Do Lionel trains roll best on Lionel track?

Well, the older stuff frequently has larger flanges, and taller track profiles work best.  For reasonably modern stuff, it's Gargraves and Ross all the way.

When I built my current layout with Ross track and switches, I found out that any prewar stuff would not work, just like GRJ stated, not that big of a deal sold what little I had.  I did have to swap out the motor from my Dad’s prewar American Flyer so I could keep and run it.  Took a motor from a 70s Lionel engine, works great.

I'm glad I found out prewar trains run best on Lionel tubular o-gauge....I do plan on running prewar trains from time to time. 

Only the very old stuff should balk at the newer - and nicer - modern track, and then only some of them and some of it. I was a bit surprised at first that anything hit the GG wooden ties; I have GG and everything is fine there - but I do not run any old Tinplate. Some of those flanges were indeed huge, I guess. My scale cars with PW trucks (typically 2RO conversion items) do not hit anything. 

Some early, nice Williams tender wheels (the brass locos) will bounce on Atlas spikes, but not much.

The rounded rails on the Lionel/Marx track would have minimal wheel/rail contact; flatter/flat top rail, GG and Atlas, for example, would indeed have a bigger wheel/rail contact patch situation.

Interesting; except for the rare flange/spike contact, I would have not thought that there was a "rolling quotient" difference.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, the older stuff frequently has larger flanges, and taller track profiles work best.  For reasonably modern stuff, it's Gargraves and Ross all the way.

Ditto, the wife's tinplate run better on tube. my trains only like Ross and Gargrave.