Quietest reliable track

Is the k-line track you are referring to that same as the product now being offered
by RMT?

I'll add to Ted Hikel's post on ScaleTrax;

Someone mentioned there is a limitation of switches available, While this is true, There is an excellent workaround.

Ross Switches are considered the Best by many here.

And if you look at Ross Rail next to ScaleTrax rails, they are VERY similar in both shape and size. The Ross rails are slightly taller.

Now, Ross Switches sitting beside Scaletrax shows a marked total height difference.

But it is easy to overcome !

Put your Scaletrax on 5mm foam roadbed which eats noise.

Put the Ross Switches on 2mm Cork. You are done, they will match at rail tops.

Yes, the 2mm cork does not reduce track noise much, but the length of a switch is not going to make that much noise anyway. And Ross Switches use Wood ties, those also eat noise a bit.

And Ross has the widest selection of switches I have ever seen.

I got a pair of O-72 Wyes from Ross to use with my ScaleTrax layout.

They are great. And from what I have seen right here on the forum, Ross Service is the best.

jhz563,

   The RMT Super-Snap Track & Switches are almost identical to the old K-Line

SuperSnap Track and switches, as far as enginering.  I have not tested the RMT SuperSnap Track & Switches however, to actually know if they are as low noise as the originals.  The engineering looks to be pretty much the same, however I do not know exactly what the new SS RMT Track & Switches are being made of, this would matter greatly, as to the noise level while running.  That is why the original post read as it did.

PCRR/Dave

Thanks for the input Dave!

My stock of plastic roadbed track is limited to a few sets that included it.  Although I only have experience with small layouts (< 4x8), my quietest so far has been the Christmas layout which is simply 2" thick foam sheets painted white with Atlas track and switches laid on Ross Roadbed.  Don't screw anything down as it's a temp layout.  Paint the Ross Roadbed with grey speckled textured paint from HD/Lowes.  So quiet I can play an mp3 player through the TIU protocast jack and listen to Christmas music (usually polar express movie soundtrack) as the train goes round!

I'm using regular 0 gauge tubular on indoor/outdoor carpeting with also carpet padding under the carpeting. Also use minimal wood screws with an o ring under the head of the screw. Extremely quiet, for a future layout I would like to try Atlas O with the same type of setup and see if there is any difference in the noise level. My guess is the difference would probably be very slight, as the carpeting with carpet padding is

absorbing virtually all the noise now.

Quite some time ago CTT had an article about a layout that was done for a music company involved with Neil Young.  They used carpet padding along with zip ties to secure the track. Made for an extremely quiet layout.

Just keep in mind, you’ll still have metal wheels and plastic rolling stock noise regardless of the track or method you choose.

Besides, when did you ever hear a quite freight train pass by? 

A whole train ...no.  but I have had kicked cars sneak up on me and they are amazingly quiet!!!  Its like being stalked by steel whale, You don't here anything coming so you double check the switch alignment, look back up and whoa.. how did that huge thing get so close without me realizing it!

Besides, as the model trains go my son has very sensitive hearing and the wife just wants to be able to hear the TV in the next room!

It seems that everyone here writes of how quiet their favorite track systems are without ballast. They get much louder after ballast is glued down, no?

Nothing like Lionel tinplate three rail track.

The prototype for all track.

Joe

This track question (and EXPENSE!) is a big obstacle to building a layout; that combined with appearance.  I am not going to use round top tubular sections.  Isn't Ross tubular,as is the Gargraves I have?  Scaletrax is solid, but switches are not raved about...what else is solid rail?

Photo above from JC642 looks like it could be either rack rail or cable with center

carrier?  It is not round top tubular Lionel...whoops, it looks like wooden rails!! Is

that the Pa. Allegheny Portage Road or something similar for getting canal boats around a big bump in the road?  Only been there once years ago.  I thought it might be a logging incline like served the Yosemite Valley RR, at first glance?

I have a 12x24 layout wirh 3/4 plywood, 1" pink foam and fastrack.  I have no conventional engines, all are Tmcc or Legacy.   The sounds from the engines cover the track noise and I have all fastrack switches (29) in all with sc-2's.  The track is not fastened down anywhere and has not moved in the 2.5 years the layout has existed.  So I have turned off sound on engines and yes there is sound which increases as speed increases.  But I use sound on all the time.  I like the ease of installing fastrack and switches.  And it looks somewhat realistic.  I have very little scenery, have some accesories and I like running trains.

That's an interesting photo, could we have the story about that? Possibly a rope-hauled funicular railway?

I don't have any FasTrack myself, but am wondering if someone has come up with an expedient treatment to make it quieter. I'm thinking, self adhesive bitumen tape or maybe thick roofing sealer applied on the underside of the hollow roadbed ... ?