Are there advantages to running O27???

[Taranwanderer]

Nice video! Question: are you making the AA MP diesels slow down manually as they come in front of the control panel, or do you have some sort of mechanism doing it? I take it the AA set is faster than the Great Lakes Passenger set, and you have to keep slowing it down to keep it from catching up to the GL set. Just curious.

[RockIsland52]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for sharing this video again.  As if  there isn't enought play and operating value carefully engineered into the 9' x 5' portion of your layout, the L shaped expansion adds even more.  Most impressive!   

You had a separate video on the extension but I can't find it.

Thanks!

Jack

[dsmith]

1.  027 tubular track is less expensive that 031 "O" gauge track. 

2.  The lower profile of 027 looks a little more to scale than O.

3.  You can fit a more complicated track layout in a tighter space using 027.

4.  The 027 postwar switches (either manual or remote) are more compact than  O gauge postwar switches.

My 5' x 9' layout is all Lionel postwar 027.

Here is a video of the layout with 4 short trains and 1 trolley running.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI5SrbCNeKM

 

[lionelsoni]

Yes.  Although both types of track are much too large, O27 is not as much too-large as O31.  If you ballast your track, the exposed part of the O31 ties will be about 9/16 inch wide, and the ends will be open.  The O27 ties are only 1/2 inch wide, with closed ends.  I find that the O27 ties can be made less obtrusive by filling in-between them with 3/8-inch "popsicle" sticks.  The ties are still too wide (3/16 inch is scale) and the rails too high (about 1 foot); but I think it looks better than O31.

O31 is more robust when used on the floor; but, when the track is fastened down to a table, this advantage goes away.

I like the challenge that the sharper curves present; but I keep one main line at O34 so as to be able to run stuff that I can't or don't want to modify.  O34, O42, O54, and O72 are all options that give you the looks of O27 without the short radius.

[cabooseboy]

Can't decide whether to build a layout in O27 or O31.....i plan on running only post-war equipment...opinions please!!!    thanks.....