Modern Lionel remote switches and older Lionel trains

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I recently unboxed my Grandfather’s 027 Lionel sets (steam freight and stainless U.P. diesel passenger), and set up a very small layout just to run the trains. The layout I designed has seven switches, and I had only one pair of old 027 remote switches - which are showiong their wear, so I bought new Lionel switches (665122 and 665 121). I assembled the cars on the track and started running the diesel passenger train to my extreme disappointment. The slider shoes on the bottom of all the passenger cars get hung up on the newer switches. Ther result is shorting out of the train each time a car goes over a switch. I cannot run the older U.P. train on this layout. I tried the frieght train and only one car - a log dump car - runs. Guess what? The log car also has a sliding shoe on the bottom! Does anyone know if Lionel’s new Fastrack and their swicthes will work? Thanks

[relocated by selector from Model Railroader forum…hence the reply below. ]

2

You might want to ask this question over in the Classic Toy Trains forums. Those guys will answer your question over there. The people that belong to this forum mainly deal with HO and N scales.

3

You can retract the shoes by wrapping a short piece of plastic-insulated solid copper wire around the upper end of each plastic shoe while pressing on the business end of the shoe. You may have to experiment to get the right wire thickness, thin enough to go in the gap and thick enough to fill the gap, hold the shoe fully retracted, and hold itself in place. This of course disables the functions in the car that use the shoes, but it is completely reversible.

4

Thanks. I re-posted the message.

5

Personally I would suggest finding older refurbrished switches on ebay or at a train show. I don’t know if Postwar operating shoes will work on Fastrack but the new track is extremely loud when operating trains.

6

I have not tried this myself, but I have heard that grinding the corners of those shoes with a Dremel tool to make like a slope or ramp on them helps them to negotiate switches better.

George