Compare the advantages and disadvantages of tubular track and fastrack.

[magicman710]

Do you mean O gauge switches?

[BDT in Minnesota]

Grayson,,, I noticed your plan called for 027 switches and 027 radius curves...As long as you are in the planning stages, you may want to do yourself a huge favor and increase the smallest radius to at least 031 radius curves and switches.....allot of locomotives  and passenger cars need a 031 minimum radius for proper operation...

You might want to check your "wish list" as far as future rolling stock purchases go, and make sure that your layout is built to handle them without problems..

Keep us posted on the progress,,,BDT

[magicman710]

---

Well I'll post pictures of my layout, which somebody suggested on another of one of my forums, when I'm ABSOULUTELY through with my layout, which will probably be early next year. I hope people will remember me still by then, well if I post enough I'm sure I'll beome well known. My layout will be, like said, 10 ft. x 20-25ft. with 2 mainlines and a yard. It will be the type where its just and outline of board 3 ft. wide in all places except the yard, wich will be 5 ft. wide. The yard will be on the end of the layout(10ft. long), with 5 yard lines. I'm not sure if this is enough track or to little, but we will see.

How much track I'm getting: 

30- 027 straight sections, 24- 027 radius cured sections, 24- 042 radius curves, 16- 054 radius curves, 32- extra long 027 straight sections, 3- 027 manual switches, 4- 027 remote switches, 5- 042 remote switches, 3- 027 uncoupling track, 4- 027 operating track. Total:$800

Grayson

[magicman710]

Lionel should have redesigned super "O" (since the tooling for it was destroyed in the 80s) before coming out with FasTrack. But still, I want to know why FasTrack is so expensive! With a $4 retail price on a 10in. straight is ridiculous. If lionel really meant it for the starter-intermediate market, it would seem that they would have a lower price than tubular, since most people dont want to spend hundreds of dollars of track, and more hundreds on accessories, engines, ect. The price is just ridiculous.

Grayson - an uncommon name.

[Frank53]

ah Super O - The second most venerable track system ever made . . .

[BDT in Minnesota]

I thought I would also mention the famous Lionel Super O track,,,but I hear the clattering way from here in Minnesota,,, I think that clattering  might be Frank or Chuck loading their shotguns, So I am going to make a run for it...catch ya later....BDT

[Anonymous]

wow...i dont know how big your layout is gonna be or how many pieces youll be needing....

 

but i bought in three seperte auctions 300 pieces of used but excellant condition track...i have a 16x 6 layout in progress..and i only spent 75 shipped for track...including 10 remote switches...i dont mind used..as long as its in good shape...

 

just a thought.....new is great but cheap is better, atleast for me anyways....

[magicman710]

I have just got done figuring that it will const me about $800 in track alone to build my layout with 027. Not that bad to me. And with changing my track to 1 mainline with a yard in fastrack would be $1170.00 But I made a limit for myself not to spend more than $1000 on track. But what I am wondering is what would Lionel Corporation's engineers and what Cowin would have thought if they saw fastrack. Who knows, they might have loved it, or may have hated it. But I dont think they had a problem with 027! 027, here I come!

[Frank53]

Having said that, I used Fastrack for it

Dennis

Benedict Arnold!

[magicman710]

How's it goin Dennis! Good to see somebody from the (in my opinion) the heart of dixie! I live In a suburb about 10 miles south of Savannah. And, to stay on topic, hobby shops are hard to find! There is one in Savannah, called Bull Street Station, and its a HO scale person's dream, with hundreds of ho scale parts, cars, and locomotives, but only lionel TRACK. No accessories, engines, or cars. There was one in statesboro, a hobbytown usa, but it closed a few months ago. I order all my lionel on the internet, and I believe the biggest lionel dealer thats closest to me is some place in Augusta. See yall later!!!

Born in Georgia, and love CSX!

[wrmcclellan]

Good heavens gang - most of you are old enough to know it is "cooties" and yes it is a major risk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooties

 

[csxt30]

I forgot to mention that long term exposure to FasTrack gives you koodies. 

 

I heard that too !! Then you have to get the Bugaboo out !!

[dwiemer]

Magicman710, I agree in that O27 has a nice profile in comparison to Standard O.  My layout is roughly the same length width as yours.  I do have a section that is 3 levels, but overall, it is a reasonable layout.  Having said that, I used Fastrack for it and am pleased.  It does have some issues regarding noise, but that can be somewhat negated with careful planning.  The tight tolerances also can be negated by careful planning or just sitting down with some pieces and working it out.  For my layout, it cost me around $2500 in track alone.  I am sure I could have done this for about 1/5th the cost using O27. 

I also live in Georgia, where abouts are you?  We have a few of us scattered throughout the state.  Good hobby shops are hard to come by down here.

Dennis

[Anonymous]

you can find good deals on ebay for track...just a thought

[Blueberryhill RR]

I forgot to mention that long term exposure to FasTrack gives you koodies. 

 

[magicman710]

I was going to go "O" gauge track, but I'm going to go with 027 track. One reason, its over a dollar cheaper, and it comes with a uncoupling track section, so i dont have to pay an extra $30 on a operating track section.

[Anonymous]

I forgot to mention that long term exposure to FasTrack gives you koodies. 

