I have some original lionel and k-line track from back in the old days, and my local shop has the grey plastic more flat O guage track that I beleive he called EZ track. Is this worth the money for old postwar stuff? I am having connection problems and voltage drops in my old track because I simply cant clean inside where the pins seat.
The track I believe you mean is Lionel FasTrack, which in concept is patterned after the HO scale E-Z Track made by Bachmann I believe.
FasTrack is considerably more expensive than the tubular track you are using. Any kind of track, tubular or otherwise, is going to provide premium performance if is it brand new. Using any kind of used track (depending on the condition of the track) can possibly lead to poor electrical flow through the track. I’ve used plenty of old prior used track and have not had any trouble with it, so it makes me wonder about the general condion of your track? Having clean rails makes all the difference in the world as far as operation - even with newer track.
It’s kind of a pain, but you can remove the track pins and the using a needle shaped file, spin that inside the rail a few times. It would priobably be easier (and cheaper) to look for some better condion used track versus going to FasTrack - unless that’s what you really want to do. FasTrack gets good reviews for operation and the switches are reported to be very good. But again, pricey. Though with something like track, you want it to be right, so it’s not always a good idea to be too cheap about track.
I find when using used tubular track, it’s always a good idea to keep some new track pins on hand. And I always tighten the rails on any where the track pins are real loose. I also crimp the rails a tad on the side opposite where the pins are, so I get a good tight connection. So I’ve never had a problem with any noticable power loss in the track.
It should be noted though, even a large sized simple loop, it’s a good idea to have feeder wires on both sides of the layout.
X2 on this. It might be a bit of a pain running some extra wires from your power source to the other side of your layout or loop, but it should solve your voltage drop problems, and the track cleaning should help with overall locomotive performance. I bought a track cleaning car a few years ago, the Trackman 2000. Hook it up to a locomotive and let it run around for a while to clean the rails, works pretty well. http://www.trackman2000.com/
Not a pain at all. The christmas tree cloth will cover it all up. I am going to just buy some new track of some kind and make sure to keep it clean. After looking at the price of the fastrack, forget it. Old skool it will be once again. 1952 to 1987 and it was junk and correded. Bought k-line in 1987 to 2009 and it is junk now, so I guess all the track had a long life. If I could only clean the inside of the pin holes and retighten them it would be fine. Soldering I bet would really help, but I just can;t becuase I don;t leave it up that long, only all of DEC, and JAN.
I use a lot of old O-31 track, and here is what I do to make a tight connection: First of all, make sure the pins are clean. I use a wire wheel on a bench grinder or a small wire wheel in an electric drill motor to clean the pins. I also use the wire wheel on the bench grinder to clean track that is badly corroded.
If the inside of the track is rusty, I use a drill bit that slips in easily to clean it. I put the drill bit into a drill motor, and let the motor do the work. This doesn’t get all the rust out, but it gets enough out to make a good connection.
I also will put a drop of WD-40 into the rail on both ends to dissolve most of the corrosion.
The main thing I do is to bend the center rail so that the pin is to one side so that it puts pressure on the pins when the pins are inserted into the mating section. This works far better than trying to squeeze the female holes tighter. It is much quicker and the track goes together easily. When you take the track apart, you do not have to do anything to put it back together. No squeezing the female holes again. Bend the pin so the end of it is about one hole diameter off center. You will have to push it to one side when you insert the pins into the next track section. You cannot bend some of the rails on switches and crossings, so for these pieces, you are back to squeezing the female holes. I have a layout that fills a 10x15 bedroom, and I am using only one feed from the transformer. This is a carpet RR, so I try to minimize the amount of wire.
Bruce Baker
I have been using new tubular track on my Christmas layout for many years and it works fine. Starting out with new track will certainly help with good connections. Also get yourself a track pliers so you can make sure the ends of the track fit tightly. I made mine from a cheap pair of Linemans Pliers from the dollar store. Drill a hole that is about the same diameter as the track pins near the tip of the pliers. When I put my tubular track away after Christmas I spray it with WD-40, surround it with lots of newspaper and put it away in a tightly fitting box.
If you start with new tubular track with a little care it should last for many years, I have Post War track that is still in excellent condition. I would find something to ream out the rail holes and make them clean again.
The other thing to consider when using the new Fastrac is that the curves have a larger turning radius so instead of needing almost three feet to make a circle it is now close to three and a half feet with the plastic roadbed. Also 048 in Fastrac is closer to 52 inches for a circle when including roadbed.
Regular tubular track is 31 inches for a circle, then goes up to 42 and then 54 and then 72. Fastrac has sizes in 36, 48, and 72 inches. If replacing tubular with Fastrac these sizes will really matter but otherwise with a new layout only it will need more room.
I have experimented a little with Fastrac and I will keep my old fashioned tubular track. Both track systems need extra power feeds to the track, Fastrac may not need as many but still it needs extra help, as when I had a train get about half way around the three by nine layout I had set up just to try the new track, it needed an extra power feed about halfway around the track. Maybe it is just me but the Fastrac got dirty quicker than any other track system that I have used in the past, had to clean the track more often when I had it. I traded my Fastrac for an MTH engine at a train show in Deerfield Beach FL in November.
Lee F.