Confused about Lionel 072 switches

[okiechoochoo]

All I hear are complaints about the Lionel 072 remote switches. Then I read about really nice layouts in CTT and there are ones like the one that appears in the November issue where one of the layouts uses Lionel 072 swiches, apparently exclusively. Surely, if they were as bad as I read they are, a top notch layout owner like those in this issue would have chosen some other brand. What gives, are they really bad or what. I have noticed other featured layouts that apparently use them and I am wondering just how bad they really are
Thanks

[Big_Boy_4005]

I have heard that the post war ones were better, but have never owned any of those to compare. I do have eight of the early re release version, and they are OK. I haven't used them in years however. I think a motor went bad on one, and I swapped it out with a post war motor. That didn't seem to work as well. It was like there were some minor differences.

[ben10ben]

Just a small correction to what Big Boy said, in that I believe the better ones were the prewar #711. If my memory serves me correctly, these had more metal on them then the modern ones, and were generally constructed better.

[jkerklo]

I have a portable layout that goes to local train shows. It has 12 O-72 switches on it. Trains run automatically, so the switches get quite a workout.

The layout started with all modern switches, but now 8 have been changed to pre-war 711 switches.

The modern O-72 switches did not work as well as similar post war O-22 switches. One problem was a plastic pin driving the moving part of the switch. Some of the switches had a brass pin, others had plastic. The plastic pins broke.

The 711 switches are generally better, but there are vintages of these. The earlyist are not as good. Look for ones that have a switch mechanism that is close to the postwar O-22 switches.

The switch mechanism for the O-22 can be retrofitted to some 711 switches, but a bit modification is needed on some versions.

The postwar O-22 mechanism cannot be easily retrofitted to modern O-72 switches: the fit is different, modern screws are d**ned metric, and the driving post is too short.

All the switches need a little tuning.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com

[Anonymous]

I have to agree the newer 072 switches are troublesome. I am building a new layout. The basement in this house is smaller than I had before the recent move. I am using three pairs of 711 switches. The problem is trying to find them, and when you do find good ones they wiil cost as much as new ones, if not more. The 711's seem to be much better so far. Same goes for the three 031 switches. I am using post war 022 switches as I have found them much more reliable than the newer ones.

[Anonymous]

My friend and I had endless problems with new, out of the box Lionel O72 switches. The problem seems to be that they are using 70 year old designs which are in bad need of tweaking. We've had no similar problems with new Kline switches. Ted

[Anonymous]

I have hear complaints about the new K-line switches, also. A friend removed them from his layout as post war rolling stock with slider shoes would short out on them, or cause the cars to uncouple.