 

 

 

well i can say that tubular is way cheap...i just picked up 151 pieces off ebay for 50 shipped....that includes 6 remote switches and 2 bridges ...i think i will always use this track...i may add tiles but i really like the tubular

[Frank53]

I forgot to mention that long term exposure to FasTrack gives you koodies. 

[Rolo Tomasee]

I just recently have gotten into trains and I purchased a new set that came with FasTrack. I have no experience with tubular but I really like the FasTrack. Like Earl said the trains run smoothly and I have yet had a derailment. I have 4 remote switches on my layout and they work flawlessly. I have seen photos on the weekend photo section of Fastrack on a layout that was airbrushed and ballasted on the edges to get rid of the straight edges on the track and it looked spectacular. I have homosote over plywood with green indoor outdoor carpet on my layout and I do not think the sound from the train on the FasTrack is really loud at all. For me I like the looks of the FasTrack and the ease of putting it together along with the reliabilty.

[magicman710]

I think I have made up my mind to go with 027 track, but thanks for the imput Earl, I do have 2 036 remote fastrack switchs and some fastrack that I got in a set a few years back, and my trains runs so smooth through them. But I think I'll go with 027 so I'll have some money left when I get through with my layout.

I think I'll keep this post open so people can argue about fastrack and tubular!

[EIS2]

To me, it is much more enjoyable to run my trains on FasTrack compared to tubular if you have turnouts.  The FasTrack turnouts are far superior to any of the tubular track turnouts.  I have no concerns for derailments or shorts (except for one Lionel 2-8-0 engine) transversing FasTrack turnouts.  I have had lots of derailments and electrical arcing on tubular track turnouts.

I would rather enjoy running my trains and not be concerned with derailments.

Earl

 

[magicman710]

I dont think i will add ties, but just add ballast to cover up the metal ties, wich to me looks better than adding ties and makes the track look like its been there a long time(which I like).

[Anonymous]

i have tubular and i like it...i mean the gargraves looks really cool but i like the 027 best

[pbjwilson]

 

Like, gag me with a spoon.

Oh my God!

Fastrak, groady to the max.

I am sooo TUBULAR!

[rtraincollector]

okay heres another thought this is for a reverse loop 072 in fast track I don't have the cost for tubular but bet its not even 1/2 as much This was in another question here in the forum thanks for the person who posted it sorry didn't catch the name or would post it also to give him the credit for figureing it out.

 

Here is the part list for the O72 Reverse loop but it's not obvious how to do it unless you look at the picture above.

Item list for Fastrack 072 Reverse Loop.rrt

NUMBER DESCRIPTION PRICE TOTAL
(11) FasTrack O72 22.5° curve 12041 4.99 54.89
(4) FasTrack 30 in straight 12042 9.99 39.96
(1) FasTrack O72 remote switch right 12049 69.99 69.99
(3) FasTrack 1.375 inch fitter 0.00 0.00
(1) FasTrack 5 in straight 12024 2.99 2.99
(1) FasTrack 10 in straight 12014 3.49 3.49
(3) FasTrack 1.75 in straight 12026 2.99 8.97
(4) FasTrack 4.5 in straight 12025 2.99 11.96
Total of 28 items costing 192.25

Grand total of 28 items costing 192.25

Have fun!!!! 

[rtraincollector]

If all I had to choose from was fast track and old tubular track it would be the old tubular hands down. I was thinking of going gargraves but with this coloum talking about tubular quieter than fast track it has me wonder should I reconcider tubular myself. I know what I can do with tubular. I'm going to have to make a lot of ties thou but wondering with the extra ties does it interfer with a 143c trip? (I sold boxes and boxes of tubular track like a dummy lol) I still have a few pieces. The main plus I can see is that the switches are cheaper and you can always cut a piece instead of going to your local hobby shop to get another 6 - 10 dollar piece.

[Blueberryhill RR]

I think Frank53 said it all.  There is no finer track in the world, than tubular track. Get some....and let the good times roll !!!

Chuck

[Anonymous]

Not going to suggest any other brand.....and won't mention a brand.....

When I was looking at track, I looked at both Fastrack, tubular and others (can't mention them)   What turned me off of Fastrack was the look with the built in balast.  It wasn't my desire to see balasted track hanging in mid-air when doing any elevated track sections.  I did lean really hard towards tubular...but wanted something a little more realistic.  If I only could choose between the two I would go with tubular with extra ties.

 

Jerry

[magicman710]

I'm not all postwar, it's just I think postwar lionel is better.

[magicman710]

Great scientific analysis! I think i'll stick with 027, it is cheap, plentiful, and with 042 remote switches being just around $30, I'll stay away from the fastrack 036 remote switches that are $50+! Another reason, as Frank wrote, is in my signature. I love postwar, since it was made IN THE USA, and because most of my postwar accessories look better on tube track. But I must ask something about O guage track. By O gauge I mean Lionel "O" gauge track, the kind with tall rails and black steel ties. I read that 027 is a cheap, low quality track that was included in the lowest price sets during the postwar era, and that O is a high quality track included in the high priced sets. But really and truly, 027 is a lot more realistic that O. O gauge has rails as tall as the wheels, which is NOT realistic. Why do so many people use O track if it unrealistic in rail height?