I am very new to Trains and I am curious what the different Lionel gauges are. I have seen O Track and Fast Track, are there any others?
Also what are the main differences and which is the best to use.
Also will the same trains that operate on the O track work on the Fast Track etc?
All of the various makes of track for O scale have the same gauge-- 1.25" between the outside rails. The differences are in the materiel that the rails are made of, whether there is a molded roadbed or not, and how many ties are used, etc. Lionel’s tubular track has been around for over 70 years, and has not changed much in that time. It is made in 2 sizes: O and O-27. O track’s smallest diameter is 31", and the height is about 9/16". O-27 is about 7/16" high, and smallest diameter is 27" Fastrack of course, has molded roadbed, and still uses the same tinplated steel as tubular.
Fastrack is better for people who are new to the hobby, as it’s just about foolproof to set up and use. I use Atlas O track for my “serious” layout,but i’m also in the process of building a “toy Train” layout using tubular track and classic Lionel accessories.
As for your trains, all O scale and O gauge trains will run on any track that has the same 1.25" gauge-- the caveat is that some engines and long cars will NOT operate on the smallest diameter(O27 or O31) track. They will be labeled in the catalogs and on the boxes what the minimum reccomended diameter is.
HTH—
The gauge is the same for all of them, 1 1/4 inches. The important difference is how sharp the curves are. O27 has a radius of 12.5 inches, O31 14.142 inches, and Fast Track, 18 inches and up in 6-inch increments. There is also track that matches O27 and O31 in a variety of gentler curvatures. The main thing is to use curves that your trains can get around, or that your trains look good going around. Which kind of track do you have?
For most postwar trains, yes. But some prewar locomotives don’t take well to FasTrack switches.
Chris,
For a good pictorial representation of various gauge tracks, go to either Lionel or MTH’s website and look at one of their catalogs. In the introductory pages you will find some graphics.
Bob,
I currently have all O track (tons of it) but my father did not store it well and it rusted and oxidized quite alot. So most of the TIN is gone on the track so I have to replace it. I will be heading to the hobby store this week to get some ideas of track layout to decide how much I will need to buy.
I have very fond memories of when I was a small child of watching the train with my father and I want to do the same for my 3 1/2 year old.
If you intend to keep the layout design simple, by all means, go with the Fastrack, the stuff is beautiful.
If you want to get fancy with your track plan, with lots of curves and grades, go with the tubular. More foregiving when measurements are off.
I’ll add a few more things as a whole tublar track is quiter than fastrack. ( the blastic base causes this. there is a lot of track out there one reply mentioned atlas a ver nice track but a little pricey, you also have Gargraves which I plan to use on part of my layout I plan to build (tublar will be the rest of it.)
One of the best part of tublar over fastrack is you can cut to size easy. Now some have claimed to cut fastrack but not sure how easy it would be and do correctly seeing the ends are at different legnths instead of straigh across
Answering questions like “which one is best” is hard to do as there is no best track out there. There is only what is best for you. There are many different types and styles of track out there. In order to figure out which one is best for you, you need to ask yourself what you want out of a layout. Do you just want to watch some trains run around on the carpet? Do you want a temporary layout? Do you want realism and detail? What kind of budget do you have? The questions go on and on but these are important to know in order to determine what works well for you.
In terms of Lionel track, you have 3 current options. I say current as they have had a couple of old track systems in the past that are no longer made. The 2 options are the traditional style tubular track that has already been mentioned. They are typically referred to as O and O27. Their other track is Fast Track and has the roadbed molded it.
MTH makes 2 track options. One is called Real Trax and is their version of Fast Track. They also make a track that is aimed at the person who wants a more realistic appearing track that is used more for custom systems called Scale Trax. Many refer to this as the most realistic appearing 3 rail track but that is quite debatable.
Atlas makes a 3 rail line of track as well and again many others consider it to be realistic 3 rail. This line probably has the most variety of switches. They also have a lower line called their Industrial line that has a track that is similar to Fast Track but it isn’t as readily available outside of their train sets.
You also have a couple of other track types that are popular for custom layouts that aim towards realism. Gargraves and Ross are the two that come to mind.
