Track for Layout

There are literally dozens of options.

Everything ranging from old school Lionel "SuperO" and O27 tubular all the way to FasTrack and Realtrax

Decide what you want to accomplish with your railway first, then the track choice might come obviously to you.

I think this is great advice.

Thanks, I was just speaking from experience.

Fastrak is an amazing system, there are so many things you can do with it, Realtrax is the same. I used Fastrak before and it was fine but now I don't have the space for it so O27 it is.  O27 is also perfect for what I want my layout to accomplish. I went from semi-prototypical to simple tinscale fun.

It's all about what you want to do with your trains. There are track options out there to satisfy even the most discerning miniature chooch enthusiast.

1) Use as wide a radius as your space allows.  So many regret not doing this I lost count..

2) Tube track has been around for like 100 years, and is proven; Fast Track has not.  What does gray plastic look like after 5, 10 years of oily plastic & metal trains running over it?

3) Keep it simple!  98% of the folks I talk to don't fiddle around with gobs of switches and yard tracks they jammed into their design.  At the end of the day, you're gonna be sitting back and running mainline trains, so design your layout as such.

My two cents

Like everyone said, it really depends on what you want your layout to be.

The classic is tubular. If your looking for a classic toy train look, that's the way to go. But, one caution about that...its discontinued. There is still plenty of new stock but going forward, new will be harder and harder to find.

Fastrack and Realtrack are good for a "throw it down quick and has a semi realistic look" track. 

Gargraves and Atlas O are (in my opinion) the most realistic looking of the bunch. But it takes a bit of work to achieve a proper realistic look. 

I built my layout with tubular, for a bunch of reasons that may or may not be relevant to you. Here's why I did what I did.

• My layout combines 0 and Standard Gauge. I wanted a more classic, period look for the Standard Gauge, and that meant tubular.
• Of the three loops of 0 gauge track, the innermost is set up with postwar-style operating accessories. These are a lot easier to install with tubular than with anything else. 
• I have a collection of ETS European tinplate, which uses sliders rather than rollers for center-rail power. The squared-off profile of Gargraves or other realistic track tends to wear a groove in the sliders, and they are expensive to replace. Tubular track is much easier on the power pickups. 
• I could have done the two wide-radius 0 gauge main lines in realistic track, as I'll be running scale-type equipment on those two lines. However, I opted for a consistent look throughout the layout, so I did those lines in tubular as well. The outermost is 072 and the second is rare 063 track by K-Line.
• Finally, I already had quite a bit of tubular track, which meant the net cost of track was going to be a lot cheaper with tubular than any other option.

My inner loop is the only one that has any switches. The curves are 042 and the switches are low-profile 042 switches by K-Line. These are out of production now. Lionel was making them for a while after K-Line went out of business, but Lionel has ceased production of those switches. I don't know where the tooling wound up. You can still find them on the secondary market.

The most important factor is how you envision your layout. If you are looking at something in the traditional style, i.e. tinplate or postwar, or if you want to use a lot of Lionel operating accessories, tubular may be the way to go. It's also the cheapest and easiest to use. If you are more concerned with realism, Gargraves, Ross, or Atlas would be the way to go. 

Not discontinued, Lionel has stopped production til overstocks dwindle. Also Williams still makes it, Menards is planning to make it available this fall and there is so much out there old and NOS that even if production was stopped finding it is not going to get hard for years.

Jerry

I have two layouts.  My first uses tubular track with 0-54 and 0-72 curves.  It is a prewar tinplate layout with a great many Lionel accessories and tubular track is just what I wanted.  My other layout is hi rail and I am using Gargraves track and Ross switches and gives me the realistic look I want for this layout.

Al

I'll tell you which is a bad track to use is, and that would be...the broken ones 

There have been a few "dud" pieces of about everything along the way. But really you need to know what you want from your track. Conductivity, rustproof, roadbed, ties, flex, hidden center rail, rail shape (flanges), rail code(height).

Manual, electric or command turnouts,(now or later).

Room available, and can you even run on 0-27 ?, or 0-31 ?, or 0-42 etc etc.

Does 0-27 or non-scale bother you even a little? Yes? Get you best ocd rivet counting face on, count yourself some nail heads, and lay your own track. 

Transition between types can be done. And more easily if you screw things down. Screws would allow flex track too. 

K line super snap I think is made by RMT now. A very cool track that reminds me of Lionel Super O.

Lionel O is a more robust product than 0-27.

