Ross/ gargraves vs atlas

I use Ross for modules and atlas at home. 

Ross is more durable because it’s spiked and glued, but for a permanent install, I like the look of the atlas.  You can mate Ross switches to atlas track if you need to, just use the standard atlas joiners. 

Honestly, can’t go wrong with either. It’s personal preference. Ross is definitely easier to customize and solder, but you can use one brand with the other... 

Hey Rugsy3...

This question comes up at least 3 or 5 times every year. For a lot of discussion, please use the SEARCH feature. 

You may have answered your own question already...you stated you like Atlas so why change. 

I personally use ROSS and Gargraves. Mounted on Midwest cork and a 1/2" plywood top on open grid framing. The ballast is by Dennis Brennan. 

See the results, I like the combination.

Donald

If it matters to you, Ross and Gargraves (what I used on my layout) are both made here in the USA and are always available.  Atlas track and switches from China have historically been unavailable for months at a time, until a new shipment comes in.  If you plan to use Atlas, try to buy all you will need at once to avoid being at the mercy of shipping schedules.

I think most folks will agree, there is no other switch better than Ross. The selection is much larger than any other. Gargraves on cork roadbed and ballasted looks great. Been using Gargraves for years on many layouts. Love the combo. Don

I have mostly Atlas track. I have 1 Ross 054 Left Hand Switch and 2 10'' straights. If I need to replace any track, switches, I'll call Ross. I rather buy products made here instead of overseas. No more Atlas track for me.

They are all very good. Overall I'll say Ross. Switches Ross. But I strongly like the atlas solid rail. Gargraves can play with Ross easier than trying to mix in atlas. Ross and gargraves have wooden rails. New Ross has kind of pine tar scent. Or was that my imagination? Ross is at least partially hand made and there's some variation in them. Atlas is heavier.  Many folks seem to go with Ross switches and gargraves straights and curves. Atlas I do like and have as my main straight track but the plastic ties can seperate with annoying ease at the ends. But they also sell new ends of it... and this helps. Ross appears to be assemble with tacked rails to wood ties with some glue to hold it all together. Gargraves and atlas appear to be friction fit. Ross and gragraves are not solid metal rail. And appear to me to have been conceived of as definitively being nailed down to something solid. They are drammatically quieter than fastrack when in use.  The used market for these is small but exists.

One other thing. Gargraves is much cheaper and I happen to like the look of wood ties. Don

I have Atlas, Scaletrax, Realtrax and Fasttrack. Out of all of them Scaletrax looks the best but is very limited in track options. Atlas is the best otherwise but s Bob says there can be problems getting switches etc. Ross will work with Atlas but you will DEFINITELY notice that the switch is a different type due to the ties being dramatically different. Personally I looked into Gargraves and decided against it even thou it is USA built. I did not care for the hollow rail or the fact that the flex track is hard to flex.

Just remember ATLAS track components can be out of stock OFTEN and hard to find at dealers. I am in NJ and keep increasing my calling circle to get 072 switches and finally found one at Legacy Station in Atlanta Georgia. Atlas kept telling me next week. Got tired of the mistruth representation from them.

RUGSY3, Atlas track and switches is a good looking track but not always available. I prefer Ross switches and Gar Graves track. With Ross a lot more choices. The same with Gar Graves when using pre formed curves. I have used Gar Graves since 1967 and Ross switches since the 80's........Paul

Gargraves track and Ross switches are the way to go. 

Atlas is prettier.......I use Ross/Gargraves on my layout. FYI I have some Atlas 30 degree crossings mixed in as they fit better. 

GG is much cheaper....TRAINWORLD has a deal on flex right now. 50 37 inch for $350. 

CurtisH posted:

I have Atlas, Scaletrax, Realtrax and Fasttrack. Out of all of them Scaletrax looks the best but is very limited in track options. Atlas is the best otherwise but s Bob says there can be problems getting switches etc. Ross will work with Atlas but you will DEFINITELY notice that the switch is a different type due to the ties being dramatically different. Personally I looked into Gargraves and decided against it even thou it is USA built. I did not care for the hollow rail or the fact that the flex track is hard to flex.

Gargraves make sectional curved track. no need to bend.

Question like these is actually to each there own preference, to me there isn't a clear winner on either.

