to the forum !! Your postwar trains will work fine on Fastrack. The tubular older track is still very popular with modelers & very inexpensive. It would have to be your choice & they still make the tubular track also. I can't remember if they make a transition piece for tubular to the new fastrack or not. There are a lot of guys using both here on the forum, so more info will come. Myself, I use Gargraves track, but it is different & a lot of work.
Hope this helps a bit !!
THANKS, John
guinnessczar wrote:it does appear to be an issue of preference as opposed to an issue of function
I disagree. If your an advanced modeler with experience using both systems, as well as a detailed oriented person (as in a model railroader vs. a toy train operator) then there are numerous functional differences and are all bonuses when it comes to the OPERATION of a Lionel Train.
The only complaints have been it's loud (I personally can't tell a difference) and the fact that you can not cut custom pieces. I do not care about noise and if I want to cut something I would get a 2x4.
John
One other thing about Fastrac and that is the size of the curves, it has 036 verses 031 for traditional Lionel tubular track. I won't say that everything can run on Fastrac, the switches may cause problems for post war or pre war Lionel or Ives or American Flyer(yes American Flyer had O gauge trains for a while)trains as the flanges at the switches may be too shallow for pre war wheels. There are adapter tracks for Fastrac to O gauge tubular.
Before buying Fastrac see if you can test your locomotives on first to see if any problems, if O.K. then buy Fastrac.
Lee F.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
Thanks Buckeye!
Was not sure if all post war would go through the new Fastrac switches. I have read reports about some of the older wheels having larger flanges on the locomotive drive wheels.
If you'll pardon a new guy's two cents on the subject:
I've been very impressed with Fastrack, which constitutes the high speed main line and a layout-length secondary line, on my new layout. The switches are an absolute joy, as others have noted. Had it not been for a desire to use my postwar and traditional switches (and not wanting to replace them for cost reasons) coupled with the need for O-31 turns on the interior lines, I'd have used FT for the whole thing.
At first I was troubled by the VERY plasticy and unrealistic look of the track, but slam it down on a layout, surround it with coarse turf and bushes, and it somehow looks - better. I think the surrounding vegetation makes the FT look less, well, vivid.
The remaining unsolved problem is noise. My tubular interior lines are laid on foam roadbed ballasted with Woodland Scenics coarse gray ballast. Even with my eventual (the matte medium produced only a thin coating with an inevitable sticky Tar Baby effect, and was thus unsatisfactory) use of diluted white glue to hold that triple-danged ballast in place, the trains practically whisper over the finished product. The FT by contrast sounds like a real train is in the room, to the point where you can't hear normal conversation. There is no way I know (which really doesn't mean much, because I'm pretty ignorant) to reduce the noice of FT on a plywood layout benchwork, though I have seen some interesting suggestions.
That aside, for SUPERB ease of operation, I highly recommend it. If you are a carpet runner it is a no-brainer, FT is a MUST.
Have you considered MTH's version of fasttrack? It's about the same price, and they have great switches, from what others have told me. I think it looks a little better than FT, but that's just an opinion.Wes
Wes Whitmore wrote:Have you considered MTH's version of fasttrack? It's about the same price, and they have great switches, from what others have told me. I think it looks a little better than FT, but that's just an opinion.Wes
I use a lot of MTH track on my layout and it is great once it is installed. It is not as loud as Fastrak but is louder than tubular. MTH track has two large drawbacks. First, it can be tough to assemble. Second, sometimes the connectors on the ends break or "open". The second problem is easily fixed by adding a jumper wire or solder. Once the track is assembled and fixed it is great on a permanent layout. For temporary layouts Fastrak is better because it does not have those problems.
Jim H
I have, and have used, both FasTrack and RealTrax. My own preference is for the Lionel FasTrack, for reasons others here have noted, and especially due to ease of assembly and the fact that the stuff stays together very well without any additional measures being taken.
In my living room, I have a small circular layout that is built on top of the bottom half of a whiskey cask. Earlier today, I replaced the MTH RealTrax on that layout with conventional Lionel O27 tubular track. It did quiet things down a bit, and it just looks a bit better because of the lower profile (without a roadbed). The circle of track on this layout surrounds a mountain that pretty much occupies the entire the middle part of the circle; my Christmas tree sits on top of the mountain, on a flat area I built especially for that purpose. I operate an MTH trolley on this little pike, and am now in the process of adding a few accessories and completing a waterfall and stream that comes down from the mountain top.
The tubular O27 track will eventually be painted/weathered' mounted on Woodland Scenics roadbed; and then ballasted. That can wait until after the holidays, however.
