If you can find ME Code55 flex, then I would definitely go with that other than your present Atlas55 cache.
When Micro Engineering was Rail-Craft and early into the transition to become Micro Engineering, their N-scale flex was by far the best looking N-scale track ever produced. Then, the injection tool started wearing out and you'd have to remove considerable flash from the flex before using it. Sometime after becoming Micro Engineering (ME), they produced new injection tools with much bigger spikehead details, almost looking like Atlas55. However, pizza cutters ran on the new ME flex without any problems (as long as it was Code55 or larger).
But, Atlas55's blobs that are supposed to represent spikeheads, look pretty bad when observed in close-up photography or with Optivisors. ME flex appears to be much more finely detailed, even though the spikeheads are considerably larger than the old, original Rail-Craft flex, and you don't have to worry about pizza-cutters not running on it...ever.
So, my advice is to see if you can find ME Code55 flex to replace your Atlas55. If you can, then I'd sell your old, smaller spikeheaded Atlas55 flex for a premium on eBay, emphasizing that it's the older, finer detailed trackage.
I prefer ME flex with the unweathered rails since I'm going to paint it anyway. The original weathered ME rail had problems with soldering and bare shiny spots where the spikeheads gripped the railfoot, but I understand those problems have been fixed.
For your turnout-making and rail-joining, I highly recommend purchasing and using the
very best flux/solder combination there is for model railroad trackage...and that is Superior No.30 Supersafe Liquid Soldering Flux and 96/4 Tin/Silver Silver-bearing solder. This flux is self-neutralizing so it won't ever cause corrosion problems, and makes every rail joint successful. The 96/4 Tin/Silver solder melts just a few degrees hotter than "normal" Tin/Lead or lead-free electrical solders and can be easily worked with a simple 35W iron. Also, this Silver-bearing solder is 5 to 6 times stronger than normal electrical solders, so...it's perfect for making turnouts, joining flextrack and making stronger feeder wire joints that are MUCH more difficult to pull off the rails. Both this flux and the Silver-bearing solder are available here:
https://www.hnflux.com/As a good practice to aid in successful rail solder joints, I burnish the copper cladding on my PCB ties removing the oxidation, with a pencil eraser. Quick and easy. I also burnish the bottom of the rail by pulling the rail over an old Peco Brite-Boy style track cleaning pad. Then, I wet a paper towel with Bestine (Heptane) rubber cement thinner, and clean my ties and rails with it to de-grease them. Brake cleaner works well also, but I prefer Bestine, which you can get at most art supply stores like Michaels.
I also prepare my coreless Silver-bearing solder by squashing about 1/2" of it flat using my flat-nose pliers, then I slit the flattened end down the middle with a sharp X-acto knife which forms two fine "whiskers" of solder which I can easily and accurately apply to the juncture of the railfoot and the PCB tie's copper cladding...heating both the rail and cladding with a small, clean and tinned wedge iron tip, placed so it rests on both the PCB copper cladding and the edge of the railfoot. I apply my solder on the opposite side of the rail, and when it melts, the molten solder is drawn towards the iron. I wipe any excess solder onto the top of the PCB tie with the hot tip of my iron.
Photo (1) - A close-up of a turnout made using these techniques, Superior No.30 Supersafe Flux and 96/4 Tin/Silver solder:
As for rail joiners. Ever notice that when you take a close-up photo of a model train, there always seems to be a big ol' rail joiner right in the middle of the photo along with uneven, spikeless ties under it?? For me, it screams "MODEL!" and I want it to be difficult to determine if my photos are of the real deal, or what scale they are...so rail joiners were one of the first things I decided to minimize, along with the spikeless ties underneath them.
So, I thought the best place for a rail joiner would be in the space between ties. That would mean a very short rail joiner, but, using 96/4 Silver-bearing solder, which is at least 5 times stronger than "regular" solder, the shortness shouldn't be a problem...especially using Rail-Craft/ME flex, which stays at whatever radius you bend it to and doesn't try to spring back to straight all the time.
