Lionel Track and Power

I am pretty sure if they cut off tubular production today, we would all be dead and buried before demand exceeded supply. Heck I have several boxes of it sitting around that are not worth the effort to sell for the price it gets.

Even Super-O is easily available and there has been a lot more tubular made than Super-O

Have you read the other current posting about Fastrack problems? If so you will find many people have some kind of difficulty with Fastrack.

The post is; "Fastrack coming apart."

That is why I am staying with tubular track forever! I too have geometry problems with Fastrack before I traded it away for an MTH engine.

Lee Fritz

for Happy Pappy:

Thanks for responding to my earlier post on this thread.  Your comment about postwar

switches raised my attention a few bars.  I hadn't considered the difference in their

construction compared to the modern versions.  I am looking for at least four of the

0-72's in the best condition that can be found, as well as a few postwar 0-31's for a

small yard.  Would I be able to find them at York? 

     Hoppy

HOPPY,

If you can't find the switches at York PA then try the annual Hamburg PA train shows, they have lots of Lionel and other brands of trains there for sale.

Lee Fritz

Thanks for the post...very interesting read and marketing direction....

Alan

While there can be batch problems with anything, i have a lot of Fastrack and no real issues. Mine stays together. If i had an issue with the track staying together, i would inspect the edges of it and i believe the issue would become clear. As for tubular track, i have had issues with it coming apart from when i was 10 years old. In fact the beauty of Fastrack is that it designed to stay together. And does in my experience.

Maybe I missed but I did not see a new Legacy equivalent Action recorder. If you don't use their Sensor Track system the only way to have recordings of pre-programmed train movements etc is still the TMCC Action recorder.  As I understand it that does not have certain Legacy features like Quilling whistle. OR I can use the single recording of the Cab 2 which is good for only one engine ID#. Do I have this correct or am I out to lunch?

I like and use tubular track, including Lionel switches from the 1980s and 1990s. It's nostalgic and practical, and cheap.  That said, very, very few people have problems with Fastrack and IMO, it's by far the best product for beginners and those who like toy train gestalt with somewhat more realistic appearance. It is pricey, but it's the closest thing to Kato Unitrack in this hobby segment. 

And with the addition of the Expansion Paste, the most flexible and amusing track on the market .  Happy April 1st 2014 to the inventors of Fastrack Expansion Paste, the first orthomolecular treatment for model railroad track. What Mike Reagan was prevented from mentioning by Lionel's legal counsel is that after treatment with aqua regia and pickle relish, Fastrack Expansion Paste forms the basis of a complete dietary

regimen for permanent weight loss.

Lee Fritz,

   Got to disagree with you big time, FasTrack is the best track ever made, I have been building layouts sense I was a boy, thats over 60 years now, if you engineer properly FasTrack is great stuff, it is however very unforgiving when the builder makes layout mistakes.  Now that Lionel is building small curved track in different sizes and small straight track in different small sizes, FasTrack is even better and a little more forgiving of design errors.  Further with the new stand alone Command Control Switches, there is nothing close to it on the market.  For some time I had to use my old tubular 072 switches with my FasTrack because the smaller FT switches would not accommodate my Tin Plate, now with the new 072 CC FT Switches I have no more switch wiring, try that with tubular.  I have both 0 and 027 Tubular, it now stays in storage unless one of the kids wants to play with it.  IMO its not the FasTrack that is the problem, as usual with newer products, it's that some purchasers fail to understand how to use the product correctly.  The Atlas Industrial Rail is very similar, great stuff, however they do not have the CC switches yet, it can however be transitioned quite smoothly to FasTrack and also used thru out the layout.  The new engineering design on both these track systems is simply fantastic.

PCRR/Dave

FasTrack the best Lionel Track & switches ever made.

I use Fastrak and it is a good track system.  It has some limitations, but so do all systems.  It is virtually bullet proof.  Gargraves, MTH, Atlas and Ross are also good track systems and they have certain advantages over Fastrak.  It all comes down to what your needs and desires are.  If Fastrak appeals to you, you will not be disappointed. 