CurtisH posted:

Personally I looked into Gargraves and decided against it even thou it is USA built. I did not care for the hollow rail or the fact that the flex track is hard to flex.

After going through 2 full cases of Gargraves flex track I find it very easy to work with. I had heard horror stories......FOR ME it was just that ...stories.

I used Gargraves (including their switches) on my first layout, and I am using Atlas on the present one.  The first one require long, flowing curves, and GG was perfect for that.  When I had to tear it down and make this one, I didn't need that capability.  The GG I had had been used at least three times, and it was becoming worn from all the bending and reverse bending, so I switched.  I wanted sectional for this one and decided I like the look of Atlas rail.  If I have to do flextrack again, I wouldn't hesitate to use GG.

This is a Gargraves/Ross layout.  All parts are used.  

Tom's layout build.    Click on the underlined to link a slideshow. 

The question is kinda like Chevy vs. Ford - it’s a matter of preference. I have a 16x40 layout and it was all Fastrack. I tore it out due to the noise and am in the process of rebuilding it with Atlas. I chose Atlas because I liked how it looked on Steve Nelson’s (MrMuffin’s) awesome layout and because I found a couple big lots of it NOS and used at York and other shows (about 1/2 of what I needed). I’ve been very happy with it including it’s ease of assembly and electrical capability. If I have one complaint it’s that switches at times can be hard to find in some sizes (like now in O72). Other than that, I have nothing but good things to say about Atlas. 

Forest posted:

CurtisH posted:

I have Atlas, Scaletrax, Realtrax and Fasttrack. Out of all of them Scaletrax looks the best but is very limited in track options. Atlas is the best otherwise but s Bob says there can be problems getting switches etc. Ross will work with Atlas but you will DEFINITELY notice that the switch is a different type due to the ties being dramatically different. Personally I looked into Gargraves and decided against it even thou it is USA built. I did not care for the hollow rail or the fact that the flex track is hard to flex.

Gargraves make sectional curved track. no need to bend.

I am just saying some people like bending it for a non standard curve hence FLEX TRACK!

Since I've mixed these three together I can speak to that.  Don't do it.  Hard headed folks like me enjoy making some things work that don't really. So It's easier to jam the ends of atlas and Ross together than gargraves due to the end shape of the track. I would describe gargraves as sort of in the shape of a keyhole. The bottom of it means the atlas joined ain't sliding anywhere on it without trimming metal. The Ross can be forced though to atlas because it's shape is more comparable and that's what I prefer to do when hitching them together. On the other hand the pin to pin connection of Ross and gargraves appears to be compatible. You may have trim plastic or wood to make some connections work. Atlas has that annoying little snap together piece on either end. That must be cut away when connecting to another brand.

Another point against Atlas is PRICE! It is the highest i believe. I also have found that the connecting clips will work loose over time presenting electrical problems. As has been said here a few times and in several previous post it is just a matter of preference. I do believe that Ross has the absolute best switches though.

CurtisH posted:

Another point against Atlas is PRICE! It is the highest i believe. I also have found that the connecting clips will work loose over time presenting electrical problems. As has been said here a few times and in several previous post it is just a matter of preference. I do believe that Ross has the absolute best switches though.

 

A Gargrave/Atlas connection with an Atlas track joiner.  Note the lower track profile, (Gargraves), has to be removed with a dremel tool. 

Gargraves (left)/Atlas(right).  

I have somewhere between 700 & 1200 atlas track, accumulated over the last 9 years. I originally chose atlas over lionel tubular ( have 300 pcs), ross, and gargraves. fasttrack by either mth or lionel was originally prohibtively expense($11 to $14 per track),  since I knew I would eventally build a larger layout.  The 17 by 24 foot board is now built, track feeders almost finished. altas track has been ok, altas switch tracks, o gauge, have been terrible. Bought 10 atlas switches at 1 time, 8 of 10 failed in the first 2 years. I think atlas had bad batches where power wasnt properly applied to the frogs/ switch track. The swirches were past warranty when I tried them. Bought 10 more switches spread out over 2 years, 6 intermittingly loose power or derail my mth premier steam engines.