Since I had many packages of ME Code55 rail joiners already, and they're a pretty tight fit, the first thing I did to modify them was to cut off the long "tongue" on either end since I didn't see any reason for it in the first place.
Then, I slid the tongueless rail joiner onto a scrap piece of rail, measured the length of the distance between ties with my cheap, stainless HFT digital calipers, and scored a line on the bottom of the rail joiner which is how long I wanted it to be.
Then, using a sharp pair of flush-cutters, I snipped the rail joiner off, cutting BOTH the scrap piece of rail and the mounted joiner simultaneously. This keeps the rail joiner from crushing.
Flush cutters only cut flush on one side, so I made sure THAT side was on the scored line on the bottom of the mounted rail joiner I wanted to fit between ties.
Then, I slide the cut-off rail joiner back onto its piece of rail...this makes all the little burrs flush-cutting produces go to the outside edge of the end of the rail joiner that I've just cut. I then slide the cut rail joiner back towards the end of the rail I've just cut, and holding it in place, I hit it with a fine flat file or with a fine sanding wheel in my Foredom Rotary Tool to remove the protruding burrs.
The end of the piece of scrap rail with the rest of the joiner on it, now needs to be dressed, so I do the same sort of cut to remove the mashed side of the flush cut I've just made, and I use the same process described above to get rid of the burrs on the cut rail joiner.
Then, I score another line on the bottom of the mounted rail joiner and slide it inward so that there's about 1/4" or more of rail sticking out of the side I've just "dressed"
Then, I repeat the process, using the scored line as a reference for where my cut should be...not longer, but maybe just a bit shorter...just an RCH shorter.
I can get at least two, and sometimes three, short rail joiners out of one regular ME C55 rail joiner.
It's a PITA to install them unless I make sure the ends of the rails I'm joining have been dressed...no burrs, and with the corners of the cut railfoot tapered just a bit to not catch the rail joiner and ease insertion.
When inserting them onto the flex, I cut both flex stick's rails so the cut is as close to between ties as I can do it. Then, I cut three or four tie spacers away from between the ties with my X-acto knife and slide the ties back away from the rail ends on both pieces of flex.
Photo (2) - Rails cut so that the ends are in the middle of the space between ties, tie-spacers cut & removed, and ties slid back:
Next, I slide the short rail joiners onto both of one stick's rails...the short rail joiners are usually not as tight as a full joiner would be...then I position the other stick and slide one joiner onto both stick's rails so that the ends of the rails are centered on the inside of the joiner.
Making sure the railheads are straight, I solder the joiner and the rails in place using my liquid, self-neutralizing Superior No.30 flux and my 96/4 Silver-bearing solder. Because the ties are slid back from the joint, there is little chance of melting them.
Then, I do the same for the other rail.
I double check to make sure the joints are as near perfect as I can make them and that the rails are straight and even with each other. I correct any problems at this point with my iron, repositioning the rail ends if necessary.
After I'm completely happy with the rail joints, I slide the ties back into place. If I've cut the rail joiners correctly they should fit into the space between ties and the space between ties on either side of the joints should be the same as the rest of the spaces between ties.
Photo (3) - Short rail joiners soldered in place and ties slid back into place awaiting final positioning:
This means, no having to modify ties to go under rail joiners, no missing spikeheads on the rails, and no big, unsightly rail joiners spoiling the scene.
How do they look after painting and weathering?
Photo (4) - Find the rail joiners on Rail-Craft Code55 flex at Echo Yard
Although when the description is read, it seem complicated and time-consuming, it goes quicker after you become familiar with how to do it. One thing is that you don't have to go over your track and insert "special" ties under the attached rail joiners, thus saving some time in that aspect.
Is it worth the bit of extra time to do it this way? It is for me, since I work to please myself. Chances are nobody else will notice other than to say that your trackwork looks really good...but you'll know why.
Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore
