Newbie questions

Dec 17, 2007 5 Replies
K

It's been decades since I cranked up my old Lionel trains so my question may sound dumb as I am years out of date. Thanks for your assistance.


  1. What is "fastrack?" I understand the difference between O and O27 gauge but fastrack is a new term to me.


  1. Lionel makes an accessory -- a crossing gate -- when the train approaches, a red-and-white striped arm drops down over the grade crossing and lights flash, just like on the big railroads. How do these work?? Do they come with a device that is tripped by the oncoming train or what? How do they turn off after the train has passed?



Thanks.



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Regarding FasTrack, FasTrack is a track system that has a plastic roadbed...

A very popular book: "The Lionel FasTrack Book", by Robert Schleicher:

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Lionel FasTrack:

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Bill Bill's Railroad Empire N Scale Model Railroad:

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History of N Scale:
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's Store--Books, Trains, and Toys:
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Oh, no. I shouldn't have looked at the fastrack -- just what I need

-- something else to help me spend my fixed income :-)

Now -- another question. As I understand it, O gauge is O gauge. O-27 is O guage track that, if formed into a circle, makes a 27-inch radius. O-31 makes a 31-inch radius, etc.

What are the various radii available? O-27, O-30, O-31, O-?? I assume you can't mix the various radius gauges -- that is, you must use O-27 with O-27 -- but -- if I had a main track with, say, O-27, I could use O-31 on a spur -- right?? And -- if a locomotive says it's made for O-31 radius, then, I can't run it on my O-27 track -- an O-27 locomotive will run on O-31 -- right?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my simple questions.

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Ooooops -- I should have said "O-27 = 27-inch DIAMETER," not radius -- ditto for O-31, etc. Sorry.

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The difference between a pastime and a hobby is a pastime is always fun and a hobby is an obsession.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

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