Hi, I just want to introduce myself. My name is George. I been larking in this form for three days now. I am very new to Lionel trains. I bought a complete James Gang train in the box except for the transformer was missing, I connected a variable power supply to it and it runs fine, but I got tired of the small track lay out that came with it. A friend told me about some people that sell at a swap meet at an old drive in movie lot. When I got there and was walking around, A big white van pulled up and 3 guys started to unloading some train stuff. I happen to ask if they had any Lionel track. That might been the wrong question ask! They gave me over 7 large boxes. All for $20.00. They did not want to take it back home. It took me one whole day to sort it all out. I have I have over 300 sections of 027 and over 250 sections Lionel O gage plus 12 old Lionel switches and a bunch other stuff that I have no clue what it is.
I would love to buy an old 40’s 50’s steam train but what should I go with the 027 or the O gage. Are the old switches worth anything? There all seem to be in good shape.
Thank George
$20 a bargain compared with the $800 used Hell Gate bridge I saw during lunch at an antique store in Alexandria VA.
Pick up some catelogues and see the ads in CTT for some good buys. If you go 027, ensure you won’t eventually want a big boy
There is a lot to learn, but you don’t have to know it all before doing anything. Most toy train enthusasists will confess that they are mostly self taught, so just lay track and play with the trains.
You have run into the best experts with your post; ask questions.
The learning can be accellerated from magazines, books, the internet, and, my strongest recommendation, other train hobbyists. Look for a toy train club near you and go to meetings. Meet people, talk, visit layouts, help with club layouts. Toy train clubs are TCA (Train Collector’s Association), TTOS (Toy Train Operating Society), and LOTS (Lionel Operaters Train Society). The CTT web site has links to all, and more.
E-Bay has lots of trains for sale, but be very careful, or get advise, until you know more.
John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com
Dave, I run a (slightly modified) Rail King Big Boy on my O27 layout!
Welcome George to the CTT forum
You got a great deal on the track and switches. I also use 027 track and like it. Most 031 trains will run on the 027 track but have a problem with the switches. I have replaced my Lionel switches with K-line 027 low profile switches and that allows me to run larger engines and cars.
Check out our web page by clicking on the web icon below.
We also love the 4-4-0 engines and have 7 of them.
click on the pic to enlarge it.
tom
Please know that your James Gang engine is a DC ONLY engine. There is a way to convert it to standard operation(which I heartily endorse!). Go to the technical area on the LIONEL web site for more information.
Jon [8D]
This is a great form. This stuff must have been from an old setup. I found 4 Edison ceramic knife switch’s in the lot with a pat. date of 1896. The one thing I like about the O Gage is they have bigger radus in there track. I can get a 6’ diameter circle out of O gage where 027 is much smaller and the whips around more. Ha but the train stays on the track!
I will check out converting the train to AC. I can’t get the switches to work on dc. only the light come on.
George, I like O27 because it’s very inexpensive. Just as an example, my local Lionel shop sells Lionel 2026 steamers (a 2-6-4 configuration) for around $100. That’s for one that’s been disassembled, cleaned up, had any worn parts replaced, and put back together. It’s vintage, common enough to be inexpensive, and built to run a long, long time. You can get them on eBay for $40 but it’s hard to know whether you’re getting one that’s going to run perfectly or one that’s going to need $75 worth of work done on it. (My dad’s was in the latter category. 
But I did it because it was my dad’s and worth a lot more to me than its monetary value.) You can go a lot cheaper too–a Lionel 1110 (2-4-2) will run $35, tops.
Might I suggest you start out with inexpensive O27 stuff, and if you find yourself getting hooked, then you can step up to the bigger and more expensive stuff? That way you don’t end up tying up a lot of money in it. The O27 stuff will run just fine on the larger O gauge track, as it seems you’ve already found out.
Excellent find on the track, by the way. I consider it a great deal when I can get track for 50 cents per section, and a switch for under $10. My best-ever find was a box of Lionel stuff for $35. It included a Lionel 242 locomotive (worth about $10, but it works!), five or so freight cars, and some track, along with the remains of a 1960s slot car set. Who knows, your buddies in the white van who gave you the great deal on the track might have an O27 set to sell you for $20.
Oh, and keep experimenting with what you’ve got and asking questions. It’s the fastest way to learn.
You can find good running four driver steamers from the MPC era at shows for pretty cheap. MPC also made NW switchers that sell for around $35.
Vintage, if your “O” track makes a 6-foot circle, it is what we call O72. The nomenclature is a little confusing and inconsistent. There are two rail profiles, associated with two original curvatures, O27 and O, now often called O31. O27 rails are smaller and the curves make a 27-inch circle. O31 makes a 30.5-inch circle. However, both rail profiles are available in various larger radii. O27-style track, for example, can be had in 34, 42, 54, and 72-inch diameters. O-style comes in 31, 42, 54, 63, 81, 72, 96, and 120 inches.
George,
Welcome to the forum! The James Gang was one of the best DC-only sets Lionel made. It is a beautiful set, and there are some separate sale Santa Fe cars that are compatible with it. The Badlands set was sold about ten years later with Southern Pacific markings that had essentially the same three types of cars. You need to add a little weight to the engine to get it to pull more than three or four cars.
Keep on training,
Mike C. from Indiana
Lionel Trains are wonderful! But there are many other wonderful manufacturers out there also. So, when you think of trains…Look around, there are many manufacturers and a lot of great product.
It sure gets a little confusing about O-style and the different 027 type styles. All the O track I have are marked "Lionel NY on the ties, and all the switches are marked “Lionel” all so. but what is strange is that the switches fit better with the 027 rails.
What I need to do before I make a setup is find some local vintage train group or show.
George
George, if the straight part of the switch is 8 7/8 inches long, it is O27; if 10 inches, it is O(31).