$200.00 electric powered rail bender for Atlas 3 rail flex track...?

Great question. I’m bumping this along this evening in hopes that someone might remember.

I've got a rail bender I bought years ago. I used it on my atlas track and it worked great. It's not powered but it would be cheaper. Email me if you're interested.

Don

@Tom Tee posted:

Several years ago I remember reading on OGR forum that a machinist was offering for sale, powered rail benders for the Atlas three rail flex track.  I believe he was located in Ohio.

I thought you had bending Atlas Flex under control?

Why does flextrack require a bender, can't you bend it the same as Gargraves or any flextrack?

Here's the manual one that isn't available as the skilled craftsman has passed. I wanted one, but couldn't find one.

@Oman posted:

Here's the manual one that isn't available as the skilled craftsman has passed. I wanted one, but couldn't find one.

I have that one, I haven't used it yet.

I remember when Atlas introduced their flex track back at York under the grandstand. The guy was bending it back a forth with ease just like their HO flex track. I guess it must have changed design over time.

Was the atlas guy at York bending 3 rail or2 rail flex track? The 3 rail track with the center rail out does bend noticeably easier .....

@Dennis Rempel posted:

Why does flextrack require a bender, can't you bend it the same as Gargraves or any flextrack?

Because Atlas O rail is SOLID nickel silver rail. Gargraves is hollow steel rail. Solid is more denser and less flexible than hollow.

John,  I use the rail bender pictured above  Was able to purchase several to sell locally.  It works for bending straight track or making curved track straight. Great tool.  Norm the designer was a fabricator of aircraft quality who made G scale RR bridges and other items which were a cut above.

After the radius is set I can form a curved piece of Atlas, Old Pullman 2 rail or MTH 3 rail Scale Track flex in about one minute's time.   I have  done traction  layouts with 12" MTH Scale Track curves easily.  `

Norm went into the hospital for a common procedure and passed...  His family was devastated.  We had a couple of deals in the works but that never came to pass.  One of the most pleasant persons I have ever met.

As for the powered bender, I should have been more  specific.  About 10 years ago or so a machine shop owner was offering a electric powered (3) THREE RAIL flex track bender here on OGR.  It was terrific, I should have grabbed one at that point.

If you follow Rich Battista's technique for bending ScaleTrax, you get similar results with Atlas. Atlas makes curves up to 54" radius (O-108); anything above that, flex shouldn't present a problem.

I laid a piece of Atlas flex track directly on plywood to a curve of approximately O-140. 6 months later, I picked it up so I could put foam roadbed down. Once unscrewed, it was 100% straight. It didn't retain any of the curve.

I just wrap it around my belly to get it bent. If you need different radius’s just find someone with a different size waist.
Alan

This is how I set up to bend 2 rail flex track using Norm's rail roller and to stagger the rail ends.

If you note the flex track on the right of the frame, the tie ends are interlocked.

This maintains the ties parallel to one another and perpendicular to the rail and permits easy staggering / removal / reinstalling of the rails without snagging.

This is Atlas track.

A few years back a forum member built a manual track bender.

https://ogrforum.com/...ome-made-rail-bender

Jerry