Pros/Cons of 2-rail track brands

In my opinion Atlas makes superior track in terms of realism.  On reliability Atlas turnouts are not very good from my experience.  Maybe others can chime in on what they do for their 2 rail turnouts.  I know several people make their own. 

Gargraves makes a nice quality product, but it doesn't have the detail of Atlas.  I like the real wood ties.  Their turnouts don't appear as realistic as they are plastic ties but are generally reliable.

Gargraves also has a higher track profile if I recall.  Code 172 vs. code 148 for Atlas. 

I only have experience with modern Atlas track in three rail at the operating club I belong too while at home I have the older 1970's Pola made Atlas track and turnouts.     

Gargraves 2-rail track uses the same rail as their 3-rail track.  It is code 215 which is WAY too big for a realistic scale layout.  The ties on Gargraves track are also much too large relative to scale size.  Atlas 2-rail code 148 is much more realistic.  Note that the rails in Atlas 3-rail track are also code 215.

I used MicroEngineering. Its only flex track but its pretty easy to work with, looks decent and is economic. Theres one spot where I used atlas sectional curves for consistency (it was a 150 degree arc) and they mate up just fine (the foot of atlas track is slightly larger than the foot of ME rail, but the heads seem the same). I made switches with FastTracks jigs, which also use ME rail. Atlas joiners work with ME code 148 rail if you solder them or crunch them a bit to maintain continuity. The only beef I have with atlas track is the expense. If you buy 3+ bundles of ME track from micromark its under $3 per foot for USA made track. Atlas is easily twice that much or more for the sectional curves.

Micro Engineering track comes in more than rail size.   I think both .148 and 125.    They might also do 100.    Atlas only comes in the one size.    Gargraves it way too big and if the rail is like the 3 rail, it is formed sheet metal, not solid.    When working and cutting and fitting with flex track, solid rail is a lot easier to cut with out doing damage.  

I have Old Atlas from 70s and 80s, which was made by ROCO in Austria along with a  line of switches that are about equal to #6.    the Atlas switches sold by Atlas in the US were also ROCO, I think, but were 24 inch radius and not very useful with larger O scale equipment.   I am not sure if these switches are still made.   I have a big flock of them, so it is what I  use.    I have many spares.    They do have wide and deep flangeways at the frog and guardrails.   I think there is European "coarse" standard that they meet.    I have not trouble with them with my stuff.    Also, they are DCC friendly.

The old Atlas track was "tempered".    What ever heat treating they used the rail was a little springey, so when  you bent a curve, it automatically smoothed it self out.   It was slight harder to lay on curves because of this, but resulted in very smooth curves.    the ME track is not tempered, it is very soft metal and has no spring.    It is easy to bend but also easy to get kinks when doing that.    I don't know how the new Atlas track behaves.

When I look at the new Atlas track, the rail looks to fat or thick.    It does not look right to me.   but my experience is with older rail that has a more slender profile.  

A final  option for much flexibility is hand laying your own track.    I think there are a few outfits that still sell rail, right-of-way being one I think.    YOu can pick a size or multiple sizes for main and sidings.     Kappler used to sell ties.    And Fast-Track sells jigs to make your own switches.    I think Right_Of_Way sells points and frogs which makes laying  your own switches easy.

I don't know about cost.   When I build my previous layout in the early 80s, I compared buying flex track with buying ties, spikes, and rail and I remember it was about 1/3 the price.     On the other hand it does take more time.   Just using needle nose pliers, once I learned a bit, I could lay about 9 feet of track an hour - without switches.  

Is there any Code 172 track available?  That size seems to work well with both 2-rail and 3-rail wheels.

Atlas or ME (Microengineering) flex. Atlas flexes easier, but there are ways to easily bend ME. Look on You Tube. Different options for switches out there. Atlas, Signature Switch Co., roll your own. Probably others!

