Can i run British O locos on my Lionel O track? Are there any voltage or other electrical concerns i should know about?
thanks,
ai
you may find that it may not fit on US ‘O’ gauge track. On the other side of the pond, ‘O’ gauge is 1/43 not 1/48.
Here is a referance site on gauges
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http://rail.felgall.com/scale.htm
The gauge is still the same regardless (in the United States, O gauge is 1:48, while it’s 1:43 in Britain and 1:45 in Continental Europe). The track width stays the same; the trains just get progressively bigger. So Briti***rains will run on U.S. O gauge track.
Voltages could be a concern, but they always are with old trains. I have trains from four different makers, and they all have their own personality. Just crank the throttle up slowly so you don’t send it flying off the table and you should be fine. Set it up on the floor initially until you’re reasonably confident that it runs well and familiar with the ranges it likes.
I don’t think there’s any British 3-rail that ran on DC. AC vs. DC is the only other concern I would have. I’m pretty sure Daan will chime in with the answer when he sees this.
The new British O gauge locomotives by Ace function well on both tubular and solid rail track. Ace locomotives can run on AC or DC. The Ace A4 Pacific, Mallard, is the lead review in the May issue.
The new engines by Bassett-Lowke (which are DC powered three-rail, by the way) run with an occasional glitch on tubular, and run well on solid rail (the locomotives have scale-like flanges, not larger toy-like flanges).
Hey Ya’ll
I love the Ace Trains Stuff. One of my collection peices (given to me by my friend who moved here from england who didn’t want them any more) was a Basset Lowke Live Steam Mogul and an Ace Trains LMS 4-4-4T locomotive as well as 3 coaches.
Bert and Mary Poppins
Thanks for the info. the scale part (1/43 vs 1/48) doesn’t really matter all that much. I just didn’t know if the electronics and/or power requirements would work on this side of the pond. Looks like i may be spending a few weeks in London soon and was thinking about checking out some of the hobby shops! But after a little more thought, hauling a box with an O locomotive and 4 cars around London may be a bit too much for someone who was told to pack light.
ai
Most of the big shops have mail order - but be aware that if you buy it in the UK, you’ll have to pay VAT (16 or 17%) whereas if you order from the US, that is deducted.
That’s not quite correct; Bassett-Lowke often offered a choice between AC and (12 volt) DC, whereas both Bonds and the Leeds Model Company (LMC) produced models with 8 volt DC mechanisms from the mid-Twenties onwards.
Hans van Dissel
Thanks for the correction, Hans.