I am planning on using some super O track, as well as tubular track on my layout. Is there any problems and/or flaws to this track system besides being hard to find?
(yes zeke, im changing to tubular now [swg] )
Thanks,
Grayson
see i knew if you hung around me long enough you’d see the light!
Totally tubular dude!
There was an article on Super O Track a few months ago in CTT that would be worth looking at to see what the pro’s or con’s are to using Super O Track. It looks nicer than regular O gauge tubular but I have heard some guys say it puts grooves in the center roller wheel on the locomotives, don’t know if this is true.
Being hard to find is extremely correct! The track system is from the late 50’s and had only a few years of production.
Lee F.
The super o has a very thin wire acting as the pickup rail, this rail being so thing, causes a grove to be worn into the pickup rollers.
My grandfather used super o for years and years and I currently use super o. You can find plenty of it on ebay. After a long while it may wear down the roller but this is also the case with tubular. The most frusterating thig to me as a user of this track is that the power clips for the third rail have a tendancy to come loose.
The main problem with Super O is the lack of large radius curves and switches. I have found though, that many engines that “need” O42 or even O54 curves will run on O36 Super O. The roller wear problem is an old myth…dirty track causes roller wear on any track system. IMO Super O is the best looking track available.
Neil
The center rail of Super O is actually a thin blade of copper. The roller wear issue has more to do with the type and age of the rollers. The plated or hard steel rollers are less prone to wear than the duller and softer scintered type rollers. The wear seems to be caused more by the electrical arc than the actual thiness of the center rail. If you keep your track and rails clean, the arcing should be minimal.
I seem to remember reading something, somewere about a '72 radi in super o. I wasn’t made be lionel. I could be mistaken but if anyone knows of this i would like to know.
What are the “bus” connectors for? The center rail?
You are correct magicman, “bus bar connectors” connect the copper center rails of Super O track.
Yes. Unlike most track which uses pins for all thre rails, SuperO used pins for the outside rails and Bus connectors that were placed over the connecting third rails. They have a tendancy to come loose and cause dead track or shorts. Grrrrrrrrr… One of the thrills of this track system. Another problem, atleast I’ve noticed, is trains with flyshoe third rail pickups (like some prewar and early postwar and marx) have trauble going over switches.
Good looking track though. I’ll keep using it, for now.
The guy to contact about the Super O track is Mike Spanier. He seems to know just about everything about it. Also, he knows a guy who’ll make any radius curve you could want. Mike knows all the secrets about how to use the Super O track with all other kinds of track, too. There seems to be plenty of it around. His email address is HSpanier@aol.com. I haven’t contacted him for awhile, so I hope that info is up-to-date.
Bob Blomberg
Made the right choice. LOL
Actually, the light just faded! Back to fastrack now! [swg]
Grayson
I run Super O & love it. If you plan to mate it with tubular track,your bigest problem will be finding the “mating pin” to make the connections.I don’t know of any places that have those available.Not even on E-bay. Easter
I’ve seen them from time to time on Ebay. When I bough my superO on Ebay last Decrmber I saw them listed by a couple different sellers. Patience grasshopper is the advice I give. Man, if you guys saw the massive amounts of super o my grandfather procurred in his lifetime your eyes would have bugged out. This I guess is the reason I am hellbent on the stuff.
Thanks for this advice. Although I cannot make my “dream” layout any time soon, it is good to know that I can possibly make it with super o as larger radi are required.