Are the 072 remote control switches made in China any good or should I only buy post war USA 0723 switches?
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It depends on when they were made. Theres at least one thread on the forum about them. If my memory is correct, the newer or newest version had issues with the switch rail not laying completely inside the outer rail when thrown and the pilot truck would pick the point on the rail and rid up thereby derailing the pilot truck. There are things that can be done to fix this all mentioned in that thread from a while back. As for the pre-war O72 switches, they are great but, if the base has warped even the slightest, the switch motor may not make contact or throw the switch. So there’s that.
I hope this helps but do a search for the thread there’s a lot more detail about it there.
Mike
If you can find them, the K-Line / RMT / O-Line Reproductions "super snap" O-72 switches are tough to beat for running tinplate trains as well as modern trains. The prewar trains with the deep-flanged wheels roll right through them, and as an added bonus, the switch machine takes up a lot less real estate than the Lionel switch machines.
I had terrible experience with 1990s-vintage Lionel O72 switches. I think the product numbers were 6-5165 and 6-5166. Don't walk away, run!!
The postwar era was dominated by "traditional-sized" toy trains and O31 curves. I believe that most of the older O72 switches you'll find for sale were made before WWII, although the very latest ones made in 1940-41 look like a postwar switch. I think the product number was 711.
If I were in your situation, I would avoid all the uncertainty and buy RossPlate tubular rail O72 switches. They are a drop-in replacement for K-Line and Lionel of any vintage. The best part is that they're new, readily available, and made in the USA!
On the prewar 711 0-72 switches, there were two different versions. The earlier switch has a small frog with bent pins on the center rails to close up the gap. In the later version a large plastic frog was used to connect everything together. The disadvantage to the later version is the dead spot at the frog is longer so some locos will not have rollers that will bridge the gap. On the late prewar switchers the center rail tender rollers are jumpered to the loco to get them across the long plastic frog on the 0-72 switches. On post war switchers the jumper wire was changed to the outside rail as the 0-72 switch was not reintroduced after the war. I prefer the later version with the long plastic frog. These switches are 90 years old and they need a heavy servicing if they are going to be put back in service.
@Ted S posted:I had terrible experience with 1990s-vintage Lionel O72 switches. I think the product numbers were 6-5165 and 6-5166. Don't walk away, run!!
The postwar era was dominated by "traditional-sized" toy trains and O31 curves. I believe that most of the older O72 switches you'll find for sale were made before WWII, although the very latest ones made in 1940-41 look like a postwar switch. I think the product number was 711.
If I were in your situation, I would avoid all the uncertainty and buy RossPlate tubular rail O72 switches. They are a drop-in replacement for K-Line and Lionel of any vintage. The best part is that they're new, readily available, and made in the USA!
The only challenge with this is the Rossplate switches are not truly tinplate-compatible. This is from Steve himself. They don't play well with the older prewar trains with the deeper flanges on the wheels. I tried them, and no luck. I would've bought Rossplate for my layout in a heart beat, especially the #4 switches, but the K Line switches were the only brand I could find that are compatible with both prewar and modern trains.
While the name Rossplate may suggest tinplate compatibility, it only refers to the fact that the rail height is the same as traditional 3-rail track.
