This is out of gauge, right?

[Specter3]

I bought a bunch of new Atlas c55 flex to replace the mish mash of 10-15 year old Atlas and ME flex on my layout. I have sanded the cork and filled low spots and was very careful in laying the new track. But I am still having some weird derailments. I put the gauge on it and there are more spots out of gage than in. I have more flex that I have not used yet and it all is looking like this: [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

In places on the secured track the moving rail has a lot of side to side play. At one limit it is in gage and at the other the gauge falls in like the picture.

I am using this thing correctly right?

Is Atlas c55 flex really that loose in gage?

Thanks!

[nkalanaga]

Definitely looks out of gauge (too wide) to me.

[garethashenden]

You are using the gauge correctly, but it would be worth getting an actual measurement with a pair of calipers. The gauge is a fixed distance, but the NMRA standard has a tolerance. Its not a big tolerance, +0.004"/-0.002".

With the oversized width of most N scale wheels, being slightly overgauge is usually less of a problem than being underguage.

[robert3985]

Micro Engineering just delayed their entire scheduled run of Concrete Tie Flex because of "gauge problems" positing perhaps a new lower half of their new injection tool might be necessary. 

However, no "gauge problems" were mentioned about their brand-new run of Code55 flex and it is AVAILABLE in 6 stick (each stick being an actual yard long) bundles right now.

Atlas, on the opposite side of the coin, has actually engineered inconsistent gauging into its flex to achieve floppiness, which some modelers prefer over stiffer flex where you actually have to bend your rail to a smooth radius by hand & eye, and it stays where and how you bend it.

The "loose rail" and floppiness of Atlas55 are two of the reasons I don't recommend it, nor will I ever use it for myself...and I haven't even mentioned the cubical blobs that hold the rails to the ties where spike heads and tie plates should be.

Just for comparison's sake, here's a photo I took off of Micro Engineering's new website a couple of days ago that shows a top-down photo of their new Code55 flex...

Photo (1) - Notice the spikeheads and tieplates on Micro Engineering Code55 flex, which look much more realistic than Atlas55...or Peco55 for that matter:


Since your track is too broadly gauged in places...or maybe slipping out of gauge because of the loose tolerances of the spacing allowing the "loose rail" to slide easily back and forth, and, unfortunately, side to side...it will probably never be reliable unless you can find a way to ensure it's consistently re-gauged properly, or replaced with a more precision brand of Code55 flex.

If you want to try and salvage what you've already purchased and laid, re-gauging could possibly be accomplished by purchasing three or four Micro Engineering Code55 3-point gauges to hold the rails in proper gauge, sliding one of them along the track to get the rails together, with the rest positioned ever 6" or less (I'm guessing) to hold the floppy rail in place, then gluing with ballast cement mixture which would hopefully. due to capillary action, suck the wet glue in-between the plastic of the ties and the metal of the rails.  Maybe that would work.  I would not use white glue (Elmer's style) glue because it isn't water resistant and might let go when you actually ballast your track.  I'd use a quality artist's matte medium which IS water resistant after it's dry.  You only need to glue the floppy rail since the other one is held tightly in place.

However, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, and if gluing your floppy rail in place doesn't work after a few years, you're gonna wish you had ripped out the Atlas55 and switched to Micro Engineering track for sure.

If I were you, I would want the assurance that the foundation of my fun and excellent running layout was built on the best, most reliable and best-looking equipment...which is NOT Atlas55.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Maletrain]

Just looking at the picture, it is hard to see whether the gauge is being held perpendicular to the track.  If not, it can seem to indicate over-gauge spacing even when it is just close to the maximum allowed.

I use those gauges by placing the tiny step on one rail and swinging the gauge slightly against the other rail - if it does NOT swing through, then the track gauge is too narrow.  If it does swing through, I then put the little step inside the rail head and try to swing the gauge again. If it still swings without binding between the rails, then the track gauge is too wide.  Swinging it guarantees that you have passed through the perpendicular alignment, so that you don't misread the situation by holding the gauge at an angle other than 90 degrees to the rails.

[Chris333]

Looks like every piece of Atlas c55 flex I've seen. One rail is solid and the other rail will wobble back and forth a scale mile.

[Specter3]

I had waited about a year and had just decided that ME wasn’t ever going to get going again. Isn’t that how things always go? You need something and finally decide to go with an alternate or build it yourself and then it becomes available. Is that part of Ed’s law?

I will say that with pressure toward the middle of the track it is in the tolerance of the gage. Bob’s idea about gluing it down with pressure toward keep it in gauge while the glue dries is the idea that I had. Then I thought about using pcb ties and soldering ties in while using the three point gages to keep it in place. I personally am not so worried about the spike and tie plate look as the Southern used more rather than less ballast and a lot of that detail was covered up.

I had also already decided to start learning to handlay turnouts as I am tired of every third turnout needing surgery to be somewhat reliable. And somewhat is not acceptable on a layout where you want to be able to run trains regularly. We spend way too much on this stuff to be frustrated with its primary function. Up until now I have written off running woes to old track not glued down properly. Only now that I am progressing to get the trackwork down properly has this issue come up. I thought buying brand new track would be the key, and only having Atlas availble until last month apparently, made that a non decision. Now though, with handlaying in the futute and ME available I will be going that direction on all future buys. I will try my fix in some places and run a lot over it and see what happens.

[nkalanaga]

If ME spikes are available you could try actually spiking the rails.  In this case, given the size of the Atlas "spikes", it wouldn't hurt the appearance.

Cut the outside "spike" off flush with the tie, a chisel X-Acto blade would work, drill through the tie, and put an ME spike in it. 

[Maletrain]

Respiking the loose rail of the track on straightaways is probably feasible.  But, on curves, it is likely to cause bowing somewhere on the outside rail if that is the loose one (should be), or at least opening of unsoldered joints on the inside rail.