Lionel Fastrack Modular System

Overpriced.

What?!  This isn't word association?  Oops.  Sorry. 

Pete

There doesn't seem to be much user support. I love the idea because I can't dedicate a room to an office, much less a train room. This gives me flexibility I need.

I am disappointed that the template and parts are only available with a club membership. That's the only aspect that seems overpriced unless you consider all Lionel trains overpriced. 

I have a few modifications to the standards that I plan to implement. I'm considering using folding table legs instead of the 2x2 bracket since I can't find them. The problem with the folding type is that they don't fit under the curved sections.

On the wire block I am using loop terminals instead of the fork terminals. I'll also attach both wiring harness halves to the same side of the terminal block to avoid accidental loosening when adding or removing accessories. 

The most recent report was of the club from the "Kids Run Trains".  Hampton, VA based, if I recall. Nick12DMC, in the UK, built a large radius set and uses it at events and with a club. "Kids Run Trains" had a misunderstanding with the template and how it's sized when they made their pieces for the kids to assemble  and finish.

I don't think we need much user support on this product. Yes, the leg bracket was always the issue. Lionel redesigned it to a flat bar from side to end on a 45° angle. You can take a look at North Penn O Gaugers leg bracket in their specs and National Capital Trackers specs.

One also needs non-standard tools to build them easily. Most don't have a biscuit joiner or router table or panel saw.

If you get 12 position terminal blocks, one can jumper out to the open four/eight places to get additional connection locations.

If you email the LCCA or any of the individuals involved in the development, they will respond and discuss the design with you. I would be willing to discuss the modules with you, also. I have no skin in the product or the specification development, just an interested hobbyist that likes the design.

I plan to use a dado blade on the table saw to make the rabbet and lock notches. My saw doesn't do 29.25" cuts so I'll probably get Home Depot to make the wide cut and trim the last 3" myself. I don't plan on making any wide corners right now.

I was thinking about including some top side pegs (for alligator clips) to be covered by buildings. This is to minimize the number of times I need to fiddle with the terminal block. If the terminal gets crowded I could add a jumper to a bus bar for the accessories and the ground. Jumpers add one more place to check when things go wrong, so i want as few as possible.

-Ed

Ed,

I have built some small tables, one for grandkids and one to display my old train using the construction design of the modules. Sort of as a practice run.

If you have a table saw, the dado would be good for the edge. I clamp a full piece in my old Workmate and slide a router down it before it hits the miter saw for cuts. I use square drive trim screws to assemble it. The small head sinks into the wood and the small diameter screw doesn't split the wood. I don't need the perfect face on the outside.

The large radius template included that threw the "Kids Run Trains" group off is meant for the outside edge of the frame assembly and not the top. Once they made a top, they made their own template. You think Lionel would make that easy or self-explanatory.

I have decided on dioramas built on luan or thin ply. They would be sized to fit a module and fit inside of a plastic storage bin with a lid for transportation. It would have a small connector for lights or power. The type doesn't matter. One half embedded into the module surface.

One item that I observed with the prototype that they were showing in early phase, was a power table. So, that's something to consider for design. I made a small radius table. One that is 30" square around the frame. I used a module cable in reverse. Cut in half, one set of wires connected to the transformer and the  other half connected to a terminal strip on a module. Then, the male/female connectors are quickly connected at set up time.

The cost of the module kits is very high compared to building the table from scratch, but the minor construction variations that will occur from having modules built by many different carpenters can hinder them fitting together properly at a show. The metal leg brackets are a poor design, they are costly to have fabricated, and do not provide the most rigid support due to their design. A better way to mount the legs is to use a 1x4 Poplar brace screwed in place at 45 degrees across the inside of the module corners with a single 1/4" diameter eyebolt and tee nut arranged to push the 2x2 leg firmly into the corner. Champher the corner of the leg for its top 3-5/8", and drive a large headed roofing nail into the contact point of the eye bolt to protect against it wearing a hole in the wooden leg. This would be lighter, cheaper, and easier to fabricate than the metal bracket. It is also surprisingly rigid.

Also, it would have been better to have all dimensions measured from the module's back edge rather than the front, so that any backdrops would always be on the same plane. If the front edge doesn't match perfectly from module to module, it's less of a visual problem than having the backdrops not lined up.

Our group uses 3/8"x 16 x 5" long eye bolts for leg adjusters. The eye is a 2" loop, which is much easier to adjust with your bare hands than trying to do so with a carriage bolt. Try to use eyebolt so that have 3" of threads (all the way up to the 2" loop) to maximize the available amount of adjustment.

when mounting the roto-lock pocket latches, make sure that they are oriented so that one latches with a clockwise twist and the other counter clockwise, otherwise, they will try to shift the table sideways when tightening, and may cause premature on the dowel holes. Making the 1x 4 end pieces out of Poplar rather than pine will make them more durable.

You should be able to scratch build a module table for well under $100, not counting the roto-lock pocket latches and end plate drilling template.

Bill in FtL

Bill,

Thanks for sharing the build experience. I tried the angled board approach on a the table I built for my Lionel Jr. I drilled a hole and just run a deck screw in to hold the leg. It's fast and I figured I would four sides to wear out before replacing the leg.

Good information on the alignment and the roto-latch wear.