So, based on my experience, Id use atlas track & pray the switch tracks work. I now have 23 atlas switches in my junk box. Expect when I get my main lines running again, I will probably learn a whole lot more about atlas switches & try to repair some. I have 1 ross switch track & its worlds better, but I dont think ross switches can be mixed with atlas track routinely on main lines with bigger, heavier engines.

When I set up my basement layout, about 15 years ago, my original plan was to use Atlas track and turnouts.  Atlas, at least at that time, had free track planning software on their website.  

In the end, however, I decided to go with Ross turnouts, Gargraves curves/straight track.  What was the decider for me was the vast choice of turnouts that Ross offered.  I'll also echo the comments above about the sometimes in-availability of Atlas turnouts.  Ross turnouts, on the other hand, almost always seems available.  

With my first big order, I did place it through my local hobby shop.  It did, however, take a long time to arrive and I think it may have been because the hobby shop wanted to bundle my order with others.  AMhobbies use to keep a fair amount of product on hand, but they are long gone.  In the end, I just started to place orders directly with Ross. Yes, it cost a couple of dollars more, but they were always very quick to ship and I had my order arrive at my house a couple of days after placing it.

When I disassembled my basement layout, I had 19 Ross turnouts.  I was very pleased with operation of the turnouts.  There is also a good secondary market for these turnouts, and when I put them up for sale, they sold very quickly.

I currently have an order placed for Lionel Fastrack, as we have moved into a rental house for a couple of years.  When we buy our retirement home, if I have the option of another permanent layout, it will be Ross turnouts with Ross track.

My only real advice, would be to hold off purchasing your track until you decide for certain what type you want.  It doesn't really make sense to spend $500, $1000, $2000, or more on track and turnouts, only to sell it and buy something else.

Jim

My layout is 32 years old. I use Gargraves flexible phantom Rail track and Ross switches. Switches are powered by Tortoise switch machines mounted under the layout out of sight. No problems with either the switches, switch machines or track. The Atlas track is really nice but their switches have at times been problematic. Also, their switch machines are big, brown and ugly. The Ross switches are guaranteed for life, and if you happen to damage one Steve will repair it and ship it back to you free.  He is one of the great guys in this hobby. His switches are hand made here in the USA. My layout is built with 1x4 pine for legs and framing and 1/2 inch AC plywood using an open grid technique allowing for grades and different levels. The wood components are held together with dry wall screws. No glue and no nails. Of all the components that make up the layout the switches, track and switch motors have been the most trouble free. I can't recommend them highly enough.

This is a frequent topic of discussion on the Forum. In my opinion, choice of track and switches is a matter of the modeler's preference. Both of my layouts use Atlas track because I prefer the solid flat-top nickel-silver rails which have a reasonably prototypical cross-section shape. The ties are also closer to prototypical size and spacing, although they are too high, in order to make them compatible with traditional track. But this can be disguised by ballast.  I have had no problems with my Atlas O-54 and O-72 switches in 20 years of operation, but I do try to minimize activating the switches. During that time, I have repaired or replaced a few pieces of track due to rails becoming separated from ties - possibly due to pressure from cleaning the rails. As far as cost is concerned, a model railroad is a large investment in time, effort and money that should last a long time. If you are going to make that effort, you might as well buy whatever you prefer if the cost is not prohibitive.

MELGAR

turbgine posted:

My layout is 32 years old. I use Gargraves flexible phantom Rail track and Ross switches. Switches are powered by Tortoise switch machines mounted under the layout out of sight. No problems with either the switches, switch machines or track. The Atlas track is really nice but their switches have at times been problematic. Also, their switch machines are big, brown and ugly. The Ross switches are guaranteed for life, and if you happen to damage one Steve will repair it and ship it back to you free.  He is one of the great guys in this hobby. His switches are hand made here in the USA. My layout is built with 1x4 pine for legs and framing and 1/2 inch AC plywood using an open grid technique allowing for grades and different levels. The wood components are held together with dry wall screws. No glue and no nails. Of all the components that make up the layout the switches, track and switch motors have been the most trouble free. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Couldn't agree more with your comments about Gargraves track, Ross switches, the Tortoise switch machines and your experience with Steve, who is one of the great guys in our hobby. While my layout is only about 15 years old, my experience with the track, switches and switch machines is identical to yours.