Fresh from York and more confused than before....

[Anonymous]

We just bought our first 0-gauge train....lionel overland freight express set. It came with fast track, but we're not married to using it. We are looking at other tracks to use. Does anybody have any strong opinions? We like the way the gargraves phantom track (flex track) looks, but is it hard to work with for people so new to the hobby that we don't even know enough to have the right questions? We're also checking out layouts, but we know we have to decide on the kind of track first. I don't want to sacrifice realism to take the easy way out. Advice? Also, is anybody in the Philadelphia area? We're love some local help.
We have so many questions, and being in York yesterday didn't help! HELP!

[tschmidt]

allieboy,

Welcome to the Forum! You will find a lot of help here. I use Gargraves and it is very easy to use. You don't have to bend if you don't want to. They sell Gargraves corners in all sizes. It is very easy to use and just like laying Fast Track. It is not hard to cut to length with a Dremmel tool. If you want to use switches I would suggest Ross. They are well made and work smoothly.

There are a few guys in your area. Hopefully you will be able to connect with them.
TomS

[Anonymous]

Tom, thank you for responding so fast. How did you decide to use gargraves? We really like the way it looks....better than the fast track...but we were concerned about the ease. You are encouraging. We know about Ross switches, and plan to use those. I hope we hear from people in the area. We're doing so much research, and our train is still going in circle! Who did you benchwork? We're trying to figure out if we're going to do it ourselves or have someone do it. So many questions. Somebody needs to write model railroading for dummies!

[tschmidt]

allieboy,

i decided on Gargraves after I saw how nice it looked and being convinced on how easy it was to use. Compared to Fast Track it was very reasonably priced too. My layout runs around our family room walls. You can see some pictures of it in the post titled "Suggestions on the Shelving/Benchwork". The guys on this forum will be a big help as you begin to create the type of layout you want.

TomS

[pbjwilson]

QUOTE: Originally posted by allieboy

Somebody needs to write model railroading for dummies!

There's lots of good books on building train layouts. I've built layouts in HO, N, O, and G. The first thing I did was to read as many books and magazines as I could to get the knowledge necessary to build a layout. You mention benchwork. Just about every book written about building a layout has a section on benchwork. No big deal. A few basic tools and anyone can build benchwork for a layout. Read what you can and build something simple the first time through. I always here talk of building ones dream layout. Very few build their dream layout the first time out. Good -luck

[BobbyDing]

I used Atlas Track. Mostly because it was plentyful in my area. Several dealer stock it. I like the track very much, but the switches have caused some grief. I've seen the Gargraves track it I like the look of it. I hear only praise from those who use it. Gargraves track and Ross switches seem to be a winning combination. My 2 cents is go with the Gargraves. I think you'll be happy you did.

Bobby

[csxt30]

[#welcome] allieboy !! I also use Gargraves, as it can be purchased for under 4 dollars a flex section, & after working with it a while, you should be able to get good results. Below is an album of one of our members layout benchwork building that should be of help.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8ZYtnLVww24¬ag=1

[brianel027]

Allieboy, people tend to forget that there was a time not so long ago when there was not the diversity and selection of products made for our 3-rail trains.... you had to make some things yourself.

Take a look at older published model train books and you'll see layouts where there are more homemade utlized items and more scratchbuilt items.

It all depends on the space you have and the money you have to spend on filling that layout space. Every track type has disadvantages and advantages. I personally like traditional 027 track. For all it's toylike ititial appearance, it's easy enough to add extra wooden ties and ballast - so that it can be made to look as good as any ot the others - and at a fraction of the cost. The 027 track also has a lower height (nearly the same as Gargraves) which looks good on a smaller layout.

The one big drawback to 027 track is the Lionel MPC-era designed switch boxes that are still being used on the switch tracks today. But Gargraves swithces are easily matched to 027 track. K-Line before they went out of business had redesigned their 027 switch with a near non-existant switch housing box... hopefully under Lionel those will remain in production. I actually like the old postwar manual 1024 Lionel switch: well made and reliable with a small base footprint.

I personally had a lot of fun taking my toyish 027 track and putting the effort into to make it look so much better. That's what the hobby used to be about before everything started coming assembled and ready to use right out of the box.

[otftch]

I am just finishing up a layout I've built for a friend using Gargraves track with Ross switches.I had never used gargraves before.With all the track we laid I ruined one piece and we saved half of that. We just did everything slow and carefully. I will post some photos on my web page at http://community.webshots.com/user/otftch. I was impressed with the ease of bending and working with the Gargraves.
Ed

[trigtrax]

Both Atlas and Ross offer a wide selection of curved track that makes future expansion of your layout painless. Ross track is a direct plug-in to Gargraves Flex which is likely the most inexpensive track out there. I've had difficulty with Gargraves Fixed Radius since it is a nominal dimension product. Ross Switches, IMO, are the best available.

