Model Railroading > A question about peco flex track

According to a you tube video peco flex track has both rails loose on the ties unlike atlas flex track that has one side loose and the other rail stuck to the ties.
Can any one confirm this for me please.

T I a for your responses

Jon Fink
Schenectady, NY

Code 100 or 83?  I've got only code 83 and both rails do slide but not easily.  It is easier to bend than MicroEngineering flex but flexes in a similar way.  I bought two boxes of 25 piecies and so far have laid about a box worth.

Cheers,
Jim

 

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Correct, both rails move. There are 4 ties locked per side, but alternate every 2 on each side, like a long 'Z'. You can also move both rails with a little effort. I usually start by wiggling the rails to get just beyond the ties, then connect them, to have enough space for the joiners. This saves a cut of any ties on one end. The other end, depending on situation, I can cut ties, then rail. You can even wiggle the rail as you are laying the track to connect up nice and cleanly to the piece are your connecting to. I also like the very smooth look of the turns that layout very easily and nicely. 

I've seen some great track work with ME, but I've had some minor issues with alignment. Not with Peco, goes down very smoothly. Atlas is ok too, but the Peco for me, is very smooth in/out of turns. 

Mike ONeill
Parker, CO

What is the detail like? Does it have big, goober plastic spike heads like Atlas?

Victor



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/21 20:30 by wabash2800.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> What is the detail like? Does it have big, goober
> plastic spike heads like Atlas?
>
> Victor

No. They are very fine. And speaking of Atlas, their code 100 has been revised and had a better rail profile and the spike "blob" are smaller.

Posted from Android

Just a heads up. The poster is an N scaler so he is probably referencing N scale track.  Thanks Bruce

Atlas HO Code 83 track is very nice and the spike detail is quite nice. You have no idea what you are talking about Victor.

Bruce

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wabash2800 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What is the detail like? Does it have big,
> goober
> > plastic spike heads like Atlas?
> >
> > Victor
>
> No. They are very fine. And speaking of Atlas,
> their code 100 has been revised and had a better
> rail profile and the spike "blob" are smaller.
>
> Posted from Android

Ah didn't a reference to scale from the OP.

Anyway, here are some photo's of the Peco code 83.  !) back showing the webbing.  2)  Those "fat goober" molded spikes, 3) track going down.  Curve is 32 inch (the minimum.

Cheers,
Jim

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The Peco looks good. I was referring to the older Atlas code 100 HO. I still have that for hidden track. I always get a little love from Bruce...

Victor



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/21 10:45 by wabash2800.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> The Peco looks good. I was referring to the older
> Atlas code 100 HO. I still have that for hidden
> track. I always get a little love from Bruce...
>
> Victor

I use the Atlas code 100 flex for staging too.  I ordered a couple boxes of 25 to add on to what I had.  I noticed Atlas had improved it - the rail profile is better and the molded spikes are a noticably finer; nothing like ME or Peco, but definitly better.

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wabash2800 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What is the detail like? Does it have big,
> goober
> > plastic spike heads like Atlas?
> >
> > Victor
>
> No. They are very fine. And speaking of Atlas,
> their code 100 has been revised and had a better
> rail profile and the spike "blob" are smaller.
>
> Posted from Android

If you are used to working with Atlas Code 83, please be aware that you need to be a LOT more careful cutting Peco track with a rail nippers.  Those tiny, scale-sized spikes do look great but they don't hold the rail in place as firmly as Atlas code 83.  Peco plastic seems to be a bit "softer" than Atlas as well.  I learned this Peco characteristic the hard way when using a rail nipper to cut throughboth  the Peco tie strip and rail in one operation, as I was used to doing with Atlas.  When I made the cut the Peco rail flexed (rotated along the longitudial axis) for about a foot or so, popping the rail I was cutting out of the tie strip.  Grrrr!!  To recover I needed to pull the rail back into the tie strip until the cut end was past where it had flexed out of the tie strip.  Then carefully re-thread the rail back between the ties and spikes.  Tedious, but do-able. Cutting works much better when you: 1) First remove the ties where the cut is to be made; and 2) Grip the track very firmly so it doesn't flex.

Peco does flex well when laying out curves and easement so it does go down nicely.  I could never get the stiff Micro Engineering (or Shinohara code 70) to bend into smooth curves without a lot of work.

Hope this helps.

- Norm

 

NCA1022 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you are used to working with Atlas Code 83,
> please be aware that you need to be a LOT more
> careful cutting Peco track with a rail nippers. 
> Those tiny, scale-sized spikes do look great but
> they don't hold the rail in place as firmly as
> Atlas code 83.  Peco plastic seems to be a bit
> "softer" than Atlas as well.  I learned this Peco
> characteristic the hard way when using a rail
> nipper to cut throughboth  the Peco tie strip and
> rail in one operation, as I was used to doing with
> Atlas.  When I made the cut the Peco rail flexed
> (rotated along the longitudial axis) for about a
> foot or so, popping the rail I was cutting out of
> the tie strip.  Grrrr!!  To recover I needed to
> pull the rail back into the tie strip until the
> cut end was past where it had flexed out of the
> tie strip.  Then carefully re-thread the rail
> back between the ties and spikes.  Tedious, but
> do-able. Cutting works much better when you: 1)
> First remove the ties where the cut is to be made;
> and 2) Grip the track very firmly so it doesn't
> flex.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> - Norm

I have had to level-up my track laying skills with the Peco code 83 and as noted above, it is more fragile so you have to be careful.  I mostly use a Dremel with a cutoff disc and that does heat the rail up enough to melt the tiny spike near the end where it is being cut.  I put a heat sink at the end before cutting and still it was not enough to prevent melting the spike heads.  So now I double heat sink before cutting and blow on it mid-way through cutting to cool it off.  So far that seem to be working ok for cutting.  I also put heat sinks on either side of the rail joiners when soldering on curves.  Generally that works.  I do have Xuron rail nippers but only use them to cut rail when I need to cut a long piece down to fit a section and then get it more precise after marking the rail and cutting with the Dremel.