Atlas O Large Radius Switches - What's the Story?

Hi

You might look at TRAINZ. they have some listed right now on ebay. Also there are some other reputable sellers there that should be able to get you what you want. I do not know the price points, but they seem to be similar to what I would pay for a Ross or GG.

 

Or you can keep waiting.

If you are willing to put out the effort you ought to be able to find some of what you need.  I searched for O54 RH and LH switches after Thanksgiving and found them in a hobby shop on the West coast.  It took about an hour doing Google and Bing searches and going through the list of hobby shops that I've compiled. 

 

Those I found are now gone, but there are many places that I did not check.  If you still can't find any you'll have to wait until Summer with the rest of us. 

 

Jan

 

 

I have looked high and low, but that was was what I was looking for!  This summer, thanks

I am in the same boat,  I've been waiting for 054 radius switches to come into stock for almost a year! I'm in the middle of building out my own layout but I'm at a stand still until they come in.

I am also waiting on the O-54 switches, but there may be some hope? My LHS has recently gotten some Atlas track items in that have been on order for quite some time. No switches yet, but they could be coming soon?

you can always replace the switch machines if you buy and they are defective.  Are they in stock anywhere? 

Have you considered using Ross switches instead?  They are the same height and rail profile and will even connect using the Atlas rail joiner.  Because I have had issues with some of the Atlas numbered switches, I have re[placed most of them with Ross.  Once they are in place, they blend much better than expected.

 

Plus Ross is made in the USA and always are in stock.

 

Good luck and happy railroading,

Don

They come and go at Trainz (in their store and on eBay).  The used ones off of eBay have almost always come off of someone else's layout or they are of the variety that does not have the removable jumpers on the back of the switches making it nearly impossible to isolate the sections of the track needed for soldering the wires from a #6924 non derail circuit.  Almost all eBayers list items as "new" just because they are not 10 years old and may not have been used on an active layout.

 

So to answer your question, they are extremely hard to find new, unused, in the box. 

Gentlemen,

    Don has given you the best fix for your Atlas switch problem, Ross makes great switches.  If you want to transition in and out of K-Line Super Snap, RMT has great

switches also.  I love the Atlas company, own lots of their stuff, but not their track & switches, way to many problems with it for me to invest in it, and it is not Tin Plate Compatible either.

PCRR/Dave

Yes I have and I am fast approaching that choice.  I need 8 right and 10 left hand turnouts and I only have 14. If they blend really well and the ballast might help mask some of that, then I may just go that route.  I'll give it until its warm enough again to work in my basement.  If Atlas hasn't come through, Ross it is.  Then over time, if any of the Atlas begin to rust or just break, I'll swap them out with Ross.

To late for me, I watched to many of Eric Siegals video's and I am many thousands of dollars invested in Atlas track.  As much as I hate Lionel's fake ballast fastrack, I considered (for a very brief moment) replacing all of the Atlas with Lionel.  It works seamlessly with the LCS sensor track and already has the non derailing feature as well as command control built right into the switch.  Still, can't turn back now.

Dave,

Try Charlie Ro in Massachusetts the list has having Atlas O72 switches in stock.

http://www.charlesro.com/store/merchant.mvc?

 

They have O72 curved switches, but not regular O72 switches which show as backordered

Try the Train Shack for O54 switches.

 

http://www.trainshack.com/brow...m/atlas-o/2,187.html

 

Jan

Try this guy down the road from me For 072 And larger Atlas switches.

The Train Shop

 

E Express 200,

   Dave when you get time take a look at the thread Ray & Rich O have on FasTrack and how to make it a rivet counters dream.  They have completely removed the old thinking about FT being nonrealistic, man their stuff is just incredible, it's all in how they designed & built their layouts.  Their layouts are so realistic it's un-believeable.

I have used just about every different track & switches down thru the years, Atlas is a tough way to go for perfect repetitive train running, it does look great however. 

PCRR/Dave  

I have been able to get some Atlas switch machines in the past few months, but they have been a little hard to come by. The DZ-1000's work very well with the Atlas switches. I may start using those if I have any of my Atlas' go bad.

 

I have had very good luck with Atlas track and NEW switches and I seldom ever clean it. I won't be changing to anything else as I also have too much invested in it, and I really like it. 

 

I have purchased some used switches that were good and some not so good. I will probably just buy new from now on. By the time you replace the switch machine and anything else that needs fixing on the used ones, you could have paid for a new switch. I am confident (well at least hopeful anyway) they will be back in stock soon.

You don't have to have your layout construction come a halt.  You can just put in the radius curve you're intending to use and replace it with the switch track when it comes in.  Just don't ballast or secure the track to the board so as to make replacing it too difficult.

Alan

Des Planes Hobbies shows O72 LH & RH plus O54 RH.

 

http://www.desplaineshobbies.c...ail-Track/page2.html

 

Electronic Train Depot

 

http://electrictrainoutlet.com...&cPath=1_123_277

 

Grand Central Ltd (unknown inventory)

 

http://64.251.10.24/~worldofw/...06-655/query_type=OR

 

Amherst Depot - O54

 

http://www.amherst-depot.com/atlas-o-rollingstock.htm

 

Train Room Scale Models - O54 RH

 

http://www.thetrainroomnj.com/...sp?mid=52&page=2

 

The Train Shop in Brentwood = O54 RH

 

http://www.thetrainshop.com/ca.../atlas-o/accessories

 

Many dealers don't make their inventory available or, if they do keep, it up to date.  A;; one can do is call.  I would concentrate first on shops in Pennsylvania and the Northeast.

