have noted that I use #6 on the mainline and passenger station, and #4 in the classification yard and branchlines. <br /> <br />2) Oddly enough, my order of preference is largely the reverse of claycts. Living proof that YMMV... So my order, best to worst... <br /> <br /> I'd put Atlas first. I've used Atlas customline switches for years with nary a problem. In all fairness, I should point out that I don't run any older motive power or rolling stock, so don't have any issue with deep wheel flanges. I also don't power my frogs, so that's not an issue... My smallest loco is an 0-6-0 with all-wheel pickup, which runs through them with impunity. Again, the fact that I don't have any older equipment (long story... basement flood...) probably makes this less of any issue for me than for some. (I'll admit they are a PITA to do if you must, that much is true). I've distinctly NOT had problems with loose points, out of gauge or any other "fundamentals". Most importantly, they hold up. Month after month, year after year. I frequently see the word "bulletproof" used to describe them, and I tend to agree. <br /> <br />Next Walthers. They're good stuff. I find them about the same as the Atlas, but more expensive. Also, while claycts says Peco are hard to get (and they are, a bit), I find Walthers VERY hard to get. Not hard to get _any_ of them, but hard to get what you need in a timely way. First there's no #6 left to be had... then about the time those start showing up, #6 rights get rare... Higher frog numbers are even worse... <br /> <br />Peco. I dislike the snap action, since I use tortoises and I have to yank the dang springs out anyhow. It's a nice feature if you want to use the 0-5-0 switching technique (your fingers). I've found them a little variable in gauge through the diverging track, about 25% of them needing benchwork to correct. <br /> <br />Last, Micro Engineering. They're quite consistent as clay has noted. When new, they're certainly quality stuff (and you pay for it). But they didn't stand the test of time with me. After 2-3 years, I've found them very delicate. They tend to get 'wobbly' over time, and get messed up rather easily during benchwork to address any issues. <br /> <br />I did use some Kato during a foray into N scale, but really didn't stay with it enough or use them long enough to comment.
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