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Reply to "I could use some help with my model railroad"

Mason Rascona posted:
raising4daughters posted:

Mason - above, you saI'd you are practically blind. Could you tell us more? It might help us to understand if you have any limitations. I mean this respectfully. Many of us are 50+ and don't have the eyesight we used to have. Some of the items are frustrating to aging eyes let alone someone with blindness.

I meant "practically blind" figuratively, I have 20/20 vision but not when it comes to building a model train layout, sorry if I confused you

Good to hear.  Tough call between tubular track and fastrack.

I understand the perspective of limited budget. I just put one through college and have two more in college.

Tubular track is the cheapest alternative. You can dress it up later with additional rubber or wooden ties and ballast. Fastrack saves the labor but costs a lot more per foot. Then there's the switch cost. If you go with O27 tubular track for starters, you can get switches for $5 each if you shop. You can even get 42" diameter switches used for $20-$30 a piece, far less than you'll pay for fastrack switches. Tubular isn't plug-and-play but you'll learn a lot more by using your own labor. For example, you can rewire an inexpensive O27 switch so it accepts fixed voltage rather than using track voltage.

Fastrack is the easier, more expedient solution. Pre-ballasted, readily accepts power drops, etc., but is pricey by comparison. Nothing wrong with starting off with good ol' O27 tubular track, especially if you can stick to 42" curves or old Marx 34" curves. Then, just about any semi-scale engine, including the new LionChief Plus, will run on your pike.

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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