CODE 250 FLEXTRACK
Manufacturer: Garich Light Transport, 6101 Glenwood Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Price: Six foot section of brown plastic flexible tiestrip (spaced either for narrow or standard gauge) with .250-inch high solid brass rail and rail joiners $21.00 or $3.50 per foot.
AS THE HOBBY matures it is inevitable more modelers will want to make their track look more realistic. That means they will want smaller-size rail and ties with a typically American appearance. Outdoors, most are turning to track using "Code 250" rail (rail measuring .250-inch from the base to the top of the railhead) because it will accept wheels with any current flange size. Garich Light Transport has anticipated the demand with a very high quality and real looking American prototype flextrack.
Quarter-inch high rail represents roughly 92 pound rail in 1:22.5 scale, 100 pound rail in 1:24 scale, 135 pound rail in 1:29 scale, and 155 pound rail in 1:32 scale (the largest size you are likely to find in America). The .332-inch high rail LGB and other manufacturers use is much too large accurately to represent anything but the heaviest duty, mainline standard gauge track in 1:22.5 scale, and, even in that case, the European-type ties and chairs are wrong for an American style railroad.
Garich track is unique in several ways. First, it comes not only in 1:24/1:22.5 scale narrow gauge tie spacing but also in a closer, 1:32 scale, standard gauge spacing. Second, it is available with brass rail instead of the aluminum now on the market. Third, the ties are molded in flexible brown polypropolene plastic as opposed to the black delrin other American manufacturers have supplied. Next, the ties are slightly staggered rather than lining up perfectly straight. And, finally, the plastic spline holding the ties together is a single strip measuring 1/4-inch wide by 1/8-inch high running down the center of the track; other manufacturers mold a band of plastic directly beneath both rails, with a break between every other tie.
Garich tie strip comes in one foot sections. It locks together by a tab on one end of the center spline sliding into a slot on the opposite end of the spline in the adjoining section. The spline has three holes for tacking the track to a subroadbed.
The ties have a fairly deep wood grain similar to the grain in LGB track and each tie measures an actual 1/4-inch high by 5/16-inch wide by 3 1/2-inches long. In 1:22.5 scale, that works out to 5 1/2-inches by 6 3/4-inches by 6 feet 7 inches; in 1:24 scale the dimensions are 6 inches by 7 inches by 7 feet.
The 1:32 scale ties measure 1/4-inch high by 5/16-inch wide by 3 3/16-inches long, scaling out to 8 inches high by 10 inches wide by 8 1/2 feet long. The standard gauge ties also have finer but still noticeable wood grain and tie plate detail.
Garich has molded a tie plate on either end of each tie with two spikes per plate or four spikes per tie. The spikes are close to scale and look very real. They function as real spikes, too, because they anchor the rail tightly. In fact, so tightly it takes a lot of work to slide the rail into the tie strip--and since the rail comes separately, it's a job you may expect to spend a little time completing.
If you are relatively new to laying flextrack you should be aware you will need a rail bender to curve the track accurately. Garich Light Transport offers Larry Lindsay's excellent rail benders for code 250 rail separately, along with ready-to-spike turnout kits (including individual redwood ties and, of course, spikes) or pre-spiked turnouts in various radii. Also a beautiful, all-brass rotating switchstand. (See NEW PRODUCTS for more information on these and other Garich items.)
Two more items:
First, a word of warning about any track using smaller-size rail: It will be less rugged than larger rail. (And it is doubtful it will hold up to elephants standing on it.)
Second, you should realize that if you put turnouts with real wood ties next to flextrack using plastic ties the real wood will weather to a different color than the plastic and a color discrepancy will develop.
The quality of Garich's flextrack is excellent and when you ballast it, the appearance is second only to handlaid. It is a very effective product.--RR
