Questions About Postwar

[Anonymous]

I have some questions.

Super O track- I'd like to buy some Super O track, but I am
worried about the rut the center rail makes in the pickup rollers?
Is there anyway to prevent it so I don't have to fill in
the rut in the rollers?

Water Towers- I decided to buy the 138 water tower instead
of the new #38 that Lionel intoduced this year, But will this work relibly.

I would like to have my accesories work smoothly so I don't have to perform constant maintenance. I am no good with machinery. (See an example below)

I went to a lighthouse on an island in the Winyah Bay with my church group, but since the boat was small they had to make two trips. I was on the second trip, and just as we pulled out, I started to sing. In turn the boat stopped.

So we got it started. I started to sing again and the boat stopped, so when we got it started I didn't sing again. But on the way back ( I was on the second trip again), I started to sing. The boat stopped. When we got it started, I started to sing again.

But this time, the boat did not start. This was at 9P.M. so we waited for 3 hours for the rescue boat.

But it was so pretty at night on the water looking at the lights of the industrial plants and their candy cane like chimneys. So it was a mixed blessing. Even though we should have been miserable, we enjoyed being stuck.

But I don't want trouble with track and accesories

steel rails

[Frank53]

The best way to ensure smooth operation of a post war water tower is not to sing while operating it.

[trigtrax]

Was this boat an inboard or outboard? [4:-)]

.

[daan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Frank53

The best way to ensure smooth operation of a post war water tower is not to sing while operating it.

[:D][:D][:D]
Most postwar items have been used and stored for a long time. They are not new and had a life before. The best thing you can do for smooth operation is get the item to a Lionel repair shop and let them do maintenance on it.
Mostly the items are so simple and though built that they don't give a lot of problems. Even while singing.[:)]
I got a 1953 santa fe 2353 F3 loco from ebay, put it on the rails and turned the power on. It started humming and then drove away, without hesitation. For a 50 year old and (after seing the inside) never maintenanced locomotive that's fantastic!
I guess people using the electronic stuff have more problems running the trains then the ones using the old postwar machines, Don't worry too much about it.

[wrmcclellan]

Frank - LOL

Steel - the problem with rollers on Super O is supposedly no worse than regular center rails. Most rollers as I have been educated recently are made of steel vs earlier sintered iron.

Regards,
Roy

[Anonymous]

Thanks,

I know that Postwar Trains are reliable for smoth operation. My grandad has two trains from when he was little. I play with them alot at his house and they work flawleslly

There is a 2065 Hudson freight with a red gondola, yellow NYC stockcar, Operating milk car, green dump car, and red porthole caboose.

Also he has a Lehigh Valley all red center cab diesel and some feight cars as well as some short streamling passenger cars he bought with money from odd jobs in 1957 or so. They are silver with a red stripe down the center.

He has also recently aquired a 2353 Santa Fe F3 and runs his short red-stripped passenger cars behind it.

He has some acesories. A 133 train station, a log loader, and a silver drawbridge that is called a Bascule Bridge. We have a great time setting the trains up when I come over. He has a fairly large amount of 0-27 track and switches, as well as a Modern 90 degree crossover.

To Power the layout, he recently bought a postwar ZW transformer.

He has now deided to collect a few more trains from the 1950s, and his recent project is to aquire an 1862 0-27 General Set like the one his friend had in the 1950s

I plan to collect th same trains an accesories (Save expensive ones for after college) as well as some more trains and accesories that I like. Sets will be pieced togeather.

steel rails

[ben10ben]

The roller groove problem is pretty much a myth. Your rollers will wear on whatever type of track you use. Just make sure you clean the top regularly with fine grit sandpaper or scotchbrite, and wipe your rollers down every once in a while.

For that matter, I have now made it standard practice to replace the rollers on all my postwar pieces as soon as I get them anyway. In most cases, a set of rollers will cost less than $4 and can be replaced in a half hour or less(some about 10 minutes) using nothing but a pair of pliers and a flat bladed screwdriver.

[1688torpedo]

Hello Steelrails ! Your story about the Boat and your singing sounds like a classic Abbott & Costello movie script. I guess the best thing not to do is to sing while running your Trains or Boats[:)][8D] The Older Trains & Accessories are reliable and should give you trouble free performance after they have been looked at and cleaned & oiled.Have fun !

[Anonymous]

I am building a large custom wide radius Super O layout.... I love taunting the people who come over with little plastic bags of spare rollers before they stick their new scale loco on my track!!! [}:)]

The roller thing is a myth... I have run for years and seen no worse wear than O Gauge track...

[Anonymous]

Thanks

But I'm woried about the little rut that I have heard people say that Super O track
makes in pick-up rollers.

Plase is there anyway to prevent this?

[rtraincollector]

Don't worry about it the rollers won't come apart on you what you should worry about and what really causes the grove on the roller from what an electrician friend told me is when you get a lot of arc between the roller and the center rail of any type of 3 rail track O/O27/super O the arc is caused by not getting proper conection and a couple of other things and in most cases is very rare. I have an engine from 1931 its an 262 with a wheel arangement of 2-4-2 and it has been runed at least 3 times a week for the last 20 years on both super O and O gauge track and it doesn't have a grove in the middle. so relax

RT

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by steel rails

Thanks

But I'm woried about the little rut that I have heard people say that Super O track
makes in pick-up rollers.

