What are these?

Racerdb

New Member
Returning to the hobby now that I'm all grown up, after a 30 year hiatus....I came across a box of 20 brand new, un-opened Atlas switches and a bunch of flex track that I bought 20 years ago. I'm finally getting around to using them. But what are they? I can't find any info on them. Part numbers on the boxes are 2582-1 & 2583-1, Left & Right manual switches. I would like to get started on the Atlas Scenic & Relaxed plan, soon. Are these switches #4? #6? Are they junk? Would anyone else use them? Can they be used with an undermount switch machine? Should I scrap them and use current material?

Thanks for the info...Reading thru this forum the past week has got me all excited about this I hobby again!

Dave
 
Hiya - welcome back to N Scale!!
If no-one on the forum knows these items, it might be best to contact someone at Atlas - presumably they keep records of their earlier track types, and could tell you whether they are compatible with modern systems.
Good luck!
 
C

Catt

Welcome back to n scale and welcome to the Gauge.

My guess is that they are snap switches and as such are close to but not quite a #4.

I would have to agree with the above reply and also suggest that you contact ATLAS directly to find out exactly what they are .:D
 

ezdays

Out AZ way
Welcome, not only to the Gauge, but back to MRR and N scale.

I agree with the above comments. There's a good possiblility that these all use brass rails and not nickel-silver. Not that you should throw them away if they are, just that at least you know what you're working with. The nickel-silver is more realistic-looking and tends to corrode a bit less than all brass. Throw them away? Well, you're looking at over $200 worth of turnouts if you had to replace them, and the flex track can be anywhere from $1.50 to $3.00 each depending on where you buy them and how many you buy.

Let us know what you find out.
 

shaygetz

Active Member
Welcome to The Gauge:wave:

If yer gonna throw away that track, I'll give ya a PO box...er...dumpster you can send 'em to.:thumb: :D

Welcome back to the hobby.
 

Boilerman

Member
If the Atlas track is only 20 years old it would be Nickle silver not brass I have been using Atlas track since 1972 and back then it was nickle silver.
 

ezdays

Out AZ way
Boilerman said:
If the Atlas track is only 20 years old it would be Nickle silver not brass I have been using Atlas track since 1972 and back then it was nickle silver.
That's good to know. I bought a partially worked on N scale layout and some equipment a few years ago that I could date to the mid-70's and it had all brass track. Perhaps the track was older than that, don't know for sure. It's still worth checking out though.
 
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