newbie questions please help

"D> Hi folks, this christmas my wife decided to open the floodgates and "D> gave me my first lionel starter set (the Pennsylvania Lionel O-scale "D> w/fastrack), at the ripe old age of 30. Model rail roading has been "D> something I always wanted to get into as a kid watching my dad play "D> with his HO Minitrix set in the basement. I never had the money, space "D> or the time for it before. Now that I have my own son (4 months old), "D> the space, and some money I have started visiting hobby shops, train "D> shows and ebay looking to expand. I have also started surfing for "D> information on some questions I have about O scale railing, but cant "D> find the answer to them. "D> "D> 1. Since I have Lionel, will other O-scale 3 rail brands work on this "D> track(Rail king, Williams)? or vice versa? I've seen something about "D> that but am not sure. What brands do if any?
I suspect that generally all 3-rail 'O27' (aka tinplate) are compatible.
"D> "D> 2. I assume the couplers for train cars are different for each brand "D> is that correct? or will they work together?
Generally, within a given scale, things DO work together.
"D> "D> 3. Can I use other track brands with my Lionel set?
Generally, yes. Atlas's three-rail 'O' scale track should work. Atlas sales 'transition' track, at least between Atlas's track and the old Lionel track.
"D> "D> Thanks in advance. I hope to start a small layout in the next few "D> months as time permits. "D> "D> "D>
\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu || snipped-for-privacy@deepsoft.com /\FidoNet: 1:321/153

Hi folks, this christmas my wife decided to open the floodgates and gave me my first lionel starter set (the Pennsylvania Lionel O-scale w/fastrack), at the ripe old age of 30. ------------------------------------------------ You have a good wife!
Welcome! I hope you derive as much pleasure from model trains as I have over the years. Here are some websites you might enjoy:
e-Train (TCA's free on-line magazine):
Christopher Coleman's Tinplate Trains Frequently Asked Questions:
TCA's Toy Train Mailing List (you don't need to be a member of the Train Collectors Association to join the list):
O Gauge Railroading On-Line Forum:
My Favorite Sites pages have several other sites that will be of interest:
There are a number of O gauge layout sites:
Bill Bill's Railroad Empire N Scale Model Railroad: History of N Scale: Links to over 700 helpful sites:

Hi folks, this christmas my wife decided to open the floodgates and gave me my first lionel starter set (the Pennsylvania Lionel O-scale w/fastrack), at the ripe old age of 30. --------------------------------------------------- I forgot to include two sites that should be helpful:
Thor's All Gauge Page (outstanding):
TCA Web Ring:
Bill Bill's Railroad Empire N Scale Model Railroad: History of N Scale: Links to over 700 helpful sites:

Thanks for the info guys!
The Dweeb wrote: Hi folks, this christmas my wife decided to open the floodgates and gave me my first lionel starter set (the Pennsylvania Lionel O-scale w/fastrack), at the ripe old age of 30. --------------------------------------------------- I forgot to include two sites that should be helpful:
Thor's All Gauge Page (outstanding):
TCA Web Ring:
Bill Bill's Railroad Empire N Scale Model Railroad: History of N Scale: Links to over 700 helpful sites: