Micro-Trains/Atlas Update - 1/20/26

[John]

I tend to take those scare videos with a grain of salt. Peco seems to be introducing plenty of new product in their home territory, so they at least give an appearance of stability. It's probably true that all model railroad companies are facing some financial challenges as cost of manufacturing goes up, the global economy contracts, and international markets are volatile. I do wish the current troubles would end quickly, and I'll leave it at that.

TLDR;  IIRC - At the end of the video he does state that they have a bright outlook and gives some figures to support it ..

[ridinshotgun]

I don't want to piss anyone off, but why does it have to be that way ???? ... there are modular groups, especially in HO, that have mostly flawless track work because they enforce the standards .. unfortunately, not all do, and that's where the problems come in .. could it be that NTRAK groups are  focused on "lets get the large layout up, and not enough quality control?"  or time spent in the back shop helping members improve?

I'm down to one FremoN module, and admittedly it's not to the standard either and has some issues, but to fix it at this stage I would need to tear it all apart ..

Really I think it boils down to some of the leaders of various groups don’t want to make anyone made or be confrontational. Even though it shouldn’t be seen as that I have seen propel react badly when deficiencies are pointed out. I have even seen people threaten to take their modules and go home because people were complaining about the issues with modules. Most petty behavior I have ever seen has been related to issues with modules.

It is becoming more of an issue in FreemoN because of the aforementioned attitude of can’t we all just get along attitude of organizers. In some ways I think they are more concerned with how many modules they can turn out than enforcing any kind of standards enforcement. And they also seem to take the attitude of it isn’t their job to enforce standards. Well if not yours then who’s job?  There are certain modules that when I see them in a track plan I seriously consider is attending worth it.

[bman]

Really I think it boils down to some of the leaders of various groups don’t want to make anyone made or be confrontational. Even though it shouldn’t be seen as that I have seen propel react badly when deficiencies are pointed out. I have even seen people threaten to take their modules and go home because people were complaining about the issues with modules. Most petty behavior I have ever seen has been related to issues with modules.

It is becoming more of an issue in FreemoN because of the aforementioned attitude of can’t we all just get along attitude of organizers. In some ways I think they are more concerned with how many modules they can turn out than enforcing any kind of standards enforcement. And they also seem to take the attitude of it isn’t their job to enforce standards. Well if not yours then who’s job?  There are certain modules that when I see them in a track plan I seriously consider is attending worth it.

I tend to agree. Most folks try to avoid confrontation at all costs. And with the trend of, "let's s see how big we can make it" modules not meeting standards get included that likely shouldn't. When I find issues with modules I try to explain to the individual what is happening and the cause making it a teaching moment. There's nothing positive in the interaction, " this module sucks get it outta here" to a relatively new modeler or even an experienced one. A lot of time fixes are minor and remidied quickly. If not pulling the module and offering to help with the repair goes a long wUnless in my experience  I am pretty sure not many of us started out as accomplished modelers.  We've worked on it over the years. That being typed I do promote this forum to our new members who are starting out.  The critiques given here are educational and not demeaning to the individual.  And there's a wealth of knowledge shared here to boot.

[bigdawgks]

I think people on this forum tend to forget how much knowledge and experience they have compared to the average N scaler. Most people I've met don't know anything about NMRA standards (or don't care). There's plenty of people who will just make the assertion that it's all N scale and thus it's all compatible with each other.

Another thing I'll say is that in my club, which has a heavy focus on operations, we have plenty of issues of sloppy trackwork or rolling stock that performs poorly on our code 55 track. Even if we can recognize these problems, solutions are not always practical. Relaying all the track would be a huge undertaking, and we can't force people to use rolling stock that has RP25 wheel profiles. If I had been involved in the original construction of our club layout, I would have insisted on using a track system that has much more generous tolerances, understanding that in such an environment we can't really meet the standards needed for high reliability with more fine scale trackwork. Club environments are, by their nature, less controlled.

[NSEGeorge]

Brian, 100% agree for a home layout, but modular layouts will always be at the mercy of the member with the worst trackwork. My experience with low profile wheelsets started with Deluxxe Innovations cars, coal porters with loads, and the TwinStacks. My unit train with mixed types of MT plastic wheels was nothing but trouble on an NTrak layout, even though it ran almost flawlessly on the home layout - though at shorter length.

Peter is correct. We took heavy criticism for our adherence to Craig, Steve, and my personal desire to have cars that ran closer to the tracks and therefore required the lower profile wheels. And most of it was from Ntrak folk, who liked longer trains. It was doubly difficult because the type of cars we produced were unit train cars, and therefore saw more time on modular layouts. I think our own bias was because our home club, and therefore our testing layout, was Belmont Shores with great trackwork. We fooled ourselves a little to thinking the world was ready for things like body mounting and low profile wheels (the first tools for the Woodchip car and coal porter had half of a 1015 molded into them, which we had to remove in subsequent releases as they interfered with truck mounted couplers for many folks).

As far as enforcing standards, we had a 'qualifying' toolset at the San Jose and Long Beach Ntrak conventions that did not prove popular, as it was really easy to suss out bad trackwork and bad electrical before things went into the layout. We had rework going on on several modules that did not qualify during the show, which was good in the long run, but angered several participants. We never brought them again, for the exact reason that you state- confrontation avoidance.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I think people on this forum tend to forget how much knowledge and experience they have compared to the average N scaler. Most people I've met don't know anything about NMRA standards (or don't care). There's plenty of people who will just make the assertion that it's all N scale and thus it's all compatible with each other.

Exactly. We forget about it because we hang around here, but go take a look at https://www.reddit.com/r/modeltrains/ or https://www.reddit.com/r/nscalemodeltrains/. There are a lot of people who's skills haven't developed to the point we consider a "baseline" around here.

The precision required to make Freemo work is definitely higher than NTRAK was and definitely higher than T-TRAK. People might not realize it, but the ends really DO need to be perfectly at 90 degrees to the track. Even being a little off adds gaps between modules that finer scale stuff just does NOT like.

And when it comes to stuff like that, fixing it, or even telling folks that they NEED to fix it can be difficult. Running a club isn't easy and the folks doing it are volunteers.

I love the way NTRAK has democratized model railroading in many ways and made participation very egalitarian, but when it comes to complex stuff sometimes clubs benefit from being less of an open door.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

As far as enforcing standards, we had a 'qualifying' toolset at the San Jose and Long Beach Ntrak conventions that did not prove popular, as it was really easy to suss out bad trackwork and bad electrical before things went into the layout. We had rework going on on several modules that did not qualify during the show, which was good in the long run, but angered several participants. We never brought them again, for the exact reason that you state- confrontation avoidance.

George makes a really good point here and shows why it's valuable to look at both sides of the coin.

On one hand, a layout that doesn't run reliably is fun for none. But if you're the guy who crammed his kid into the 40 part of the 60/40 folding back seat so he could drive his brand new module across the country to be part of the "Big Show", being told you can't play because your 5" is really a gentleman's 5", you're going to be PISSED. Yes, it's your fault, but that doesn't change the way you'll feel towards the whole thing.

[signalmaintainer]

Although I am very favorably impressed by many of Atlas' N-scale products, their entire line of Code55 trackage was ill-thought out and badly designed, starting with the loose rail design, then with the huge cubical thingies holding the rails to the ties, which interfered (and still do) with the use of older pizza-cutter wheelsets.  So, it isn't just their Code55 turnouts that are badly designed and executed, but also their flex.

Maybe badly designed as far as the turnouts are concerned. The real problem wasn't/isn't Atlas's code 55 track; it was MT's pizza-cutter wheelsets, which did not meet NMRA standards for flange depth. Simple as that. Standards exist for a reason, and MT (and other N scale manufacturers) had not conformed to them. Thankfully, MT changed.

[signalmaintainer]

Brian, 100% agree for a home layout, but modular layouts will always be at the mercy of the member with the worst trackwork.

Seems to me the solution is to make that person up their game. If they resist, show them the door. Laying reliable, derailment-free trackwork in N scale just isn't that hard anyway -- patience and attention to detail.

There's really no logic in letting the lowest common denominator hamper a FreeMo-N or NTrak setup and ruin the day for everyone else. It's like a band: the guy who can't keep time or keeps missing notes, or can't get along is out.

[signalmaintainer]

Exactly. We forget about it because we hang around here, but go take a look at https://www.reddit.com/r/modeltrains/ or https://www.reddit.com/r/nscalemodeltrains/. There are a lot of people who's skills haven't developed to the point we consider a "baseline" around here.

