I have a 3424 car in good shape. I know I need tell tales and track trips. How many of these do I need and is there anything else needed to operate this car?
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Nick; This car operates off track power; the track trip just supplies the ground to the circuit as the sliding shoes traverse the trip rails. All you really need is the trip itself (times 2 for down and raise action). The tell-tales are purely decoration.
What track are you using?
I have Fastrack and O gauge tubular. I was told that it can only be used with tubular track. From a previous post all I really need are 2 trips. These can only be used with tubular. Can this car be used with Fastrack?
I looked at the track trips or grounding blades. It stated that the trips need to be mounted to a base plate. The base plate is the pole support for the tell tale. If I don't use the tell tale, do I still need the base plate? If so, how are the trips attached to the track?
Nick: To use with tubular track, you do indeed need the baseplate as they hold the trip rail pairs and ground the rails to the outer rails on the track. I know of no easy way to use the grounding rail set with FasTrack.
One option you could explore; Atlas"O" makes a set of grounding rails that are used for most operating cars, but these grounding rails are thicker than the rails used on the 3424 car (wider blade surface). These Atlas"O" rails have two posts on the bottom that align with tie holes in Atlas"O" straight track. You possibly could grind these rails to a thinner material that would allow them to contact the narrower metal islet in the car's sliding shoes and the posts might allow installing in FasTrack. You would need a jumper from the rail to the outer rails on FasTrack to make them operable. Just a thought....
I will use the tubular track. Therefore I will have to look for base plates and track trips.
Thanks,
Nick
The activation blades come in O and 027, the difference being the the height. It is stamped into the metal as to which version it is.
Nick: Have you checked with Lionel directly for availability? These were re-produced during the 80's & 90's.
This is what you need:
http://www.trainz.com/p-309971...auge-track-clip.aspx
Using the image only as a reference.
There was a set, it was numbered 3424-100 in the postwar days.
