Fastrack, O36 and passenger cars...

[Anonymous]

Well --- another newbie post.

My son and I have had great fun with his new Lionel set from Christmas. Now, his nightly bedtime ritual includes me sitting on his bed and looking through the Lionel magazine or a copy of CTT he bought at the hobby shop.

Since Fastrack came with his starter set (ARR) we have built his layout using that standard. The purchases of grade crossings, switches, operating track, etc. have cemented that choice.

Until now...

Evan (my son) asked if we could take one spur of his layout and put a passenger terminal on it. So we picked up a used terminal and people on Ebay and are just waiting for the arrival. We found at the local hobby store the Alaska passenger cars (two car set) and he really likes them, and then we saw the ill-fated words on the box: O42 (I think).

There is no hope, is there. Will these work on an O36 layout? Are there passenger cars available that will work? What should I do to add passenger cars? We are not stuck on ARR line since the primary purpose for this set is play, but all things being equal, he likes the blue and yellow.

Help!

[lionelsoni]

They very well might work. The O36 designation for Fastrack is more rational than the traditional way of measuring track, but different. It refers to the diameter in inches of a circle of track across the center rails, whereas all others, like O42, refer to the diameter including the ties. In traditional terms, O36 would be about O38. That's still smaller than O42, but maybe close enough. If the store is really interested in selling the cars, they should let you test them. Do you or they not have a couple of pieces of Fastrack on hand?

[jimhaleyscomet]

Also, IF you have problems (I am not sure you will) they will show up when you turn through a switch. If you avoid swithches (or stay on the outer loop) you should be o.k.

[Locomotive681]

I have an mth hot metal car and It said on the box 0-42 but I can run it on 0-27 curves go figure.Good luck with the ARR cars,Loco681

[ben10ben]

Like Jim says, the problem with most cars arises with the clearance of the car body and switch motors. From what I've seen of Fastrack switches, the motors are nothing like those found on traditional O27 and O42 switches, so I doubt that they would present much of a problem. I would be worth your time and money, though, if possible, to test them in the store.

[wrmcclellan]

Your biggest problem will be with "S" curves. If you avoid them you should be OK.

You can also soften a curve by alternating 1 curve piece with a short straight piece (5" is a Fastrack standard).

The good news is that Fastrack is available on 048 and 072 curve sizes. As you expand your empire, just move up a notch on the radius you purchase.

Welcome to the hobby and the CTT forum! Let us know how we can continue to help.

Regards,
Roy

[Anonymous]

I may be wrong, but the reccommended track diam. may also have something to do with the diaphrams between cars(if they have them), or just a "goofy" look created by extreme overhang. Joe

[darianj]

I too am a newbie and in adding to my collection, I bough the MTH Erie Triplex and a covered gondala; both rated at 042. Knowing this, I also bought some 048 Fastrack curves to run them on. But before I set up the new track, I tried the engine and gondala on the setup I already had up....all 036. It ran through all the tracks and switch without a hitch.[tup]

I personlly would test it out first before buying or be ready to change track....you never know.

[pbjwilson]

Another thing to consider is the length of the cars. Passenger cars come in 13", 15",18" and 21". There might be some other sizes in there too. You want to match up the size of the cars to the engine pulling it. For instance if you started with a 4-4-2 Lionel steamer starter set engine, 21" cars are going to look out of place, you'd be better of with the smaller sized cars. The largest passenger cars I have are 15". They work very well on O42 curves, but look a little funny on O31. Someone at the hobby shop should be able to assist you and help you with the right size for your engine. Good-luck.

[Anonymous]

How long are the cars? If these are the standard 18" near scale cars they will look pretty odd on O-36 track. They actully look odd on anything less than O-72 (and they don't start looking good till O-83 and beyond). I don't recall seeing many 13"-15" cars with O-42 restrictions. BTW just because you can get away with something doesn't mean it's a good idea. A lot of cars/locos will clear a tighter radius curve than is advertised but you may be overstressing wiring harnesses or other parts of the item that aren't easily seen.

[darianj]

QUOTE: Originally posted by chuckn

BTW just because you can get away with something doesn't mean it's a good idea. A lot of cars/locos will clear a tighter radius curve than is advertised but you may be overstressing wiring harnesses or other parts of the item that aren't easily seen.

Very good info Chuck. I meant to ask if there was a possibility of internal damage.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of the great advice -- very helpful.

My son and I had to pick up an engine from repair at the hobby shop tonight and looked at passenger cars. Now, we are at the point of picking a short, MTH Amtrak versus a 18" Alaska that matches the rest of his layout. After all, this is just a toy, right?

What do y'all think is the lesser of two evils?

BTW, it used to be that to get advice you had to go to the local shop or the club that met in the basement, right? Now, all of you give the best advice and that leaves people like me less loyal to the local shop, and more likely to pursue my hobby through online e-tailers and Ebay. Hmmm. Just a thought (probably shouldn't have buried it in the tail end of a thread).

-- JimV

[Anonymous]

Trouble is finding a good hobby shop. If you have access to a local dealer who will work with you and help you find what's right for you instead of just pushing whatever he/she has in stock, the price difference of internet vrs over the counter becomes less of an issue. A good dealer will usually give you a 10-15% discount and will help you FIND stuff. The Alaska paint scheme is pretty popular and you might be able to find some cars in the 13"-15" range that will work (and look better) on tighter curves. If the local dealer can't help out, try using Google/E-Bay.

[Anonymous]

I'm running MTH streamline 15" "O" cars on FasTrack O48 curves. They will "work" on my 36" curves. 18" cars would be a problem, especially if they have diaphrams. In that case, they would probably derail. I would not call my 15" cars short-looking, even though they are "O", and not "O27". Joe

[Jumijo]

Lionel makes a NYC and a PRR expansion set (your choice) of 3 passenger cars (1 combine, 1 coach, 1 observation) that includes 4 straight FasTrack sections, a station platform, six milk cans, and a classic billboard set for $99.99. They will operate fine on o-36 FasTrack.

I'm hoping they make some add-on cars for our SF El Capitan set.

P.S. if you shop around, you can get these sets for $75.00!

Jim

[Anonymous]

15"-16" cars were "optimised" for O Gauge. The 15"-16" cars look great on most layouts. The 18"-20" cars are meant to be O Scale.

If you have the room for O-72 curves and larger then the other 18" cars look good. It drives me nuts to see 18 passenger cars on O-42 track where the overhang is so bad the cars outside edge is clearing the inside rail on a curve. Maybe they should make the car/loco bodies like a slinky so it can follow the track!

[darianj]

QUOTE: Originally posted by chuckn

15"-16" cars were "optimised" for O Gauge. The 15"-16" cars look great on most layouts. The 18"-20" cars are meant to be O Scale.

If you have the room for O-72 curves and larger then the other 18" cars look good. It drives me nuts to see 18 passenger cars on O-42 track where the overhang is so bad the cars outside edge is clearing the inside rail on a curve. Maybe they should make the car/loco bodies like a slinky so it can follow the track!

Leaning something new everyday. So it's not just the function, but how it looks as it goes around the curve.