Simon

Code 172 (.172 inches high) used to be quite common.    There might some handlay rail available.    However, remember that with 2 rail, one wheel needs to insulated on the axle.     Since each rail is different poles of the circuit, if the wheelset is not insulated, it is a dead short.    All the 3-rail wheelsets I have seen from MTH, Lionel, or Atlas are NOT insulated.     So it is not just the rail height you need to consider.    You would have to insulate any 3 rail wheelset you have to  run on 2 rail track. 

Now a word of good news, Athearn, the old Weaver, and Intermountain metal wheelsets all work in Lionel trucks and MTH trucks.     They tend to be a little sloppy in some of the Lionel ones but still work.    I have converted a number of the scale cars from both brands using Athearn wheelsets.     If you need some, I have a stash of the delrin (plastic) ones available.   these have needle point metal axles.

I used code 148 Micro-Engineering Flex track for straights and filler pieces, Atlas code 148 for curves, and Signature Switch for turnouts.

@prrjim posted:

Code 172 (.172 inches high) used to be quite common.    There might some handlay rail available.    However, remember that with 2 rail, one wheel needs to insulated on the axle.     Since each rail is different poles of the circuit, if the wheelset is not insulated, it is a dead short.    All the 3-rail wheelsets I have seen from MTH, Lionel, or Atlas are NOT insulated.     So it is not just the rail height you need to consider.    You would have to insulate any 3 rail wheelset you have to  run on 2 rail track.

Now a word of good news, Athearn, the old Weaver, and Intermountain metal wheelsets all work in Lionel trucks and MTH trucks.     They tend to be a little sloppy in some of the Lionel ones but still work.    I have converted a number of the scale cars from both brands using Athearn wheelsets.     If you need some, I have a stash of the delrin (plastic) ones available.   these have needle point metal axles.

Thank you @prrjim.  That is very helpful.  I may take you up on that offer!

What I have in mind is a loop of Code 172 two rail with a custom stud rail center rail and sliders on 3-rail locomotives.  I would like to use 2-rail wheels on the rolling stock.  It seems that Code 172 would be the best height for that combination of 3-rail locomotives and 2-rail rolling stock.

Sorry to divert from the thread, but it would be nice to know if Code 172 is still commercially available somewhere.

I have had good luck with 2 rail Atlas flex, and Old Pullman flex, when I can find it at swap meets. Micro Engineering flex is good too.  I use it in code 100 and code 125 as long as its non weathered.  Weathered ME flex is hard as Chinese arithmetic to bend.  I can use the weathered ME in the yard tracks where it is a straight run.  For realism I use code 148 on the main, code 125 in sidings, and code 100 on spurs.  Turnouts are Atlas, Old Pullman, and Marcway (from the UK).  Steve Pariseau in Florida is the Marcway importer. All turnouts have Caboose Hobbies O scale or HO scale ground throws. Roadbed is O scale cork with N scale super elevation on the main. I try to emulate the quote that "track is a model too".  Doug

There was a talented guy who was doing "stud rail."  He really did nice work, and in the end he discovered that standard two rail was easier by almost an order of magnitude.

This is opinion, please.  The only reason to use three rail track is because you like the look of the center rail.  You will hear some say that they have too much invested to switch, but you will not hear folks who are starting out say they dislike the center rail, but are happy with the availability - you can buy almost anything you can imagine in 2-rail for about the same $.  

Again, opinion.

3 rail wheels will roll just fine on Code 148. What they will not do is navigate the tighter clearances and shorter flangeways of the switch frogs.  If all you do is set up a loop, then you can do it. But the compatibility goes the other way better. You're better off putting .172 tread 2 rail wheels in your cars, then running them on 3 rail. The MTH 3/2 convertible locos are easily swapped back and forth if you just cant let 3 rail go. Some atlas locos are also easily converted by swapping the pickup wiper for a pickup roller, although it requires popping the shell off.

@Boilermaker1 posted:

3 rail wheels will roll just fine on Code 148. What they will not do is navigate the tighter clearances and shorter flangeways of the switch frogs.

