Are three switches in a row a big No-No?

Shouldn't be a problem except at high speed.

No worries Manny!

I operate mixed vintages of "0" gauge switches back to back with very dependable operation. Make sure the switches are level and properly aligned. Also, like a real railroad, I allow a small amount of "play" in the switches by not screwing them down too tightly.

But, . . .but. . . I love high speed!  :-(

It can be done with serviceable O22 style switches. I would make the recommendation to ensure that the conductive pins are good and tight and recommend use of fixed voltage. I would also recommend that you use @TinMan3rail's dual conductor fixed voltage plug upgrade. In addition to fulfilling the normal role of powering the switch motor, this upgraded plug has a completely separate distinct conductor that can be utilized to FEED the center rail of the switch track power like the #1 clip on a CTC.

https://www.tinman3rail.com/?p...old-style-bootstraps

It works fine with Ross switches, the O22 switches need to be in good condition for this to be practical.  Going through all straight path at reasonable speed won't be an issue, it's when you take the curve.

I am an S gauge operator, not O gauge but here are 5 turnouts in a row on my layout. Never a derailment forward or backing up. Just need good, level and properly aligned track work.

Tom, looks like a nice layout. How bout some pictures.

Gunrunner John is right.  Unless you're going for an authentic postwar look, keep saving your money and use Ross track instead of Lionel O22s.  The Ross switches are much smoother and less derailment-prone.  (Plus they have a wider variety of track pieces to make virtually any layout.)

With back-to-back Lionel switches, it might happen that both of a loco's pick-up rollers end up on a gap at the same time, which would cause the train to stall or shift into neutral.  That's easily solved by adding a roller on one truck of the tender, and a high-current tether to connect it to the locomotive.  If in doubt, try the track configuration on a level floor first to make sure the loco can go through it without issues, before building it into a permanent layout.

using a Ross 4-way with several additional switches along one spur is common. no issues.

Standard two roller thirdrail pick-up works well 99.9% of the time.   There is always that one unit where the rollers would match the two holes, (dead power spots) that back to back switches create. 

Weaver E8 can find the holes.   The Atlas 6924 relay boards can solve the problem with a lot of work.  

Some say Model railroading is a series of problems to be solved, that's the enjoyment.     When Atlas did (4) roller pick-ups, many of the problems went away.    SW-9 model. 

@Ted S posted:

Gunrunner John is right.  Unless you're going for an authentic postwar look, keep saving your money and use Ross track instead of Lionel O22s.  The Ross switches are much smoother and less derailment-prone.  (Plus they have a wider variety of track pieces to make virtually any layout.)

That is not what I understood @gunrunnerjohn to say at all. I herd him say he has a 3 switch configuration with Ross switches and doesn't have a problem, and that there is no reason O22 switches cannot be in the same configuration as long as they are serviced to ensure that the decades old internal internals are intact and capable of carrying power all the way through just as I had discussed earlier. Following @Mannyrock, you will see the type of equipment he is running is actually prone to one of Ross' downfalls is that they do not deal with sliding shoes of engines and operating cars passing through Ross Switches. The design of the Ross Switch will cause the engine / car to uncouple when the slider shoe crosses the center rail of the switch. Operating cars with slider shoes will activate when going through  a Ross Switch. Sure, you can modify the the Ross switches and such. Another thing to note is that @Mannyrock is using O gauge profile tubular track - Ross switches are O27 profile. Not insurmountable, but again, not as plug and play as the bulletproof standard O22 style.

@Ted S posted:

With back-to-back Lionel switches, it might happen that both of a loco's pick-up rollers end up on a gap at the same time.  That's easily solved by adding a roller on one truck of the tender, and a high-current tether to connect it to the locomotive.  If in doubt, try the track configuration on a level floor first to make sure the loco can go through it without issues, before building it into a permanent layout.

Again, this is a potential issue for any type of switch with any track system and not unique to the O22 nor does Ross eliminate it. Looking at the generations of equipment @Mannyrock is operating, they were all manufactured at the time when O22 was the gold standard and tested/designed to navigate them.

@bmoran4 posted:

That is not what I understood @gunrunnerjohn to say at all. I herd him say he has a 3 switch configuration with Ross switches and doesn't have a problem, and that there is no reason O22 switches cannot be in the same configuration as long as they are serviced to ensure that the decades old internal internals are intact and capable of carrying power all the way through just as I had discussed earlier. Following @Mannyrock, you will see the type of equipment he is running is actually prone to one of Ross' downfalls is that they do not deal with sliding shoes of engines and operating cars passing through Ross Switches. The design of the Ross Switch will cause the engine / car to uncouple when the slider shoe crosses the center rail of the switch. Operating cars with slider shoes will activate when going through  a Ross Switch. Sure, you can modify the the Ross switches and such. Another thing to note is that @Mannyrock is using O gauge profile tubular track - Ross switches are O27 profile. Not insurmountable, but again, not as plug and play as the bulletproof standard O22 style.

Again, this is a potential issue for any type of switch with any track system and not unique to the O22 nor does Ross eliminate it. Looking at the generations of equipment @Mannyrock is operating, they were all manufactured at the time when O22 was the gold standard and tested/designed to navigate them.

True, Ross, Curtis, Atlas, I've power routed many of them with some success.  

@bmoran4 posted:

Another thing to note is that @Mannyrock is using O gauge profile tubular track - Ross switches are O27 profile.

Ross also sells O gauge profile tubular track.

sliding shoes on some operating cars do not cause uncoupling they could cause operation of the car. Which cars uncouple because of a sliding shoe getting powered from a turnout rail?

@AlanRail, lets not get off on a huge tangent here, but there are some Lionel operating cars that do exactly that, such as the 3451 discussed here: https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...el-3451-log-dump-car

I have a through yard in my layout, so from the mainline, I have three consecutive switches to get to the outer most part.  I have never had a problem with this but I also don't operate my trains at warp speed.  Because it's a through yard, I go through the different tracks, as cars are often parked.

John

This photo shows 022 switches in a row with fixed voltage plugs on my layout between the 2 independently powered main lines:

I have never had a problem running a fast train taking the straight track on the switches down each of the main lines.

When taking the curve on the switches and to go from one main line to the other, I avoid derailments by running the train slow and smooth through the switches with the power set on approximately the same voltage on each throttle of the Z4000 transformer (each throttle provides power to each of the main lines). 

I cannot remember a Postwar operating car with sliding shoes uncouple or unload running through these switches. 

I have a passion for the Postwar operating coal dump cars (as shown in my other recent thread), milk cars, and log dump cars, often running unit trains of 8 to 11 cars. IMO, the key to avoiding derailments of them is to keep their wheels properly lubricated, run them smoothly and at slow or moderate speed.

Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

This photo shows 022 switches in a row with fixed voltage plugs on my layout between the 2 independently powered main lines:

I have never had a problem running a fast train taking the straight track on the switches down each of the main lines.

The S-curves are a killer at any speed, or trying to back through them.

I have an 031 switch, 45 degree crossover, and an 0-72 switch in a row. Sometimes I have problems with dead spots, but I'm too lazy or technically incompetent to eliminate the problem.  So the proverbial "Hand of God" bails me out, or  I lock the motors into forward.

I also have a Ross double crossover which causes real problems on the prewar

sliding shoes. I tried filing down the frog with a bit of success, but I decided to

stop running the cars over those tracks.

Good luck.

Lew