ME Code 40 now available????

[Jbub]

Look what popped up on Midwest Model Railroad's website

https://midwestmodelrr.com/me10126/

[Mark5]

Is that $49 for a bundle of flex or is a single piece? 

[garethashenden]

Is that $49 for a bundle of flex or is a single piece? 

Micro Engineering list that same part number,  10-126, as a bundle of six 3 foot pieces. For $60.

[Maletrain]

The link says "Current Stock:1" 

 

[robert3985]

This could be good news.  It all depends on how the new Micro Engineering has engineered its injection tooling since the old tool was worn out.  I have a few sticks of the original Rail-Craft Code40 flex, which had noticeably smaller spikehead details than the Code40 flex from their second gen injection tooling.  I didn't realize that fact until DKS put me on to it when I was doing a comparo between different brands of N-scale trackage.

Sure enough...the second gen ME Code40 and Code55 flex had much larger spikeheads than the original Rail-Craft flex, the 2nd gen Code55's spikeheads being just a few thousandths shorter than the infamous Atlas55 flex...just short enough to not interfere with pizza cutter wheelsets.

However, the 2nd gen Code40 flex was virtually unusable because of the taller spikeheads which I found out when using the 2nd gen Code40 flex for a center siding on my layout...my Kato F3 test engine simply would not run on it...which really pissed me off because it WOULD run on the original Rail-Craft Code40 RC flex.

I measured the flange depth vs the distance from the top of the railhead to the top of the 2nd gen spikeheads and the new, larger spikeheads were only a few thousandths too tall, so...instead of tearing up the track and replacing it with either hand-laid Code40 PCB trackage, or using my small stash of Rail-Craft Code40 flex, I decided to carefully sand down the spikeheads. This worked and I actually like the appearance of the sanded-down spikeheads better than the unsanded ones.

Photo (1) - My 2nd gen ME Code40 center siding with sanded-down inner spikeheads between Rail-Craft Code55 mainlines at Emory on my layout:


The photo at Midwest Model Railroad's website is badly exposed, so I downloaded it and fiddled with the exposure, sharpened it up and enlarged it to see if I could perceive if the spikeheads looked like they are going to work with wheelsets that aren't considered extremely low profile.  Here's the result, which can be compared to my photo of 2nd gen ME Code40 (the outer spikeheads) above...

Photo (2) - Exposure corrected, contrast increased, sharpened and enlarged section of Midwest Model Railroad's product photo of new ME Code40 Flex:


Hmmm...I can't tell for sure, but the spikeheads on the new ME Code40 flex look to me to be smaller than on the 2nd gen run.  If true, this is GOOD news, and also a positive indication that the new owners are determined to increase the scale fidelity of their products, rather than ignore it as Atlas/Peco/Kato/Bachmann do...in various degrees of ignoring

So, what does the original Rail-Craft Code40 flex look like?  I just happen to have some, so I took some close-ups for comparison's sake...

Photo (3) - Rail-Craft Code40 Flex taken with my phone's camera:


Photo (4) - Rail-Craft Code40 Flex Close-Up taken with "Magnifier" app on my phone:


Well...I have to say that the original Rail-Craft Code40 was the best-looking N-scale track ever made, and the new ME Code40 flex, although looking better than anything else presently out there, still doesn't match the original stuff.

Too bad I don't have a large stash of the original Rail-Craft Code40.  I didn't buy any since my modules needed to be pizza-cutter compatible because other club members were still pondering if low-profile wheelsets were reliable for portable modular layout use, so I hand-laid all of my Code40 trackage, and without any spikeheads whatsoever, the pizza-cutters ran just fine on it.

However, I do have a good stash of Rail-Craft Code55 with the same sized spikeheads as the Rail-Craft Code40 and this will be more than enough to finish my present layout...

Photo (5) - Part of my cache of Rail-Craft Code55 waiting to be used on the Devil's Slide/Union Portland Cement Co./Wilhelmina Pass/Taggart's section of my layout:


I'll have to get a bundle of these new ME Code40 sticks to see if they'll work for my concrete plant industrial area and the associated siding and spur without having to sand the spikeheads down.  If I do have to sand them down, at least it looks like I won't have to remove as much as with the 2nd gen run.

