MTH Scaltrax

I pasted this from a post I made the other day.  I'm not trying to scare you away, I'm just sharing my experience.

Don't forget performance.  Not all track is created equal.  And some do not perform as well as others.  I have MTH Scaletrax (I even purchased some from C.Sam).  I like the look and I like the cost (Although now it is much more expensive that when I purchased mine some 6-8 years ago).

I'm not a fan of it's performance.  Switches can be finicky and have trouble.  The track does look great, but it's delicate.  It's easy to break while installing.  I've also found that some pieces don't mate nicely with others.  I have some steam engines that derail 100% of the time through switches because the pickup roller gets hung up.  I have to put foam in the switch to prevent the pickup roller from dropping.

I have also had problems with the contacts degrading between sections.  My only real fix it to try soldering the sections together.

I'm too heavily invested to switch to anything else now.  If for some reason I tear down this layout and try again, I will consider something different.

Some pics....

It does look nice (pics 1&2)

But it does not always mate together nicely...

Electrical connections just stop working one day and I have to solder rail to repair.

I had to put liquid electrical tape on this switch because the wheels on freight cars would bump the center rail causing a spark.  Sometimes enough to stop the train.

Foam pieces had to be installed on several switches because steam engines would get their pickup roller stuck and derail.

And my latest problem from last weekend...

Here is a close up of the center rail jumper wire which was making contact with the outside rail.

Have Fun and choose wisely!

Ron