Code 40 rail

[pedro]

Micro Engineering had a booth at Trainfest… code 40 rail is back in stock now. He had a bunch there. MSRP now $60 for the 17-piece bundle. Flex track is coming by the end of the year. Bridges and trestles coming soon.

[Chris333]

Ha! 2 days ago I was thinking about posting here to see if it was ever back in stock.

[Jimbo]

Flex track is coming by the end of the year.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

Jim

[robert3985]

Since I have a fairly large stock of ME rail in various heights, I'm not keeping on top of when the present ME is going to have any to offer.  However, I would logically think that getting N-scale rail, both Code55 and Code40 back into the marketplace would have only positive financial effects for the new ME Company.

Lucky for me that I bought a fairly large amount of Rail Craft and early ME Code55 flextrack (before the injection tool got so bad a new one had to be made) so that I have more than enough of the really fine-spiked flex to finish my planned sectional/modular layout...and, the same goes for N-scale flex...the quicker it becomes available, the better for the new ME Company.

As far as turnouts are concerned, all of my mainline turnouts (Code55) are minimally "real" #7's (as opposed to the Atlas55's funky #7 (?) configuration) but mostly #8's, so I'm not interested in ME's #6 turnouts (even though if the new ones are as good as the last run (cosmetically & functionally), they will easily be the best N-scale turnout made, and I'll use them where appropriate if I ever do a custom module or layout again for a customer.

Having laid quite a few Code40 turnouts as well as having laid a bit of Code40 PCB trackage for my Park City Branch...and, also having laid a lot of Code55 turnouts for my present modular/sectional layout...AND, having laid a lot of Code70 N-scale turnouts (for early NTRAK compliance) for my first NTRAK modules...I can positively state that scratch-building Code40 turnouts is by far easier than either Code55 or Code70, mainly because of the much smaller track (meaning less material to remove) but also because it's easier to bend.

Additionally, since the turnout building principles and techniques are identical for all three of the rail codes I've used, I don't find ANY problems or extra care or work that's necessary using Code40 over Code55.  Since I'm never going to do Code70 N-scale turnouts again, I'll just ignore any comparison with that now totally unnecessary large rail height.

As far as providing proper spikehead/tieplate details for my hand-laid turnouts, I have tried a few different techniques from hand-cutting Styrene tieplates (without any spikeheads), hand-cut brass tieplates with embossed spikehead details, to using Proto87Stores etched spikehead/tieplates for both trackage and turnouts, and have never found any of these techniques to be actually adding to the realism of my hand-laid track, especially relative to the effort needed to position them and secure them on N-scale turnout ties.

BUT, and it's a big "but"...I am now pretty sure I can get the proper detailing, ease of manufacture, proper installation configuration and ease of modification using 3D Resin Printing.

Gotta remember that a scaled-down prototype spike head is only a scale 1" high...that's 0.00625"...or basically 0.006" tall.  If that prototypical height is used, then after paint and weathering, most details that are only 0.006" proud of what they're sticking up from, will become not noticeable...and if they're not noticeable, then why use the time and effort to install them at all???

Producing stl files for 3D printing allows easy experimentation with heights (the main variable) when talking about rail details, and printing something as low as spikehead/tieplates allows us Code40 "Lunatics"...and Code55 "Lunatics" (for turnouts) to play around with, and finally produce these tiny objects so they're noticeable once we get the installation proportions and methodology to our liking. 

As far as volume is concerned, although I haven't done the calculations yet, I am pretty sure that using my 10" 8K printer, I can get nearly 2,000 (or maybe more) spikehead/tieplates off of one build plate in around an hour's printing time...adding some extra time for drainage and then washing & curing...making total handling time of less than 15 minutes since I don't have to fuss with them while printing or while draining.

Back to flextrack.  From both a realism and expense standpoint, if properly-detailed ME flex is available in Code55, use the flex.  It's a lot cheaper and better detailed than hand-laid...and a lot less effort.  The last run of ME Code55 flex was marginal as far as the details (spikeheads/tieplates) becoming ever-larger were concerned.  We can hope the new injection tooling will have smaller, more distinct spikehead/tieplate detailing as well as more sharply angular ties.

For Code40 flex, frankly, unless much smaller (shorter) spikeheads are used for Code40 flex by ME, producing it isn't going to be cost-effective because unaltered, it won't work with anything but actual low-profile flanges...mainly motive power being the problem, and, unfortunately, the most difficult to "fix".

I've got one length of the last run of ME Code40 flex as the center siding track on my Emory Siding, and I have had to carefully sand down the inside spikeheads to get many common engines to run on it.  Since all of my rolling stock are equipped with real low profile flanges, they're not the problem...just several of my favorite, and most commonly used engines are.

