To Tubular or Not to Tubular, that is the question!

Peter,

Your club's small venue tubular layout is looking REAL nice!

I using tubular track on my new layout and not giving a second thought to any plastic roadbed track as limits my ability to be creative with my layout. Just lay the track and cut it to fit. If I want I can add in plastic ties from 3R Plastics. Also tubular costs less then the track with added in roadbed.

Lee Fritz

I run some S.O. and love it.

  Readily available is another story.

Sure you can find it, but, its not "super easy".   

I had it as a kid for a while, but it got replaced with 0-27.

I kept puncturing my thumbs and fingers with the thin flat track pins.

It is my favorite track hands down.

K-line Supersnap is another I like.

I have not owned it, or even put two pieces together.

But I have run on it.

Its quiet, looks great, like black Super O vs brown.

On astroturf it is about the quietest I've ever heard.

Or is that not heard 

As many of our O gauge followers are aware, I mentioned a few weeks ago that we have plans to produce tubular track. As a rule, we never pre announce products until they are produced and ready to ship but it would seem prudent to do so for this product. We are excited to announce that this fall, we plan to offer the following O gauge tubular options!

10" Straight

30" Straight

O-31 Curved

O-36 Curved

O-42 Curved

O-54 Curved

O-72 Curved

O-96 Curved

I assure you, the price will be "right!" However, in keeping with our somewhat conservative sales policies, we will not accept orders until the product has been inspected and ready to ship. Production is underway and we are excited to pass along more details as we receive them!

Thank you,

Mark The Menards Train Guy

Cool. A six loop line.

Maybe one more little info slip?

Is that measured center to center, outside rail, outside ties?

or inside dimensions just to drive us nuts?

GarGraves on steroids!

Bruce

K Line and it's Supersnap has "extra" ties and looks/runs great.  I do have some on my layout where it comes in best for the fit.  I am placing extra ties from 3R Plastics, as well.  Right now they are only on my outside main line, checking for the looks and feel.  All told, I have tubular (Lionel and K Line, maybe some Am Flyer Prewar later), Atlas and Gargraves.  The Atlas is an upper level all it's own, with the classification yard, but tied into the inner main line.  Gargraves is on lower level for the passenger tracks/sorting yard and the engine facilities/roundhouse/service tracks. I use tubular on my five main lines because it is user friendly for elevation changes, 072 curved grades and long runs over lower tracks.  It all matches up, runs good, each in a proper location.

Menard's has given us a list of track curve sizes they are going to make in their latest thread.

The listed sizes looked to me like you could pull off a 6 loop layout if you wanted.

In other words its looking like very nice spacing between them. 

 I'm very interested in seeing it.

Adriatic,

I am intrigued to see what they Look like too!

Totally Tubular, Man!

With less than an hour to go in the month, here are 6 Christmas in July photos of my tubular track in action.  Three from my 2012 layout and 3 from running on the floor tiles in July 2013.

I've done my Christmas layouts with FasTrack, Atlas and Tubular.  They go best with Tubular!

O-36 Curved Tubular?  

I can't wait to order some!

I guess "readily available" could be relative. I see a constant supply on e-bay. Just recently I acquired a pretty good amount from one seller. The 3 pairs plus 2 left hand remote switches alone were more then worth the price I paid. These I'll use to introduce my grandkids to the hobby.

K Line Supersnap does look real nice. But I think that track is less readily available & at decent prices then Super O.

I like 027 Tubular because its lower profile than O tubular, cut some popsicle sticks, paint them brown like the metal ties add ballast and you really have a nice looking track!

I like Gargraves because I like flex track.

I like O Tubular for that traditional look!

Dont care much for the the plastic base types of track.

Then you're going to need to go to Ebay and track down old fashioned lead tinsel. It hangs straight something the mylar stuff they make nowadays won't. There is a company called Stannoil that used to make tinsel but I'm not sure they are still around.

Lead tinsel

Lead tinsel 2

It does tend to be pricey.

Jerry

On the Menard's track, just wondering whether it will mirror Lionel tubular with the tie spacing.  Or, may it have more numerous ties as some K Line has / had and be more prone to Hi Rail ?  And, as we know Menard's for, this may lead to more track products.  I, for one, would welcome another reputable source for quality quantities of O Gauge track.  because, we all know, you can never have enough! 

Adriatic,

Sorry for the late reply, I had to confirm. The measurement is outside rail to outside rail.

-Mark the Menard Train Guy

palallin,  you are so correct about the Marx track.  I have a good bit of it from when my Dad and I had our layouts in Houston back in the '70s.  One thing we really liked, and used, were the longer straights and the wider radii of their switches.  Also, the Marx switches are easy to work on and should you ever need a selanoid (sic) for anything operational, they always worked very well for us.  I do not use a lot of 027 any more, but have quite a bit, even some new I picked up from Puff-N-Stuff when they went out of business.  But, the low profile and longer radii you can get now, it would work well for a "light gauge line" on any layout expansion, or a complete layout itself. 

  Knowing some of the OP's design ideas, there is an option not really made that he might have used. Me too.

  It likely wont take the hobby by storm. But how many with 0-27 loops wish there was a smaller turn just for trolleys, critters, etc..

 I think I was told 0-15" was runnable but ????

Menards,

  Thanks. That does change depending on who's track  

 Since we seem to have your attention, so there's a little idea to kick around the room.

I keep wondering when your going to run a holiday trolley, and a 22" O.R.Dia. curve

 Hey, they modeled the Jawn Henry in my lifetime, I didn't get one, but why not keep hopin'.

Hi Everyone!

       I would like to see at least an O24 (measured to outside of the tie) 3 rail tinplate sectional track.  Most O27 stuff will handle the O24 curve.  It is the knuckle coupler (truck mounted, ridged) that is the limiting factor.  I have done O24 in flexible GarGraves and re-bent O27 to O24.  Works fine with a lot of stuff.

Take care, Joe.

Happy Days are here again.

The earth's axis is now heading back to normal now that Menards is bringing out what surely will be nice tubular track after Lionel's announcement they will do no more.  Some things should just not be fooled with, tubular track being one of those things.

Ed

Go tubular, easy to work with, original plan, and has the nostalgia.

Now, I wonder if they will make gray rubber roadbed to go with their track. If it was up to me the track and rubber roadbed would be given top priority.

Great thread, pics, and replies.

Thanks,

JoeG