Best type of track for cost and looks

Fastrack is the best choice by far.

Gargraves with Ross switches will be the most cost effective, reliable and actually available. try to get Atlas switches or track now. most not available for some time now. also made in the USA.

The weekly track thread has arrived. 

Right. Apparently nobody uses the SEARCH feature anymore, either. 

1. Gargraves Phantom rail

2. Atlas O

(non built bed choices I have settled on)

Atlas O is a bit quieter being a solid rail.  It's a bit finicky in terms of building up gunk (Nickel rail with AC tends to build up gunk in my experience) but all the tracks need cleaning so this is minor to me.

American made Ross switches, track and Gargraves track both look good and will provide reliable functionality. Excellent product, competitive price, availability year round and great service from both. When you buy these products; it is also satisfying to know that you are supporting the American worker.

Ross switches and gar graves track. Even though the others mentioned look better you get more choices of switches with Ross and more preformed curve choices with gar graves. And if I were today going to start a new layout I would still go with these two choices........................Paul

The same answer I give every week. Even if you want only sectional.....same answer as GG and Ross have it too. Having bought train sets from WbB, MTH and Lionel I have every track system but K-line in the house....I use some under the tree.....but for the layout...GG and Ross.......

Eric uses Atlas O 3 rail track and switches. Their availability problem is about over according to Mr. Muffin's Trains in another thread from yesterday.

All currently available track systems are good systems. Find one you like and go with it. They all have pros and cons and everyone has their favorite system for their own reasons. Their reasons may not necessarily fit your needs or wants?

Unless you choose Lionel tubular O/O27 (the least expensive of all), the costs will probably all be similar and in thee same ballpark by the time you get your layout finished. So, I would base my selection on what I like the best and what works for me.

Like others have said Gargraves Phantom rail.  It looks good, always available, won't break the bank and plays well with Ross switches..

Gentlemen,

    I agree with what you guys are saying for running modern trains, however if you run both modern and Tin Plate Trains there is no real inexpensive track & switches. In reality for reasonable cost you can use 3 types of track & switches that will accommodate all the different trains, Pre-War Tin & reproduction, Post War and modern.  The 1st is still Lionel Conventional Tubular with old 711/072 switches, the 2nd is K-Line Super Snap (RMT) with low voltage SS Switches and the 3rd is FasTrack with new Command Control low voltage switches.  Non of these track & switches is cheap however, but you can run all the different modern/post war and Pre-War Tin Plate, on a constant basis.  I love USA made Ross Track & Switches, wish to God they would engineer and make some fully compatible Tin Plate train track & switches, so I could use their stuff.   

PCRR/Dave

Did not know there was an issue between GG and Tin Plate early trains. What is the issue???thx

 You done gone did it now Bagelman!

Jerry

Gargraves track with Ross custom switches

Gargraves, Ross switches. Gargraves makes the ties and rail for Ross so they match perfectly. Don

If you choose Atlas, remember that any magnetraction will be useless on it.

027 is the least expensive; Atlas looks the best to you.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  You have to balance that against what you are willing to pay.

Jerry,

   I love your dry picture humor,  simply fantastic.

AMCDave,

   Having the GG track and switches on the Iron Horse Club layout in Franks office we learned many things about which trains would constantly run on the GG Track & Switches.  Both the track rail height and switch design made the running of Pre-War Tin Plate Engines and rolling stock, especially the 12 Wheel Tenders & the front Engine trucks, along with the 810 Crane Cars of the 263E type work trains, non compatible for constant running on GG track & switches.

The 2600 Type Tin Plate with the 264 or 259E engines, because of their differently designed wheels and no front engine trucks, would run decently on GG track, it did have some problems with derailing at medium to high speeds, on the GG switches.  Over all not a compatible situation for repetitive constant trouble free train running, way to many derailments.  The engineering of the old Pre War Tin Plate and the more modern GG track & rail height just did not make for a good match up.

PCRR/Dave

The only way the Pre War P2 MTH Reproduction or the original Pre War Lionel 263E would run on GG track and especially thru the GG switches, was at very low low speeds pulling no consist, the front trucks would derail all the time, or the big wheels would climb off the curve tracks, the turn outs were even a bigger night mare for the engine and 12 wheel tender.

The guys in the picture are watching to see if the 263E engine & 12 Wheels tender would make it thru the turn out just opposite Frank in the picture, Frank had to catch the engine before it completely derailed, it did not make it.  Frank had just explained to us why the Tin Plate engines had problems running on GG track & switches, he was laughing as he caught the derailing engine, when I took the picture.

Yes, someone did make a comparison chart on this forum a while back.  I don't know if you could find it.  But my opinion, pure and simple is that it has to be Gargraves Flex Track with Ross Switches.

.....

Dennis

One more point of interest, no matter what track system you choose there will be a train (or trains) out there somewhere that will have a problem with it.

Amen to that.  The biggest PITA with our hobby is compatibility across the board.  Find what works best for you and stick with it.

Words to live by.

Gentlemen,

   I do not have any problems with what runs on my track, that is the point I was trying to make, about the 3 different type tracks I pointed out in the prior post, you can choose to disagree if you like.  Although I like some of the other makers track it is not fully compatible with what I choose to run, if I was a completely modern train runner, I would run Ross everything, because it's high quality track & switches made in the USA, which means a great deal to me.  It's also the reason I try to purchase some Weaver rolling stock every year.

PCRR/Dave

Counting remote switches, Atlas O exceeds $10 - $12 per foot.

I love the track . . . . I have used thousands of feet of it.

It must be properly prepared, however.

Scrappy

Throw in rust resistance, ease of installation, and the universal compatibility issue cited above, in addition to looks, ignoring cost, and there ain't nair'n.  Which is why

this question festers with me and here on the forum.

Ross, Gargraves. The most options of switches, Gargraves bend it anyway you want. Who else makes a four way switch? Don

Best looking and cheapest?  Obviously hand laid 2-railtrack.

Gotta love you two, however, I do agree! LMAO

Do you plan to ballast the track?  With the exception of Atlas, all the others have shiny rails.  Most GG and Ross users weather the webb of the outside rails above the ties and conceal the below tie-level rail with ballast.

Check-out the weekly week-end photo thread; there are always a lot of well-done track pictured from almost all the brands.

OLD SCHOOL LOOK = TINPLATE.  As SantaFe Jim said, free track is the cheapest, and I don't thing any nay sayers can dispute that.  Bob S.

I'm another vote for Gargraves/Ross, although I also like the look of Atlas, like many others have said. I really like that Gargraves/Ross is made in the US and they both have outstanding customer service. 

You will get no concensus here.  Most people will tell you the best is what they had/sslected.  It depends on what best means to you.

I've had Fastrack and Atlas (now).  fastrack was good track, easy and quick to set up, but noisy and not quite as realistic.  Atlas is quieter, looks better, but was a lot more work to set up.

100% Flex Track and Ross turnouts.

2010 photo of Ross turnouts and GG FLex appearing very compatible in my raw little Service Yard.

Even though this is a frequent topic on the forum, it is easy to see why.  While I prefer Atlas track, it seems to me that if you plan on painting and ballasting your track for realism, it doesn't matter than much what track you use.  Pick what is most available, what you can purchase at a fair price, and enjoy.  Don't try to over think it and make it a long drawn out decision.

Art