ME Flex

[GaryHinshaw]

I'm very happy with my concrete tie ME flex (which is good because it is the only US prototype concrete track available).  I'm much less impressed with their current wood tie track for a couple of reasons:

1. It is very stiff.  I have been laying a staging yard with it and it takes forever to get a piece of track dead straight.  (I actually find it easier to get graceful curves from it than true straight sections.)   I am using the weathered rail because I like the finish, but if I purchase any more, I will likely go with unweathered since that will be less stiff, and not hard to spray paint afterwards.  (I tried the hot water soak and it didn't change a thing with the weathered rail.)

2. The ties at the ends of the track are actually offset from the center-line of the track so when you join them, there is an obvious jog in the ties:



The funny thing is, the offset has the same handedness on both ends, so you're stuck with it.  Has it always been like this?  In my case I'll be using wood tie track for industrial tracks, so this is not too big a deal, but still...

By the way, this is an example of a staggered joinerless joint.  I've had my mainline in place with this technique for over a year now with zero issues, and it looks great (i.e. almost invisible).  I'm very happy with it.

-Gary

P.S. I love the concrete tie track with weathered rail.  It's not as stiff, the ties are well done, and it would be a royal pain to paint the rails without making a mess of the ties.

[davefoxx]

Gary,

I'm one of the few who actually prefers the flexibility of Atlas flextrack over ME.  I have a tough time getting the curves smooth and, like you, the straight portions dead straight with ME track.  This is much easier for me with Atlas track, where the track bends in a nice, continuous curve, and I don't have to fight tangent sections to make them straight.  That loose rail in Atlas' track also makes it much easier for me to line up the next piece of track when installing it.  I've heard that ME's weathered rail is something that you want to stay away from, because it compounds the problem of inflexibility.

To minimize your problem with the ties, perhaps you can take a straight edge razor blade and just nip the end of the first tie or two.  That might make the offset less obvious.

As for your joinerless rail connections, I wouldn't be satisfied with what I see in this picture.  Those rails are not as lined up as I prefer.  Admittedly, your picture may just be a mock-up to show the problem with the ties, so your usual rail joints may be better.  I'll stay with joiners, though.

DFF

[Scottl]

The tie misalignment is actually pretty serious in my view.  I'll go so far to say that it is an unacceptable tooling problem and the product is flawed, even if it is functional.  This, together with the high amounts of flash on some of the bridge products, suggests to me that I will scrutinize ME products very carefully in the future.  Kind of shocking, actually.

Having said that, I am happy to hear positive reports about the concrete track given that I plan to use this.  I am not sure that the stiffness for bending is an issue for me- I do it once and it is done.  So what if it takes a little more effort?  Don't be railroad girlie men 

How can weathering the rail increase the stiffness?  Does it somehow adhere the rail to the tie more firmly?  At first blush, I would choose the weathered rail to get a more finished look initially. 

[davefoxx]

I am not sure that the stiffness for bending is an issue for me- I do it once and it is done.  So what if it takes a little more effort?  Don't be railroad girlie men 

   

How can weathering the rail increase the stiffness?  Does it somehow adhere the rail to the tie more firmly?  At first blush, I would choose the weathered rail to get a more finished look initially.

My understanding is that the finish does not allow the rail to slide through the ties very well, plus, as soon as you bend the track, the non-weathered spots under the spikes become visible, so you have to touch up the rails or paint the track anyway.

[Scottl]

That makes sense, thanks for clarifying.  I agree, does not seem to be worth getting it pre-weathered.

[DKS]

As for your joinerless rail connections, I wouldn't be satisfied with what I see in this picture.  Those rails are not as lined up as I prefer.  Admittedly, your picture may just be a mock-up to show the problem with the ties, so your usual rail joints may be better.  I'll stay with joiners, though.

Having built a few layouts this way, I can assure you the rails can and do line up properly. It is, admittedly, a bit more work than rail joiners, but the end result is really worth it, particularly for foreground track. That said, you ought to use the technique with which you're the most comfortable.

[MichaelWinicki]

Wow!

That's not a good result.

[mmagliaro]

Something is really whacked there.  You can see, looking down the entire stretch of flex, that the ties "stick out" much more to one side than to the other.   I did not have this problem in the 90s and early 2000s when I used ME flex. 

I wonder if they have a die problem with the current runs of flex.

[Kisatchie]

Something is really whacked there.  You can see, looking down the entire stretch of flex, that the ties "stick out" much more to one side than to the other. 

I just looked at six sections of my ME flex track. I see no ties sticking out more on one side than the other. By the way, I bought this flex track in 2013 from Fifer Hobby Supply.


Hmm... is there a Fifer
Banana Supply...?

[Baronjutter]

I would have loved the more modern look of concrete track but it always looks wierd to have all concrete track but then wood turnouts.  Peco makes concrete track as well.  But neither peco or ME make concrete turnouts!!

[Loren Perry]

My steam-friendly "Hollywood Railroad" uses a lot of code 55 ME non-weathered flextrack and I'm very happy with it. Installation went easily and it's a superb looking product. Absolutely no issues with any wheel flanges bouncing off spike heads. As for mismatched ties, that's nothing a few minutes with a sharp hobby knife can't fix - just trim about five or six ties on each side to nullify the problem. Or turn the track section 180 degrees so both sides match.

[Scottl]

The problem is more than a few ties and as Gary describes it, the problem can't be solved by rotating the track 180 degrees.   This is a manufacturing defect.

[railnerd]

I would have loved the more modern look of concrete track but it always looks wierd to have all concrete track but then wood turnouts.  Peco makes concrete track as well.  But neither peco or ME make concrete turnouts!!

Out here in California, there are many wooden turnouts even when the mainline has been upgraded by UP to concrete.

-Dave

[Baronjutter]

I don't live anywhere near a working railway so I honestly have no idea what railways look like or operate like today, mostly it's all just via google that I find out.  I thought if an area had concrete ties it would be concrete for everything, turnouts included??  Or do they sometimes just mix and match?

[sd45elect2000]

Out here in California, there are many wooden turnouts even when the mainline has been upgraded by UP to concrete.

-Dave

Turnouts tend to pound a little bit.. sometimes its enough to break concrete ties, wooden ties are more suitable for special work like turnouts and crossings at grade.
Randy