Tempting Fate: O-72 engine on O-60 Fastrack???

Eric,

   The best thing you can do is have somebody that you know, who owns that particular engine, come over and actually run the engine on your 060 layout, sometimes you can get lucky and have the train run perfectly, other times its a bust.  Each engine is definitely different, and FasTrack is not forgiving.  In the future if you want to get into the bigger engines or Tin Plate, keep to the 072 switches for sure.  I never take the chance on purchasing an engine that I suspect will not run on my layouts, even my big Williams UP is rated for 060 and man that big girl needs every bit of the 060 FasTrack, and 072 FT switches, not 060's. 

Good luck with your purchase.

PCRR/Dave  

060 curves should be fine for a Hudson as well as many diesels. As stated above, have someone come over with that model Hudson or goto a good hobby shop that deals in o gauge trains and ask. Its the longer wheelbase steam engines with ridgid frames that you have to worry about. 4-8-2's and longer

So, anyone live the the Pittsburgh area with a J1a 'Texas' I can test 

 

There's beer in it for any takers...

I have a few O-72" that will run on 60 inch curves - they won't go through 60" switches but they will run on the curves and straights of course.  You really have to check not just the model but even the loco.  I have two Legacy H7s and one goes through 64" and the other won't.

You also want to consider how their overhang will affect any people or scenery close to the track...

 

My LHS always lets me test run an engine if I tell them I am ready to buy it. It saved my neck on one occasion... The engine would not take ANY curves. Problems with the leading trucks which were later repaired.

 

Hope it works out for you.

MIchael has a good point.  I have to remove buildings and trees to run some of my bigger locos, or they knock things over.

It may run on the curves, but the drivers will overhang on them and that makes me nervous.  My berks are rated for 054.  They will run on O48, but they don't look great and the overhang is considerable.  The switches were also a no go.

stumper,

 

When you said J1a, many assumed NYC Hudson which takes tight curves.

 

But, your last post indicates you meant PRR J1a 2-10-4 Texas.

 

I had the Santa Fe version of this engine. If the PRR version is similar it needed every bit of an O72 curve - would never make an O60.

 

Jim

 

Jim,

   This is exactly why I told him what I did, in reality I do not think the engine he wants will run on the 060's and forget about the switches.

PCRR/Dave

MTH does not have an O60 track product so anything that doesn't negotiate O54 is automatically rated at O72. Further, the MTH rating includes the ability to negotiate an S curve in reverse, so if you don't have O60 S curves, that;s another point in your favor.

 

Some examples of how O72 engines can negotiate tighter than stated crimes on my Gargraves/Ross track layout, which has no S curves:

• My Premier PS3 ALP-46 is rated for O72, and negotiates O42 curves and switches
• My Premier PS3 4-Truck Shay is rated for O72, and negotiates O54 curves and switches.

When they did the video production of our layout recently, they wanted shots of the scale PE in the Christmas in the City portion of our layout. So we tried the scale PE Berk (0-54) and scale 19" passenger cars on 0=42 track. OI was pretty surprised that it worked.

 

So I would go very slow and give it a try.

Here's yet another "it depends on the locomotive and layout" response.

 

-I have a MTH DL-109 rated for O42 curves.  I've run it on O36 FasTrack just fine, but no switches or S curves, just an oval.

-My K-Line GG1 will not run on O27 curves.  The front truck climbs out and derails.  I think it's rated for O31, but I am no sure.  It runs on O36 just fine.

-My K-Line Big Boy is rated for O31 and I run it on O27 just fine, including switches.

 

I have the Lionel Big Boy on order, and I guarantee that I will be trying it on tighter curves, just to see how low it can go.  I know someone posted that the new Lionel Cab Forwards can go on O54 track (If I remember correctly.  A search should find the thread with photos.) but it's rated at O72.

Eric,

I specifically tried to cheat a radius less then 072 and the Lionel version J1a ended up on its side... I tried over and over and at very slow speeds , no good, the Lionel version is very tempermental, you may have better luck with the MTH version. However,

Base on my experience, it took some time but I HAD to change the track arangement so I could run this engine...

That is a Solid Truth.

My Imperial Big Boy will run on )-36 but don't get anything within 4" from the edges of the track or the engine will reposition it for you.

 

It also looks like Jim Policastro has the defining answer for you above.

I'm going to go against the 'norm' here...

 

If you want to operate big scale equipment, you need 0-72 (Or larger, even better).  I know you said you don't have room for them now, so it may be best to limit your purchases to items that run on your current 0-60 track.  Locomotives are expensive items to 'roll the dice' on it working or not.

 

The best advice is what someone already said-find someone who has this item and try it on your layout.  Then you'll know for sure with no money involved.  The clearance issue is great advice also.

 

If it is a 'must-have' item, maybe you can just watch it go back and forth on some straight track-boring, I know (I've done that) but at least you get to see your item operate.  Better than nothing.

 

This is in no way directed directly at you, and I mean it respectfully, for I've saw it many times on this subject:  It never ceases to amaze me when guys buy locomotives for 0-72 or larger curves, then get frustrated they won't operate on anything less. Easily prevented by only buying items your layout can sustain or larger curves, which isn't always an option.

