I have a few questions regarding tradition O Gauge track. I had purchased a group of used track some years back and have progressively cleaned it through the Holidays. My first question is did Lionel always paint the ties, or did they also 'chemically' darken them? And, was there any point where they simply tin plated them like the rail? I have included pictures regarding the couple pieces that have what appear to be tin plated ties. The next question, did Lionel originally make the straight sections longer? One piece I have is 1/2" longer than the rest and also has pins that are more 'nail like'. These were a 'bear' to try to remove. The one I initially removed had flattened area that kind of reminded me of a key. And, the track was 'staked' differently as well. (I wish I had taken a picture before reinstalling it. The thing was so difficult to remove, it wasn't worth trying on the rest just to re-pin them.)
The last few pictures are of two pieces that have no identification on them. The ties appear to be tin plated and stepped (elevated center and outer rails). Any clues as to who may have made this? And, is it easy to find more?