I have been a longtime user of fastback and I learned something new from this forum.  I did not know you can stretch Fastrak.  Thanks for the information.

Actually you can stretch it a tiny bit...you can mix curve diameters with short different curve diameters and do some non standard curveed routes. Also, because of space constraints, i mixed 060 switches with 072 switches for a crossover and ended up with a not quite closed straight section between the two 060 switches. No problem with the running. And i like the additional track feed connections under most of the track. You can buy additional track power feed wires or make your own wwith .110 spade terminals. BTW, if you buy terminal tracks instead of straights for some of your straights the wire that comes with it is a bargain at the small extra cost.

I see the LCS modules are in this catalog.  Any idea of delivery times?

Dan 

cjack,

   The other great thing about the mini track sections is, if you take the jumper wires out you can use them to set up blocks for your DCS layout.  A seriously cool engineering option in itself.

PCRR/Dave

Lionel Trains without Tubular Track is like Summer without

Baseball.  I have all the Tubular Track I need like others on

the Forum, however, I hope this is for marketing purposes

only.  I am big into tradition, but I understand all things

change.

Sometimes not for the better.

Many thanks,

Billy C 

I see the LCS modules are in this catalog.  Any idea of delivery times?

July Dan

Billy C,

Things do change, however, there is always an upside to each. I remember when K-Line was on the outs. I bought cases of their 096 & 120 radius product. Plus, whatever else I could get my hands on. The new tubular track leaves much to be desired in the quality department. This could be the reason for the decline in production That no one will admit to. Those who need track hunt for the original product. The only new track purchased in most cases would be the odd-n-ends.

I would venture to say that there is enough of the high quality original out there to keep everyone happy well into the next decade. If Lionel does stop production no one will feel the hurt.

Since FasTrak is tubular then there's nothing to worry about. 

FasTrack has too many setbacks for me to ever consider it. It's incredibly loud with the hollow plastic base, you can't have multiple lines on the same bed of ballast, and it looks ridiculous on elevated lines where ballast couldn't possibly be...

Thank you RickO

Not to mention three rails...

Who needs track when you can run your train on an Ipad?

Here's some ballasted elevated trackwork. 

Heard the ZW-L went up $100. 

I'm thinking that's correct. 

While I guessed at that number earlier, I looked more recently, and Nassau Hobby now lists the MSRP at that point (though it's not what he's charging).

-Dave

At the Red Carpet Event in Concord yesterday, they were selling ZW-L's.  The sign showed a list price of $899.99 and they were selling them for $600.

Chuck - The third rail is a compromise we make for control systems and features. It is not an "excuse" for other detracting qualities.

Nicole - I was talking about layouts that have elevated FasTrack in situations where the ballast is just hanging out in the open air. It just looks too ridiculous.

The Lionel Store lists the ZW-L for $799.99

http://www.lionelstore.com/pow...-l-transformers.html

Maybe I'll just get Train Simulator, much cheaper than building a layout and buying all the trains to go with it! 

For me, tubular track will remain King on my layout, no problems with tubular designs.

Lee Fritz

Happy Pappy & John Korling,

Many thanks for your reply.  I was not aware Fastrack was 

Tubular Track.  I like the look of Fastrack, Lionel has done

well with this track system.  Happy Pappy is right on about

the amble supply of orginial Tubular Track that will last into

the next decade.

My concern is based on the 50's & 60's (Nostalgia) I recall

the great Lionel Tubular Layouts from that time period. Great

Look and great trains from Old Josh.  I guess I still have

not gotten over the loss of Buffalo Bob.  If you are a boomer

you know what I mean.

Many thanks,

Billy C

I have ample supplies of "O" tubular and Fastrack, so I guess I have the best of both worlds.  On my layout I use O.  I've way too many 022 and 072 remote switches and other pieces to go any other way.

For temporary track plans I use Fastrack.  I've got enough switches, crossings, and special pieces to do just about anything.

Billy C & John,

My wife complains almost monthly about the amount of tubular track I have tucked away. Every nook and cranny in our family room is filled to over-flowing. It's better to keep it there because of the controlled climate. Even when she does, I turn my hearing aids off.....LMAO