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Excellent presentation, good job! I agree, fast track is expensive. I can’t believe a remote fast track switch is $100+!

3001 needs to be restored to operate its not a request no I DEMAND IT

Thanks

Thanks Sam! Great idea!

Use Peco, it’s cheaper and looks better

I loan out classic trains from the 1930s-1950s to local businesses during the Christmas season for use in their store windows. I use tubular track exclusively. Actually, what I mostly use, is Marx O-27 and O-34. Notice with Marx track the ties are offset from the ends of the sections more? Adding more ties, for a total of 7 ties on O-27, and 9 ties on O-34 gives a nice, even tie spacing when track is put together. It looks more realistic, without losing its tinplate charm. That and I found earlier Marx O-27 switches, the sheet metal base type, can be made to work reliably at as little as four volts AC. Reliably means, in my testing, switch is thrown a hundred times, fifty curve, fifty straight, and fully throws every time.

O gauge and o scale are the same thing when you say o scale is the same thing as o gauge, but semi scale is the same thing as o gauge just smaller so it can tackle tighter curves

I am running o-27 track. I find it easier to modify and tighter turns. I run o-27 trains. But I have ran o gauge trains on o-27 just fine. Even manual switches. I don't know about electric switches. I have a channel were I do a lot of wiring and track modifications. Jk reengineering.

Good decision, FastTrack switch shorted and set my board on fire. My house was gutted. I was buying switches off ebay so I don't know if it was used when it said it was new.

Nice I have the same version!

I have had the same experience with Fast Track. I am gradually ripping it out and going traditional. Great advice here, everyone should listen.

In 03 we knew Lionel was coming out with a new track system and since they were testing the tooling for Super O we all thought and hoped they were going to bring it back. Instead the bean counters thought they knew better and gave us FastTrack. Continuity issues aside I personally don’t like the way it looks.

I somewhat agree with you, I have a decent size layout and after about a year, there would be certain spots that would stop working. I'm debating on switching my track, but I have so much scenery, that it would be costly for new scenery and track. Still doing research on what track is better. I have heard good things about Menards though.

I have replaced much of my Fastrack with Menards tubular track using the Menards transition track (allows conversion from Fastrack to tubular track). Especially in hard to reach areas, since tubular track works 6 times longer than Fastrack when both get dirty. I have heard there is 30% more steel in tubular track. Nice video!

I prefer tubular for pre/post war layouts. For the modern stuff Ross and Atlas. Lionel Fastrack looks cheap and is just ugly. Don’t really pay much attention to layouts with Fastrack. Just not appealing to look at much less use.

Love your videos and watching the trains chug along the track 🧡

I got into O-scale trains back in the early 2000's because of MTH's broader and more affordable product offerings. So I used their breakthrough MTH RealTrax (with MTH DCS) on my first layout (6' X 19') and it was very robust -- in fact, more rugged and reliable than FasTrack. Never had any connectivity issues with my RealTrax after following MTH's DCS best-practice set-up instructions. Lionel's FasTrack was their response to the MTH RealTrax offering and I never was impressed with it. For my next larger layout, my current concern is that the RealTrax may be harder to get and so I am prepared to use tubular track (enhanced with homemade wood ties) or perhaps other options -- except for FasTrack. Regarding your tubular track, you may find that making your own ties (made from 1/4" X 1/4" basswood strips, 2 1/4" long, stained black) can be a fun activity to enhance the tubular track's appearance - it looks pretty good. Best of luck and have fun!

I am constructing a 4x8 layout. I have a number of postwar operating cars and accessories. I am using tubular track and modem versions of the O22 switches. I have some postwar train sets from 1948, 1950, and 1957. Transformer is a MTH Z400. C/C is a MTH DCS explorer and a Lionel TMCC cab 1 set. I have at present 6 electrically isolated blocks so I can run conventional locomotives and accessories.

I’m sticking to tradition. The tubular track is a fraction of the cost to Fastrack.

When I first started out about 6 years ago. I had old Lionel tubular track. Worked find. I got fast track with a set or two and didn’t like how it was plastic and noisy! Menards was a game changer. Most of my track is from Menards! I even ballast my tubular track and put railroad ties underneath!

To be honest, FastTrack is better because Tubular track looks kind of rusted up and FastTrack is way more realistic, plus! It’s way more steady than Tubular track.

