Are the Atlas 6094 screws appropriate for holding down atlas 2-rail track? They are listed as part of the 3-rail track system, so I am not sure if they will work.
If not, can you tell me which size screws you use and where you got them?
Thanks
Martin
(I already searched this forum for the answer to this question - no luck)
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Are the Atlas 6094 screws appropriate for holding down atlas 2-rail track? They are listed as part of the 3-rail track system, so I am not sure if they will work.
If not, can you tell me which size screws you use and where you got them?
Thanks
Martin
(I already searched this forum for the answer to this question - no luck)
I found those screws to be somewhat soft, easy to damage the Phillips insert area. They are also quite large. Looks like a pattern of scale cow pies along the right a way imo.
I prefer an 18 gauge nail or 18/19 brad. Either one becomes barely visible once you touch the head with a wisp of tie color. Black Sharpie works well with 1st gen Atlas. Rust works with late Atlas flex. Poo brown works with Old Pullman.
Around lift outs I use Aileen's adhesive available at Michael's Crafts. It holds the flex tie strip very well yet yields to a putty knife if you need to remove that area.
Working over Ardex skim coated Homasote 1/2" sheeting makes any track work much easier.
I use small thin brads about 3 quarter inch long with a flat head that penetrate the cork road bed and into the homosote and they do a great job, never move and can be easily removed.
The nice thing is because they are pushed in one doesn't risk over screwing the screws in and causing low spots.
My 2 cents.
flat head brads/nails are the way to go. As mentioned a little paint and they almost disappear!
Not sure if these will work for you. I have three rail Fastrack and used drywall trim screws to hold my track in place. The have a small countersunk head that fits perfictly in the hole on the Fastrack. They might be too long, but if you have a thick bench top they may work. Look in the drywall screw section for trim screws.
Brads "not" on my layout as they mysteriously lift and if your lucky you will here a warning noise before a major incident.
I find the Atlas screws of sufficient hardness and have never had soft crosses.I use a ph1x60 high quality screwdriver made in germany.
IME, a brad's grip lifespan is only as good as the material into which it is driven. I work with a tray of various lengths depending on the roadbed/subroadbed sandwich beneath the ties.
My present build uses cork or Homabed roadbed over Homasote and Micor 300 sub roadbed over Advantech & Birch plywood decking/raised ribbons. Plus short spans of Multiply.
Never had an issue with track nails, brads coming out. As Tom mentions it all depends on the material into which the nails is driven. Homasote is an excellent material which holds nails very well, not to mention easy to drive nails into, some sound control properties and moisture resistance. 
Depending on the material, 18 gauge wire nails work very well. Used them for Gargraves installations at the club through roadbed into plywood and they were very difficult to remove for realignments. At home, used them in 1/4" plywood and in 3/8" OSB and they held firm, but because I used thinner base material (and they didn't bind up because of rust), I could still remove them when required.
One more thing about using brads. With a dremel and proper drill, bit one can zip in more holes for brads in appropriate places. One can adjust track which is slightly out of gauge and "snug-up" stubborn rail end joints. And,,, brads are so much cheaper to buy than track screws.
Good Luck
So I bought three packs of these on the internet. THEY DO NOT FIT!!!
The hole in the atlas 2-rail track is too small and a lot of torque is required to make the ATL 7056 screws go in. Would be best to open up the diameter with a drillbit first. I checked them in some 3-rail track i had lying around, and they work easily there because the mounting holes in the ties are bigger diameter.
So there you have it, the atlas screws are really for 3-rail track only. You can "make" them work with some extra effort, but I think I will order some skinnier screws from micromark.
oh, well..... 
I did not see an actual response on the initial question... i.e., what drill sizes are correct for 1) through holes (to widen small holes in Atlas 2 rail track) and 2) "tap" for cork and plywood sub-roadbed. Another reply mentioned the "ph1x60 high quality screwdriver made in germany"... this seems to be the right tool: https://www.amazon.com/Wiha-26...illips/dp/B000O5KPC4 (not that I want to do this by hand.. )
@Mike DeBerg posted:Martin they definitely work as we used these on a portable O scale layout. They work best if you predrill your holes and then tighten the screw down.Depending on your sub-roadbed (material) and roadbed (material and thickness) if applicable, you might be able to get away with adhesive caulk and/or nails which would be a lot less visible.Also, consider if you're ballasting the track, the glue will help lock the track into place.I've attached a photo where you can see the top of screw head (lower right hand corner)Originally Posted by Martin H:Are the Atlas 6094 screws appropriate for holding down atlas 2-rail track? They are listed as part of the 3-rail track system, so I am not sure if they will work.
If not, can you tell me which size screws you use and where you got them?
Thanks
Martin
(I already searched this forum for the answer to this question - no luck)
that screw in the pic appears to me to have a square drive for the head. The Atlas screws I have, are smaller pointed phillips. They are soft as posted above by Tom. I believe they are aluminum? or something soft like that. I would not buy them again.
Dave Hikel of Hikel Layouts and Trains, sells tapered screws that he had specifically manufactured for MTH scale track and Atlas track, (because the perfect screw did not exist) that work great and sit flush with the top of the tie. Give him a call for more info.
@Martin H posted:So I bought three packs of these on the internet. THEY DO NOT FIT!!!
The hole in the atlas 2-rail track is too small and a lot of torque is required to make the ATL 7056 screws go in. Would be best to open up the diameter with a drillbit first. I checked them in some 3-rail track i had lying around, and they work easily there because the mounting holes in the ties are bigger diameter.
So there you have it, the atlas screws are really for 3-rail track only. You can "make" them work with some extra effort, but I think I will order some skinnier screws from micromark.
oh, well.....
Just pre-drill the holes. they will fit very easily.
Dick
Small screws. Most would be available at a local hardware store. #6 Drywall screw top, #2 Atlas, (Black), 2nd screw from the bottom. Middle group #4. Pan head, and flat head screws shown, there is also a round head screw. Pre-drilling the Atlas track shown to the right is a good idea.
@Engineer-Joe posted:that screw in the pic appears to me to have a square drive for the head. The Atlas screws I have, are smaller pointed phillips. They are soft as posted above by Tom. I believe they are aluminum? or something soft like that. I would not buy them again.
So the Atlas screws used in the modular layout photo above have Phillips heads on them. They worked best when pre-drilling the holes in the Atlas 2R track as they were slightly larger than the existing holes in the Atlas 2R track. As mentioned, there are other solutions that give a better appearance such as adhesive caulk, smaller head screws or even nails.
Also, consider if you're ballasting the track, the glue will help lock the track into place.
If you properly ballast the track, you won't need screws at all.
Given that I’m using Atlas flex track how can can proper ballasting keep the track properly in place when going around curves?
I need to read up on ballasting.... I was planning to do this but later on...
@JeremyW posted:Given that I’m using Atlas flex track how can can proper ballasting keep the track properly in place when going around curves?
I need to read up on ballasting.... I was planning to do this but later on...
Remove the screws after ballasting - the ballast will hold it all in place if properly glued in place. There are no screws holding my track or roadbed in place.
Many are choosing to glue their roadbed and track down these days in all scales. They will temporarily pin the roadbed and track down while the glue dries. Add ballast and another layer of glue and certainly for layout that don't take abuse or travels additional fasteners shouldn't be needed. In curves, if you also bend the rail it helps relieve the added stress on the ties to move or flex.
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