Scaletrax Switches to Atlas Track

I have attached a SCARM file (and a JPG file) that compares Atlas O72 yard ladder to Ross #4 yard ladder, and it shows about the same amount of space savings.  What makes Ross switches a "better" choice IMO is that they are great quality, more readily available than Scaletrax, and will mate with any other track brand without major problems.

Chuck

As a firm proponent of ScaleTrax, I think this is the first time I've seen someone wanting to use MTH switches with Atlas track!  Usually its the other way around. Doesn't Atlas make a #4 or #5 that would be a better match?

Here is ScaleTrax on our old layout. I had good results with the MTH switches too.

My layout currently is all Atlas.  I have no experience with Scaletrax.  Since Hurricane Michael I've not been able to do any work on it as it is now a store room for a friend's stuff.  Likewise, the garage.

My modeling activities have been limited to working in SCARM on improvements I would like to do to the layout.  I be posting my proposed new layout at a future date.

From everything said on the forum I know Atlas and Ross will work well together.  I was interested in Scaletrax because it would more realistic for storage and industrial track as these would have lighter rail and wider tie spacing unlike the heavy mainline appearance of Atlas.  I know that the two systems are different heights, but I don't know if the outside rails can be connected with a "rail joiner" like Atlas and Ross.

I'm wanting to achieve 3.5" (14 feet full scale) spacing.  Chuck's design achieves that.  MY initial go with Scaletrax showed that I can achieve 2 7/8" spacing so I would need to a custom cut straight between the ladder turnouts.

Before I invest in new turnouts I wanted to find out if this was possible.

Jan

Stick with Ross or Atlas, they are both code 145.  Scaletrax is lower  (Code 125?).  You'll have rail height problems.  Ross makes it easy to connect Ross with Atlas. Stick with 3 1/2 spacing.  Ross gives you more options.  Consider their model 100 and 101 switches.  They are only 14 3/4 inches in length (11 degree) as Atlas are 20 inches.  Ross are also about 20% cheaper.  They both are available on Ebay and OGR Forum.  Ross also has a 3-way, on which I have no info.  Also consider a yard ladder.  Ross #170 is a four-way, 24 inches long with 3 1/2 in. track spacing.  Space gets eaten up quite fast as you have probably already found out.  Go to Rosscustomswitches.com for PDF's of all their offerings.  They also make a piece called TR 35, TR 40 and TR 45 to make 3.5 in, 4.0 in. and 4.5 in. spacing with their 100 and 101 switches.  They also offer a full scale diagram of all their switches for about $20-$25.  It comes in very handy when designing a layout.

Use Ross turnouts with Atlas track. It's easy to join using the Atlas joiners (you have to cut the stringer on the Ross switch at the end ties and slide the end ties back). Though I like ScaleTrax, your application would be better served using Ross turnouts. The 11-degree turnouts might be a better option than the Ross #4's, though for larger equipment and you can still get nice tight spacing on yards and sidings. We use Ross 11-degree turnouts on the club layout mains. New track alignments are all done with Atlas track.

Thought I had seen a past post or thread around here about mating Atlas and Scaletrax, tried everything I could imagine for search terms and I can't find it anywhere. Also quite possible I am mixing this up with mating Atlas to some other track type?

Anyway, AGHRMatt above was one of the main folks that I was thinking might have posted about it. So if he's recommending Ross I bet it's for a good reason. Matt has posted quite a bit about different track types in the past with very good advice.

What little I know about Scaletrax is that it doesn't mate to itself in the conventional methods we are used to, as in rail joiners, track pins, etc. Maybe Matt can expand on it's method used for connection, I have never completely understood it and my LHS doesn't carry it so I have nothing to examine up close.

I agree with the other posters- stick with Ross.  Also, prototype spacing aside, when you start getting down to spacing as tight as 2 7/8" how much finger room will you have in there to couple/uncouple, and remove cars from the track?

I have an all-Atlas layout - with Atlas switches.

Honestly, in your case, I would go with Ross as others have said.  I can't imagine that you would have any regrets.

RTR, you might have been thinking of Russell's post about Ross switches with ScaleTrax, that's the only thread I recalled.

Anyway, here are 5 yard examples (all tracks are Atlas). One thing I noticed is that the ScaleTrax version almost matches the Ross #11 version when I overlay them.

Nominal Storage Space(excluding switches):
Atlas O72 - 294"
Atlas #5 - 249"
ScaleTrax #4 - 331"
Ross #4 - 322"
Ross #11 - 332"

IMHO, Atlas #5 is the clear loser, so the question for me...... is the extra 37" worth the cost and labor? And will the closer spacing cause unseen problems with access to individual cars?

Thanks, Dave, that could very well be the thread. At least the old mind isn't completely gone.  Jan might still be interested in it as I think you can also join the Ross to Atlas with rail joiners, so it might give him an idea?

Anymore it seems like I can lose track of these threads overnight! Used to take just a little longer...

rtr12 posted:

Thought I had seen a past post or thread around here about mating Atlas and Scaletrax, tried everything I could imagine for search terms and I can't find it anywhere. Also quite possible I am mixing this up with mating Atlas to some other track type?

 

rtr12... You remembered correctly.  It was me.  My son did a video about it when he was about 12 years old.  He's 17 now and does not really want his childhood face out on the internet.  

Here are some pictures of a Scaletrax / Altas connection.  My son used Atlas rail joiners and soldered the connection.  Then used a piece of foam under the scaletrax to match the height of the Atlas track.  I'll see if I can "edit" the video.

Ron

Thanks, maybe the old memory ain't quite as bad as I thought it was!   I'm sure Jan will appreciate this too, thanks for posting. 

Nice clear pictures too, looks like a pretty smooth transition can be done between the two track systems.  

Ron's post is enough to scare one away from doing this.  I did find this post from 2012 with pictures of all the track systems.

https://ogrforum.com/...vs-atlas-availabilty

I like what #4's do for my yard plans.  I chose the Atlas system over 10 years ago and have been pleased with it though I have experienced some of the problems with the first generation of switches.  I have been lobbying Atlas at York for a #4 and a O90/O72 curved switches.  They did say that they have completed upgrading there current switches and plan to do #4 and an O63.

For now I cannot do anything but wait as my train room and garage have been full of my friends household goods since Hurricane Michael.  All I can do is plan and then plan some more.

Jan