Should I be concerned about the Fastrack rail height for running my prewar engines and cars? I’ve always used tubular 3-rail track, but I thought I’d give Fastrack a try by making a simple oval around the Christmas tree this year. When I went to buy some, I couldn’t help notice how little clearance there is between the top of the rail and the roadbed/ties. I’m concerned the flanged wheels on my prewar engines, freight, and passenger cars will sit/hit the roadbed/ties when running. I’m confident that Lionel designed Fastrack for all eras of Lionel O-gauge locomotives, but it never hurts to ask? Forgive the paranoia, but the folks at the hobby shop weren’t sure. Thanks.
Thought I’d bump this up so someone with prewar stuff might see it & have Fastrack. I’d say you would have to try running something on it & check closely if you have any Fastrack switches. If you have any Marx with the gears on the wheels, they are known to hit going through certain Lionel switches.Let us know if you try it !!
Thanks, John
A very good question! Unfortunately, Lionel had not always designed their switches to work with all of their products. The deep flanges and large gears on many prewar engines will NOT work well with many modern Lionel switches. The prewar/late postwar 1121 and 1024 manual O-27 switches are better suited to prewar equipment. Fastrack switches are nice, but you will probably run into problems with some prewar engines. Like John said, Marx engines (with similar large gears) tend to bounce badly through Fastrack switches - I’ve had problems with last year’s Christmas layout and some of my old Marx stuff.
If you just want a simple oval, with no switches, you should be ok. Why not take your pre war piece with you to the train store and put it on a piece of Fastrack? Then you can see how it fits before you buy any.
Jim
The wheels on my prewar 253 clear the FasTrack ties by a good 1/8th inch. Joe