Archive for the ‘Lion Fastrack’ Category
A letter From Lionel Train Fan…
Mike,
If I һаԁ tο narrow down tһе Ɩаrɡеѕt obstacle tο someone חеw tο tһе leisure activity іt wουƖԁ bе tһе lack οf up tο date assets. EхсеƖƖеחt Leisure activity shops аrе rare аחԁ out οf tһе ones tһаt remain few demonstrate tһеу care аbουt tһе leisure activity аחԁ сеrtаіחƖу саחחοt bе classified аѕ knowledgeable. Tһе present state οf ουr economy іѕ сеrtаіחƖу a factor. A ехсеƖƖеחt personal experience I һаԁ јυѕt tһе οtһеr day wаѕ wһеח I called up аƖƖ tһе service centers fοr a particular manufacturer online аחԁ ѕtаrtеԁ frοm tһе top οf tһе list calling tο qυеѕtіοח wһаt I consider аח simple qυеѕtіοח. It wasn’t until I reached tһе 8th one οח tһе list tһаt I wаѕ аbƖе tο speak wіtһ someone. AƖƖ tһе others wеrе out οf business. Sο іf уου аrе a newcomer tο tһе leisure activity аחԁ аrе satisfactorily motivated уου gather bits οf information frοm a variety οf sources уου find online. I Ɩіkе tο speak wіtһ someone іח person, see, feel & touch tһе product I аm purchasing, аחԁ establish a relationship wіtһ tһе business frοm wһοm I аm purchasing. Sο far I һаνе bееח unable tο ԁο tһаt.
Oח a brighter note - уου ѕһουƖԁ see tһе Tunnel/Mountain mу 6 year ancient Grandson & I аrе building – іt’s appearance out fаחtаѕtіс!
Sincerely,
Bob
What is your Lionel Fastrack Train Story? (Part 1)
Here is the tale From Burce…
I am not quite a beginner. I got a Lionel set in 1952…sold it when I was in high school for $10.00!!! About 4 being ago a friend of mine who is into trains questioned me if I ever had a set. I described it to him…he pulled out a 1952 Lionel register and I identified. it. A couple of weeks later, on my birthday, he presented me with my boyhood train set (really one just like it). Later on, I bought a bit of track and a transformer and ran the thing….before much longer, I had a track layout on a 4×8 sheet of plywood on a couple of saw horses in the garage.
It was about this time that my train friend bought an f-3 on eBay that didn’t run. He was disappointed…i questioned him if I could look at it and in 10 minutes i had it in succession. He was surprised that I knew how to work on trains…really, they are not much different than any electric motor, only smaller. Within a year, I had repaired or rebilt over 300 of his units…locomotives, tender whistles, switches, etc. Another friend of mine had been a Lionel repairman (his father had worked on American Flyers)and he gave me a few tips. I bought repair man uals, and now I do a bit of repair work in my own shop.
Now, as to frustrations…..I have a very modest layout in my workshop and i chose to use the original O gauge Lionel track…the tubular material. I even run my huge MTH Yellowstone on tinplate track. Now, the frustration…….My daughter chose I needed a Polar Express set AND a Aggravate Potter Hogwart Express for Christmas. Well, that was just fine with me, though most of my material is post war Lionel except for the MTH Yellowstone and a Norfolk & Western Powhattan passenger train.
The newer Lionel material, as you well know, comes with Fastrack. OK…so I set up an extension to my layout…just 4X8 and I take the Fastgrack that came with the two sets and i want to do a figure 8 and later use a switch and a transition section to tie this in with my present layout. I have everything (I thought) I needed for the figure 8 except a 90º crossover which I throng 200 miles to buy. I got home, and guess what? I also need 4 sections of 5″ Fastrack straights! the Damned Lionel Register didn’t show this need on the diagram in the register.
Another frustration…my Polar Express…cute small Berkshire, would not run through my O22 switches! I send an eMail to Lionel and they write back and tellme that the o22 zswitch is too tight…that I have to use O27!!!!! Some dummy at Lionel doesn’t know that an o22 switch is for a 31 inch curve!!!!! Acdtually,i fond the problem was an incorrectly installed contact undcer the r eartruck on the locomotive. It was bent down and hanging up on the gthird rail whenging through a switch. I reversed the cont act and she runs like a top now.
Frustration #3……My Aggravate Potter 10 wheeler hesitates ad jerks at low speeds. An O Guage Railroading magazine review of this set done in 2007 mentioned the same problem and their curfe was to straighted the crosshead guides. crosshead guides What is this? I write to Lionel…gukess what the rely is? ”The crosshead guides are what handbook the cross heads.” What kind of idiots are answering the eMails at Lionel? I grew p in a railroad town. My ancient man worked for the railroad all his life. I saw every variety of steamer there is….Mikados, Consolidatoins, Pacifics,Cmpound Mallets, Yellowstones, Americans, and even Moguls. My playgrond was the railroad yards and the roundhouse.
I am telling you this because with a social class in railroads, I have NEVER heard of a cross head!!!!!! Actualy,I reckon i have a bent motor shaft….I am not really enthralled with the quality of the cheaper Lionel sets that are being place through the market these days.
Oh yes, I know one should not build a layout from a set, but these things were gifts and I want to run them, but if Lionel doesn’t initiation ding something about quality control they are going to lose a total generation of kids who may grow up to be modelrailroaders…another thing, the coulers on my Aggravate Potter coaches and the tender are poor and keep opening up. They are low-cost plastic and have some sort of warp in them.
Anyway, I thought that this was an opportunity to explore the new world of Fastrack.You know what? If i had it to do over again, I’d still stay with the tubular track. I have worked with MTH RealTrak too, on another guy’s layout and it is of poorer quality than Fastrack except there is more varietyavailable. Fastrack is over priced, and not nearly so versitile as the ancient O31 or e ven the O72 material thaat I have on my main layout.
Please Leave Y our comments below….
~ Mike
You Can Save Up to 40% with Amazon Black Friday Sale…:)
Amazon – Black Friday Day Sale (24 Hours Only)
.
.
Click Here -> Save Up to 40% on Your Model Train (FREE Shipping) One Day Offer Only
.
.
