http://www.cvmw.com/cvt/index.htm
Central Vally makes a "sort of" flex track that's really detailed. The tie strips are 1' long and come in branch and main line spacing. They inter lock and flex real EZ. You glue or spike whatever code rail you want on them. They make really detailed turnout kits that are curvable too.
U33B wrote:......I've seen a handful of companys producing some top notch detail parts for proto:87 track, but again, i dont know that i'm up to the challenge quite yet, especially if i would have to retro fit my entire fleet of cars and locomotives with the narrower (yet stunning...) proto:87 trucks and wheels. Thanks!
......I've seen a handful of companys producing some top notch detail parts for proto:87 track, but again, i dont know that i'm up to the challenge quite yet, especially if i would have to retro fit my entire fleet of cars and locomotives with the narrower (yet stunning...) proto:87 trucks and wheels. Thanks!
You don't specify what era - prototype track has changed over the years, too. I'm assuming you are looking at 1920s or later, with creosoted wood ties and tie plates, but before the current concrete ties (or alternative preservative on wood ties) and self-guarding turnout frogs.
The Central Valley tie strips and the MicroEngineering flex track have both been mentioned as pretty much state of the art commercial offerings for that era of track. Most of the Proto:87 Store (http://www.proto87.com/) products will work equally well for either NMRA track specs or P87 track. The big exception is the frogs. But separate frogs are available for either standard.
If you are in the diesel era or model interurbans, switching to P87 is doable today for a small roster. Availability of P87 steam locomotive drivers and the possibility of having to rework the valve gear keep me from making the leap.
because track is a model, too.
Fred W
Central Valley track is the best. Do not let yourself think it is too hard to work with. If you want realistic track, you will work very hard to make ANY flex track look good....even Micro Engineering. The CV system makes it much easier to paint the ties and rail. Ballast is much easier to lay down.
A lot of people think that it is too much work. We believe the track is as much a model as is the locomotives, rolling stock, and structures. If you see a layout with the CV system, you WILL see a big difference.
......not only that, but, then you get to use all the great track parts by Details West! lol- (shameless plug)
Keith Turley/ Details West
Getting good looking flex track is the first and easier part ... getting good looking turnouts to match is the harder part.
As to HO track, MicroEngineering track is really good, with near-scale tie plate and spikehead detail, and with random variation on the tie-end placement. Central Valley Tie strips are also good -- again with near-scale tie plate and spikehead detail, along with random variation on the tie-end placement.
For turnouts, I feel using the CV tie strips for turnouts is hard to beat. I give a complete step-by-step clinic with photos on my web site for using the CVT strips to do a turnout.
(Click image to enlarge)
As to joint bars and that kind of detail, I give a list of links here for where you can purchase such parts for HO or N scale.
Joe Fugate Modeling the 1980s SP Siskiyou Line in southern Oregon
Here are some closeups of code 70 Micro Engineering flextrack.
Try Precision Scale Top Track. It's available in codes 70, 83, and maybe 100 (Can't remember.), in regular and super-elevated.
It has nice plate and spike detail. Some of the plates are just slightly out of line, some have all the spike holes filled, some don't. It looks good after being painted and weathered too.
The Micro Engineering track shown in the previous posts looks to only have a single spike on all but a few ties (And none holding the plate to the tie). This doesn't follow prototype practices, especially on main track. You might find that on industrial sidings. The only single fastener systems are the ones similar to Pandrol clips, even then the tie plates are fastened down using spikes or lag bolts in multiple holes.
MIKE0659 wrote: Try Precision Scale Top Track. It's available in codes 70, 83, and maybe 100 (Can't remember.), in regular and super-elevated.It has nice plate and spike detail. Some of the plates are just slightly out of line, some have all the spike holes filled, some don't. It looks good after being painted and weathered too. The Micro Engineering track shown in the previous posts looks to only have a single spike on all but a few ties (And none holding the plate to the tie). This doesn't follow prototype practices, especially on main track. You might find that on industrial sidings. The only single fastener systems are the ones similar to Pandrol clips, even then the tie plates are fastened down using spikes or lag bolts in multiple holes.
Where can you get that Precision Scale at? Never heard of it before. Google only turned up G scale.
What are the opinions of Peco Code 83 as compared to ME and Walthers/Shinohara in terms of overall look and detail?
Tom
Joe, may I ask why you don't use it? I would like to hear your reason(s) since it helps me to decide where I should go from here...in a next layout incarnation.
-Crandell
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
selector wrote:Joe, may I ask why you don't use it? I would like to hear your reason(s) since it helps me to decide where I should go from here...in a next layout incarnation.-Crandell
Uh, don't use what? Help me out here Crandell, with a bit more context.
Ooops! I jumped to the conclusion that you don't use PSC Top Track...it was my question, and I guessed for some odd reason that you don't actually use it yourself....do you? Sorry for the confusion.
selector wrote:Ooops! I jumped to the conclusion that you don't use PSC Top Track...it was my question, and I guessed for some odd reason that you don't actually use it yourself....do you? Sorry for the confusion.-Crandell
Given that my layout is essentially done in the trackwork area and has been for almost 10 years, and given that I still have 30 or 40 feet of MicroEngineering flex track still in my personal stock, I've never had a need. I like the ME track, and frankly had lost contact with PSC until recently.
But their track does look interesting and I may order a piece or two just to take a good look at it for review purposes.
Thanks, Joe, I'll have a look myself.
rrebell wrote:Just remember that a lot of details start to disappear after you ballast and weather, once saw a layout done with atlas code 100 cheap stuff that was so well done you had to take a second look, now I wouldn't recommend that but you can get a real good look from micro without a lot of work. I use shinohara code 70 as micro was not available when I started gathering materials luckily I don't need much more as it is getting hard to get because their production is tied up producing code 83 for walthers.
This is the absolute truth! If all you expect to do is run trains on your layout and not take a lot of track level photos, then I would give inexpensive code 83 or code 100 track (in HO) some serious consideration. It's absolutely true that when standing normal viewing distances from your train, if the track is nicely ballasted and weathered, you'll hardly notice any difference between Atlas code 100 and MicroEngineering code 83.
But once you start trying to take realistic photos of your layout, those Atlas code 100 cantalope-sized spike heads will look just awful!
You can get the Precision Scale track from any Walthers dealer. It's still in the catalog.
In fact, we only found it by accident when paging through the catalog, no one I know had seen it at the time (18+ years ago.). We got our local hobby shop to order some for us to check out. One look was all it took, since the selection of track was a little limited back then. If memory serves, if you can't find it in the Walthers catalog under track, try in the details section under Precision Scale.
I have been up and down the tracks stuff, handlaying, even found individual tie plates for hand laying, but oooh, the intricacies putting doen rail, the plate and the spikes I did a test on a short piece of track, I wonder if its still laying about....
I did find plastic joiners, detailed with bolts, like the true railroad joiners, neat touch. That was years ago, maybe its still around. The CV and ME stuff is great stuff. I use both.
The rule of word... SCROUNGE...8-D