Jon C

Lets start with how much room you have, do you have a layout plan, Are you planning to go with a real scale like look or toy train appearance?  Also do have and are you good with a Dremel?  Do you want any turnouts on the layout? 

You have options and providing us some guidance to your layout options will help with track selection

Steve

Whatever you can find the for the least amount of money. It all works.

Now, if you want to be more specific about your layout plans, then perhaps we could be more specific.

I would look at your engines and rolling stock and see what Diameter curves that they require. I initially stayed away from O27 diameter curves because it is very limiting on your choice of engines and rolling stock.

Tinplate sometimes has deep flanges. low profile rail and deep flanges do not mix well.

Under no circumstances use MTH RealTrax. I have regretted the day I decided to use it on my 7 x 9 layout. Here are some of the problems:

There are no guide pins in the rails and the alignment of the rails is not adequate leaving edges for the rims of the wheels to clunk into. The trains do not run smoothly.

The switches are poorly design and poorly made. The anti-derailment feature on all seven of mine were disabled at manufacture. The points of the switches are poorly designed with guide rails for the frog that allow the rim of the wheels to bump into the edges of the frog again making the running not smooth. In fact every one had to be disassembled to fix the internals to assure complete travel of the points. Several of my engines short out when passing through the some switch's points because of a combination of center roller pickup placement on the engine and the way the points are electrified. Note that all my engines and track are MTH.

My latest track/engine fiasco is my new MTH Allegheny 2-6-6-6 made for O-31 curves will not run on MTH O-31 curves. Turns out MTH O-31 is 31 inches from the outside of the plastic ballast to the opposite outside of the ballast or really O-29 not O31. The Allegheny binds on the RealTrax O-31 enough to stall the front set of drivers.

As an aside, I made the mistake of using lots of O-31 curves to maximize the amount of track on the layout. That was a mistake too. I would have been better served with less track and bigger curves. For me it is too late as my layout is pretty much complete and my $1000 investment in RealTrax track and switches would be lost if I re-tracked the layout now. I reworked the track and switches so it is adequate  and useful but not anywhere close to perfect.

Bottom line: don't use RealTrax. I have two 3 ft section of Atlas flex track on the layout and the trains run great on it.

LDBennett

I was mistaken.

Thanks for correcting me Jerry

I prefer to use a combination of tubular track; 031 & 042 along with Gargraves track. One big plus with tubular is that you can cut & piece track together very easy.

I use 027 for an around the room layout near the ceiling and on my second level. 027 has at least 2 curve radius's; 27 & 42 inch curves, plus you can add in Gargraves track with some adapter pins.

FYI; tubular track is easy to find and is still made by at least 4 companies. Rmt, Williams by Bachmann, Gargraves and Ross all make tubular track.

I have tried Fastrack and find it very limiting and extremely expensive, also not that flexible, so beginners may want to stay away from it.

My findings with my use of track systems; I don't use Lionel current production tubular switches(6-23010), second Gargraves switches may give you problems with MTH steam engines at the switch areas. Fastrack is not any better for electrical issues and don't fit together well if you try to free-lance a track design.

E Z Streets or Super Streets(former K-Line name) is another nice system but you must know what you are doing as this system will give you trouble if you don't know what you are doing with it. Use a number 4 Phillips head screw(half inch or three quarters inch long) to fasten the E Z Track to a layout surface. Also the power wires are best supplied to a 10 inch straight section as you can hook-up both wires to a 10 inch section. Another thing is the use of curve to straight track or curve to curve two and a half inch pieces because of the width for the wheel clearance before & after a curve. And the electrical connectors can be removed and the track pieces swapped around as well.

Williams by Bachmann has very limited instructions for use with it, even the website has NO detailed instructions.

Lee Fritz

 I used K-Line Shadow Rail for the same reason. Combines a bit of realism with the reliability of tubular. 

  first thing I would do is check availability, recently many of the track systems that are made overseas have been in short supply. I know people who have waited over a year for switches and track.

  secondly check for the configuration you are going for and see if in fact the curves and switches you are planning on using are actually cataloged  and made by that manufacturer.

  thirdly I would search for problems associated with certain track types and the solutions to these problems and the manufacturers ability and willingness to help you solve these problems.

  With all that said, Ross Track and switches are made right here in the USA. their price point is less than the imports. they stock every imaginable curve and switch radius, and if out of stock they will make it for you in a very short time right here in Connecticut USA.

