I’m pretty sure the LC starter set is the target audience for this track.

Please take a pic of the "dinky receptacle"

DO you not have one of these sections?  (yellow arrow)

@MartyE posted:

I’m pretty sure the LC starter set is the target audience for this track.

You're correct.   The separate sale track is really to add on to the Christmas Express set, or to create a Christmas section on a current layout.  In both cases, power will come thru the track.

Don, is your tree in the middle of a room?  If not, add a regular terminal section of Fastrack on the backside, semi hidden.  Remember, the sections only light up as the train passes over.  You don't have to destroy a lighted section to make this work

@MartyE posted:

I’m pretty sure the LC starter set is the target audience for this track.

Yes, spot on.

Drill a hole through the road bed making sure you don't hit any of the wiring and fish 2 heavier gauge wires to the rails and solder them.

Just got 2 boxes of curves and 2 boxes of straight lighted track today. Almost enough to do layout under the tree. Have a couple pieces of gray fastrack going through a bridge with a light on top. Light hooked to gray fastrack. Then a couple pieces of gray fastrack going through a tunnel. One piece hooked to light in tunnel. The other piece of gray fastrack has heavy wire hooked to CW80 transformer. Running polar express LionChief Plus 2.0 2-8-4 pulling 10 Polar Express lighted passenger cars. Running TMCC  control so transformer is cranked wide open all the time. No problems so far. The best part is the wife and kids really think its cool. That is a first . Don't really notice the gray track on the bridge and in the tunnel. Man this track is really cool.

HI gang,

As much as I think it was inexcusable to not allow a heavy wire power connection, this track really is way cool!  Just imagine how cool the track for area 51 must be as well.  The short video in this stream shows anyone how cool the track is.  If you have enough track to make a huge oval, I can only imagine how neat it must look under the tree.  My straight aways are 5 tracks long, so it is pretty cool over here.

I guess you can get creative on how to hide the necessary gray track.  :-)

Sorry the short video is in another message stream about this track.

Dan, I admit to having zero fast track but can't you just run wires under the track?Many pics on the web of folks doing this.

Pete

You can simply solder wires onto the tabs under the trackbed, I'm not sure I see what the big problem is.

Well, that makes sense I guess, and kinda' shoots my idea down!

Pictures would be helpful for those of us who haven't seen this [evidently] different Fastrack.

@donhradio can you share some photos of the track, specifically the underside?

If the track does not allow for additional power drops (or any if you don't have the terminal section that came with the set), that does seem a bit short sighted...or maybe they have a lot of confidence in the continuity of the track connections.

It does create a neat effect in the videos that I have seen shared on the forum.

For the short term Don may have to find alternative methods to getting power to the track using heavier gauge wire.  But Don is correct in that, some forethought should have been given to potential customers using the track for purposes other than the Lion Chief Starter sets.

Not sure how many caught this post from last night. Nice video showing his lighted FasTrak loop under the tree.

Look at the power wiring going to the track. Is that one of those track pieces with a power plug? Assume so, but sort of hard to tell. Curious about how he connected.

https://ogrforum.com/...4#152899748443862804

@Allegheny posted:

For the short term Don may have to find alternative methods to getting power to the track using heavier gauge wire.  But Don is correct in that, some forethought should have been given to potential customers using the track for purposes other than the Lion Chief Starter sets.

I see forum Sponsor Mario's is selling a loop of this track that includes a power section.

@MartyE posted:

I see forum Sponsor Mario's is selling a loop of this track that includes a power section.

Is designed for heavier use?

@Allegheny posted:

Is designed for heavier use?

I  have no idea.  Until we see a piece of the track it's hard to say if there is a solution if you want to build a layout out of it other than using standard track pieces in less obvious places.  The problem is not insurmountable.

Needless to say, the sets come with a straight Fastrack-like transparent terminal track designed for the wall wart that comes with a train set.  Don't know whether it's available for separate sale, but this terminal track would address the problem for some people. But you would need an RCA type plug to access the terminal track.  I agree with MartyE that these sets (Christmas and Area 51) with their flashing track,  and the separate sale track are not designed to be integrated into a John Allen style or NJ Hi-Railers type layout .

