072 fastrack switches question (layout + cost considerations, not sure this is the right forum)

Erik,

When you get up to the 072 size they're all expensive.  The question is:  What do you get for your money?

You'll probably soon be seeing a boatload of posts, with every poster relaying their favorite manufacturer.

In my opinion if you go with Ross you won't be disappointed in their performance.  For the most part they're fairly bullet-proof.  They're not cheap though, and they're not set up for kids to handle, connecting and disconnecting on a regular basis.

More than anything else we talk about on this forum regularly, with switches if you buy cheap you'll get headaches.

Good luck,

Mike

Erik,

My layout has 27 fastrack switches, a lot of them 072 wyes in my yard and industrial sections. They are spendy, but I have enjoyed them for the 6 years since built my layout. They are very kid friendly, but Ross is a quality switch. As Mike stated, they aren't made for setup takedown layouts with kids but you definitely get what you pay for in either Ross or Fastrack.

I just did a quick Google search and saw Ross for as low as $75 and FasTrack for a similar price. But IMHO, you can’t compare retail prices because there are discounts out there, especially for bulk purchases. The problem will be availability and shipping.

However, your main limiting factor is the kids to take apart, etc. That pretty much limits you to FasTrack, so you need to do some research for the best price and then call to see if you can get a discount based upon how many you need and can afford at the same time.

Thanks guys! I am working on building a bench in the basement using the suggested benchwork book, but want to definitely let the kids do their thing, so to speak. While building dioramas and spending lots of time with plaster cloth can be enjoyable, myself as a kid and definitely these grandkids just want to (not messing with the loco!!!) pull cars off the line, put some new ones on with the lionel rerailer, and just watch things go.

The number one rule we have is, absolutely NO messing with the train (changing cars and the like) unless the power is completely disconnected at the transformer or tiu. Safety first!

Erik,

I partly built my layout for sharing with the grandkids, they have a Thomas they can run to their hearts delight as well as run mine with help.

Here are a few pics of the switch areas.

After years of my trains sitting in boxes a few years ago I finally got around to enjoying them again with my grandkids.  There was a learning curve since I didn't even know fastrack existed, let alone the new operating systems.    Still I needed some new track so I went with Lionel.   I acquired some track and new manual switches,...    and very shortly discovered the remote are much nicer and easier.   But as with you, the price was a shocker.   I now have mostly 060 and 072 remote switches and discovered a few I purchased were command control which I didn't know about either.   

Had I known then what I know today there might be a few changes but I really like keeping things simple so I'm quite satisfied with the 072 remotes and the grandkids have no problems with them.

You can make any fastrack switch with remote into a command switch, just pull the jumper and wire it to a controller like AIU or the Lionel SC-2,

@Ron S What are the dimensions of your layout? It looks pretty groovy, and definitely what I was thinking to do with the kids. It gives me confidence this can work with just fastrack, and wait patiently to get my hands on o72 remote switches. If I have to wait a year, so be it, I am in no rush!

I see a lot of people have their layouts at ~ waist height. I am thinking about dropping a bit lower, to make it more accessible to the kids, and to make it accessible to my wife to diorama it up (shes 5' tall).

Erik,

It is 13x20, made to fill the Loft side which doesn't show very much when climb the stairs.

I built it for future changes, the benchwork is 3x4, 3x5. 2x5, 4x4 tables made from 1x3 pine and the Home Depot plywood usually on sale for $35 a sheet when no crisis has the ,umber prices in orbit.

It took me about 3 months of working on it part time to have track laid, and another 6 months of piddling to wire, landscape and trim it out.

I built it where the grandkids can sit on stools as watch the trains and control their Thomas, but any height works, just remember you have to get under it to fix any glitches or add something. I use an automotive creeper under mine, it lets me scoot under and keeps my aging body from aches and pains as work on it. I often spend 30 to 90 minutes under it when adding a new goodie or redoing something when I learn a better way to wire or animate.

@Erik_the_Newbie I have some 072 Remote Fastrack switches (and WYE). Contact me at the email address in my profile if you are interested.

@Ron_S posted:

Erik,

I partly built my layout for sharing with the grandkids, they have a Thomas they can run to their hearts delight as well as run mine with help.

Ron S.,

That is one sweet layout -- a lot of action in the available space.  I'm quite sure they enjoy "helping" you run it.

Mike

@Mellow Hudson Mike ,

They get a kick out of Thomas, his whistle seldom stops blowing, and they fight over the remote if they forget to bring one of theirs from home.

I also have a double track shelf layout around the entire room, they always make sure I start the trains up there as fire everything up. They get the outside track and I run a couple of trains on the inside as they engineer away.

I run a lot of TMCC, but do own 4 DCS engines I run, as they get older and a bit more coordinated, they will graduate to an engine like Menards or one of my rail king F3's. I am hoping they are hooked and will want my trains when gone. None of my kids got into trains, too much video gaming as they became teens.

Understandable.  I have no grandkids yet, but they're probably not that far off.

My two boys were into Brio and Thomas big time back in the day.  This was pre-Polar Express.

The younger one, later being into Harry Potter, is now interested in the Hogwarts Express.

It's only a matter of time.  It sneaks up on you, but a little push here and there also helps ...

Mike

I have something like 13 Fastrack Command Control switches, including some 072 left, right, and wyes on my 9' x 12' layout and I can't say enough good things about them. I absolutely love the fact that I don't have to do any wiring and they work with my Legacy CAB-2 right out of the box. IMO if you're planning a somewhat "modular" layout (i.e. planning to change up your track plan and be moving track around), you can't do better than Fastrack.

Switches are by far the most expensive, but if buying new, when you consider that you'll need a bunch of extra stuff to make the Ross switches command controlled, I don't think the price difference will be all that much and the convenience is worth something as well.

@Mike0289 posted:

Switches are by far the most expensive, but if buying new, when you consider that you'll need a bunch of extra stuff to make the Ross switches command controlled, I don't think the price difference will be all that much and the convenience is worth something as well.

Sure, but you have a better switch if you use the Ross switches.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Sure, but you have a better switch if you use the Ross switches.

For a permanent layout, I agree. But for something temporary or modular, I think Fastrack is a better option.

I'll yield that point.  If you're going to be picking it up a lot, Fastrack is probably a better choice for track and switches.