Their customer service is next to none! when and if you have a problem and call them on the phone (which they answer) you will be speaking to the people who actually made your product, not someone hired to answer the phone, so they will know what to do to find a solution. and did I mention they are the only system made right here in the USA. (maybe I did)

 A No Brainer for Me

Maryann

I agree with the initial advice by Steam Wolf[Fuzz].Plan your railroad and then your track brand. You might even end up with wood tie Gargraves Flextrack.

If fastrack roadbed is getting covered with oil you need to rethink your lubricating habits. That much oil will make a mess of any track.

My layout is currently 10 years old and "unsceniced/weathered" track looks just the same as when I bought it.

Heres some with ballast glued to the shoulders and painted rails:

Heres some painted, ballasted with some chalked added to give it a "dirty" yard look. The scenery base was raised even with the roadbed to give it a lower profile "yard track " look.

 I've been very happy with fastrack. There are folks who are happy with every brand. In the end, pick the one you like. 

You can't go wrong with FasTrack.

I agree with the others saying to select what you like. I think all the track systems available today are good ones. They all have pros and cons. There is no perfect track system. One person's pro may be another person's con. Like the trash and treasure thing... 

Go to your local hobby shop or train store and look at all the track they carry. If you don't have a retail store nearby, Trackwork For Toy Trains, by Peter Riddle is a pretty good book on selecting and using most of the track available today, including Pros and Cons for each. Pick the track system that you like the best and that fits your needs and go with it. If you are still uncertain, buy a loop of track you think you like and try it out. If you don't like it, lightly used track can be sold for close to what you paid for it.

If you like a system and have a problem with it someone here will have a work around for it. The folks here use every track system known to man and they all like what they are using. They have figured out how to make the track they like work reliably.

I am a complete novice with model trains, Fastrack for me is great, to me it is "brent proof", as of today every piece has worked (do not understand why) and is treated fairly rough. A few pieces have been  cleaned fron time to time.

Brent

Jon C, Lionel used this track at their (former) corporate headquarters layout on Madison Avenue, NYC, and on their layout @ F.A.O. Schwarz, and I believe is what they use @ Macy's, NYC. It gets a whole lot of wear and use, and seems to hold up very, very well, a fact I am well  acquainted with first-hand. You may, indeed, want to consider using theirs, seen here...

...at Madison Ave.

...at 5th Ave.

FrankM.

Layout Refinements

It took a 320 pound pal stepping on my traditional O all day to slightly bend it.

 O is taller than O-27 too.

 Turnout switch machines can be moved on some turnouts to aid design.

(A motor and control, to throw a switch isn't always in the price, shop smart)

If you intend to ever run any old "fat driver" engines(Marx), you'll have to be careful with flange/gear clearances. It will likely be a specific looping direction only. 

Tubular if you're not going for realism (even with it, realism can be achieved, it'll just take a bit of work). Fastrack is ok. I like Super O but there aren't many options with it (though if you google you'll find that people have found ways to make custom radii)

As to the discussion that Tubular is not being made any longer, Menards is now rolling out a line of tube track.

I'm beginning to start building a layout and i was wondering what a good track is to use. Thanks

Jon

That all depends on you, your trains and what you want from a layout.

What track systems do you have experience with?  Have you worked with track in any other scale?  Do you have a Dremel tool and like using it?

What trains do you have or would you like to have?  O-27?  Any O-72 only equipment?  Any desire to use Kadee couplers ?

What kind of look do you want, classic toy train or three rail O scale model railroad?  How much space do you have?

If you like a traditional view, I would suggest Lionel O Gauge Tubular.

If you want a modern hi-rail look I suggest Ross Switches and Gargraves flex track.

Search the forum, you will not find the phrase "My engine stalled on a Ross switch".

There is virtually no track geometry you cannot achieve with Ross and Gargraves.  Ross has a tremendous selection of switches. And being flexible you do great things with Gargraves track.

When you think you know what you want, go look at a layout built with it.  If you still think that is what you want, then check out its availability to make sure later that may not be a problem.  

Good luck and know when you are through laying the track you will be glad of your decision.  

Ross has great track also, not just great switches.

The unfortunate truth is that there is no single, perfect track system for 3 rail.

The two primary types of train running are:

temporary floor layouts 

or

permanently built layouts.

For floor running, Fastrack is hard to argue with. Great connections, requires very few drops and the switches are super smooth. If using the TMCC version of the switches, no additional wiring is needed. The downside is the cost and limited flexibility.

Permanent layout situations don't have a clear cut winner:

Ross/Gargraves is a solid performing combination but the larger ties and tinplate rail aren't up to current expectations of scale appearance.

Atlas has a solid library of track but availability has been a recent issue and the reliability of their switches has been a well-known problem.