Sometimes I despair at the thought that way too many on Reddit just aren't interested in developing their skills. Hope I'm wrong about that.

[signalmaintainer]

George makes a really good point here and shows why it's valuable to look at both sides of the coin.

On one hand, a layout that doesn't run reliably is fun for none. But if you're the guy who crammed his kid into the 40 part of the 60/40 folding back seat so he could drive his brand new module across the country to be part of the "Big Show", being told you can't play because your 5" is really a gentleman's 5", you're going to be PISSED. Yes, it's your fault, but that doesn't change the way you'll feel towards the whole thing.

A great opportunity for the more-skilled members to teach and help that guy hone his skills.

I'm considering joining a FreeMo-N group, so I'd be one of the teachers.

[robertjohndavis]

Sometimes I despair at the thought that way too many on Reddit just aren't interested in developing their skills. Hope I'm wrong about that.

Why despair? If they are enjoying the hobby their way, all the power to them. Model railroading has a big tent.

[robert3985]

Although I am very favorably impressed by many of Atlas' N-scale products, their entire line of Code55 trackage was ill-thought out and badly designed, starting with the loose rail design, then with the huge cubical thingies holding the rails to the ties, which interfered (and still do) with the use of older pizza-cutter wheelsets.  So, it isn't just their Code55 turnouts that are badly designed and executed, but also their flex.

Maybe badly designed as far as the turnouts are concerned. The real problem wasn't/isn't Atlas's code 55 track; it was MT's pizza-cutter wheelsets, which did not meet NMRA standards for flange depth. Simple as that. Standards exist for a reason, and MT (and other N scale manufacturers) had not conformed to them. Thankfully, MT changed.

@signalmaintainer - No, I disagree.  The "real" problem was (and is) that Atlas disregarded the vast majority of N-gaugers who were running regular N-gauge wheelsets...which were pizza-cutters, making their Atlas55 track unusable to a large portion of modelers who had not yet converted to low-profile wheelsets.  AND, at the same time, disregarded making small spikeheads/tieplates that would have greatly added to the cosmetic appeal of their Atlas55 track products instead of the huge blobs they decided on. 

As to the decision to go with the huge blobs because they were necessary for the "loose rail" protocol to work, I don't believe it for one second.  I'm convinced it was a "quick and dirty" decision to save a few bucks in the design department.

Neither Rail Craft nor Peco55 found it necessary mechanically to design N-scale track that interfered with common pizza cutter wheelsets, because they used their brains and made the thingies that represented spikehead/tieplates (Rail Craft) and whatever the Peco55's little rectangles are supposed to be, small enough to run whatever style of flange your cars and engines happened to have, not just Kadee/MTL's "regular" wheelsets, but everybody else's also.

Do you actually think that Kadee/MTL was the only manufacturer who was equipping their cars with pizza-cutter flanges and caused the interference problem???

Kadee designed their N-gauge wheelsets when big flanges were the norm and well before the NMRA had established N-scale RP's for flange design, and low-profile single-piece wheelsets were available from Kadee/Micro Trains Lines in 1980 (which happened to strongly influence the NMRA's low-profile wheel tire & flange RP's) which was well before Atlas introduced their N-scale track in the "early 2000's" (I can't find a specific year it was introduced). 

Around the same time Micro Trains started packing extra low-profile wheelsets with their pizza cutter equipped cars.  Note that their low-profile wheelsets had been around for longer than 20 years at this point.

So, MTL didn't change.  By the time Atlas started selling its deficient Code55 track products, MTL had been selling low-profile wheelsets for over 20 years just because they looked a whole lot better than their regular pizza cutters did. MTL just happened to fix the interference problem that Atlas55 track caused because of MTL's forward-thinking, and the use of a product that had been in production for ten to twelve years before Atlas even thought about Code 55 N-scale track.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Scottl]

Isn't code 80 track compatible with pizza cutters?  Atlas code 55 track was an important step forward in looks IMO and operates reasonably well.  If someone has reason to continue to use pizza cutters, well, they have options. 

[bbussey]

Atlas C55 track always was and is within NMRA specifications. MTL wheels were not. The only wheels still in production at the time that did not run on Atlas C55 were the MTL pizza-cutters.