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Minitrix Track any Good?

19181 Views 30 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  db ice 3
Hello,
anybody use Minitrix N gauge track and is it robust, is it compatable with other makes? Are the points of the insulfrog or electrofrog variety? I've seen a set that is reasonably good value for money but being an HO modeller I don't really know anything about N gauge, however it does seem a good Christmas present for my son. I'm deliberating as to whether or not to go for it or buy things seperately and go for Peco track; any thoughts?

Many thanks

Clive
21 - 31 of 31 Posts
Thanks for the update - takes me back a bit though.............
Nice looking little layout that, I hope he continues with the hobby.

Regards
Hello!
Dont use insulfrog, use electrofrog only for dependable riding.
Especially it concerns curved turnouts.
These turnouts have very long plastic insulfrogs. This fact hamper pover of loco very often!
I have trix curved turnouts
I was forced to discard it, and the reason is - non dependable loco current pickup!
As MiniTrix track concerns - it'svery coarse and not so dependable. Rail's attachment to the sleepers rather poor, and rails may have backlash.

MiniTrix may be NOT COMPARTIBLE with code 50 N-Scale rolling stock, especially with FoxWalley models thin wheels.
(Peco - compartible)

Another problem - Insulfrogs.
Trix has electrofrogs, but only on stright turnouts.

Be careful, dont use curved turnouts!
There is no supplyers, who make curved electrofrogs !
(Except PECO sle386(F) 387(F), but radius of these turnouts are extra large! )

If You ll use insulfrogs - You ll have a lot of headache with unstability of loco's current pickup.

Peco FineScale and especially Atlas code 55 - very realistic and, in principle dependable enough, but they havent curved electrofrogs in their track sets.
Atlas d announced curved turnout in 2008 , but it still not released, and delayed month to month every month!

Be careful, if You ll use code 55 or code 40 track , You ll must reshape all europian rolling stock wheels .

As i believe, You can use Peco code 50 finescale track.
It compartible with code 80 rolling stock and rails sufficiently realistic, although sleepers not so realistic.

All rails very dependably attached to the sleepers, and remains attached even if You ll camber your turnouts on oven!

-------
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Hello Vad,
I think you are right to raise concerns over the pointwork, it's not brilliant, plus it's difficult to get Minitrix track here in Scotland. William and I are slowly replacing the Minitrix rack with Peco, easily available here. Still it served its purpose, William still enjoys his train set almost one year on, and is now ready to become interested in more realistic model railway matters.

regards

Clive
Hello clive hayward
Peco - good choice!
Now I construct layout on Code 50 Atlas track.
Compare Atlas code 50 and peco code 50:


I have strict limitations of my room, and therefore my module is 2m X 0.7m
They have strong turn on 180 deg of 2 way track, which goes from underlayer-tunnel at the one end of module, and the task - how not only to turn on 180 but also insert radius turnouts, in aim to save space for main 5 way station . This space need to conduct 80 cm long trains.

Peco has radius electrofrog turnouts, but their radius - about 1m. (i need about 0.25m)
Therefore i decide to use minitrix R1/R2 insulfrogs into tonnel part of this turn.
I changed by himself insulfrogs into electrofrogs one in these turnouts, installed metallic rear rails in aim for extra good current pickup, and soldered atlas rail-shoes(sawed from flex rails) into wing rail region to diminish backlash and in aim to use thin FoxWalleyModels wheels on my rolling stock.

It's very boring procedure, It takes me about 2 days to remade 2 such turnouts.
I would be glad to buy analogous ones, but there ara nothing suppliers who make curved electrofrogs with 0.25m radiuses.

Another people also do this things
for example there are alternative approach for conversion trix insulfrogs into electrofrogs:



And whole procedure:
of trix turnout conversion
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4
hi vadim ...

maybe you know already but fleischmann makes electro-frog curved points as part of their profi-track program. iv been very pleased with mine so far!
db ice, flieschmann curved points are of a very narrow radius, do all the locos and stock go through them ok?
hi ... iv not had a single de railment thru the fleischmann electro-frog curved points - and running some fast passenger / ice trains thru them, they pass thru just fine.
and its nice that little 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 tank locos can get thru them slowly without stalling!
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