Track Purchasing

probably cheaper at a show

An excellent question Steven. I'm just starting back into the hobby and have looked into track prices.

Last weekend I attended the Tiger Tracks Train Show in Rochester, NY. I bought a 4 pack of FasTrack 10 inch straights for $21. No tax. O-36 manual switches were $48, ouch. For switches of this kind, better luck is in buying an add-on kit. From Amazon I just got an Inner Loop Add-On Pack -- two O-36 manual switches and two O-36 curves for $79. That makes the switches about $36 each.

I've also bought some track from Amazon lately. If you are a Prime member (I am), no shipping. Amazon sells their 4 pack of FasTrack 10 inch straights for $22 + tax.

I've also gotten FasTrack from ModelTrainStuff in the last two weeks. By the 10 inch piece, it was $4.39, a good price. Four of them will run you $17.56 + tax + shipping. I bought 12 pieces of track and the shipping was about $15.

There's always eBay.

Shipping costs continue to be the catch here.

Bill

I buy my fastrack locally. I found some good deals on switches at shows. Watch the classified or put up a wanted to buy ad on here with what you're looking for. You may be surprised with what people have sitting around and will part with for a reasonable price.

I’ve been keeping my eyes open for good deals on track for a future layout. As the extreme couponers say… buy it when it’s a good deal, not when you need it.  

That said, I’m specifically looking for Lionel Fastrack.  I’ve been lucky to find miscellaneous lots of preowned track in good condition for a decent price on eBay and Facebook marketplace.  I have even bought lots that have glue from ballast or paint on them but are still in good working condition. I figure I would use those pieces for tunnels and other areas where the track is out of sight.

To me, a good deal on preowned is if you can get 50% – 70% off of list, including shipping. Much of the track I have purchased has only cost me $2 or $3 for full size sections. Sometimes as little as $1.50 for the smaller pieces. I’ve seen so many final prices on auctions where if you calculate the per piece cost and include shipping, it cost more than new!  SMH!  Be sure to include shipping when you are calculating whether or not it’s a decent price.

For new, especially for turnouts that I’m a little bit more hesitant to buy preowned, I typically just do a general Google to see what comes up.  Legacy Station and Grzyboski’s Trains has Fastrack at 20% + off and have been great to deal with.  Grzyboski’s trains has new turnouts for $85 which is $30 off of list.

I support my local hobby shops as much as possible and have picked up things locally, but when I’m buying track in bulk and can save hundreds, I purchase online.