N Scale OEM locos on hand laid code 40 rail

[Ron Brook]

I see n scale engines advertised as running on code 55 rail.  I’m assuming they mean code 55 flex track.  I’d hate to spent a lot of money on a DCC engine to find out it wouldn’t run on hand laid code 40 rail.  By that I mean soldered to pc ties, no spikes.
Thanks in advance
Ron

[learmoia]

I'd assume it means pre-made (Atlas) Code 55 track..

[robert3985]

Way back in the 1980's, I decided to put quite a bit of hand-laid Code 40 PCB trackage on my Ntrak modules for a yard, sidings and a couple of spurs.  I really wanted to use the newly available Rail Craft code 40 flex, but after buying some of it, I found that only low-profile flanges would run on it...and I wanted the other club members' engines and rolling stock, many of which were OLD stuff with huge pizza cutter flanges, to run without problems in my yard and on my non-mainline trackage...so Rail Craft (now Micro Engineering)  flex was out.

I got out my trusty dial calipers and found out the rail height on my Rail Craft Code-40 track was actually .044" high, then measured the grossest pizza cutter wheels that were in my bucket-O-pizza-cutter wheelsets, and their flanges were nowhere near .044" high.  My assumption was that ANY engines or rolling stock were going to run just fine on hand-laid PCB Code 40 trackage.

So, I did all of my Code-40 trackwork and at the next show, the members were anxious to try out my new modules, and none of them had any problems with my Code 40 rails.

You shouldn't have any worries about any engines or rolling stock presently available running on hand-laid Code 40 PCB track.

Photo (1) - Handlaid Code 40 PCB Park City Yard trackage on my Echo layout section under one of my UP cabooses:


Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Mark5]

I’d hate to spent a lot of money on a DCC engine to find out it wouldn’t run on hand laid code 40 rail.  By that I mean soldered to pc ties, no spikes.
Thanks in advance
Ron

Hi Ron,

No spikes - no problem.

With spikes, there might be a problem.

Mark

[dem34]

I see n scale engines advertised as running on code 55 rail.  I’m assuming they mean code 55 flex track.  I’d hate to spent a lot of money on a DCC engine to find out it wouldn’t run on hand laid code 40 rail.  By that I mean soldered to pc ties, no spikes.
Thanks in advance
Ron

From my experience personally, as long as the solder joints are done cleanly; even pizza cutters can run smoothly over handlaid code 40 track excluding turnouts. Shouldn't be an issue if the engine was made within the last 30yrs.

[ryan_wilkerson]

At the big Free-moN meet in Evanston, WY last month, a fellow used code 40 handlaid for his modules (the standard is 55) and it ran well. Of course Free-moN use low profile for wheels so that helps too.

[robert3985]

From my experience personally, as long as the solder joints are done cleanly; even pizza cutters can run smoothly over handlaid code 40 track excluding turnouts. Shouldn't be an issue if the engine was made within the last 30yrs.

My experience tells me that code 40 handlaid PCB track and turnouts will allow even pizza cutters to run without problems.  Notice I am NOT excluding turnouts, which run pizza cutters perfectly.

I don't do anything special with my code 40 turnouts.  They're built identically to my code 55 turnouts.

Photo (1) - Code 40 PCB track on my layout in the Park City Branchline Yard at Echo:


Photo (2) - Newly installed Code 40 PCB turnout for Park City Yard turntable/engine house spur:


Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[dem34]

My experience tells me that code 40 handlaid PCB track and turnouts will allow even pizza cutters to run without problems.  Notice I am NOT excluding turnouts, which run pizza cutters perfectly.

I don't do anything special with my code 40 turnouts.  They're built identically to my code 55 turnouts.

Photo (1) - Code 40 PCB track on my layout in the Park City Branchline Yard at Echo:

Photo (2) - Newly installed Code 40 PCB turnout for Park City Yard turntable/engine house spur:

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

You are correct, chalking that up to my last time testing this being a bit less experienced. Of course helps that when I was dabbling in it I had access to these posts.

[ednadolski]

I thought SDSoNS has been running PCB/C40 on their club layout for decades, with no issues on large-flange wheels (the club layout existed before lo-pros became more common).   Can anyone clarify?