Your last option requires time and effort and isn’t for the beginner and it is hand laying your own track. This allows you the freedom to detail as finely as you desire including accurat
If you’re looking to replicate what you had with your dad with your son, then go with tubular. I grew up with 027 tubular track and that’s what I’ll be introducing my grandson to, even tho I have a fair amount of Atlas O.
I like to use O gauge tubular track or 027 track for areas when a smaller radius curve is needed. Tubular track is easier for me to work with, as I don’t have to buy a custom piece whenever I need a small section of track to fit into place. There are several comanies that currently make tubular track or sell tubular track, such as; Atlas, Lionel, MTH, Williams, Gargraves & Ross. K-Line, Marx and Ives used to make O gauge or 027 track and switches.
Lionel made a very realistic track many years ago called T rail, it needed screws and miniture fishplates to be put together. Maybe it was too time consuming or was ahead of its time. Also Lionel made something called Super O track, maybe they tried to copy Gargraves years ago in the late 1950’s. The reason I mention all these types of track is so that you know that there have been several types of O gauge track made thru the years since the 1930’s. Also another company(don’t know their name) made Flexi-track or flexible track, you could bend it two differant ways; curved or uphill.
Fastrac & Realtrax have the same drawbacks when it comes to custom track design, you have to buy special fitter pieces & the price is the same as a large section of Fastrac or Realtrax.
Pricewise O gauge tubular is much cheaper to buy than Fastrac or Realtrax. My personal choice is O gauge tubular with Gargraves switches.
Lee F.
Just be careful if you plan on running postwar Lionel equipment. The accessory shoes tend to get caught in the switches. Gargraves has this problem. I don’t know about the fastrack.
Chris77504: [#welcome] to the Forum. A lot of great advice from the guys.
Allow me to mention one more thing to keep in mind…“Cost” Fastrack is more expensive that tubular.
Take your time and don’t be shy. (Ask questions) Keep us updated. Wish you all the best.
Traindaddy…“more expensive” is an understatement!!! Many moons ago when I first strolled into my local train shop to pick up some extra tubular I glanced at the Fastrac out of curiosity. I thought the FT was mismarked!!! [:O] Nonetheless, I walked out with enough for the Christmas layout. It does have some features I like, such as the ties and the roadbed. The track interlocking feature too.
In applications where screwing down the track was not practical, I have wearied of “loose track syndrome” and “bad connection” syndrome. I have a lot of the Lionel track locks.
I am am going to try servoguy’s recommendation of slightly bending the outer rails of the tubular outward versus the slight crimping method of the female openings that Lionel suggests, a recommendation that has to be repeated during many of the track assembly/disassembly events.
The FT switches are pricey too.
Jack
That is a good idea that I have noted myself, but I would think more important is to do this to the middle rail also, since that is your power supply.
My recommendation is to bend the center rail to the right and the left rail to the left. You can reverse the process where you have only two pins installed for a connection with an 022 switch, for example. This can be done on 022 switches and crossings as well. Just don’t get too aggressive with the switches and break the plastic. This approach works extremely well. Bruce Baker
I would say O27, in a heartbeat. Dirt cheap. More money for trains. It’s also available in several larger radii, so you can run that long equipment you bought with the money you saved.
Will the engines and other cars I already have that were originally on the O track work on O27?
How do Fast Track and tubular O-27 compare as far as durability?
A couple of years ago I bought a Lionel set for my young grandson. It came with Fast Track, and I’ll admit that I didn’t do my homework and even ask if that was what I ought to get him or not. Right now it’s not an issue. He’s too young to use the trains by himself, so they only get set up or taken down a couple of times a year when his parents set them up or when I visit. But in a couple of years he’ll be getting close to playing with them himself.
I remember the Lionel stuff I had as a kid. That tubular track was pretty indestructable, even after all the abuse that I and my friends put it through. An occasional loose pin was about all it seem to suffer. But I’m a bit concerned that if a kid starts giving the Fast Track a lot of assembly/disassembly whether the plastic clips will hold up well or not.
Any opinions on this? I’m not so far into buying the little guy track that I can’t switch and start buying the tubular O-27. I also think it would give him a bit more flexibility in layout options on his 4x8 table. With the Fast Track I pretty well fill that up with a figure 8.
Thanks
Ed
I have no experience with Fast Track so I coudn’t help you there.