[fifedog]

Welcome Allieboy. Since you already have a complete trainset, I would stick with the Fast Track. I've been in the hobby for 35 years, and I believe Lionel really did a fabulous job wtih their new track system. It looks beautiful, and there are plenty of add-on sections already available at your local hobby shops. Start small. Maybe a 4'x6' tabletop layout. First thing, get that train moving, and keep it moving, soldier! Thus, the model railroader spark will ignite. Encorporate an industry switch or 2 in your track plan to add interest.
The only drawback I see to the new Lionel track is it's rigidity (as with any track system with molded roadbed. In a loop of track, there is no fudging it. The other tubular lionel and k-line tracks allow you to bend a little here, or widen a little there, just in case your track gang didn't survey properly.

[Dave Farquhar]

The type of track to use is a matter of religious debate and probably one of the most divisive questions you can ask, believe it or not. Assuming that you've seen the various track types in person, the only person who can tell you what type of track you'll like the best is you. The decision will depend partly on what you want to run. I pretty much had to go with O27 tubular, because the vintage trains I want to run will only run on a particular O27 switch. If you're wanting to run modern production trains, then a modern track system is what you want.

I have a loop of Fastrack for Christmas tree duty, and it seems to be a fine track system, but right now it literally can't be made and shipped here as fast as it's selling. Some people weather it to make it look more realistic, and the nice thing about it is that it assembles quickly and you don't have to ballast it. But if you're planning a large layout, it might be cheaper to buy new Gargraves than to buy the rest of the Fastrack you'll need, and you'll have no trouble selling the Fastrack you have now.

If you like Gargraves, I'd go with Gargraves. If you've never bent track before, I'd pay the extra to get the curved sections because it's easier to work with. Some people have little difficulty with the flextrack, while others buy it, try it, and then say never again.

Looking at Mapmuse.com, I see there are literally 46 train stores within 50 miles of Philly (lucky duck!) so if you haven't seen all of the track types in person yet, I would suggest calling a few of the stores near you, so you can see them yourself. If there are some customers hanging out there, talk to the customers as well as the shop owner. Most people are more than happy to talk about their train layouts. Just ask people if they mind talking trains for a minute, and ask what kind of track they use.

[phillyreading]

Welcome Allieboy,

Going to York can be confusing, I used to live in Reading PA, just trying to drive there is more than enuff. Anyway I like GarGraves Track, it comes in many diameter curves, can be matched to 027 track very easy with adapter pins, can use GarGraves switches or Ross Custom switches or Curtis switches with and not use adapter pins. Also there is stainless steel track and that is what I try to buy for use in south Florida. Only draw back is no fiber pins to insulate with, but have seen that GarGraves just started making insulating pins for their track according to their website, should be interesting to see how this item sells, other draw back is be careful when running trains as GarGraves will dent easier than 027 track, that is when a derailment happens. Most straights for GarGraves are 37.25 inches long, don't match exactly to Lionel or K-Line or Williams track for size. The track can be cut with a hacksaw or dremel tool, pre-fit the track pins after making a cut. or you may use some choice words. The most important detail with GarGraves track is that all rails are insulated from each other, not like Lionel.
If you need DZ switch machines for GarGraves switches go to www.rossswitches.com.
Don't try to order Z-Stuff directly unless you are a dealer.
Lee Fritz

[jimhaleyscomet]

You might want to select your track style before you add any switches. They get expensive! However if you picked up a few manual or remote switches for the fastrak and decided you did not like it you could always use that track for your portable/christmas tree layout like I do. I like building my empires on hollow core doors to witch I add a sheet of foam. Door layouts are portable, easily moved or stored, and easy to support.

I run fastrak, MTH realtrak, K-line snap track and tubular. All have advantages and disadvantages.

Jim H

[ole1]

Like said in a previous response track type causes a lot of debate. Not to make this too complicated there is one thing to keep in mind when selecting track and especially switches and that is what type and age of equipment are you planning to use. If you anticipate having prewar and postwar Lionel or Marx the sliders on operating cars and the gears that come to the edge of the driver flange on some engines will not traverse some switches. The club I belong to uses Gargraves track and Ross switches and we have to modify or simply not run some of the old equipment on that layout. If you don't anticipate using vintage equipment then no problem.
Secondly, start with something simple and work your way up. No one I have ever run into has built a "perfect" layout on the first try. Have fun with what you have, learn as you go and don't get intimidated. If something gets cut wrong the first time its no big deal A lot of layouts never get beyond the notepad because the complexity of doing everything "right" becomes just to complicated. Enjoy!
Ole