I have some O scale model trains and I was wondering what all of the different o scale sizes are refering to. What sizes of o scale track can I run a locomotive that is designed for O scale track on ( know that the locomotive i have can not run on o-27 track because the corners are to tight) and where could I get some O scale track?
Sorry for all the anooying beginners questions.
Thanks a lot
emmar
Common question. Confusing question. Hopefully I can clear it up a bit for you.
O27 = scale varies, but is generally in the neighborhood of 1:64 scale. Able to negotiate tight curves. Also able to run on all other track types.
“Traditional O scale” (also sometimes called O31) = Scale also varies. The goal is 1:48 but there’s often selective compression done in order to get it to negotiate curves 31" in diameter.
Scale = 1:48 scale with little or no compromise. Often requires 72" diameter curves. A fairly recent development; Lionel-type 3-rail trains didn’t really start appearing in this scale until the 1990s.
So the question is whether the locomotive you have is traditional sized, or full scale. If it’s traditional sized, it’ll run just fine on O31 tubular track, which you’ll recognize in the store because it has black ties (modern O27 track has brown ties) and it sits higher. A modern alternative is Lionel Fastrack, which is a bit wider (O36) and has built-in plastic roadbed. Any hobby shop that carries Lionel will have one or the other of these. Most Hobby Lobby stores carry it too.
If you need wider track, like O54 or O72, you’ll probably have to find a hobby shop that sells a lot of Lionel.
Does that help?
One of the main differences is the size or shape of the rails and the size of the curves,
common O gauge curves range from 31 inches up 120 inches, most of the wider curves being made by GarGraves Track Company. Most of GarGraves Track is similar in heighth to 027 but requires adapter pins to mate to other brands of track, although GarGraves track may be more realistic looking the rails can be damaged easier than Lionel tubular track, also GarGraves sells NO insulating pins for their track, Ross Custom Switches work with GarGraves Track without needing adapter pins and Z-Stuff sells switch machines for both GarGraves Track and Ross Custom switches.
Hope this helps you some, emmar.
Lee Fritz
Just a quick adder to Lee’s post. Both Ross and Gargraves offer the Z-Stuff switch machines already mounted on their switches. In addition to Lionel; MTH, Atlas and still to be found, K-Line also offer tubular track.
O-27 is a lighter (and hopefully cheaper) version of O (or O-31)gauge track. the 27 comes from the diameter of a circle.
However, wider radius curves are available in both the the light and the regular track. Not always the same radii.
Dave,
If I were to buy 0-27 track and 0 scale track they will line up but the radius may not be the same? They are both considered tubular correct?
John
Hello John, There is a difference in the size of the connecting pins for the 027 and traditional O gauge track. The 027 has smaller pins.
It can be connected but will require some work and personally it can be hard to get good connections between the two due to having to either enlarge the holes at the end of the 027 track for the larger 0 pins or compressing the holes on the end of the O track to hold the smaller 027 pins.
The 027 track is more to scale in rail heigth ( I believe ) than the O scale track.
I have all Lionel O track for the main layout and I used 027 for the yard and reversing section so I only had two connections with this. A couple of my engines and cars are unable to manage the 027 curves so a person would need to decide what track you want based on what equipment you would be running.
Hope this may help,
Lyle R Ehlers
Here’s some of the skinny on O gauge:
O gauge refers to the width between the rails, which, I’m guessing, is somewhere around 32 mm (don’t have my ruler/track with me).
A humongous variety of scales and track is emcompassed in O-gauge.
Types of track include:
a. 2 rail, such as code 148 (148/1000 of an inch high rails, which I use), code 155, code 125 (which toy flanges won’t work with), code 197 and 205 (Old Pullman makes these for G gauge but they work for O gauge too), code 215 and 250 (these too would work for 2-rail O but would unlikely be used by the "scale concious 2-rail O crowd).
BTW, I’m going to be carving up my 3-rail 027 into 2-rail track, which I’ll be using in a part of my outdoor layout where I’d like to have real rusty spurs using my R/C equippped toy trains.
b. 3-rail track includes a plethora of track types from the realistic looking Atlas and Gargrave (choice of wood or plastic ties), tubular O, tubular 027, RealTrax, ScaleTrax, Fasttrax etc etc etc. Huge choices of rails too, from steel and stainless steel to nickel-silver and “tin”. Curiously, brass appears to be missing from the lineup. 3-rail track usually codes out to 215, such as 027 rails and Atlas, and full O tubular, which I’m guessing is nearly 250.
a. There’s O scale 1:48 which supposedly represents 4’ 81/2" real RR track but I think that 1:45 is actually more representative, and purists scratchbuild to this.
b. There’s semi-scale which is anything smaller than 1:48 up to almost 1:64 S scale (actually some pre-war stuff seems even smaller than that). There are no hard and fast rules on what constitutes semi-scale.
c. Then, there are the large-scale trains that operate on O-gauge track, very common among the garden RR crowd, esp. in UK… These represent narrow gauge or industrial railways. For example there’s 2 foot gauge trains operating on O gauge track
emmar,
If you already have O27 track, stay with it and just use wider radius curves. It also comes in 42" and 54" diameter curves, and is less expensive than O track. It sits lower, and I think it looks better than O as well.
Jim
You can get O27 also in O34 and O72.
The 1/48 scale is purely American. American scale modelers modify the gauge to the correct value for the scale. The first movement in this direction was called “Q” gauge. Now they have “Proto 48”. Our gauge of 1 1/4 inches is 5 scale feet, correct for the General but 3 1/2 inches too wide for everything else.
The 1 1/4-inch gauge that we use is the Maerklin “zero” gauge, hence “O”. In metric countries, it is considered to be 32 millimeters. (It’s actually 31.75–close enough.) The scale that corresponds to this is 1/45. This is the scale that ETS uses. There is also a 1/43.5 scale, or, in British, 7 millimeters per foot, that corresponds to 33 millimeter gauge. This is the O that HO is half of.
If I were to expand my existing Fastrack oval (4x8) using tubular track I would have to purchase O gauge track not 0-27 correct? I would have to buy the adapter Lionel sells.
For you all in 027 land, newer K-line 027 remote switches were awsome. Low profile and separate power connection. They are still out there.
Jim H
Lionelsoni wrote:
There is also a 1/43.5 scale, or, in British, 4 millimeters per foot, that corresponds to 33 millimeter gauge …
Minor correction: That should be seven mm, not four. (Just BTW, 4 mm/foot is OO.)
Whoops. Sorry.
a few threads ago someone mentioned 027 also comes in 42 and 54. doesn’t it also come in 72?
“You can get O27 also in O34 and O72.”
027-profile 072 is (was) only offered by K-line – Lionel has only 27, 42, and 54-inch curves. Remains to be seen whether K-line will continue to offer it, or Lionel itself will add it to their line, or perhaps someone else will jump in to fill the need.
actually lionel also offers 072 and also believe 084?
That’s Fastrack, not 027, I think.
And, of course, Lionel offers 072 in the traditional, regular O gauge profile, also.