? "O" to "O27" mating pins?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I can’t find my latest Lionel catalog and dial up takes forever on the Lionel website. Does Lionel or anyone make mating pins to connect “O” and “O27” tracks together?

2

The pins are not the problem…“O” is higher off the base than “O27”. Joe

3

No, they don’t.

I generally just hammer an O pin into an O27 rail.

Most will suggest that you crimp the O rail to accept an O27 pin, but my approach has a few advantages

  1. The pin holds very, very tightly in the O27 rail, and won’t come out unless you intentionally pull it

  2. The way the rail deforms tends to make for a very smooth transition between the different rail sizes

  3. You’ll be ruining an O27 section rather than an O section. O27 track is about half the price of O track

4

I have to say I like Ben’s approach. I always tried the reverse method (crimping the O gauge track around the O-27 pin) but I often ended up soldering the joint anyway as the crimping worked loose over time.

It does seem to help by shimming the base of the O-27 ties to bring them to the height of the O gauge track.

5

Lionel did make such pins and packed them with the 313 bascule bridge. See page 2 of the instruction manual:

http://www.lionel.com/products/productnavigator/InstructionManuals/71-9248-250.pdf

However, there doesn’t seem to be another source for them. In any case, they are simply pins with two different diameters at the two ends, which will result in an abrupt step at the joint. Ben’s suggestion of forcing an O31 pin into O27 track will give a much smoother joint. I would enlarge the O27 rail first with a screwdriver from underneath, then retighten it over an O31 pin by pinching the web back together.

6

A little more costly an idea is to use GarGraves track between the 027 and Ogauge with adapter pins for the GarGraves track from 027 to GarGraves than GarGraves to O gauge track, no ruffness in transition. You need a 10 inch piece of GarGraves track to do at least three sections, cut the track to about three inch pieces (enuff for the pins to fit into), file the ruff edges and gently tap in the adapter pins at either end.

I use GarGraves for two of my O Gauge mainlines and have some S gauge track in GarGraves.

Lee F.

7

Lee is correct, Gragraves makes an O-27 (Gragraves style pin) to standard O adapter pin that is offset, aka the rail head transition is flat.

You could also consider using an O-27 pin and making an adapter using brass tubing, wire, and solder. If you place the “O” side tubing on the top of the O-27 bin and place the wire below to act as a shim, you won’t get a railhead offset. aka the tubing is not centered on the O-27 pin.

8

Actually Lionel probably still has the O-O27 adapter pins on hand. I bought a 497 coal loader about a year ago. It came with a wired UCS track already mounted and a note that for those of us who run O27 to write in to request the necessary adapter pins. Got what I needed within a week or so.

Wayne

9

did you find mating pins—where?

10

Here is the Lionel adapter pin

Larry

11

Although this part is offered, it will be quite a bump at the transition point due to a design flaw.

It really should be offset, like the GarGraves adapter pins.

You can make your own by starting with three “O” pins, and grind one end(to the half way point) of each 3/4 of the way around to match the diameter of the O-27 track pins/openings.

If you instead grind them to the center like the above Lionel pins, there will be a significant “bump” at the transition.

For an example of this “offset” method, look closely at the GarGraves “O” & O-27 adapter pins:

And actually, forcing the O pins into O-27 at the transitions works quite well, and the bump is reduced to the slight difference in sheet metal gauge used to form the rails.

All of this assumes that you realize you will need to shim your O-27 track ties up slightly to match the track height of “O”.

12

Thanks, What I want to do is use the mating pins for 027 switches to use w/0 gauge track & 0 gauge switches. I have both gauges of switches. Rest of layout will be 0 gauge track. Mating 027 & 0 gauge switches & 0 gauage track together.

The track is ALL Lionel only—no GarGraves or anything else.

13

now is

14

Thanks, What I want to do is use the mating pins for 027 switches to use w/0 gauge track & 0 gauge switches. I have both gauges of switches. Rest of layout will be 0 gauge track. Mating 027 & 0 gauge switches & 0 gauage track together.

The track is ALL Lionel only—no GarGraves or anything else.

You would not try the mating pins you pictured?

Ed

15

If you must mate O27 to O, and I really distain using O27 track, It’s a lot simpler to just crimp the O end of the track slightly narrower and insert the male O27 pin into the O track opening. You can crimp the O opening smaller or just bend the O27 pin to the side so it fits tighter.

16

If you want to mate O27 to O, and I really like using O27 track due to the wide variety of pieces available, the lower cost, & better aspect/appearance, it’s actually a lot simpler to just force the O track pins into the O27 opening.

It’s a much cleaner & more mechanically sound connection method and the O-27 rails can later be re-formed easily around a O-27 pin with track pliers if desired. Using a O-27 pin in “O” rails leaves a lot of extra metal material in the webbing area to disrupt the transition even more, and it frequently tears/fatigues the metal of the tube section trying to close down around a smaller pin.

17

Ha! Just realized this thread is 10 years old! Hopefully by now Boyd has found his pins.

18

So you would build the entire layout w/027 track & switches? Use No 0 gauge track at all?

You think over the long haul 027 works better? I just want a smooth operating lay-out, with the least amount of problems.

Please respond w/your thoughts. Thanks.

19

Sure! I did, and do! This is all O-27:

20

O27 was always intended to be inexpensive track for starter layouts. The metal gauge is thinner and the track sections easily bend and distort and go out of spec more readily. That, combined with the tight turn diameter of O27 causes more derailments.

O27 switches are inferior and you cannot use most premium locomotives on an O27 layout.

There are som avid pro O27 users out there that are happy with it and I’m not saying they are wrong. It works for them, at least until the trains start derailing. All I can say is ‘in my opinion’ and my 50+ years experience in the hobby. O track 31 and higher is the way to go. To anyone just getting into this hobby and considdering tubular track I reccomend they use ‘O’ and not waste time with O27. Your layout will operate much better for insignificant extra coast.