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 showing their age, 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, or change from forward to neutral, etc., 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 - gets hung up. 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 with trains which have the slider shoes? I would also be interested in refurbished older switches. Thanks. -Mark
I have a Lionel 1654 2-4-2 and a Lionel 1666 2-6-2 with slider shoes and both work fine with FasTrack switches.
I changed my layout from tubular track to FasTrack because of all the derailments and shorts caused by the Lionel tubular switches. I have had no derailments with FasTrack switches after several years of operation. I like the nostalgic look of tubular track, but I want to run my trains without derailments, so I switched to FasTrack.
Earl
Since you have the older Lionel trains, probally post war, I would suggest using post war switches with or going to Fastrac or to Gargraves track to solve the issue with the slide shoes that keep getting caught on the new switches.
The new O gauge switches from Lionel were total let-downs or duds(internal failures, like the electreonics died) for me, so I went with Gargraves track & switches a few years ago. I run Williams locomotives and they don’t work with the newer O gauge switches by Lionel.
Lee F.
Just a caution: I found sliding shoes to get hung up (ripped off) by Gargraves switches.
runtime
I ran into this with new Lionel 054 path switches. What I did to stop the problem was to look at old 022 switches and you can see where Lionel provided grooves for the sliding shoes to pass through. I then used a dremel to cut the same grooves in the new switches. There is no longer any problem with sliding shoe cars. I know from personal experience that NO engines will pass through the new Lionel 072 switches. As was mentioned in a previous post, those new switches are junk. I own Williams also and there are no problems with them passing through new Lionel 054 switchs.
Roger
I have no problem running any of my trains on Lionel O-22 switches. I have prewar all the way up to modern and many different manufactures. I did have and still have problems with Lionel O-72 switches. One was all my Lionel S-2 Turbines derailed on them. Did some tinkering on the points and that fixed that, but on another switch some times both lights on the switch ( red and green ) stay lit when I throw it and some time it buzzes when I run a engine on the turn out but doesn’t buzz when it goes straight. It does it intermediately. For what they cost I should have no problems. I guess quality control is not important in China. So I learned my lesson I’ll be buying older used switches made in America. Still have some old ones that work perfect. I should send them to Lionel so they can be reminded what quality is.