Dwayne B posted:I am ready to begin building a long awaited layout. I have considered all the track options but would like some opinions. I have heard great things about Lionel Prewar T-Rail track and am considering using it for the layout, although I do know it may be hard and expensive to locate. Would this be worth doing or should I just use Lionel O-Gauge track which I already own? What makes T-Rail better than O-Gauge? At this point I am thinking I want to stay old school and use the old Lionel track systems. Thanks for any help!
I also considered T-Rail before I started my layout 10 years ago. An OGR forum member was kind enough to send me a few samples of the track so I could look it over first hand. For the price of shipping it back to him, it was well worth it. (Maybe you can borrow a few pieces from someone as well) I decided to go with Ross track and switches. Not one regret. As others have stated, the cost is extremely high. Figure $20 per straight and little less for curves. Switches can run up to 200 each. There is only radius for the curves which limits track configurations. It will difficult to find enough good track for the layout as the ties are die-cast and are frequently broken. A lot of sellers don't always have all the fish plates to bolt the track together. After I looked at it first hand, the track looked old and I decided it was not worth the hunt or the expense to gather all that I would need.
If you really have a desire to use T-Rail, I would suggest a simple loop on your layout which would limit your cost. You can then build the rest of your layout with a more modern track. Good luck with your decision.
