Realtrax any better now ?

No realtrax users ?

Unless you are building a large layout with long power runs and plan on running large trains with multiple powered engines in same train I do not see any need for 12 gauge wire.

I just HATE the names "RealTrax" and "ScaleTrax".  I can never remember which one I have without going to check first.......................

Okay, so I went and checked.  I have RealTrax (the one with the built-in plastic roadbed).  A couple of years ago, I was wanting to set up a layout with some switches.  I started looking at Fastrack and MTH track, and decided I liked the looks of the MTH track better.  Also, new MTH track is less expensive than new Fast Track.  Then I attended a train show and found a really good buy on some a couple of used RealTrax O72 switches and some 30" straights.  Afterwards, over the next several months, and between a few train shows and mail order, I finally acquired enough track to put together a double-oval layout featuring reverse loops on the inner oval and switches to connect to the outer oval.  My layout table is 6' x 16', with eight O72 switches and one 90 degree crossing.

All of the used track and switches I bought at the train shows were solid rail.  All of the new track I ordered was hollow rail (new switches are still solid rail).  Most, if not all, of the curved sections are "banked" slightly, or a little warped, the WRONG WAY!   Which is okay if you keep your speeds down.  Or if you screw the track down to something solid.  The hollow rails were not all perfectly formed, some kind of slanted in one direction or the other.  I had problems on a few pieces of track with bad continuity between the electrical contacts.  Soldering on a jumper wire to the contacts took care of that problem.  Some of the rails here and there were just a tad longer than the plastic roadbed (both new and used), which created havoc with the non-derail feature on one of the switches.  I ended up shortening these pieces of rail by either sawing or grinding off.

A lot of my problems were found after having the track mounted to the table.  I had to go back, unscrew the track, fix the problem, the re-attach it.  This went on over the course of a month or so.  Finally, I went around with a Dremel, some hand files, and a pair of pliers tweaking the rails into alignment and generally smoothing up all the rail joints.  Along with installing shims on the switch guardrails (to eliminate the occasional point-picking problem), the track work is now fairly smooth.

As far as electrical wiring goes, for my 6' x 16' layout, the heaviest wire I have used 16 gauge.  It's far more than adequate for my layout, 12 and 14 gauge wiring is way overkill in my opinion.

 Would I use RealTrax again?  Yeah, I probably would, but I'd have to find a REALLY swinging deal on a WHOLE bunch of it at a train meet or a garage sale or a craigslist posting.  Heck, same thing with Fastrack, I'm not totally against it either.  Besides, I've got far bigger sights in mind for the future, and it will almost undoubtedly involve Ross/GarGraves track and switches. 

Built this layout in 2004 and never had any issues ...

Mixedfreight, do you prefer solid rail or hollow? I started with solid but switched to hollow because solid was getting hard to find. I prefer the hollow now. Plus, if I have rail alignment problems, I can use track pins. I haven’t had to but it is an option.

Steve

RideTheRails posted:

Mixedfreight, do you prefer solid rail or hollow? I started with solid but switched to hollow because solid was getting hard to find. I prefer the hollow now. Plus, if I have rail alignment problems, I can use track pins. I haven’t had to but it is an option.

Steve

I think I would prefer the solid rail stuff.  No chance for the bent or warped hollow rail sections that way.

I actually used track pins, which I made myself out of .072 wire, on all the new hollow sections I had to purchase.  This definitely helped with rail alignment.  Couldn't use pins where hollow sections butted up against the solid sections, of course.  Had to rely on CAREFULLY bending/twisting the hollow rail with pliers, where needed.

If I had enough time, I might have attended train shows for 2 or 3 years (or more) and found all the solid rail track I was needing.  I didn't want to wait THAT long, of course.