A Couple of Questions...

4: Lionel's production is mostly, if not entirely done in China. The move was made sometime in the 1990's. The company headquarters was in Chesterfield, MI, but moved much more recently to Concord, NC

5: "Hi-Rail" refers to the practice of operating traditional 3-rail trains in a realistic-looking environment rather than typical toy-train empires. The trains themselves weren't necessarily scale-proportioned models, but they were operated as if they were. "Scale 3-rail" means the trains themselves are also scale-proportioned (and often realistically detailed as well)

---PCJ

1. Is difficult to answer without knowing more of your premises. 

Is the track for a permanent layout? If so, FasTrack is very loud when secured to wood, without a sound buffer between the track and the plywood.

If the track is intended to be a temporary “carpet layout”, FasTrack is a good choice.

If more realism is your goal there are better choices for track, e.g., Atlas, Ross Custom Switches (track too).

RailRide posted:

 

5: "Hi-Rail" refers to the practice of operating traditional 3-rail trains in a realistic-looking environment rather than typical toy-train empires. The trains themselves weren't necessarily scale-proportioned models, but they were operated as if they were. "Scale 3-rail" means the trains themselves are also scale-proportioned (and often realistically detailed as well)

---PCJ

I see.

So given the fact that this model is so realistic, does that mean I should be posting questions about it in the "Scale 3-Rail" section, as opposed to here?

Mark in Oregon

TM Terry posted:

1. Is difficult to answer without knowing more of your premises. 

Is the track for a permanent layout? If so, FasTrack is very loud when secured to wood, without a sound buffer between the track and the plywood.

If the track is intended to be a temporary “carpet layout”, FasTrack is a good choice.

If more realism is your goal there are better choices for track, e.g., Atlas, Ross Custom Switches (track too).

Thanks Terry.

For now I'm limited to "Carpet Central", so it sounds like FasTrack will be ok.

I did order wide radius curves, just to make sure this eight-coupled engine would be able to run on it.

Mark in Oregon

1. I'm happy with it. I agree with Terry that you should put something between it and a wood table top to deaden the sound.

I've found my fastrack to be very reliable without any of the conductivity issues some have complained about in the past. I have 14 GA feeders SOLDERED directly to the power tabs underneath every 10'. Its been trouble free for 13+ years.

2. This can be done. Some folks replace them with more realistic figures made by Artissta and others. Do a forum search, I believe a forum member just recently switched figures on a new Legacy locomotive.

3. Yes Labelle is safe to use. Lucas Oil Red N' Tacky #2 is also very popular. Its a stickier "industrial grade grease that works well. I've put it in my locomotive gearboxes and doubt I'll ever need to do it again.

FYI, one grease port is for the actual gearbox, this is usually evident by the rounded "underbelly" of the chassis. This port will take more grease. MTH recommends .5 -1.0 ml of grease in the gearbox. I've found this amount works well for Lionel too.

The other ports merely supply grease to the axles themselves and typically will only accept a small amount.

4. Yes, made in Korea until the late 2000's, then China. IMO the Korean stuff is better quality but the Chinese stuff  tends to perform a bit better due to the advent of Legacy speed control which is finer than TMCC.

5. I won't get into the "hair splitting" over Hi-rail and 3 rail scale. All I know is some folks trains are more "realistic looking than others.

Theres no question that Atlas, Ross and Gargraves are argueably  better quality due to the solid rail. their flat top rail shape is also more realistic . However " splitting hairs" again. The ties of the solid rail track is grossly oversized and the fastrack molded in ties are more accurate.

I don't know if theres really any "bad" track persay. Go with what you like.

With some ballast glued to the plastic roadbed, and painting of the rails, Fastrack can be made to look  "decent".

Strummer posted:

RailRide posted:

 

5: "Hi-Rail" refers to the practice of operating traditional 3-rail trains in a realistic-looking environment rather than typical toy-train empires. The trains themselves weren't necessarily scale-proportioned models, but they were operated as if they were. "Scale 3-rail" means the trains themselves are also scale-proportioned (and often realistically detailed as well)

---PCJ

I see.

