Before I left for home to be with family for Christmas, I had another point rail on an Atlas Code 55 turnout break.  The stamping process appears to leave a weak spot right where the point rail connects to the throwbar, and some of them tend to break.  This is the third of this type of failure I’ve seen, and this makes me suspicious that it may be a common problem.  Combined with my frustration at the complete lack of Atlas C55 availability, I’ve decided it’s time to make some changes.

A few hours before leaving for Iowa, I bit the bullet and ordered a #7 Fast Tracks turnout building kit and associated hardware.  I’ve heard nothing but good things about these guys and decided it was time to give it a shot.  It’s a little pricey to get started, but once I have the jigs and tools, I’ll never be beholden to any company not having track piece X in stock again.  Plus, I’ll be switching to Micro Engineering C55 flex track.  Visually it’s on par, if not a touch better, than the Atlas flex track I already have and the rail will then be identical to my new turnouts.  I don’t like the more rigid design, but it’s made in the good ol’ USA and – surprise – you can actually get it.

The kit should be waiting in the mail when I get home, but I’m still missing a few things like the files that won’t show up until tomorrow.  Hopefully by the end of the week I can actually try out building a turnout and I’ll post again with my thoughts and results.