Anyone have any experience with elevated trestles?? I plan on doing a loop of track above my layout using some elevated trestles. And putting my 400 & 404 budd cars to run on that elevated track loop. Will my budd cars fall odd the track or will the trestles be able to hold the weight of these 2 budd cars?? How exactly do the trestles work?? Do they screw or nailed down to table top layout?? How do they secure to the O gauge track?? I will be using 031 track, just regular O tubular track with the black ties. I have plenty of room on my layout for it. Just like 14 pieces of track will make up the elevated track loop. Simple loop. Should i go with the trestles that are 4 3/4" high or 6" high?? Thanks, any help will do.
I can’t answer your question, but I’ve been wanting to make an elevated track. Where can I get a set of trestles that are all the same height? And can I get some that I can drive a train under?
The manual for 110/111 style trestles will answer many of your questions… Here it is.
This manual shows the slots in the feet of the bents for mounting them to a board.
Rob
The Lionel Elevated Trestle Set is catalog #(6-12755) and consists of ten identical piers. Each pier is 4 3/4" tall allowing trains to pass beneath.
Rob
MTH makes a “stone” trestle set that is pretty close to 6.5" tall and costs arond $18 for an 8pc set, and an 8pc subway set that has some 5 3/4" clearance for $25. It says you can use 0/27 lionel 3 rail on it.
I will have to look into the MTH trestles. As long as they work with O gauge lionel track. When you say trains can pass underneath, do you mean, crosswise or parallel with the elevated track, between the two piers?? But, i am still worried my budd cars will fall over, cause both of them is about 7 or 8 pounds. Thanks.
I dont know the height of the Budd cars & whether they will pass under the trestle. Normal engines/cars pass between the trestles with no problem but I dont know about Budd cars or vista domes. The Lionel trestles will certainly support your cars and depending on speed, curves, etc I would not expect them to fall off. I ran my Virginian FM on a figure eight trestle layout as a kid & dont remember the engine ever falling - cant say the same for rolling stock at the speeds I ran the train.
I have used the Lionel trestle sets (6-12755) which someone posted a link to. They are 4 3/4" tall. My tallest engine is the GG1 with its pantograph 1/2 way up. I measure 5 1/2 inches from the board to underneath the trestles. The GG1 will NOT clear the trestles without the addition of a 3/4" block of wood underneath each. I did not know that 6" trestles were available. Where did you find them?
MTH makes the 6 1/2 inch high trestles. I am going to buy 2 sets of them tmr for my layout. They are $19.95 each set of 8. They have 2 types, girders and stone wall types. I think i will get the steel girder type because it will look like an overhead subway type deal. Stone wall for like umm…trolley maybe or something. I have to weave my track through my layout and i hope my loco’s on the layout board do not hit the trestles. Does the trestles attach to the ties of the O gauge track??? Will MTH trestles work with O gauge track from lionel?? How do you get power to the track on the trestles?? just put a lockon on it and run some wires down a trestle to the transformer?? thanks.
The MTH site says they will work with “Tubular” track. I am not sure they mean Lionel tubular track. For Lionel’s version the trestles have soft flexible plactic things that slide between the black ties of the tubular track. This helps them to stay on the trestle. I also put a #4X 1/2" screw on each.
You did not say if you are going to build a ramp for the train to go up. I did that, but the first design did not work very well. Not all the engines could go up the incline. The older ones would just spin the wheels, while the newer engines would shed their rubber tires. I had to revise it to about double the original length. It is now 15 tracks long, and works well with all engines. One problem with the ramp is that nothing can go under it. Not a problem if you have lots of space, though.
Yes, you just run the wires up the trestle. Use a wire color that matches the trestle. I use lighted lockons.
I will be using just a regular lockon. And i will have no incline at all. Just all sections will be elevated above the layout. Man, i hope the MTH trestles work with Lionel O gauge tubular track. So, 1/2" screws i think i will use to secure the trestles to the table top. No nails. Are all trestles plastic?? do they have ones with a metal base, so i dont crack the plastic bases when i screw down some plastic ones?? How many sections should you put a trestle?? every 2 sections or every section of track?? Thanks.