 

Jan

 

 

I asked the Atlas rep this question at the Big E show

in January. He said they hoped to have large radius

switches available in March or April. The attached

flyer is from an earlier post on this topic. Having

experienced most of the problems they will be

correcting this will be welcome news.

Very encouraging, improvements to boot.

2 Rail switches arrived at Atlas last Friday along with a lot of 3 Rail track. I expect the 3 Rail switches by the end of the month. Once they arrive, we will have them listed, with our sales price, on our website. 

 

Thanks..... 

Dave,

Do you want to buy a current O72 switch as they are out there, you just have to search and pay the current price and or buy used? Or are you looking and waiting for the new Atlas tooling which might be ___? how long in the future? If you have the room, personally Atlas #5 switches work better IMO. I was at the Big E show too, nothing has been the same since Jim Weaver has passed.

 

Hi Mr. Muffin. I have bought Woodland scenic buildings from you in the past. Are the new and Improved (or are they) Atlas switches going to be big bucks?

 

thanks,

They are slightly more - I can post prices when I get back in the shop. I too believe they will be improved..... 

I actually just took a road trip to The Trainshop/Brentwood antiques with the family this afternoon, was only 60mins away.  Sadly he had zero 054 switches in stock.  Only a few 072 switches.

I was able to pickup small sections of track, the rest of 054 curves he had and a 40in flex section.   So I kinda got what I wanted.

Hey Matt,

i usually buy stuff at the Train Shop in Hampton Falls ,NH as its only 7 miles away from where I live.  Otherwise I buy used Atlas track, switches right here on the buy/sell board.

I may be in a rather unique situation. Just returning to model railroading after about 55 years! I have procured quite a raft of locos and rolling stock in just the past month!

 

But no track. I never figured to have difficulty getting track! Never occured to me. Especially from a brand name I recognize from all those years ago.

Now, the dealer is having Atlas drop ship me sixteen O-72 pieces and four 40" straights. They may well be here tomorrow. I hope so. At least it is supposed to be "in the mail," although I have no actual tracking # for it.

 

But it is not too late to change to another manufacturer and this post is pushing me very strongly in that direction. I have not ordered any switches yet. It may well be that I sell off the Atlas stuff when it arrives and switch to Ross. I know that there are ways to mix the two brands and perhaps I will do that. But this Atlas situation, which I blundered into in ignorance, seems intolerable. Atlas has been in disarray quite some time and has been unable to get control of the situation. I just have no confidence in their pronouncements. In fact I am skeptical of ANY company's delivery estimates for gear not yet actually being manufactured. I have no idea how many customers Atlas has already lost but they're on the brink of losing this one!

for all the reasons above and made they in the USA, Ross is the way to go.

Some examples of Ross+Atlas+Gargraves. I changed to Ross switches about

half way during construction. Must admit, I have never had a problem with

the Ross switches.

Joe

PCRR Dave, I've looked but have been unable to find the thread you mentioned about FastTrack. Can you post a link?  Thanks

Chris,

   I can not remember the thread name that Rich O and Ray posted their realistic FT pictures in, the best way to have them posted again is to start your own thread asking to see pictures of realistic FasTrack layouts, I am sure they will post them again for you to see.  We were discussing something different when those pictures were posted.  I looked myself and could not find the thread either.  Rick O & Ray's realistic FT looks even more real than Joes GG & Ross above, I am not a rivet counter but their stuff is seriously nice, if you are way into realism on your layouts.

PCRR/Dave

I remember that thread, and I was struck by how good the Fastrack looked...some of the best 3R track I'd ever seen.

 

Jeff C

Jeff,

   Can you remember what thread that was, or what we were talking about at the time?

I started a new thread asking for Rick O and Ray to show pictures of their layouts once again, for these guy to see and ask questions about building.  Hopefully they will post some pictures.

 

PCRR/Dave

Ross and GG, best quality, consistent delivery, stable companies, the best country of origin.

Why are so many recommending GG track and Ross switches? Why not just Ross track and Ross switches?

Terry,

   I think it's the cost they are fighting with a Complete Ross set up.  Although if it was Tin Plate Compatible I might just go that way any way, they have great stuff all made in the USA.

PCRR/Dave

I wish I could. 

 

Jeff C

 

 

 

I believe it is mostly cost. Gargraves track tends to be less expensive.

 

All:

I am in the same camp as some other responders to this thread. I have Atlas O track which I like very much but I am slowing moving over to Ross Turnouts. They are well built and the DZ1000 motors are much easier and less expensive to use for such things as non-derail features and ligthed signals. As an example wrt non-derail all one needs is an isolated track and a wire. If you are using Atlas O turnouts with DZ100 motors you can achieve the same effect. 

I have been connecting Atlas O track to Ross track with the Atlas O joiners but to get a good fit the rail on the Ross Track needs to be undercut a bit. I don't much like doing this to the turnout itself so I have been using 3 inch Ross track on the ends of the turnouts. It turns out the 3 inch filler track comes in handy when setting up the non-derail feature anyway.

I have also be recently made aware of a product called Split-Jaw connector which I am going to try on some track. The connectors are a bit pricy so I will not be able to use them everywhere but the insulating clamp will come in handy for the isolated rail needed for the non-derail feature where Ross is connected to Atlas O on one end. I think this may be a better connection than using the Atlas O plastic insulating joiner.

http://www.railclamp.com/

 

 

 

 

Joe