When Was The First O-42 Track Produced?

[Texas Pete]

And who made it?

Pete

 

[balidas]

In the early '70's I received a box of Lionel tubular with silver ties. In that box I found just one what I now presume to be an 0-42 curve. That's all I can tell you there.

Back in the day, Standard Gauge was all 0-42.

[Major]

I have original O gauge AC Gilbert Flyer track from the late 30 in original boxes probably 38 or 39 and it is nominally O42, Switches are the same curve to match.

[phillyreading]

You got wondering as well about 042 track. Greenberg's guide just has O gauge curve, no size track size or dimension given in the post war section of the pocket guide.

Lee F.

[ADCX Rob]

Lionel O-27/42"(6-5049) started in 1988.

Lionel "O"/O-42/42"(12925) started in 1996 with Lionel LLC.

The K-Line K-212(O-27) & K-312("O") 42" curves were in wide distribution by 1989.  I think K-Line beat Lionel to it.  Their track geometry(and switch design) was obviously based on Flyer O-40 "O".

[lionelsoni]

I have been wondering how they came up with that diameter in the first place, whoever did it.  Here's a guess:  If, as with O27, O31, and O34, the idea was for the curve to advance by the same distance as a standard straight piece in the direction of the main line, so that a reverse curve would lead to a siding whose joints matched the main line, and, if there were going to be 12 pieces to a circle, as is the case with O42, then the radius corresponding to a 10-inch straight piece would be exactly 20 inches.  Double that and add a couple of inches or so for the ties, and you've got O42.

The siding would be 5.359 inches on centers from the main line, compared to 8.284 for O31 and 7.322 for O27.

[Texas Pete]

No O-42 info in the Greenberg's PW because it didn't exist until the so-called "modern era." Fascinating.

I was interested in knowing about this because I never saw any track besides O-27 or O-31 on any of my Lionel pals layouts back in the fifties, and a couple of them were basement-wide. The showroom layout had wide curves but I just figured heck, they're the company, they can make whatever they want.

Thank y'all for helping me to be informed.

Pete

 

[balidas]

What about t-rail? what was the radius of that?

[ADCX Rob]

T-Rail is O-72.

[Darth Santa Fe]

I have a bunch of old 0-42(40?) track by American Flyer. It was made in the prewar Gilbert era, which puts it at the late 30s or early 40s. I don't know if anyone else besides AF made this diameter before WWII in O gauge (42" was common in Standard gauge), but I like the size better than the common O-27 and 0-31. The wide curves just work so much smoother.