o gage on different types of track?

[Anonymous]

hello, i am i nscale and i dnot know much about the bigger o gage stuff. but what ive noticed is that if lionel is just an o scale dealer, then why does thier track have three rails/ ive seen o gage layouts without three rails also? what is this, is it a different type, or is the third rail just fro show?

[Anonymous]

LIonel and others in O scale operate on AC power, and use three rail tracks, with the inside rail being the "hot" one. O scale models operating on two-rail track are just like HO, N and Z scales, using DC power. Lionel types tend to be more toy-like and are not necessarily made to scale. O scale models tend to be made to scale and are more prototypical.

Bob Boudreau

[ben10ben]

Just a couple of small corrections to what Bob said.

There are a good many true scale models being made in the 3 rail O gauge world today, possibly even more than traditional sized models, however O gauge trains have historically not been built to scale. There are also some 2 rail trains not built to scale, however they are few and far between, and I believe that there are none currently in production.

[BRAKIE]

I think the better O Scale 2 rail is the Atlas locomotives.If you haven't seen these units suffice it to say the look like their HO counter parts.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/151-2263

http://www.atlaso.com/images/1110-1.gif

[Anonymous]

has anyone used different scales in the same layout? gene

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BRAKIE

I think the better O Scale 2 rail is the Atlas locomotives.If you haven't seen these units suffice it to say the look like their HO counter parts.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/151-2263

http://www.atlaso.com/images/1110-1.gif

Those locomotives should be exactly the same in the 3 rail version, except for the wheels and the electronics inside. The detail is the same.