Ack! This whole discussion is *really* moot because *both* MTH Scaletrax and Atlas O are largely out of stock everywhere. There don't appear to be any Scaletrax #4 RH switches or #6 LH switches anywhere, although you can pick up a few of the others. Atlas is much the same -- some switches (especially the #5's LH and RH, which are key to my layout) are totally out of stock everywhere I have looked. Ted Hikel kindly offered to sell me a few Scaletrax switches, but I'm going to need a lot!
I called Atlas and they said it would be at least 5 or 6 months (today being March 28, 2014) before they had new switches ready, because due to undisclosed problems in China, they have to make "all new molds." To my mind "at least 5 or 6 months" means he's probably being optimistic. So I said fine, I'll just go with ScaleTrax and try to scrape a few together.
Well you can't find half of those switches either. I called MTH and they found *one* dealer who still had one switch in stock. Not enough for my big layout. I asked when they expected to replenish inventory and she said there was "nothing on the water" and it would probably be sometime in May, but she really didn't know.
I also asked MTH if there were any plans to release new components or anything along those lines, and she said no it would be at least a year. Maybe she didn't know, or wasn't saying, but it seems like our hopes of MTH releasing a re-designed turnout are not going to be filled anytime soon.
It's so discouraging. I know you guys are going to say "go with Gargraves and Ross" but I just don't like the look of those products. I don't really like the look of Atlas either, but they have so many components that MTH lacks. In any event...I don't know what to do other than sit on my hands. Hopefully within a couple of months MTH will start delivering new switches and that will cinch the decision and eliminate the problem.
Anyway I thought you guys might like to know what Atlas and MTH had to say about all this.
Randy