If I were to buy Lionel track or switches on ebay what question should I ask to be sure I am bidding on O gauge and not 027 gauge track or switches? I had heard that the ties on one are black and the other are brown but not sure which is which.
John
For straights, the rails (exclusive of the track pins) should be exactly 10 inches long for O31, about 8 13/16 for O27. For curves, the longest dimension of O31 (exclusive of the track pins) is about 11 3/8. For O27, it is about 10 1/8.
Another measurement is the length of the crossties, which is close to 2 inches for O27, 2 1/4 for O31.
Bob,
Thank you very much.
John
The crossties aren’t an infallible way to identify, because in the postwar era, the crossties on both O27 and O31 were black. Modern O27 crossties are brown. So brown cross-ties are an immediate no-go if you want O31, but if they’re black, ask for measurements.
There were also silver ties on 027 track during the late postwar era.
One thing that is unique to 031 track is, the ties have a rolled up edge running the length of the tie. The ends of the ties are open. 027 has folded square ends.
If the picture is decent, you shouldn’t have to ask.
Switches?
There is one major difference, and that is the fixed voltage plug found on the O gauge 022’s. The plug makes it possible to power the switch motor separately from the rails.
Another difference is the non derailing feature uses contacts, which means that if the train stops on the switch, once it throws, there is no more power going to the motor. This means that it is much more difficult to damage the motor.
One of my favorite features is you can change which side the motor is on, just by removing a couple of screws.
A lot of the guys here like the 027 switches, but I think the 022 is the far superior design. Beside, all postwar and almost all modern equipment will work on them. There are a few pieces of equipment which won’t work on 027 switches, though modifications can be made to get them to work.
Modern O27 ties have curved edges.
I forgot about that Bob. Those ties are brown, right? It’s been a long time since I messed with 027 track. I have a couple boxes of it buried somewhere.[;)]
Make sure what the switch looks like, as there are many switches out there on the market and many people will say it is 022 just to sell it.
Lionel has many switches in O gauge that look alot like the original 022’s but are spin-offs of the design. The worst Lionel switch in O gauge is the 6-23011 series, sectional track pieces give it away and the switch motor will lose power, almost looks like an Atlas/Lionel joint venture where the solenoid is located.
Lee F.
K-Line also offered an O gauge switch that has the same footprint as a Lionel O22, with a lower profile switch machine and more ties. I used a couple on my last layout and was pleased with their performance. I still see these at Hobby Lobby, although I doubt they are still being made. They are called “Super Snap” switches. They also show up on Ebay from time to time
That’s right, Elliot–brown.