True, for readymade track off the shelf.  In my post above, I should have mentioned that when I ordered my #5 switches from Signature Switch I made sure he knew I was running 3-rail wheels, and he made the necessary adjustments to each switch.  I have tried to run 2-rail wheels on the track but few to none want to go thru the switch without derailing.  Even if I had changed all the wheels on my freight and passenger cars, my 24 engines would still have 3-rail wheels, so shimming the frogs would have fixed one issue and caused another.

Cherry Valley club uses Atlas flex track and Atlas turnouts for past 16 years- about 2 miles of track and 50 plus turnouts-no problems. We have also installed hand layed turnouts with also no problems.

John

@bob2 posted:

There was a talented guy who was doing "stud rail."  He really did nice work, and in the end he discovered that standard two rail was easier by almost an order of magnitude.

This is opinion, please.  The only reason to use three rail track is because you like the look of the center rail.  You will hear some say that they have too much invested to switch, but you will not hear folks who are starting out say they dislike the center rail, but are happy with the availability - you can buy almost anything you can imagine in 2-rail for about the same $.  

Again, opinion.

But you know as well as I do that there are a lot of locomotives that are only available in brass in 2-rail and are much less expensive in 3-rail.  Plus the paint scheme availability in 3-rail is much greater.  For example, you can get a nice lightly used (or even unused but pre-owned) scale Lionel or MTH E6 AA or ABA set for about $500 in 3-rail (MTH did not make a 3/2 version of these).  The options in 2-rail are 3rd Rail at about $1,400 to $2,200 (new or used) for pretty much the same thing or brass (used) for even more than that.  That is a big difference.  And converting those to 2-rail is a real pain (unless you can share some shortcuts!), plus you probably lose value if you want to resell them later on.  It is a lot easier and cheaper to just fix the pilots and put scale couplers on them (3-rail scale).

I realize that stud rail requires quite a bit of work to install, but the versatility and look it provides are worth it in my opinion.  It would be great if it became commercially available, like it is in HO.  Correct me if I am wrong, but with Code 172 track, you could wire it to run both 2-rail and 3-rail locomotives (not at the same time).

Again, sorry to divert from the thread a bit...

I have some old atlas 2 rail. I have switches, straight track, and curves. From what I remember my curve is not made anymore at the radius it is. I really need to dig it out and put it up for sale as I probably will never use it. I also have Lima passenger cars, Freight cars engines, and a few Atlas switchers.

More to dig out LOL. at least it is all in a 27GL tub.

@jdunn posted:

Cherry Valley club uses Atlas flex track and Atlas turnouts for past 16 years- about 2 miles of track and 50 plus turnouts-no problems. We have also installed hand layed turnouts with also no problems.

John

What did you use for the switch machines?

I should have paid better attention.

Dear Joe, et al ,

We installed Tortoise turnout machines on the Cherry Valley . Bulletproof.  John

I've seen 2-rail O gauge layouts at the Chi-Town Union Station attraction and the Detroit Model Railroad Club, and I'm pretty sure that they build their own 2-rail track, which is that different O gauge track I've never made nor bought at all.

@Jtrain posted:

Is there any Code 172 track available?  That size seems to work well with both 2-rail and 3-rail wheels.

For the record ETS 2 rail sectional track is code 175.

I use code 100 Micro Engineering rail on wood and PC ties made in Fast Track jigs. Same with my turnouts which work flawlessly if I was careful making them.

Peter

Peter, very nice!!

Dan Weinhold

Peter, And that's how you do 2 rail!  Excellent work!  Doug

Thanks guys, it takes a little longer to do it this way but with the cost of sectional track and store bought turnouts it was sooo much less expensive especially when I sell my jigs when done. I’m 74 so I don’t foresee another layout. I do think if I were to do it again I might go with ME code 100 flex track but still “roll my own” turnouts. Also, it’s kinda fun, and that’s what it’s all about, right?

Peter