It seems to me tho that anything with factory DCC from a modern vendors (Kato, Atlas, Athearn, ...) should probably work fine even on C40 flextrack  (my stuff does), tho I couldn't rule out the possibility of some exceptions.

Ed

[Sumner]

Not to distract from this thread but I had a question for Bob about how he is building/wiring his turnouts so started a new thread .....

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=52734.msg721995#msg721995

Sumner

[robert3985]

Not to distract from this thread but I had a question for Bob about how he is building/wiring his turnouts so started a new thread .....

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=52734.msg721995#msg721995

Sumner

@Sumner  Question answered in new thread.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Bill H]

Hi Bob:
I seem to remember that you had a method of sanding down the spikes of ME40 flex to improve their capacity to tolerate larger flanges. Right? That might be helpful for those who like code 40 but don't want to go entirely the pcb route.

Kind regards,
Bill

[robert3985]

Hi Bob:
I seem to remember that you had a method of sanding down the spikes of ME40 flex to improve their capacity to tolerate larger flanges. Right? That might be helpful for those who like code 40 but don't want to go entirely the pcb route.

Kind regards,
Bill

@Bill H  Hi Bill:

Yes, you remember correctly.  I was quite surprised when I installed my ME Code 40 center siding, and my Kato F test engine wouldn't run on it.  It was then that I discovered that "new" ME flex had much larger spike heads than "old" ME flex 

Since the track was already glued down and wired up, I thought I'd try sanding down the inside spike heads as I've been recommending to those who have flange interference problems with Atlas Code 55.

I have several color-coded (for the grit of sandpaper strip on them) "The Detail Sander" miniature sanding tools, and they have an angled end and a rounded end.  The angled end looked like it would make sanding the inside spike heads pretty easy to do on the "new" ME code 40 flex, so I started gently sanding away, and it didn't take too long to lower the spike heads low enough that my Kato test engine runs on it...and without any interference.  Sanding the engineering plastic used on ME flex leaves a lot of fuzz, so I took a small, soft brass wire brush to the spikeheads which cleaned off most of the fuzz without scarring up the ties too much.

Photo (1) - Emory/Devils Slide Center Siding in "New" ME Code 40 flex with inside spike heads sanded down:


There are both pluses and minuses to doing this.  The pluses are: (a) Flex is MUCH less expensive than hand-laid track (b) Even though the spike heads are oversized, they are still there rather than being totally missing as on hand-laid PCB track  (c) If using MC Code 40 for sidings, spurs and industrial trackage, it maintains congruity of appearance with ME Code 55 on the mainlines.  The minuses are: (a) It's quite a bit of work to sand down even just the inside spike heads and also demands a lot attention while doing this so as not to sand the tiny spike heads completely away (b) Pizza cutters will not run on even sanded-down ME Code 40 just as they will not run on original Rail Craft Code 40 flex.

If I were going to build a complete layout using Code 40, I think the total amount of work involved with either laying ME Code 40 then sanding down the inner spike heads or laying PCB code 40...the total amount of work for each type of track is about the same...with maybe a little less work going to laying ME Code 40 flex.  However, hand laid track (not counting turnouts) is much more expensive than flex...not expensive enough to negate the savings realized from hand-laying your turnouts, but still significantly more expensive than flex.

Another aspect to hand-laying your PCB Code 40 track is the easiness you can modify your ties to represent light-trafficked track or REALLY neglected track.  Yes, you can do this with ME Code 40 flex too, but if you want distressed ties, nothing can compare to actual wooden ties.

Photo (2) - Hand laid Code 55 and Code 40 PCB track showing differences between heavily-trafficked track and very lightly trafficked siding track:


As with many aspects of N-scale model railroading, the are positive and negative points to just about every aspect of it, and it's up to us as individuals to decide what our priorities are.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[peteski]

. . .
Sanding the engineering plastic used on ME flex leaves a lot of fuzz, so I took a small, soft brass wire brush to the spikeheads which cleaned off most of the fuzz without scarring up the ties too much.
 . . .

I'm thinking that a quick pass over the fuzzy spikes with a propane torch would neatly "remove" it from the spikes.

[nickelplate759]

I'm thinking that a quick pass over the fuzzy spikes with a propane torch would neatly "remove" it from the spikes.

Just don't say "Hold my beer!" before you do it.