The Lionel trestles are made of a non-brittle plastic. I can’t comment on MTH.
I use one trestle per track length, except for one section of 4 straight track which Lionel makes as one piece. I only use 3 for that section.
What if i cannot squeeze a trestle in because of an obstruction?? Like tracks below or too close to the tracks below and an engine might run into the trestle. I have 20 sections of track and (2) 40 inch straight one piece track on my elevated mockup. Will 24 of the trestles be enough for this?? Thats because I would have to buy 3 sets of elevated trestles and maybe 4 sets. they are $20 each, and i hate to break the bank and buy 4 sets. 3 i think will be plenty. Most of it is straight tracks. I have 11 full curve track on it. couple 1/2 curves. (2) 40 inch straight tracks. And 6 full straights. I found some screws that will work. Does each trestle require 2 screws or just 1?? thanks.
I’ve no experience with MTH, but I am familiar with the Lionel trestles. I would recommend one trestle per 10" section of track. I would maintain approximately the same spacing even if using longer sections of straight track. This will support any Lionel postwar engine and cars, Budd included. The Lionel trestles came with two types of fasteners: one for 031 track nad another for 027 track. These worked flawlessly.
runtime
I had that problem on a previous layout. To solve it, I made custom trestle bents out of balsa wood. I used 1/2" square stock for the trestle, gluing the pieces (and using toothpicks for mechanical connections). You could also make custom piers out of foam core board. You’d need to make a box 5" high by 1" deep by approximately 3" wide (more for a skewed pier).
Balsa and foam core piers are much cheaper than Lionel trestle sets.
I’ll look at my highest MTH tressle tomorrow and see how it works with 027 track. That should give you a good idea. I would probably put one per joint of track, you can get by with using less on long straight pieces without joint pieces. Maybe solder the joints of corners and that will give you some more rigidity so you can space the tressles around obsticles.
Wes
I second the motion to try to make them yourself. I’m just about done making an ‘upper’ loop on a buddy’s existing layout for an MTH Chicago L train using trestles made out of balsa and stripwood. We tried the Lionel trestles and the MTH - but making our own let us work around obstacles on the existing layout and set our preferred exact heights. We used Atlas track that we glued and occasionally screwed into the trestle bent.
My layout is not permanant, Its only a xmas time layout, but its pretty big. I need to use the MTH trestles, so they can be removed and put back on for next year. And MTH makes the highest trestles. I am using O gauge track, not 027 track. Because MTH states that it will work with tubular O gauge track, But will it work with Lionel O gauge tubular track?? I need to know this before i buy them today. Also, how wide are the trestles at the base of them?? About 4 inches?? Its gonna be a hard project, but, I think i can make it work. Might have to make some custom testles like you guys said, I have some balsa wood laying around somewhere. Thanks.
Im sure custom trestles or even small bridges will be needed. I took a few pictures of the tallest trestle in my MTH graduating trestle set, which doesn’t seem to be as tall as what you get with the elevated kit. There is a base platform that snaps onto the main pier. WIth the pier, its just over 5 7/8", without it is 5.5" tall. The base footprint is 5" x 2 3/4". The pier is 3" wide, and it gradually gets wider from top to bottom, starting at 1" wide, and finishing at 1.5 at the base. There are two staggered holes to let you fasten down Lionel track. I tested it with 027 because that’s what I have here. It’s designed to go under a lionel rail tie. You could also put these anywhere there isn’t a tie, but you would need a spacer. They are hollow, and there is a hole to feed wire into. You will need to drill a hole to get the wire out of the top of the pier. There are 2 screw holes in the removable base, and two holes in the pier base, so you can mount and remove them pretty easily. Pictures from cell phone:
Cool, thanks a ton. But, when you say they can go right on the track and not on the ties, that you will need spacers. Is spacers another thing i need to buy?? Cause I think I might have to do that. Now i know they will work with 027, If they work with 027, they should work with my O gauge track. I will test those measurements to my layout, see if i can indeed do it. Thanks.