Have a large oval of McCoy track and want to expand. Who's track and switches work best? >
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Try http://www.standardgaugetrack.com/
Good stuff, great people to deal with. Much better product than MTH.
Steve
Ross makes a good Standard Gauge switch. The MTH 42" ones are copies of the old Lionel switches. They have a nice, old-time tinplate look about them and they come in green or black, but they are cheaply made in spots. I'm told they work OK; I have no personal experience with them. I do have personal experience with the MTH 72" Standard Gauge switches; they are JUNK!!! Avoid at all costs. The Ross product is much superior to MTH, but they do look more like a real switch with tinplate rail on it than like a tinplate item.
I absolutely agree with Steve on the subject of track. I just got done installing a loop of Standard Gauge track, which I bought from USA Track, on my new layout. It is a superbly made product, superior in every way to the chintzy, Chinese-made MTH product. It's made of heavier metal, the crimps are tighter, and it fits better. Kirk is a great guy to deal with and he custom cuts straight sections up to 100" for very little extra. Buy USA track and Ross switches; they are made in USA and much better quality than the alternative.
In a nutshell...It all depends upon what equipment you are running.
Original Lionel 42" turnouts are better than the MTH repros. Both 42" turnouts need modification to run early Lionel equipment. Somebody makes an add on frog ramp to make Lionel 42" turnouts work better.
The MTH 72" turnouts are not the best for sure, but they do work.
So far the best new Standard Gauge turnouts are the Ross units. They have double moving points to allow running of most anything.
Other turnouts by Right of Way Industries work with a double point system like the Ross units but are manual and hard to find.
Rydin turnouts are OK but the points are made from cheap castings and wear out and the check rail alignment is too narrow for older Lionel equipment.
Prewar Flyer turnouts are said to work well since they have moving rails with no frog. Older Lionel prewar turnouts also have moving rails with no points or frog.
Thanks to you guys for the info. Got 10 lengths from USA Track and they are great. Perfect match. Maybe Santa will bring me a pair of Ross switches.
Thanks again,