The rails are far too heavy as well to be considered passable for a true scale offering.

MTH's scaletrax has a much smaller rail but the tie spacing is far too wide for standard mainline and it's not carried by many dealers.

Traditional tubular O gauge is an option for those looking for nostalgia. 

It probably requires more frequent power drops and doesn't stay connected in floor running situations very well without using track clips.

The modern 022 switches seem to get some bad marks while most feel that those produced in the postwar years are still very reliable and easily repaired.

Fastrack is stil an option for permanent builds. The sound produced by the hollow roadbed and hollow rails can be a concern. The switch offerings don't yet include curved switches or yard ladders, etc. nor are there unballasted sections for elevated track on bridges, etc.

Weathered examples of Fastrack on permanent layouts have looked pretty impressive.

     Gar Graves track Ross switches end of story! Choo Choo Kenny

All I've ever personally had is tube and Super O, and I can't recall a single time that the tube came apart while running on the floor (Christmas, etc) unless the rails are misshapen for some reason. The big thing is to ensure the rails themselves are not bent out of shape or widened at the openings so that the pins remain locked tight. If one twists to get them apart thats where issues begin.But, they can be put back into shape with some pliers.

Jon C,

    Having built layouts with just about all the different manufacturers track and there is lots of good stuff out there, do your home work before you purchase.  If you are looking for track that can accommodate all the different O Guage engines and rolling stock, including Tin Plate take a good look at K-Line Super Snap now engineered and produced by RMT, simply great stuff.  I also recommend FasTrack with low voltage Command Control Switches, fantastic stuff.  Rick O and and others have engineered layouts that are so realistic using it, that there is no longer any argument that FT layouts can be super realistic.  I still have my Lionel Conventional Tubular in both O and 027, still great stuff, especially with the older 711 and 072 high voltage switches.  All three of these different O Gauge tracks, are great stuff depending on what kind layout you choose to build.  If you only plan to run post war and modern O Gauge Trains, IMO Ross is top dog, nothing better engineered to this date, for our hobby.  These are the manufacturers track I recommend, they all run DCS and Legacy extremely well also.

Good luck with your new layout and have fun.

PCRR/Dave

After using several types of track I am back to tubular(1960's style Lionel track) and Gargraves track, as it stays together very well and can be cut to fit with little or no problems other hen adding in track pins. I started out with 031 track and am back to using it again, works very well.

The older Lionel switches(the TRUE 022's) hold up almost forever with just some routine cleaning and other light maintenance.

Modern Lionel switches don't seem to hold up for long, maybe one year to a year & a half and then they just quit working electrically, especially the 6-23010 & 23011.

I had five of the 6-23010 & 23011 series of switch and will never use another one of them, one would throw the switch point almost 50 times a minute when any of my Williams engines and only Williams(worked fine with Lionel engines)got within two tack sections of it and another acted like a blinking light on a Christmas tree before it shorted out completely.

I have tried Fastrack and I don't care for it. It's a bit more expensive to purchase and will try your patience as it don't fit well together unless you follow a Lionel track plan exactly to the letter. I had a small 3 foot by 9 foot layout of Fastrack to try it.

Maybe it's just me but it is very loud when running anything on it and has very poor electrical connections. I could have gotten some bad track, but I traded it off at a train show.

Lee Fritz

There are almost as many types of track as there are opinions posted here. Do yourself a favor by purchasing one of the better hobby guides. Read through it a few times. Then you should have a good idea of what is out there and what choices you have. When in doubt about anything in this hobby it is best to read as much as possible. Then you can form your own ideas with the help of others.

I have to agree with you!! Gargraves track & switches kept me in O gauge.

Lee Fritz

Do you experienced guys find any of the newer tubular track at decent prices?  The only Fastrack I have came with my (or, ahem, my son's) Polar Express set, and I want to add more layout space but that stuff is insanely priced.  Tubular track I've found locally (Craigslist) or ebay has been rusty or pitted enough that I haven't wanted to chance it.  A Menard's option sounds particularly intriguing if my local store is going to carry it.

You can buy tubular track new from ether RMT or Williams by Bachmann. The price may be better at RMT then Bachmann.

Or look around through the online stores like www.trainworld.com or www.westerndepot.com and buy some new tubular track there at a good price.

Lee Fritz

Agreed about O being more robust, but the lower profile of O-27 is nice, and it's available in a ton of different radii these days.

I'm not familiar with Super Snap, but if it's similar to Super O and available in more radii/with more switches, I'll have to check it out!