 

Just my opinion...and we all know what opinions are like.

 

Either way, hope you figure something out.  Good luck.

My Lionel scale Texas type won't do 0-54 curves without derailing, I don't have any 0-60 to try.  Those are decent sized inline drivers, so even if it does negotiate them it will probably be tough on the tires.

 

Hope it works out for you!

 

Stack 

Your engine might work on 0’60 curves at first, but running on it tighter curves over a prolonged time might not be best for the engine.  I have MTH Premier Kanawha engine is rated for 0’54 curves, but I ran it on 0’42.  I found out that tighter curves put extra stress on the engine.  As result the wires connecting to the wireless drawbar were loosened causing the engine not to run properly.   MTH fixed it for me under warranty.  I also have Lionel engine rated for 0’54 curves, but was running it on the same 0’42 curves at that time.  It ran well for a while but over time the drawbar became bent because of the extra stress from using 0’42 curves.  Based upon my experience, I have learned not to run any engine other than on the manufactures curve rating even if it runs well at first.   I purchased one of these engines, because I read here on the forum that it could be run on 0’42 curves which it could at first, but again over time minor damage was done with the tighter curves.    Hence you can try it, but I would not recommend it.  Ken

 

 

 I'm not sure where MTH measures the track from, but I believe there was a thread a few years back with photos comparing Lionel tubular radius vs fastrack radius.

 

Unless I'm mistaken fastrack radius is measure from the center rail, while tubular is measured from the outside.

 

With that in mind fastrack "runs" a bit larger that tubular. The thread I recall mentioned that o-60 fastrack is "closer" to O 72 tubular than O54 tubular, O48 fastrack is "closer to O-54 tubular than O-42 etc. I believe Lionels radius requirements are referring to the old tubular dimensions.

 

This is probably part of the reason a few folks were able to get away with "grinding " the legacy S3 around fastrack o-48 even though they were rated o-54.

 

I don't advocate running a loco on smaller than recommended curves, but....anyone know if one of the MTH PT Hudsons would negotiate O-60 fastrack?

 

 

hello guys and gals...........

 

We have a large scale brass S.F.5011 class Texas locomotive from Sunset 3rd and this engine has scale size 74" drivers and tried it on MTH's 0-72 track.  The engine will go on the curves but its second, third and fourth drivers are blinded but they were outside of the rails and really looks bad so we purchased 0-99 Atlas curves, that made a big differences.  The Pennsy J-1 has 70" drivers so the wheel base just few inches shorter. We think anyone who has a scale Texan locomotive will have operation problems running on less than 0-72 and not to mentioned that it would chew up the traction tires. We think its BEST to install larger radius curves if wanted to operate the Texas type locomotive.  The large 4-8-4's such as the S.F. 2900 class would operate better on larger than 0-72 too.  The 2-10-0 type locomotives would be ok on 0-72.

 

The woman who loves the S.F.5011,2678,2003,200

Tiffany

Oh yes.  I have two 2900s, a 3rd rail 2929 and an early PS1 MTh converted to Legacy 2921.  Both eat up every bit of 72 inch track.

I had 0-60 curves on my pool table layout last year and it will handle almost any 0-72 loco, from scale mth 4-8-4s to the original williams big boy. The only exception I've found is the UP Veranda Turbine because the twin sets of trucks share a common base that derails every time. That being said there really is no substitute for 0-72 or bigger. Everything looks much more organic

You guys rock!!!

 

Seriously, thanks for all the input.  I may have picked the worst possible non-articulated steam engine to covet!  I stopped by an LHS today to have a closer look for myself.  When I think about it, it actually makes sense that MTH can do a large articulated RK Allegheny because in reality, even though the entire package is huge, the drivers are broken up into two independent groups of 6.  Add a blind driver here and there, and even with size, you get the ability to negotiate tight curves.  Not so with a 2-10-2, where those 10 huge drivers are all stuck together in one, immovable clump.   Next year, I may try to O-72-ize one of my loops.  I 'might' be able to pull it off.  In the meantime, I think I'll stick to either an O-54 Premier something-or-other or a nice Railking Challenger.  I find that most of my RK stuff, even the larger engines, looks pretty good on O-60 and runs flawlessly.

 

Back to the drawing/shopping board  

Stumper...My scale Lionel Allegheny will take a few Fastrack 0-60 curves on my layout.Nick

I think you made a good decision.  Put up an 0-72 loop and let us see the pictures of your new locomotive!

Close to it.  The wors,t I think, is the Lionel 4-12-2 (6-11334).  It does run on 0-72 - only the first and fifth sets of drivers have flanges, the rest are blind - but it looks strange on O-72. It looks good only on 84 or larger curves.   It - or mine at least - is also super-sensitive to uneven track.  It found two places on my layout where all other locos, even sacle Big Boys and Yellowstones, had no problems, but it bobbled and shook and I had to relevel the track to super smooth. 

 Going back to the Lionel PRR 2-10-4, I recently purchased one and tried to run it on O60 Fastrack(no go).

  I found that the drawbar hits the inside of the front tender steps.

 I marked the 2 locations and ground out a bit of the metal with my Dremel tool.

   No problems running around O60 now

Al