Reviewed by Simon Bolton, from a sample length of track supplied by PECO

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I really like the look of this track. The sleeper base moulding looks accurate and finely detailed, particularly the Pandrol- style rail clips and the characteristically angled profile of the sleepers themselves, which include the DOW-MAC maker’s name on each. Each piece is 3 feet (914mm) in length, with nickel silver rail code 143 flat-bottomed rail. As Code 143 is the height in thousandths of an inch, you might want to check that coarse scale wheel flanges don’t contact the rail clips.

Sleepers are 8ft 6in long, with the distance between sleeper centres measuring 16mm, giving a scale distance of around 2ft 4in. If you want your sleepers slightly further apart, I have come across some advice to cut the connecting webs and move them to a scale 2ft 6in or so. It depends on the level of accuracy you want for your track.

The colour of the moulded plastic of the sleepers looks good. A little weathering, whilst not necessary, would make it look great.

The track curves easily, sliding through the chairs smoothly. Although I didn’t test it to destruction, curves tighter than 4ft radius should be readily achievable. The panel easily reverts back to a good straight shape if necessary. Gluing or pinning through holes drilled in selected sleepers ought to hold everything nicely in shape.

This new track complements the existing SL-700FB flexible track with wooden sleepers and the right- and left-hand Code 143 turnouts SL-E791FB and SL-792FB. I travel frequently between Shrewsbury and Birmingham and there is a wide variety of both concrete and wooden sleeper track and pointwork to be seen. PECO make SL-713 PECO Streamline O Transition Track pieces if you want to join flat bottomed and bullhead track, so common prototypical practices can be modelled.

Loads of excellent information for track fans is available in a series of articles including diagrams and photos, from the Manchester Model Railway Club Modern Permanent Way

From the articles it seems that use of this form of concrete track ranges from the early 70s onwards and I’m looking forward to having a circuit of it on my garden railway on which to run my eagerly awaited Dapol class 66!

Ken Gray commented on the above review in the February 2024 Gazette
The sleeper spacing of the PECO concrete sleeper track was claimed to be inaccurate at around a scale 2ft 4in. This spacing equates to around 26 sleepers per 60ft length of rail.
Although I do not have access to the Network Rail company standards anymore such a spacing would be common for a main line.
Network Rail lines are categorised from 1A to 6 based on annual tonnage carried, line speed, axle load, etc. 26 sleepers per notional 60ft length is not the maximum used for 125mph and heavily used main lines in category 1A, such as London to Bristol, WCML, ECML etc. It relates to category 2 and 3 lines, such as Exeter to Plymouth, Crewe to Chester type of line. As such the sleeper spacing of the new concrete sleeper track is a good compromise for modern image modellers to use. Some branch lines would only have 24 sleepers per 60ft or use steel sleepers.
Incidentally in the 1970s to 1990s a lot of the S&C (point) layouts that are contemporary with the new concrete sleeper track would have been on hardwood sleepers. The hardwood sleepers tend to be reddish brown when new, weathering to a light silver grey, but darker when wet.