Fastrack Trestles

I have a fastrack trestle on my layout and I am not afraid to take any engine or train across it.  This is especially true if you screw the bases to the layout.  The old trestle only had the rails themselves as support between piers.  The fastrack system benfits from the rails and the intergrated railbed giving it enough support.  The rail sections also interlock on fastrack instead of the simple friction fit of the tubular rails only.

Thanks for the answer but do you have any heavy postwar engines, such as the GG1 or the EP-5 that you use? Also, what is the best size screw to use to fasten to the layout? Thanks again for your response.

Nick

Base to plywood, I'd use track screws. They're #4x1" (give or take), You should also consider #10x 3/4" (someone else please confirm) to attach the top metal clip to the piers. Those little plastic pins make assembly a pain.

Gilly

I ran a MTH RK Y6b over mine and didn't give it a second thought. It's probably heavier than what you have.

Nick, I do not have any heavy postwar engines.  I run mostly modern standard O items.  The trestle doesn't flinch on lashed up SD-70s and the like.  The spacing on the piers is close enough that you will not have issues. 

Does anyone have any postwar engines like the weight of the GG1 that has used Fastrack and could address this issue?

I have a Williams GG1 and EP5. I run the GG1 with MTH die cast freight cars and the trestles are rock solid. The only problem I ever have is I tend to run them too fast sometimes and the trestles make it a longer fall but that is not the trestles fault.

Roll a tenpin bowling ball across and see.

The bowling ball reply really doesn't help. Its funny but that's about it. One last thing. Does each support fit where each section snaps together? Also is it better to slide each section of Fastrack through the clips or snap in to place? So far everyone has been helpful. Thank you for your help.

Nick

No, you do not have to place the pylons where the Fastrack sections fit together.  If they forced you to do that, you'd have spacing problems on your curved track.

Given the robust nature of Fastrack, I'd be surprised if there's any locomotive out there that would give you trouble, provided you used the spacers properly and didn't position the pylons any further apart than recommended.

When experimenting a bit before finalizing my Fastrack trestle setup, I discovered that if I exceeded the recommended distance between pylons, I noticed sag--even with lighter locomotives.

If secured to the table top, the trestles will easily hold the weight of a post war GG1 or other engine of similar weight, provided the trestles are well spaced and secured. Trying to use the trestles sideways for example to compensate for lack of footprint space would not be recommended, unless you put one on each side of the fastrack.

Rather than using trestles, consider building an elevate system that would be more realistic in appearance. An elevated railroad track on a trestle with ballast intact between supports really isn't very believable.

If it was me, I would either build a trestle with girder sidings , or build a trestle and transition to a different track when the track begins the elevation. I believe Lionel makes transition pieces for this purpose. You could use gargraves or atlas, or even Lionel tubular on a hand made trestle and it would be strong enough to hold your weight, let alone a GG1. Building a trestle is relatively simple. Plan it out, construct a single support and then just make a jig to be able to make all of your supports uniform. You can use 1/4" square wood you can pick up at Home Depot for $0.69 per three foot length. Depending on your track length, you be in it for a buck or so per support. The work goes really fast once you get one or two of the supports under your belt and there is a certain amount of satisfaction from building it yourself.

If you want some how-to pictures, feel free to email me -- > publisher@ogaugehobbyist.com.