To improve the reliability of Atlas Customline Code 100 turnouts.
1. Using a large fine file, file down the tops of the frogs. Most of the Customline turnouts are made with the frogs molded too high, and wheels will bump across the frog.
2. Take a small strip of .010" styrene, or some shim brass, and glue onto the INSIDE of the guard rails and onto the INSIDE of the wing rails. This will close up the extra wide clearances in these areas and result in better tracking of the trains wheels.
3. If the connections to the point rails are made of rivets, solder a small jumper wire across the gap between the points and the closure rails each point connects to. The rivets eventually work loose and loss of electrical conductivity is the result.
4. If you're really cheap, uuhh frugal, yeah, that's it, frugal. And you don't mind being a slight glutton for punishment, A much better overall improvement can be made this way. Carve down the entire piece of molding that forms the point of the frog. Then mix up a batch of epoxy, and fill the entire space of the frog with it. Spread it out until everything that makes up the black part of the frog is filled up to and slightly above rail height. When dry, (even if 5 minute epoxy is used, wait for at least 24 hrs has passed), first file the epoxy down to be even with rail height again. Then take a cut off hack saw blade, about 4-6" long, making sure the blade is aligned with the running edges of the rails, cut new flangeways through the frog. IIRC using a 24 TPI blade, (Teeth Per Inch), the flangeway will be very close to NMRA specs. Paint the finished frog to your specs. Result is the trains will track very much smoother through the turnouts and the reliability will be much better. You will have also replaced a very easily worn piece of plastic, the frog point, with a much harder, and longer lasting piece of easily replaced epoxy.
It should be noted, that this will work on any frog that is made of, or has plastic parts in it.
To help improve reliability on some Walthers/Shinohara turnouts where again the points connect to the closure rails, except instead of rivets, there are rail-joiners in place. The rail joiners will often work loose from the points. Solder the point end of the joiner to the point. This will prevent the joiner from working its way further onto the closure rail, and ensure a tight fit between the points and the closure rails.