Who has bought a train that is too big for your layout?

i ordered a Lionel UP Veranda when they were first announced.  They were supposed to run on O54.  when finally(!) produced, they ran on O72. 

 

Shelf Queen.

 

i keep hoping for a lionmaster veranda, but, given recent discussions, i think that is a forlorn hope.

 

"my GE box cabs I run with two unit not three"

don, i wish someone made GE box cabs that would run on O54.  

If we're talking about appearances, I imagine it's probably safe to say that virtually every one of us in O gauge has and operates locomotives and rolling stock that is too big for our layouts.  Most all the stuff we run is too big for our curves, even if those curves are 100+ in diameter (or probably even in radius, for that matter).

 

If we're talking about operational capabilities, that, of course, varies with the individual layout, particularly from the standpoint of side-to-side and overhead clearances and the ability of the particular unit to track properly through tight curves.  I have my share of very nice locomotives that are too big for my layout in that regard.

I have one 3rd rail yellowstone that is supposed to navigate an 072 curve but it wont.  One curve on the upper level and one on the lower it derails. Both the trouble points occur on the exits to the curve where there is to short of a straight section before the next 072 curve. It need a straight as long as the loco evidently. Never ran well with static ridden sound anyway. I have a Burlington Route Lionel Zeyphr that requires 072 and it has no problems at all.

 

As a result,  I don't buy Loco's if the curve requirements are 072 even though my layout now has 072 everywhere.

Just bought a Sunset S-2 Turbine for $400.00 that I know won't fit anywhere. I had the original Lionel / MTH S-2 in the 90's that went with my business partner. Always loved that locomotive and wanted another but can not see spending over a thousand dollars for the new Lionel offering considering I only run conventional. Oh well gives me something to bring to the meets and run.

 

Randall

Which/when were RailKing passenger cars 13.5" long?  MTH catalog doesn't give lengths in inches for their passenger cars (e.g. 60ft Madison -- which I assume they mean 15").

I'd like something between the Lionel 15" cars (which don't back into O31 sidings very well), and the 11" Lionel (2400?) cars which are too toy like.

My main line is O36 but I mix it with O31 so I'm looking for a good trade-off.

  --Joe

I have a moderately sized home layout, so I run mostly Railking locomotives and 15” passenger cars. I have a Williams Baltimore & Ohio A&B E-7 consist, both powered and converted to TMCC. With that I run 8 MTH 18” passenger cars along with 7 additional head end cars from a verity of manufactures. Its just too large to run on my layout, but I can run it on the Flower City Tinplate Tracker’s modular layout a couple times a year.
It is a power hog, and I am in the process of converting the lighting to LEDs
I also have a New York Central 8 car passenger train pulled with a PA-PB combo or a scale Hudson Same Problems, same solution

       
Try the Kline short cars they look like Lionel post war but are  like 2inched longer.

well I have..to big for apartment..was running 11x18 thats the size of my living room..looks kind of funny when your running 2 sunset 3rd rail s steam engines.. 1 prr s2 turbine and a prr s1 duplex..

Rail King has 13.5" cars in the Rugged Rails line. They are sometimes referred to as 027, but they larger. The 13.5" cars were the standard of the Rail King line, and they are the cars that come in most of the MTH RTR sets. These are Rail King 13.5" cars: