Q: I will be starting my first model railroad soon, a small N scale layout. I want to use code 55 track, but I’ve read mixed reviews about it. Do you have any suggestions, or should I stick with code 80 track? — Damien Bouchey
A: When shopping for N scale track, you’ll see it referred to as code 40, code 55, and code 80. The number indicates the rail height in thousandths of an inch. Of the three, code 40 is the closest to prototype rail height, equivalent to 115 pound rail found on main and secondary lines.
Code 80, which until the 1990s was the standard for commercial track and turnouts, is noticeably oversized compared to full-size rail. The prototype equivalent is 227 pound rail.
Code 55, at .055 thousandths of an inch tall, has become an accepted middle ground in terms of appearance and operation for N scale track. It’s equivalent to 156 pound rail. Flextrack, sectional track, turnouts, and specialty track (diamonds, etc.) are all offered in code 55 from various manufacturers.
Much of the decision on whether you select code 55 or code 80 N scale track for your layout will depend on the equipment you plan on running. Older locomotives and freight cars were often equipped with wheels that have oversized flanges, nicknamed “pizza cutters.” Though these models work great on code 80 track, the flanges may hit the spike heads on code 55 track.
Newer locomotives and freight cars have wheels with shallow flanges. Many of today’s locomotives feature shallow-flange metal wheel stubs mounted on plastic drive axle gears. Ready-to-run freight cars are offered with either plastic or metal shallow-flange wheels. Several manufacturers also offer metal wheelsets in various prototypical diameters, including Athearn, Atlas Model Railroad Co., Eastern Seaboard Models Corp., Fox Valley Models, InterMountain Railway Co., Micro-Trains Line Co., Rapido Trains, and Tangent Scale Models. The shallow-flange wheels perform well on code 55 track.
If you replace stock freight car wheelsets with aftermarket offerings, make sure the new ones will fit in the trucks. Most manufacturers indicate the axle length or the brands of trucks the metal wheelsets are designed for.
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