So given the fact that this model is so realistic, does that mean I should be posting questions about it in the "Scale 3-Rail" section, as opposed to here?

Mark in Oregon

Mark, you will get more feedback in this forum. 3-Rail Scale is just one “rail” removed (actually added) from 2-Rail Scale. Spend some time perusing 3-Rail Scale and you will notice their strict adherence to scale.

RICKO

Thanks for all the info; is that your layout? Very nice! 

Terry

Thanks (yet) again. 

Mark in Oregon

TM Terry posted:

1. Is difficult to answer without knowing more of your premises. 

Is the track for a permanent layout? If so, FasTrack is very loud when secured to wood, without a sound buffer between the track and the plywood.

If the track is intended to be a temporary “carpet layout”, FasTrack is a good choice.

If more realism is your goal there are better choices for track, e.g., Atlas, Ross Custom Switches (track too).

exactamundo.  Fastrack is great on carpet, I prefer gargraves on my permanent layout.

RickO posted:

 

2. This can be done. Some folks replace them with more realistic figures made by Artissta and others. Do a forum search, I believe a forum member just recently switched figures on a new Legacy locomotive.

 I tried a search, as you suggested. Very helpful, except that (no surprise here!) my particular loco was not one that this had been done to.  

I see by Lionel's own site that the back of the cab comes off of the Atlantic, but this feature does not show on the 2-8-0: it merely shows the figures as being separate pieces, and are available as such.

I don't want to muck anything up, so until I learn otherwise, these dudes will have to stay "as is". 

I think I got really lucky on this loco; the pick-up rollers show no wear whatsoever, and it looks to be in "like new" condition...

Mark in Oregon

RickO posted:

Theres no question that Atlas, Ross and Gargraves are argueably  better quality due to the solid rail. their flat top rail shape is also more realistic . However " splitting hairs" again. The ties of the solid rail track is grossly oversized and the fastrack molded in ties are more accurate.

FWIW, only Atlas has the solid rail, the others are hollow rails.  They all do indeed have the flat top rail shape.

I had no idea John, thanks for the info! They all "look" like solid rail, never "assume", I suppose.

Strummer posted:

RICKO

Thanks for all the info; is that your layout? Very nice! 

Anytime, yes, and thank YOU for the compliment!

Good luck with your layout!

RickO posted:

I had no idea John, thanks for the info! They all "look" like solid rail, never "assume", I suppose.

We have a lot of Atlas rail for our modular club layout, and we also have some Gargraves and Ross track and switches as well.  The external appearance of all of them is similar, I will agree.

"So given the fact that this model is so realistic, does that mean I should be posting questions about it in the "Scale 3-Rail" section, as opposed to here?"

No. The "standards" of H-R and 3RS are nebulous at best. The H-R world generally still accepts the large, "traditional O-gauge" couplers, larger flanges and swinging diesel pilots (I personally really dislike those) - but H-R equipment, scenery, buildings often look just as realistic, weathered and impressive as those on 3RS or 2RS layouts.

H-R could be called "soft" 3RS, it seems to me. And, to me, as the center rail still exists, the "realism" of 3RO has an absolute upper limit, and spending so, so much time on those flanges and couplers begins to seem like ignoring the 600-lb gorilla in the room: the middle rail. It can't look real.

While none of which is an excuse for bad modeling or giraffe cars, H-R does allow you to exhale.

RickO posted:

 

4. Yes, made in Korea until the late 2000's, then China. IMO the Korean stuff is better quality but the Chinese stuff  tends to perform a bit better due to the advent of Legacy speed control which is finer than TMCC.

 

Incorrect. Lionel has been involved with Chinese production since the 1990s, though it also did work with a Korean factory that competed with Samhongsa until some point prior to 2010.

Remember, Lionel was one of the companies that was booted out of the Sanda Kan factory after Kader bought that widely used Chinese facility in 2009. That sent Lionel scrambling to find other space elsewhere in China.