Plase is there anyway to prevent this?

Steel... There is no 'Roller Rut' caused by super O track. That is a myth. I have heard (as you have) from people who have no experience with Super O, about this... But please take note, and listen to the people who actually use Super O Track (alot). There will be no problem with the rollers.

What we are trying to tell you is that operation on all types of track will cause some roller marks, this is normal operation, or due to excessive sparking. Keep the track clean to minimize this.

Maybe I gave the wrong impression... I just like to tease those guys who 'know it all' insisting about the roller wear thing. When they are afraid to put their locomotive on my layout, I just hand them a bag of extra rollers and saying they will need these after a few laps around the layout!

Trust me they do not, just fun to dispel this myth!

[lionelsuperotrack]

Well, if you are interested in "Super O" I have all items available for sale. Here are 2 links that will be of interest:

The History of Lionel "Super O" Track
( http://www.tcamembers.org/articles/operating/supero/index.html )

Lionel_SuperO_Track Yahoo Group
( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lionel_SuperO_Track/ )

Very best, Mike ([e-mail])

[iguanaman3]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Super O Bob

I am building a large custom wide radius Super O layout....

I have seen your pics Bob, your layout looks fantastic. How about some new pics...I'de really like to see how you do the radius change and check out your wide radius switches too. I only use Super O but track plans are pretty limited with just the stock radius.

Neil

[Anonymous]

steel rails,

I did run Super O on my layout without any roller wear problems. I had heard all about the prolems the center rail would cause. But by keeping the center rail clean, there was very little sparking and very little wear. The only reason I went to O gauge tubular track was because I needed wider curves.

James.

[ben10ben]

Truthfully, roller wear is probably less of a problem on Super O than it is on other types of track. When new, rollers should have a perfectly flat surface. On rounded tubular track, the rollers should, in theory, only contact one very small point on the center rail. The top of the Super O center rail is flat as well, so you should have a greater surface area. In theory, this would reduce arcing, which is what causes most of the roller wear.

Also, any time two surface are in contact and moving against one another, they both will wear. The one to exhibit the higher degree of wear, though, will be the one made of softer material. Most rollers are either sintered iron or steel, and the Super O center rail is copper. Copper is much, much softer than either of the other two materials, so should, in theory, become much more worn with repeat running than a steel center rail. The fact that the copper wears means that the rail rollers are going to be wearing even less.

[lionelsuperotrack]

Have spoken with many who have had "Super O" layouts for decades and roller wear is just not an issue.

Very best, Mike Spanier

The History of Lionel "Super O" Track
( http://www.tcamembers.org/articles/operating/supero/index.html )

Lionel_SuperO_Track Yahoo Group
( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lionel_SuperO_Track/ )

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by iguanaman3

QUOTE: Originally posted by Super O Bob

I am building a large custom wide radius Super O layout....

I have seen your pics Bob, your layout looks fantastic. How about some new pics...I'de really like to see how you do the radius change and check out your wide radius switches too. I only use Super O but track plans are pretty limited with just the stock radius.

Neil

Neil-

I am just now getting restarted working on the layout, as train season has just begun for me... (starts when the footballs start flying!)...

Do you know if this forum has a way of posting photo albums? I have newer pictures to post and share. Been working on the switches, and the Super O Custom 0-72 switch, which works great and looks great. I'm currently designing some Super O high speed 0-92 and 0-144 switches now in CAD.

-Bob

[Anonymous]

Super O BOB: Were can I buy 072 super O track? Thanks, Art What else is being made?

[lionelsuperotrack]

072" Super O is available from:

[e-mail]

Regards, Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by katy409

Super O BOB: Were can I buy 072 super O track? Thanks, Art What else is being made?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by katy409

Super O BOB: Were can I buy 072 super O track? Thanks, Art What else is being made?

You can send your track to Elliot Welz to have it custom formed to any radius you want. This is the email included by Mike (lionelsuperotrack). I have done that on some 054 curves and liked Elliot's work.

Because I have a large amount to reform on a large layout, and also want wide radius switches, I have started doing it myself. I have made 092, 082, 0134,0144 diameter successfully. Scale engines and postwar all run great on it.

I have designed Super O wide radius switches and built up some 072 ones which work great. The basic concept was established by *** Reichart with a continuous rail frog. The scale loco's run very smoth thru these switches. There is considerable work in the switches, however the cruve track should be possible by anyone with basic craftsman skills and some patience...

[Anonymous]

Here is a picture of Custom O-72 Super O Switch vs. a Standard O-36 Switch...


Here is a picure of Custom Wide Radius (O-92) Super O Curves, with a scale GS64 running on it...

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Here is a picture during construction of a Custom Radius Super O Track 's' made from O-134 and O-144. (now that I got this picture thing figured out)!