Atlas Code 55 Flex New look

[thomasjmdavis]

Get all your rail in place and attached to the roadbed, go around the outer side of the rails with a bit of flexible glue, then run your old Con Cor PA1 around the layout pulling a half dozen Minitrix flatcars loaded with locomotive frames until the spikeheads are well sliced.  Should solve the chatter and bounce issues.  NO, you should not actually try that at home.

The alternative is Micro Engineering, which I like a lot, except when I need to curve the track.  Or worse, straighten it.

Right now, my layout is a mix of the two, along with some code 70, which seemed to work ok with some old Shinohara turnouts I used because I had a whole bunch from 2 layouts ago.  All I really need is replacement wheelsets for the Con Cor PA and 1 or 2 other antiques.

[peteski]

Yea...
ALL those other brands of code 55 track...

Hey, two is better than no choice at all. Plus at least one seems to be perpetually available.  But that is neither here or there as this has been beeaten do death in many previous threads.

Hooray for Atlas C55 track being again available before Christmas!  Long live Atlas C55 track (with all its warts large spikes). 

[mark.hinds]

How loose is the loose rail on the new version?  I notice that the new version seems to have a shadow beneath one of the rails. 

Mark H. 

[Cajonpassfan]

Just a silly question, out of idle curiosity:
anybody measure the "code 55" rail.... . Same as before or new tooling as well?
Otto K.

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

How loose is the loose rail on the new version?  I notice that the new version seems to have a shadow beneath one of the rails. 

Mark H.

Some pieces have some side to side movement in the rail but only in a few spots.

[nkalanaga]

Bryan:  All of my 20th century equipment worked on ME code 55, which I've used since the early 80s, except for the old Arnold stuff.  My FA-whatever and GG1 wouldn't run on anything less than code 80.

[OldEastRR]

All I really need is replacement wheelsets for the Con Cor PA and 1 or 2 other antiques.

I found the later versions of the ConCor RDC cars had wheels the same size as the PAs, with no pointed axle ends, but smaller flanges. I used RDC wheels (bought cheap dummies at a swap meet) to replace all the powered PA's ungeared wheelsets (and all wheel sets on my dummy PA), but never tried to see if the lower flange wheels could be interchanged with the ones on the geared axles.

[crrcoal]

Haven't seen the newly released Atlas c55 flex. I myself have a couple bundles of ME c55 flex that one of these days (hopefully soon) I will take and turn into a operating layout.

One other alternative that hasn't been mention is handlaid. Fast Tracks offers c55 and c40 straight track fixtures for about 50 bucks in either mainline, branch or siding. They offer curve fixtures too with multiple radius on the fixture for about 112. I always see people talking about Fast Track turnouts but very rarely their curved or straight track.

Even though there is no one end all be all track that will make everyone happy, at least there are choices out there that will get you close to what you like. It could always be worse.....

[towl1996]

Bigger spikes and flash???? HaHa. That looks horrible, code 80 looks better.  Best of luck Atlas.

[nkalanaga]

thomasjmdavis:  The only Con-Cor PAs I owned were from the late 60s and very early 70s, the original Kato production, and they already had small flanges.  In fact, all of the early CC equipment will run on ME's current code 40 track, even with their larger spikes, if the flash on the rail is trimmed off., and has no problem at all on earlier RailCraft track.  It was only after CC and Kato split in the mid 70s(?) that CC's flanges grew, as other companies were starting to reduce theirs.  Doesn't make sense, but that's how CC thought. 

Those early cars had lo-pro brass wheels, always seemed to be in gauge, and rolled very nicely, which proved that the smaller flanges would work in N scale.  I've heard, but don't have any evidence, that they were the primary inspiration for the current standards for N lo-pro wheels.

[wcfn100]

How wide do the new ties measure?  I always thought that the old ties looked a little spindly and I think they measured slightly under 9".  The new ties look good but I wonder if they are now too wide.

Jason

[thomasjmdavis]

nkalanga,

My bad.  I wasn't thinking when I wrote the post.  The old Con Cor (Kato) PA doesn't run that often anymore, the 30 year younger Kato gets most of the duty nowadays.  I do have a couple older locos that don't handle the Atlas code 55, but the PA is OK- in fact, I double-checked before writing this one.

Tom D

[bbussey]

Alright, I had a 100-piece box of flex arrive a week or so ago, but I hadn't opened it since I still have old stash to use up.  Comparing the old to the current, it appears to me that the differences are simply that this is new tooling.  The tie length is the same on both.  The ties and spikes are much more crisp than on the older track.  The tie width does appear to be slightly more than the older track, but I always felt the older ties were a little thin anyway.  Yes, there is some flash at one end on five or six ties on some of the pieces.  This however, is not a deal-breaker for me, as it's removed with a couple of swipes of the X-Acto blade.  The dimensions of the rail appear to be same.

Again, it appears to me to be an issue of fresh tools versus older worn tools.

[John]

Again, it appears to me to be an issue of fresh tools versus older worn tools.

sounds plausible to me ..

[glakedylan]

ok
whines about Atlas track not being available have come out of the internet woodwork
finally the long sought after track is now filtering in from China and even with new tooling
we have sung the praise of how USA prototypical Atlas code 55 is in tie and rail
now that is once again becoming available
now we are going to criticize it from every angle and perspective possible?
wow! these forums can be a lot like church!

argh...
come on folks...it is Christmas, Atlas is back in stock with more coming.
there are wonderful new releases from a variety of manufacturers due out in 2015
let's enjoy, let's keep it positive
it is a wonderful time to be a railroad modeler!

tidings of comfort and joy!