Train Tracks

[gillart]

Hi all.  Very new to hobby.  I haven't even gotten tracks yet! 

I hear that Lionel FasTrack is the best, but I'd like to have some raised track on my first small layout that leads up to a bridge - sort of an inverted figure 8.  Can FasTrack even be used for hills with - or do you have to build some sort of hill in order to use FasTrack?

One more thing: Is FasTrack sold only at Lionel retailers and online?  Or might some chain toy stores carry it? 

Thanks!

 

[phillyreading]

I am not sure what you need to do for using Fastrac with inclines or slopes. Fastrac most likely is sold by Lionel retailers or at Target at Christmas as expansion packs sets.

One of the reasons some retailers won't carry Lionel is the fact that must buy at least $5000.00 worth of inventory at a time, and a lot of the time Lionel dictates what they send you. This was five years ago when a friend of mine had a hobby shop in Martin County Florida, since then he went out of business.

Lee F.

[Ole Timer]

 I'm not quite sure I understand but ... any track must be supported in some way to achieve elevation .... hills-girders-piers under it . None will stand alone in the air without some kind of support .  

[gillart]

Thanks ole timer.  Yes I saw some nice girder sets but all the pics of inclines that I find are using the old style tracks.  FasTrack seems strange to use with simnple girders because unlike the old tracks it has that "fake ground" underneath look to it.  So yes you could put it up on girders, but the fake ground aspect would look corny floating up in the air.  No?

[fredswain]

For lots of good info on Fastrack, try joining the Lionel Fastrak group. You'll find all the info you need there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lionel_FasTrack_System/

 

[Kooljock1]

There are two, maybe three ways to go with this.  On my layout I used cut off chunks of 2X4 to support the elevated line, and then covered the ugliness with brick paper.  

You can use the Lionel FasTrack trestle bents, but as you say, then it looks like the ballasted track is just hanging in air.

Or, you can do what Lionel does on their display layouts:

TRESTLE

 I like this new system, or a combination of this with others...

Jon 

[dadurling]

 Or you could use the Fastrack connector piece, which mates up to conventional 3-rail track using the old-style pins. For example, use the Fastrack connector piece with Atlas joiner pins, then connect Fastrack to Atlas track for your trestle sections. Works great!

[Ole Timer]

Gillart .... totally agree with you ... why they never made a transition for Gargraves track ... I can't figure out . I have the same problem ... bridges and trestles I refuse to use fastrack on ... although I've got 2 cases of it ... .... fastrack . The difference in looks between it and standard O tubular track does'nt appeal to me very well either . Thinking of dremeling and creating my own transition pins/adapter from fastrack - gargraves .

That " fake ground " is called roadbed. I even experimented with covering the roadbed with thin wood glued over it for the bridges and thin under it also for the trestles .... but what a pain in da rear .

And remember if you use the old tubular track or even gargraves on trestles .... you're going to have track with ties just hanging out there in the air too ! No support looks at all .... not realistic either . The ties on real world tracks are'nt fastened to them in mid air on trestles either .... a real killer huh? With the fastrack you can cover the roadbed with thin wood looking alot more realistic ... on trestles .

Here's a link to check some out ...... http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&ni=21&va=steel+railroad+trestle+bridges&fr=yfp-t-701&xargs=0&pstart=1&b=1

[Ole Timer]

 Fredswain ... thanks for that link ....I joined the group !

[fredswain]

There is a Yahoo group for almost everything! I joined it but don't take an active part in it. I only use it as reference since I don't have any Fastrack aside from the loop under the Christmas tree each year.

[Ole Timer]

 I have all / a couple cases of fastrack and it's going to be invaluable to me . Again thanks buddy  

[Ole Timer]

 Gillart here's a link to track dimensions you or others may find useful .... except they left out the 30" straight sections on the fastrack for some reason . It has specs on all track ... NOT just fastrack ............. as the title says .....

http://www.rrtrack.com/html/lionel_fastrack.html

[gillart]

Well I'm glad my first post got some good info floating around.  I will start with a simple FasTrack kit and see how it looks on girders, and then get creative from there.  I have no idea what to pay for FasTrack.  I suppose I should just float around on eBay comparing prices??

[fredswain]

I have a loop of it from the Area 51 set that I'll get rid of. I built my nephew a train set for Christmas using all O-27 track and gave him the train so I kept the Fastrack. He has no need for it and I paid for everything anyways! If you want it let me know. I've also got a loop of MTH Realtrax and a loop of K-Line Supersnap that I don't want.

Fred

[wjstix]

As someone noted, the "fake ground" is called ballast. Real railroads generally create an elevated roadbed to lay tracks on, and then put ground rock around the ties as ballast. The ballast rock helps hold the tracks in place, and allow water to seep through and drain off the track. Many model railroaders add ballast to their track to make it look more realistic. Fastrack has the ballast already included so that you don't have to bother with that, it's already in place.

One suggestion for your "over and under" idea might be to try laying out the Fastrack using the girders under it and see if the resulting grade works for you. If you like it, you can then build up scenery over the girders so it appears the track is rising on a "fill", kinda like a ramp going up and down. Real railroads sometimes did that, built a trestle bridge across an open area and later filled it in with dirt and gravel so you couldn't tell there was a bridge buried under the ground.

If you use a plate girder bridge, you can use the Fastrack through it since many real bridges of that type are designed to have ballast stone on the bridge track.