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About a month or so ago there was an identical thread. some of the folks that have been modeling for some time belived that code 100 was the way to go and listed a number of reasons Some of the folks that use code 83 also listed reasons for there prefrence. I have used both so I decided that I would try to make a couple of identical test strips and kind of see for my self what the diffrences were. I took 2 identicle 18" strips glued the same road bed on each. I then fastened an 18" piece of code 83 on one and an 18" piece of code 100 on the other. I then painted both the rails of each test piece with the same color. I let them dry overnight. The next morning I went to the shop and picked up the strip that appered wider thinking that I had picked up the code 100. It was the code 83 strip. I belive that the optical illusion created a sense that the track was wider because of the size of the ty's. I went ahead and ballasted both test strips with the same color and size of ballast. My conclusion; Side by side a knowledgeable modeler would not have a lot of problems choosing one from the other. When I seperated the strips. Placing them about ten feet apart there was much less diffrence. ( Legal disclaimer: I am not a photographer) I had my married son select the test strip that he thought was best. He selected the code 100. Unfortunatly He has a slight problem. He isn't a RR modler. However I kinda like him so I am reporting his observation. My own decision. I decieded that there was not enough diffrence in the two finished test pieces to warrent the higher prices for the track and the turnouts. ( the current value of the dollar compared to the EU Makes a very significant cost diffrence between code 100 Peco code 83 turnouts as opposed to Peco code 100 turnouts. This was my own test. None of this is set in concrete. I made my choices based on my observations and my values. It's your railroad build it the way you want. Just have fun. Joe
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