I remember when I used to use that track before for my Christmas train layout. It’s definitely the worst train track system made by Lionel. I remember when my locomotives usually would stop in certain areas and I had to constantly clean the track and when I did that the trains would run well. But this track is not that good at all. Plus, it’s so loud that when I ran my locomotives on it. It was so annoying to listen to that loud noise. Lionel does need to discontinue making that track and basically needs to go back with their tubular track, which is way better or another way that they can improve is that they should sell their own rubber roadbed similar to that Johnson rubber roadbed that you used to use for tubular track and then they need to sell the tubular track and if they did that, it would’ve been a better option because I used to have tubular track and that track is way better for running your trains plus it’s not loud. This is Lionel’s worst idea they came out with.

After abandoning realtrax, it was either Atlas or Menards due to availability in 2020. I needed a lot of track and Menards track was cheap and simple. Once I discovered Ross make 072 switches or you can get pins to run normal ross switches with tubular, I was set. Tubular is quiet, cheap, easy to cut, solder, make custom pieces, repair the fiber on the center rail without pulling up the track, and there is just something about how it looks with or without the extra ties when it’s ballasted. Conductivity is very good. 4 years with no issues. I have only had to fix one piece because of a misaligned fiber insulator on the center rail. It was easily reparable with a pair of needle nose pliers. Overall, it’s hard to beat tinplate track.

Thanks for the video. I agree that the old style tubular track holds up well and even if damaged in many cases can be brought back to serviceable. I only have had one experience with the new fastrack. I bought the Polar Express Lionel set and it came with fast track. I only used it for my Christmas train layout. I did buy some extra since I put it on a 4x8 platform. I also have a much larger train layout in my attic and there I use the old style track. One other reason to use the tubular track is that if you own any of the older Lionel operating cars that use sliding shoes to activate them you can not operate them on fast track. You do have to buy the special track to operate them but you can usually find them used at train shows at reasonable cost. You also can easily cut the tubular track to custom size by just using a saw. Fast track makes you have to use only pieces that come in limited sizes.

I have fastrack and it works flawlessly with cleaning and upkeep, a simple wipe with a microfiber rag or some steel wool does the trick

Why would you break your fast track right? That’s stupid don’t do that again.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😡😡😡

I agree MTH is superior in both quality and price for their O gage trains. Lionel is loosing its reputation for quality products and the prices they are charging are just too high. I hope MTH continues with expanding their line since they now provide the better product at better prices.

There are many options to purchase used or NOS (new old stock) Lionel Tubular Track (Amazon, ebay, auctions, etc...). I also have had many sets that included FasTrack and I have never had any issues with it (even taking it apart and re-installing it many times over).

I couldn't agree more. I recently started an O Guage layout 24 x 12 and I found the cost of fastrack to be prohibitive and poor performing and LOUD. I also find the look to be toyish. I use the menards track and it is much cheaper quieter and after you add ties and ballast much more realistic. Great video.

Fasttrack may look prototypical, but tubular is far more durable-especially for portable modular layouts. The look is also easily fixed: add ties, ballast, rust out the side rails, & black out the middle & your track will look nearly as good!

Stuff needs to be undercover, or one day they'll just be rust stains on the tracks...

ok i will spend my dads cred card of tubular trak

My local hobby town store doesn’t carry the Old tuber track they said it was discontinued so I went and got my two pure track from eBay and Amazon

For the longest time, ever since the early 1970's for me, collectors were always very specific to distinguish whether something was O gauge or O scale. Since the 1990's we've began combining the two terms thus making the distinction less obvious to the novice or new comer. In the truest since, O scale mean absolutely everything is scale reproduced. When Lionel refers to a new Visionline model as scale - it's not. It is most likely scale proportioned which mean larger than an O gauge 'toy' version but it's couplers are over-sized, it has blind drivers and the drivers which are flanged, the flanges are too big and the level of detailing, though looking really good, still lacks a lot of missing details. Now some real locomotives do have blind middle drivers, but not all of them. The ride height is also a bit high for true scale. Lionel's Visionline Big Boy compared with MTH's Big Boy reveals that the MTH model is nearly an inch longer than Lionel's, which one is correct? or are they both wrong? The Lionel model is correct. MTH's is just too long for what ever reason, it's a pencil on wheels. If you take a 3rd Rail Big Boy and place it side by side with one of these other manufacturers, you find that it's measurements match perfectly with those of Lionel. When a model is "Scale", it must adhere strictly to proportions of measurement in order to be a fine scale true representation of the original in miniature. Can an O gauge model have scale proportions? Absolutely, but in order to be an O (or any scale) Scale model, it must adhere to correct flanging, correct coupler sizes, correct ride height, and detailing must be complete. Now here's an area where collectors and operators run into challenges, can a "scale model" be 3-rail, or must it be strictly 2-rail, incapable of taking curves anything less than say an 8' radius? My future layout will incorporate O "Scale" 3-rail and 2-rail running side-by-side on code 148 hand-laid trackage. The 3-rail lines will have a code 100 rail placed down the middle sinking below the rail heads of the two outer rails giving it an even closer match to the 2-rail trackage it is running by. One more thing for consideration, we must consider the gauge of the rails themselves, the Proto-48 guys have it right, our track is technically too wide by about 3/32" hence the 1/43 scale out of Europe and MTH European models. Slightly larger but matching the standardized O gauge track width.

