Turn outs

[ROBERT DANKA]

I have O guage locos from Marx, Lionel, Williams, K-Line.  From 0-4-0 Marx to scale GG-1.  I would like to fine a turnout they will all run over without derailing or just stopping in the middle because of either a short or losing electrical contact.  The best I have found are the old Marx 027 but the radius is rediculously tight.  Any ideas short of trying to make my own?

[cwburfle]

I have a loop of track on my small train table that has nothing but straights and curves. No switches, uncoupling tracks or crossings. I think I used 042 track. Anything will run on it.

[rtraincollector]

have you tried some wide radius ross switches. I don't have any Marx trains that I run ( I have one set I gave my wife years ago and it stays packed up in the closet. ) In fact at present don't even have a layout. But I have some Ross wide radius I think there like O96 or O80 

[KRM]

I may be wrong but I think Marx made a wide radius turnout, They would be R34" Don't know the number. I think I have 1 someplace. I will look

Update,

 Here they are, both manual and remote.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marx-O-Scale-Remote-Control-Large-Radius-Switch-Set-With-Remote-Works-/231923795419?hash=item35ffbc45db%3Ag%3ApggAAOSwiYFXHYFx&nma=true&si=tVB0dSS8znHUso60L8hxG8dm8GQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marx-O-Scale-Manual-Train-Large-Radius-Switch-Track-Set-W-Original-Box-/391480599301?hash=item5b260fe305%3Ag%3AKn4AAOSwOVpXXGKC&nma=true&si=tVB0dSS8znHUso60L8hxG8dm8GQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[servoguy]

Some, but not all, of the prewar American Flyer O gauge switches are 40 inch diameter.  The others are 31 inch diameter, same as Lionel O-31.  American Flyer also made 40 inch diameter track.  It is recognizable because it has holes in the ties outside of the rails.  I have bought quite a lot on eBay, but watch the price.  I have seen people ask a lot for the switches and track.  

The switches have a die cast gear made out of zinc which can fail.  The part is the same in the manual switches.  The switch is riveted together and so, if you need to disassemble the switch motor to replace the zinc gear, you have to drill out a lot of rivets and replace them with 4-40 machine screws.  

If you have the switch motor apart, you can remove the common wire to the switch machine coils and solder a piece of wire to it so you can have a constant voltage connection.  The switch then requires ground on the two clip terminals to operate the switch, and with a little cleverness, you can make the switch non-derailing.  

[servoguy]

Here is a link to some 40 inch diameter switches on eBay.  

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Four-O-gauge-American-Flyer-Switches-For-Parts-Or-Repair-Unusual-/302013602809?hash=item465169dbf9:g:858AAOSwc1FXbvvU

I think the price is a little high, but that is your decision.

 

[servoguy]

Here is a link to American Flyer 40 inch diameter track:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-C-Gilbert-American-Flyer-O-Gage-set-of-12-original-curved-tracks-/291819677646?hash=item43f1cee7ce:g:ek8AAOSwRgJXhV83

[lionelsoni]

Trains tend to derail on the Marx O34 turnouts when taking the diverging path in the facing-point direction, because the turnouts lack guard rails opposite the frog.  Guard rails are easy to install, by soldering them to the running rails at the flange.  However, the turnout then becomes unusable by "fat wheel" Marx locomotives, which is why they were omitted in the first place.