RaleighTrainFan wrote: If you'll pardon a new guy's two cents on the subject:I've been very impressed with Fastrack, which constitutes the high speed main line and a layout-length secondary line, on my new layout. The switches are an absolute joy, as others have noted. Had it not been for a desire to use my postwar and traditional switches (and not wanting to replace them for cost reasons) coupled with the need for O-31 turns on the interior lines, I'd have used FT for the whole thing.At first I was troubled by the VERY plasticy and unrealistic look of the track, but slam it down on a layout, surround it with coarse turf and bushes, and it somehow looks - better. I think the surrounding vegetation makes the FT look less, well, vivid.The remaining unsolved problem is noise. My tubular interior lines are laid on foam roadbed ballasted with Woodland Scenics coarse gray ballast. Even with my eventual (the matte medium produced only a thin coating with an inevitable sticky Tar Baby effect, and was thus unsatisfactory) use of diluted white glue to hold that triple-danged ballast in place, the trains practically whisper over the finished product. The FT by contrast sounds like a real train is in the room, to the point where you can't hear normal conversation. There is no way I know (which really doesn't mean much, because I'm pretty ignorant) to reduce the noice of FT on a plywood layout benchwork, though I have seen some interesting suggestions.That aside, for SUPERB ease of operation, I highly recommend it. If you are a carpet runner it is a no-brainer, FT is a MUST.
RTF:After the holidays I am disassembling my Christmas layout and rebuilding it from the ground up. Before I scrap the 1 x 3 and 1/4 ply base I am going to try a few things with the FasTrack.
I plan on recording some sound files of the existing layout (FasTrack mounted directly to the 1/4 ply which is mounted to the 1x3 frame).I am then going to fill the hollow space under the FasTrack with carpet foam (I have a large roll that my wife kept from a recarpet job she had done a few years ago).Then I will take a page from Frank's book and put ceiling tile under between the ply and FasTrack.Then I'll put the carpet foam back in with the ceiling tile.The last test is going to be 2 inch foam adheared to 1/4 ply, then the ceiling tile adheared to the foam, with the carpet foam under the FasTrack.I know this is a ton of work, but I am planning a large 19' x 26' layout for my new home and I want to be able to talk to people without using earplugs and sign language! And I think the results will help others to determine what they want to do.
DJSpanky wrote: guinnessczar wrote:Ha ha... having started this thread, I feel compelled to illustrate what a cheap SOB I am...I went to the local hobby store last night intent on buying track and was appalled at what they were charging for the Fastrack... You should never have to pay list price for FasTrack - lots of places have it at around 60-70% of the list price.
guinnessczar wrote:Ha ha... having started this thread, I feel compelled to illustrate what a cheap SOB I am...I went to the local hobby store last night intent on buying track and was appalled at what they were charging for the Fastrack...
You should never have to pay list price for FasTrack - lots of places have it at around 60-70% of the list price.
If you know exactly what you need you can sometimes beat the mailorder prices on EBay as well.Some mailorder sites that have FasTrack at reduced prices:http://www.trainworld.com/http://www.charlesro.com/http://www.islandtrains.com/http://www.hobbystation.net/http://www.grandcentralltd.comSome places will even give you an additional discount if you purchase in bulk...
"I am then going to fill the hollow space under the FasTrack with carpet foam (I have a large roll that my wife kept from a recarpet job she had done a few years ago).Then I will take a page from Frank's book and put ceiling tile under between the ply and FasTrack.Then I'll put the carpet foam back in with the ceiling tile.The last test is going to be 2 inch foam adheared to 1/4 ply, then the ceiling tile adheared to the foam, with the carpet foam under the FasTrack.I know this is a ton of work, but I am planning a large 19' x 26' layout for my new home and I want to be able to talk to people without using earplugs and sign language!"
I would be very interested to hear what the results are, if you are so inclined. The noise problem is really vexatious. I considered putting down that foam roadbed stuff under the plastic as I did under the tubular, but it did not seem to make sense - as the noise comes from the train sound bouncing off of the surface layer of plastic, or so logic suggests. Perhaps eliminating or even reducing the hollow box underneath that surface would help, though.
RaleighTrainFan wrote: "I am then going to fill the hollow space under the FasTrack with carpet foam (I have a large roll that my wife kept from a recarpet job she had done a few years ago).Then I will take a page from Frank's book and put ceiling tile under between the ply and FasTrack.Then I'll put the carpet foam back in with the ceiling tile.The last test is going to be 2 inch foam adheared to 1/4 ply, then the ceiling tile adheared to the foam, with the carpet foam under the FasTrack.I know this is a ton of work, but I am planning a large 19' x 26' layout for my new home and I want to be able to talk to people without using earplugs and sign language!"I would be very interested to hear what the results are, if you are so inclined. The noise problem is really vexatious. I considered putting down that foam roadbed stuff under the plastic as I did under the tubular, but it did not seem to make sense - as the noise comes from the train sound bouncing off of the surface layer of plastic, or so logic suggests. Perhaps eliminating or even reducing the hollow box underneath that surface would help, though.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month