Lionel 12080 & 12081 Tubular O Gauge O42 Switches

[ADCX Rob]

Here is the Lionel Switch:

Here is the K-Line Switch(K-375):

Either one should work for your application, the switch motors are very low profile.

Now for the bad news... they are both out of production.  You will have to resort to the NOS/Used/Aftermarket to source them.

[LIRR1926]

Later K Line has a much lower mechanism. They make the O42 in both O and O27 but as you say they are hard to find. I'm looking for an O27 to replace a Lionel one that's noisy and not very reliable.

Occasionally on the bay. There's a right hand on now but I don't see a left. Search for KLine switch. The ones you want are 0375 and 0376.

Scotie

[RAVL]

We have a 6x8 layout with an outer loop of O42 track.  Right now I am using two K-Line O42 O gauge (not the O27) switches.  The work fine, but the switch motor / mechanism housings are rather large and are now interfering with the clearance of an Amtrak Amfleet passenger car set (long and look like they are scale sized) we bought my son for Christmas.  (As the cars travel through the turnout portion of the switch, the car middle of the car bodies will "hang up" or rub the large switch housing.

I was thinking of changing those switches to the newer style Lionel O42 O gauge switches (12080 & 081) but I haven't been able to find a place them stocks them so I can see them in person.  The photos on Lionel's website show significantly smaller switch motor housings (maybe due to this issue?) so I am pretty confident changing the K-Line versions I have to these newer version will work, but I was wondering if anyone here had any experience they could share given that the switches aren't cheap and I don't need more extra O gauge switches.  Thanks a bunch in advance.