We'll see...

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Bill H]

Group;
I suspect that is one bundle that they stumbled upon and put up for sale - as they are only listing one bundle in stock. I just checked N Scale Supply who has a long relationship with ME and they are still showing code 40 as back ordered.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Jimbo]

No longer available.

I purchased it.  @robert3985 - I’m curious to see how the spike heads compare with your photos.

Jim

[robert3985]

No longer available.

I purchased it.  @robert3985 - I’m curious to see how the spike heads compare with your photos.

Jim

I am too.  Please post clear photos when you receive it.

Interestingly whilst organizing my Rail Craft track in the process of setting up my new workshop after my recent move to a new residence, I found a bundle of original Rail Craft Code40!...along with three loose sticks.  This should be more than enough to complete my planned modules' siding and industrial spur!

I prefer the original RC Code40 over hand-laid because of the tie-plate and spikehead details, which are absent on my hand-laid PCB Code40 trackage.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore 

[Jimbo]

@robert3985 : It arrived today.

"Pizza Cutters" seem to work fine with it.

Not sure how this compares to your earlier purchases.  And there's really no way to tell how old this stuff is (recent production, or really old stuff that's been hiding in the back since the new millennium.)  All I know is that the label on the track (factory label) is Micro Engineering - so definitely not Rail Craft.

-Jim

[Mark5]

I miss RailCraft - many years ago I was experimenting with hand laying code 55 (and 40) and the spikes they had back then were much nicer than the ones I got from ME.

I am looking forward to seeing the "new" ME code 40 flex, and hopefully some more C55 turnouts.

[Jesse6669]

@robert3985
And there's really no way to tell how old this stuff is (recent production, or really old stuff that's been hiding in the back since the new millennium.)  All I know is that the label on the track (factory label) is Micro Engineering - so definitely not Rail Craft.-Jim

My understanding (I don't remember where I read it, so someone feel free to jump in.. ) is that they did a new run of the Code 40 track.  And judging from the look of the ties, the dies were cleaned up (or new?) because they used to have flashing all over them.   That track looks great!

[robert3985]

Thought I'd post some photos dealing with whether this is a new run of ME Code40 Flex-Trak, or a found bundle.

Here are two comparo shots of the packaging, 2nd run first then @Jimbo 's photo, to which I've added callouts...

Photo - (1) Photo of a bundle of 2nd Run ME Flex-Trak Labeling from my cache:


Photo - (2) Photo by Jimbo of the Labeling on the bundle he received (callouts are mine):


Next, here are two comparison photos of the tops & details of 2nd Run ME Code40 Flex-Trak, and what Jimbo received...

Photo - (3) Photo of the detail side of 2nd Run ME Flex-Trak from my cache :


Photo - (4) Photo by Jimbo of the detail side of what he received (callouts are mine) :


Welllll, I can't say for sure if the bundle Jimbo got is from a new ME injection tool or not.  Some indication, particularly the tooling marks on the undersides of the ties, and less flash lead me to believe it IS from a new injection tool, but until I can mic it myself, I can't tell much difference in the spikehead sizes.  However, since Jim reports that pizza cutters roll on it unobstructed, then that's a good sign that the spikeheads on this bundle are shorter than the 2nd run Code40...which is a GOOD THING.

Still the best-looking N-scale trackage available, and that includes hand-laid PCB IMO, even if the spikeheads are three times (or more) the size of scale-sized spikeheads...which would be a scale 11/16" tall, or 0.0043"...making them virtually disappear under a coat of paint and then weathering.  I would have opted for spikeheads a scale 1" tall...or 0.00625", which I think would have been strong enough.

Guess I'll see if my LHS will break up a bundle and sell me a stick to add to my N-scale/N-gauge track reference collection since I've got enough Rail-Craft Code40 to complete my layout.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Sokramiketes]

The thing that made the tooling mark pattern on the bottom of 2nd run…. 

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[nkalanaga]

Ejector pins?

[Sokramiketes]

Correct