I absolutely agree with donhradio..........the design engineer and packaging engineer are morons for not adding a "hook up" piece of track to (the) his package. And the list could go on with other products....Miele vacuum cleaners.....aaarrrggghh!  its way to frequent that I find a product that seems like a great idea on paper...and then when someone PHYSICALLY uses it........

Wow!!!  Can we say 'much ado about nothing"???

Again, the separate sale track packs were designed as add ons.   The entire thing (including the set) was designed as a fun around the tree or a similar small setup.   Calling out people and using the word "morons" really shows your character,  or lack thereof. @redjimmy1955

Sometimes I wonder if this is really a true community with camaraderie, or just a way for people to act superior

I am being considerate.........it seems that too many times a product is foisted upon the consumer, only to be not well thought out. Maybe...JUST maybe, I should have chosen kinder words. And  when trying to contact customer service..........mostly a joke!  I've even taken my CAD (re) design and shared with the "engineers" who authored a poorly designed product.....and not a whisper of a response.

And on that note...trying to lighten things up.

Mr. FedEx just delivered this courtesy of Charles Ro. The Lion Chief Area 51 Set with green LED lighted FasTrak.

Will get some pics/video up later.

I don’t see what the big deal is.  I just got my lighted fastrack.  I removed the six small screws on the clear plastic covering the bottom.  Once that’s removed, it’s the same as any other fastrack straight section.  I ran a standard fastrack connector from a CW80 to the connectors in the middle on the bottom.  Replaced the screws and cover and everything works great.  No need for a gray straight track for connection.

@Grampstrains posted:

Now see what you have done?  You have ruined a couple of perfectly good rants.  It's like seeing the Grinch unemployed.

He has also voided his track warranty .....

@Train Nut posted:

I am well aware of the connectors on the bottom. If you read the post you will see that this fastrack doesn't have access to the bottom connectors. It is sealed from the bottom. Hence the reason I said drill two holes and solder it.

Not sealed. See post above. The bottom plate is held on with screws.

Pete

I’m kind of surprised why nobody suggested the following!

L2025070 - LIGHTED TERMINAL TRACK SET

Resident Lionel moron Engineer here. This was thoroughly tested, thank you.

The set comes with the power connection section. Or you can get it separately as posted above. Or connect to traditional gray track for power. The options are there!

FWIW, due to age grading, these required covered bottoms due to the LEDs and wiring.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas @Dave Olson! The Christmas sets and the new LC 2.0 PE has made our Christmas Eve. Thanks for all the hard work this year!

You are right dave sucks being you today😋 I bought four new engines this year. The visionline UP challenger, the legacy 4014 big boy excursion version,the santafe northern 3751 all engines have smoke and whistle steam that will choke you out the room and the sounds are so crisp loud and real. When on the layout its just like being track side by the real things.

Last but not least and my favorite of the four is my little legacy santafe s4 switcher. It goes so slow my yardmaster gets sleepy waiting to couple to the next cut of cars. It never stalls through switches and the horn and crewtalk is great. Its never left my layout since it was put on for switcher duties.

These also all have bluetooth so with this app that some morons created 😋 all the individual sounds can be set and then when I go back to my cab2 remote these volumes stay the same untill I go back and change them on the app. Which my downstairs neighbors realy love so I do not disturb them at all. This allows me too still here the crew talk and keep the other sounds low.

So from one moron to another thanks for all your hard work and creating some of the best products lionel engineering has ever made. Merry Christmas to you and your family.🎄 now back to the regualar scheduled bash the tech thread.😋

Wait.  Does this mean I voided my warranty when I built a half dozen insulated rail sections 20 years ago?  Whatever will I do now?

Jon

@NYC Z-MAN posted:

I’m kind of surprised why nobody suggested the following!

L2025070 - LIGHTED TERMINAL TRACK SET

Since this piece of track is available for non Lionel Starter sets, then why is there so much discussion?   The Lionel engineering team did their job then.   

Giving it some thought, maybe a slightly better marketing job of letting people know that a lighted connector track section exists could increase the sale of this lighted track for Christmas time purposes for non Lionel Starter layouts.   

First I have seen this, so does each track piece have an insulated section of rail or an entire rail for the wheels and axels to complete the circuit?

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