My fasttrack pieces will disconnect, when I try to reconnect the track, ANOTHER PIECE will then disconnect, it is very annoying, I will for sure try to get some Menards track, especially since it’s cheaper.

Nice. I'm catching up on some older videos of all the O gauge content providers that I subscribe to. It's cool to get as many cars as you can in a train. We ran 66 on our modular, with an engine in the middle and one on the rear. My max so far on my layout, has been 45 cars, since that is all of the modern cars, with the 'needle-point' bearings that I have. It is really difficult to do with post-war cars, as they don't roll worth a damn. I'm figuring that around 90 is my max, if I can get them to stay upright and get enough modern cars to do it. Either way, an excellent video.

I have the o gauge model of this engine

I love my FastTrack by lionel I never had problems u might had put together wrong all FastTrack all work together

Fast track and EZ track is designed for quick and easy set up and take down. It's literally meant for you to just set on the ground and outside. Personally I prefer HO EZ track for my floor

Yeah, I feel your pain with fast track, but this is what you get a company has it made in CHINA, fast track may cost 10 cents a track in China, another problem is that Menards don't ship to California, their computer will put a dialogue box up saying that because of a propersition 65 , the track may cause cancer in California. So sad

Have your tried gargraves?

Gargraves with wood ties Doesn't have a problem with the insulator wearing out on your track and you can never find it. Not taking your track apart. You young kids don't realize we. Old-timers have already went through this. That's why we all switched to gargraves. You can get an inflex track. It's also flat on the top, so if you wanna run 2 rail cars on your 3 Rail, you can. Snap track connectors Crowed too often. They get green. C*** on them and you can't use them without really going through hell trying to clean him out. I'll never use nothing but garbage. I went to that c*** a million time before and I won't do it again. They also have a Phantom line where the middle whale is black and you hardly even sit. I've been Modeling O gauge for 40 years. Guard graves also uses less electricity. Because it gives you a better connection to the tracks. Unlike your stupid pins and your other c*** that draws all the power out of your transformer. Ga graves. allow your power to go to your locomotives.

I'm a Marklin man and it uses the 3-rail track. I'm on the fence as to get the plastic C track, and it has the plastic gravel but is so much more expensive than the original metal track. I never was a big fan of plastic and that's why I collect the older Marklin Locos and cars; as they are all metal (die cast). I have lots of rhe old school metal track and after seeing this video, I will stick with the metal track . Thanks for sharing your experience as it will save me a lot of time & money.

I'm looking at picking up one of these cars. How often do they jam up?

IMO, FasTrack is perfectly fine if you're building a permanent layout with all new track that hasn't been connected and disconnected again and again, and you want your layout to look realistic. Tubular track is better if you repeatedly connect and disconnect your track because it's more rugged, and the connecting pins are more thick and substantial and can stand up better to constant plugging and unplugging track sections, and you don't care about realism or appearance. When I was a kid, my first train set came with tubular track, and it lasted for years and years being set up on the floor of my room and taken apart again and again and again, and never had an electrical problem or operational problem. As an adult, I have a FasTrak "layout" running around the perimeter of my living room (I'm a MGTOW introvert who lives alone, lol), and I rarely modify it, and it has never given me a problem either. Just my opinion 🙂

Many of my Lionel trains have Magnatraction. Magnatraction will not work on Fastrack. I had a small loop of Fastrack because it would protect my carpet from any oil from my trains run around the Christmas tree. After 5 years I started having problems with it, so I tossed it.

O-36 track? Got to luv Magnatraction.

Fastrack is Great so is tube track

To make a ballast look for my old tubular track, I cut up old roof shingles. Not perfect, but nothingy is. My O gauge CB&Q Zephyr video shows what it looks like.

I have a layout using several hundred feet of FastTrack and I have had absolutely no problems with it on any of the six tracks that I run.