Here you go Jack. The first picture is a good look at some Atlas flex in my yard. The second picture is a Ross switch with Atlas track. I use a rail bender for the flex track. Makes life a lot easier.
Andy
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I am not sure about Atlas Flex track, I used a couple of pieces and did slight curving, no problem. I am a fan of the show solid rail as it does not dent very easily. Tubular Gargraves, Ross, or the older Curtis trackage if you drop an engine by accident on the track, will dent. Just remember, your trains will run better on good track. Both are good.
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Steamfan77 posted:Here you go Jack. The first picture is a good look at some Atlas flex in my yard. The second picture is a Ross switch with Atlas track. I use a rail bender for the flex track. Makes life a lot easier.
Andy
Beautiful work, man, truly excellent job! Thanks to all for sharing! I have an Atlas layout on the Atlas track software I really like and I am working on a Scaletrax plan on SCARM. I will be sharing those soon. Again I am leaning Atlas because of the tie appearance, 063 curve size, and the double #5 slip switch, as well as a larger selection of track. Not that Scaletrax is bad, it is a wonderful track system, I am just finding that Atlas is looking like it may suit my needs and wants better.
“Again I am leaning Atlas because of the tie appearance, 063 curve size, and the double #5 slip switch, as well as a larger selection of track. Not that Scaletrax is bad, it is a wonderful track system, I am just finding that Atlas is looking like it may suit my needs and wants better.”
Jack,
i think your statement above is a great conclusion to how this choice should be approached by each. I’m glad you are making progress.
I have planned to use an Atlas #5 double slip switch on my layout. How reliable are these switches? Are the prototypical? How do they look? I am really close to saying Atlas, but I am just wondering about those switches.
I don't have a #5 slip switch, but all of my other Atlas switches work just fine. I have been happy with them. I would buy new though, I have had a few problems with used Atlas switches. Most of them I was able to repair with parts Atlas helped me order from them. Some of these were pretty well used and looked the part. That is the reason I suggested to buy new, which is what I do now. Also the new Atlas switches have been through a few design improvements over the years and are probably better in that respect as well.
A couple of the used switches I have are missing a piece of rail or otherwise damaged to the point of not being repairable or not worth repairing. But again these were all used, no problems with any that of them that were new.
Jack, it's too bad you aren't near one of the layouts done with ScaleTrax. I think visiting one would make your decision that much more difficult, it has mine. 
I've had the pleasure of visiting the layouts at The Train Shack in Burbank and Ready To Roll in Miami. And then there's the Black Diamond videos that really show ScaleTrax at its best. My space is limited, so the biggest drawback for me is ScaleTrax's limited selection of curve/switch sizes between O31 and O54. I did buy some FlexTrack and it does bend fairly easily. It's not quite as flexible as HO flex, but it's rubber compared to the piece of Atlas flex I have. ScaleTrax is still in the running, though I'm leaning toward Atlas because of the availability of sectional tracks that meet my needs right out of the box.
I get that Atlas tie spacing is more realistic, but once both tracks are ballasted, the Atlas rail height leaves a lot to be desired. It's not readily apparent though unless you see them side by side, but IMHO, that's also true for the tie spacing. I saw a large 2,000 sf store layout south of Dallas that uses most brands of track currently sold. While I could pick them out, they really weren't a distraction while we were running trains.
Like others, I wanted sweeping curves rather than long straights and thought flex track would be the answer. And it is with ScaleTrax and GarGraves flex, but I'm not so sure about Atlas flex. If you decide to use Atlas, I suggest you consider investing in a track bender. Of course, that depends on just how much you'll have to bend the track. If you can pick up some Atlas flex, you'll be able to see for yourself and judge how much of a problem bending it might be.
