Ideas for trains that will run on 0-36 and 0-48 curves post-war and MPC years

Although wider radius curves always look better and things will run more smoothly, just about anything from MPC and postwar will run on O-36.  AFAIK, all of that stuff was designed to run on O-31.

Concur with Mallard. Literally everything made by Lionel between World War II and 1988 will run on O-36. That includes the Scale Hudsons from that period, too. Most will also run on O-27. From 1988 to 2000, almost everything will run on O-36.

For the most part, MPC re-used postwar tooling, so the MPC Berks and (non-scale) Hudsons are based on postwar models: 736, 646, or 2065. The MPC steam passenger sets used the 13-inch "Baby Madison" cars, which were all-new tooling by MPC. The 14.5-inch postwar-style Madison cars were reintroduced by LTI in the 1990s. Those also look good with MPC steam.

Like postwar Lionel, MPCs rolling stock was a mixture of scale (or nearly scale) and decidedly undersized, yet most of it looks pretty good together. Certainly, anything originally sold or marketed as a set will look "right".

I would recommend getting a Greenberg's Guide covering this period. It will orient you to what is available, and with some study you will develop an eye for the postwar / MPC "look," which will help a lot when it comes to knowing whether the train in front of you will look correct with what you already have at home. The best (in terms of number of photos and pages in color) is 1970-1991, Volume 1, but there is a 1970-1987 edition which is adequate, and also probably a little cheaper.

@Mallard4468 posted:

Although wider radius curves always look better and things will run more smoothly, just about anything from MPC and postwar will run on O-36.  AFAIK, all of that stuff was designed to run on O-31.

Mallard, that helps, I appreciate it!

@nickaix posted:

Concur with Mallard. Literally everything made by Lionel between World War II and 1988 will run on O-36. That includes the Scale Hudsons from that period, too. Most will also run on O-27. From 1988 to 2000, almost everything will run on O-36.

For the most part, MPC re-used postwar tooling, so the MPC Berks and (non-scale) Hudsons are based on postwar models: 736, 646, or 2065. The MPC steam passenger sets used the 13-inch "Baby Madison" cars, which were all-new tooling by MPC. The 14.5-inch postwar-style Madison cars were reintroduced by LTI in the 1990s. Those also look good with MPC steam.

Like postwar Lionel, MPCs rolling stock was a mixture of scale (or nearly scale) and decidedly undersized, yet most of it looks pretty good together. Certainly, anything originally sold or marketed as a set will look "right".

I would recommend getting a Greenberg's Guide covering this period. It will orient you to what is available, and with some study you will develop an eye for the postwar / MPC "look," which will help a lot when it comes to knowing whether the train in front of you will look correct with what you already have at home. The best (in terms of number of photos and pages in color) is 1970-1991, Volume 1, but there is a 1970-1987 edition which is adequate, and also probably a little cheaper.

nickaix, I appreciate the following up with all the details.  I have the Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains (1970-2000) so I have been looking through that as well as actually Lionel catalogs from the 1970s that I just got my hands on them.  I will look for the Greenberg guide as well, as you can never have enough info. 

I have an older layout that was made with a lot of O-27 track with some modified Lionel and Marx O-27 switches that have epoxied  O-45 and O-60 curved track to open up the curves for certain situations but the engines listed here also run quite well thru the old O-27 curved track with no problems and if someone criticizes your overhang of the boiler, just ignore them.  It's your layout not theirs.  All engines below are listed as O gauge in the catalogs and believe me they do run quite well on O-27 curves and switches

Looking at the picture you can see there the curved section of track was cut off this old Marx switch and a straight section was epoxied in place on .  You can use any curve you want also to make it fit your particular situation.

Engines listed are: K-Line GP-38 2301 diesel,

Lionel 1201 Pere Marquette 2-8-4,

Lionel 8977, 0-6-0 B6 switcher.

@Lary posted:

I have an older layout that was made with a lot of O-27 track with some modified Lionel and Marx O-27 switches that have epoxied  O-45 and O-60 curved track to open up the curves for certain situations but the engines listed here also run quite well thru the old O-27 curved track with no problems and if someone criticizes your overhang of the boiler, just ignore them.  It's your layout not theirs.  All engines below are listed as O gauge in the catalogs and believe me they do run quite well on O-27 curves and switches

Looking at the picture you can see there the curved section of track was cut off this old Marx switch and a straight section was epoxied in place on .  You can use any curve you want also to make it fit your particular situation.

Engines listed are: K-Line GP-38 2301 diesel,

Lionel 1201 Pere Marquette 2-8-4,

Lionel 8977, 0-6-0 B6 switcher.

Lary, I appreciate it.  I just like watching trains run, so three loops on my 5 x 8 is what I will be doing and as I haven't gotten any of these locomotives yet, as I start accumulating, I want to make sure everything will work!  Soon, like we all do, I will have more locomotives than I have track for so those will go on the shelf to switch out now and then so all of them will be runners!

RJP, it should be noted that practically every Lionel train set made from 1970 until the introduction of FasTrack in 2004 came with 027 track... with scant few exceptions. For a number of years, Lionel only cataloged 027 track. 0 gauge straights and curved track are first listed again the 1977 catalog. And no other 0 gauge track types except straights and curves.

So any engine or car that was made in a set with 027 track, will obviously run on 027 curves. Granted, as said above, there may be some overhang. Fast forward to today, and in the Lionel catalogs, many set items are listed with a minimum curve of 031, like the FT, various GP and RS3 diesels. And yet many of those products came in sets before FasTrack with 027 curve including the FT various GP and RS3 diesel. Maybe because Lionel not longer makes and 027 curve? And yet rolling stock is listed in catalogs as 027 minimum curve. An exception is the Harry Potter type steam loco that does need the 036 curve.

Yes, there are some steamers (as with the Postwar years) that need an 031 curve. The FM TrainMaster diesel probably does too. And certainly any larger loco that will make an 027 curve will look better on a larger radius. But sometimes you have work with the space you have.

And one more thought: Although opinions differ on what passes as acceptable, because of the plastic roadbed, you will find the noise level of trains running on FasTrack to be much louder than with your 027 tubular. Whether that's bothersome to you, is your preference, as this has been debated before. And though most agree FasTrack is louder, some argue that trains running are suppose to make rumble noise. And looking at layout videos on YouTube, there are a lot of layout with FasTrack, so obviously many accept this.

For a passenger set, you can't beat the looks of an MPC Chessie Steam Special!  Love mine.  And your choice of track is no doubt already made, but for me, and my Postwar and MPC era trains,  it's Super-O or No Go!