Fastrack and Others...Together?

If by incorporate you simply want to join other brands of track to Fastrack, short answer is that it depends on the manufacturer of the other brand of track you want to use. Fastrack does have an adapter track section which will join you to standard 3 rail tubular track. MTH likewise has a similar adaptive track piece. Another important consideration is what type of train system you'll be running, i.e. conventional, Lionel's tmmc or legacy system or MTH's dcs system.

Or if you have the space, run a second self-contained loopf  track and you won't need to worry about what type of train system you're running or adapting another manufacturer's track to the fastrack you currently have. It could even be a loop that's elevated above your current fastrack. 

Ken

Thanks; appreciate that info

Stu

Trumbull, Ct

I see by your location we are neighbors... in-case you don't know check out

http://www.bmrailways.com/

Located in Stratford.

A few of the regulars on this forum are members.

The easy way is to get an adapter section for FasTrack to tubular and for whatever manufacturer you want to use to tubular and join the two sections.  This works the best where you can't see the transition and looks pretty bad where you can.  Other than that you will have to make your own.

 

I avoid this because I haven't seen a way to mix different track with the FasTrack that looks like a smooth transition.  I'd think about what kind of track you want going forward and stick with one kind.

i use fastrack also.at one time i had three different mfgs brand of track on my layout.

certainly nothing wrong with that. its just my personal preference..it just bothered me the way it looked.

 

as soon as fastrack 31 diameter curves become available i will have a 100% fastrack layout. (small section is mth o31 curves) fastrack 31 curves havent been available.

until now.

 

the adapter sections are quite expensive imo i might add.welcome to the hobby and the forum.

 

terry........

Ok, here's my $0.02. I use both Atlas and Gargraves along with my FasTrack. As mentioned earlier, get the FasTrack to tubular adapter. Pull the pins and get the Atlas to tubular or Gargraves to tubular pins. Just pay attention to the height. Depending upon what track you're trying to match-up, you may need to shim.

 

Gilly

And to add to the list, the old K-line Super snap, now re-issued by RMT also has adaptors to tinplate track.

Terry,

  Are they planning on making O-31 Fastrack?

 

CB

They are making it.  I'm not sure if it has started shipping yet.  I thought it was supposed to ship this month or next.

It's at least in the catalog, that's a start.

Oh yeah.  Everyone knows that if it is in the catalog, it is going to be produced.  

as others have said yes its going to be mfg/or already has been made.perhaps someday a 31d switch will be offered also.

 

mike reagan  told me thru an e-mail not to long ago that fastrack metal adapters plates for fastrack(bobbing head/giraffe car etc) will be manufactured also.

 

he just couldnt give me an exact date on when they will show up here and be for sale.

 

 it will be nice when one doesnt have to buy adapters to go from fastrack to tubular in order to run their bobbing head cars.

 

terryt.......

This is new to me.  What piece(s) is(are) required to make the bobbing head cars work?

one of the bobbing cars i purchased had a metal plate that attached to the underside of a piece of fastrack as well as a piece that attached to a tubular section.

 

the cam plate etc would attach to that metal plate.

 

its that metal plate that attaches to the underside of fastrack that's not available no more.

 

heres what the part looks like that attaches to the underside of a piece of fastrack..

 

[

 

terry..........

 

So does it just make the track move when the car passes over it to initiate the bobbing?

eric their is a cam plate and other pieces that attach to the base plate.when the bobbing head car goes over the cam plate it initates the bobbing action of the car.

 

i'll see if i can find a picture for you later.

here's an older cam plate made out of hard plastic.the new ones are metal but this pic gives you an idea of what the cam looks like.

 

[

 

 

 

Fastrack also need 042 for lager locos.

Both lager and stout locos. I think all the larger curves are already covered. You can get Fastrack in o48, o60, o72, and bigger.

thop:

Thanks for the pics.  I think I get it now.

 

FasTrack also comes in O84.  I'm considering putting in 1 3/8 sections between each O84 piece to see if it will make an improvement in how scale passenger cars look or if the curve becomes noticeably less smooth.

048 is better than 042 but the only problem is if it is measured from the center rail it wont fit on a 4x8 sheet of plywood which makes it wrong for the Christmas layouts or people with space restrictions.

Personally, I don't like trying to wrestle around a 4x8 sheet of anything.  Even if my area is actually 4x8, I'll at least cut the sheet in half to make it easier to manage.  Once you start cutting you have a whole new world of possible platform sizes (and shapes).  If your limiting factor is the area you put the layout then that is one thing but don't let yourself be limited by a sheet of plywood.  If you don't have the means to cut it yourself, many lumber yards will do it for you.