Best O-27 turnouts to run postwar, prewar and Marx?

[Dr. John]

As I plan my next layoout, I find that i have a more eclectic mix of trains than i did a couple of years ago. My last layout was pretty much exclusively postwar Lionel along with some Williams and RailKing locomotives. Recently, I have acquired some prewar pieces and some Marx 333, 666 and Commodore Vanderbilt locomotives with the BIG gear against the driver wheel flanges.

This gear tends to have problems with modern turnouts. I have quite a few Lionel 1024 manual and 1121 remote turnouts on hand. Is this a good compromise to handle my postwar equipment as well as the prewar and Marx or do I need to search for some old Marx switches?

[wrmcclellan]

Dr. John,

Those style of switches should work fine. I cannot remember the term (maybe Bob N can) for these switches, but I recall something like "closed frog"? These switches have the necessary clearance for the wide flange + Gear.

Regards,
Roy

[Dave Farquhar]

Dr. John, the Commodore Vanderbilt will have difficulty on the 1121s. It can make it through them, but there's enough bounce going in one of the directions that it can derail sometimes. Marx switches will be a better bet for you. It's easier to modify Marx switches to accomodate Lionel than the other way around.

I had read that the 1121s are a "universal switch" and I used them on a Christmas layout in a double-reverse configuration, setting them up as non-derailing using insulated track sections. My fat-wheeled Marx locomotives bounced, and derailments didn't happen all the time or even most of the time, but it was often enough to get really frustrating quickly.

[Dr. John]

Hmmm. May have to re-think this. I do have four Marx O-27 switches and two of the O-34 swithces. I may have to work out a route for the Marx stuff while allowing more switching options for the post war Lionel.

By the way, what kind of modification do the Marx switches need to run Lionel?

[Anonymous]

I have run Lionel engines through Marx switches with no problems and no modifications.

[Dave Farquhar]

It's described here:
http://www.thortrains.net/maracc4.html

Really simple to do. The later plastic switches (o27 and o34) don't seem to need any modification; this just applies to the older metal switches.

[Dr. John]

Dave - Thanks for the link! You're right, a pretty simple fix. I did that with the 1024s I have to prevent stalling. Thanks also for the e-mail message.

[mackb4]

I thought about this myself when I bought a little 999 Marx this weekend at the Springfield Ohio show.Can a person just turn the big gear wheel down on a lathe on the inside of the wheel ?I tried and tried to get the 999 to negotiate the 022 Lionel switches on my temporary layout , and it just wouldn't.Has anyone ever tried to turn down a Marx wheel?It shouldn't effect the way the idiler gear meshes up .