When I look back on it, as far as running is concerned, I would have done better by hand-laying the Code40 trackage (PCB ties every fifth tie) in this application...BUT, I wanted the spikehead/tieplate details...and, I didn't have a solution at the time other than to sand down the inner spikeheads carefully on ME Code40 flex, which has been a PITA since the height and size of ME Code40 flex's spikehead/tieplate detailing is identical their Code55 flex's detailing...flange interference is a given...except for true low-profile flanges.

Even after 3D printing proper "visible" spikehead/tieplates for applying individually to each wood/Styrene & PCB tie on your hand-laid trackage...that's still a LOT of work.  Is it gonna be worth it?  I can't say since I haven't done it yet.

Another possible solution to partially solve the expense/time problem with hand-laid Code40 (or hand-laid Code55) would be to 3D print ties, or tie-strips, with the properly gauged spikehead/tieplate details attached...just slide 'em on...or press them on.  Have separate spikehead/tieplates for either side of the rail to apply to your PCB ties after soldering the rails every fifth tie.  This could work, and drastically cut down on the cost of LASER-cut wooden ties while adding more prototypical detailing since the spikeheads/tieplates could be mainly cosmetic, except for gauging the rails...the actual holding-the-rails-to-the-ties being done by the soldered joints on every fifth PCB tie.  Something to think about.

Now that I've finally got plenty of space to complete my sectional/modular layout, which will include quite a bit of Code40 trackage, as well as a few Code55 turnouts, I'll be working on determining the level of track detail I'm willing to do, since I now have the capability of doing just about any level possible with my 3D printer technology.

FUN!!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Maletrain]

I have not tried it yet, but am thinking about making code 40 track with spaced PCB ties for gauge and additional wood ties for prototypical appearance.  So, for tie plates, I am thinking just mask the ties when I paint the rails such that there is a bit of each tie on each side of the rail that gets painted "rail color" to represent the tie plates.  If anybody has tried that, how good does it look?

[Mark5]

I have not tried it yet, but am thinking about making code 40 track with spaced PCB ties for gauge and additional wood ties for prototypical appearance. 

A very old school approach.  This is basically how I did portions of my track back in the 1970s.

[dem34]

I have not tried it yet, but am thinking about making code 40 track with spaced PCB ties for gauge and additional wood ties for prototypical appearance.  So, for tie plates, I am thinking just mask the ties when I paint the rails such that there is a bit of each tie on each side of the rail that gets painted "rail color" to represent the tie plates.  If anybody has tried that, how good does it look?

Did it once, but its a lot of effort and may not be applicable to most prototypes. Seems only on moderately used branches that track actually looks like that. On heavier service lines most of the ROW gets unified with a brake dust patina.

[reinhardtjh]

Only slightly off topic - In an amazing coincidence, there is a posting on the N Scale Yard Sale IO group.  Someone is selling 13 sticks of Railcraft Code 40.  I thought I'd go for it but they want $160 plus maybe $31 for shipping That comes to $14.70 per stick.  To rich for my blood, I think.  Maybe someone could talk him down.

Pics are attached to the ad, the rail is in good shape and what's shown is still in the Railcraft tape.

https://groups.io/g/NScaleYardSale/message/34022

Ok will try this again ,  My bad on the rules,
FS: while cleaning found some N gauge track, that layout was long gone, but here is 13 pcs of Code 40 RAIL CRAFT N gauge flex, new, $160 & shipping PP,check,MO, … it is Rail Craft but can’t find a current listing for Rail Craft, but it is nice  but very delicate.
dave jakubiec
Detroit , mi
48152
734
Shipping $31 but need a zip code to be correct, and due to length maybe a surcharge.
thank you,

[robert3985]

Only slightly off topic - In an amazing coincidence, there is a posting on the N Scale Yard Sale IO group.  Someone is selling 13 sticks of Railcraft Code 40.  I thought I'd go for it but they want $160 plus maybe $31 for shipping That comes to $14.70 per stick.  To rich for my blood, I think.  Maybe someone could talk him down.

Pics are attached to the ad, the rail is in good shape and what's shown is still in the Railcraft tape.

https://groups.io/g/NScaleYardSale/message/34022

Original Rail Craft Code40 flex is unobtainium and is the best, most scale looking N-scale track ever produced.  The tieplate/spikehead detailing is much finer and lower than the last production run using the "new" (at the time) injection tool which had noticeably larger and taller tieplate/spikehead detailing.   

Soooo...at nearly $15 bucks a stick...that's not really that bad IMO because I doubt you're gonna ever get a chance to buy that much of the original best-ever-made trackage again.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore