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ADCX Rob posted:

What's false about Super O?

The roller wear on that F3 has nothing to do with GarGraves or Super O, or any type of track, this one is just well run-in.

What is commonly mistaken is the idea that Super O causes accelerated roller wear, this has largely been debunked. Super O, as well as GarGraves, has a larger contact area than round tubular like O & O-27.

Thats what I said was false. That it was once believed to cause that.

Jim 1939 That was my feeling/knowledge also. But by reply to rattler21 got from the seller

" Because of the wide rails and type of metal the track is made of, it causes more wear on the rollers.  We have noticed this on the trains we have bought that we have run on gar graves track over the years.  "

I wish he emailed me because I would say that with your definition that would be all track. as it isn't any wider than any O gauge track I know of other than Super O. 

Type of metal ??? I believe they all use the same type of metal don't they ( ie O-27 ) 

I know Fastrack isn't the same and think MTH realtracks but under his definition that would make me to think all O-27/O gauge track would do this. 

Last edited by rtraincollector

I can only offer one perspective, a personal experience, and it is totally laudatory for using Gargraves track and Ross switches, which I used throughout this entire layout project, ten years ago, for a family in southern Jersey, evidenced here in a few shots. I have not heard one negative peep from them, and the layout was built for their teenaged son who runs the trains every day after school.

They have had my standing-commitment to replace anything that wears out or deterioratesIMG_5162IMG_5169IMG_5172IMG_4343IMG_4329IMG_5128, free-of-charge. They have made no requests, to date.

FrankM, Moon Township, Layout Refinements, and Louisville.

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Last edited by Moonson

I would highly recomend Gargraves track, also Ross if you like to have a little more detail with spiked rails.

My layout ran for 11 years on Gargraves and Ross turnouts without flaw.

The only track I am aware of wearing rollers would be Super O as it has a thin center rail. I've seen rollers split in two! 

Keep your roller axles oiled, just a drop on either side.

Paulee posted:

I would highly recomend Gargraves track, also Ross if you like to have a little more detail with spiked rails.

My layout ran for 11 years on Gargraves and Ross turnouts without flaw.

The only track I am aware of wearing rollers would be Super O as it has a thin center rail. I've seen rollers split in two! 

Everyone comes back to this misconception. It only happened because of the softer material used on rollers up to the introduction of Super O. Lionel quickly changed the roller material, but the finances of Lionel sealed the fate of Super O. You will see well run trains on O tubular have center worn rollers of the original material. Most never put that many hours on their trains, no matter which track.

Keep your roller axles oiled, just a drop on either side.

 

I agree with what others have written, the rollers can wear out over time, and it doesn't matter the kind of track. The rollers are sprung so differences in elevation in the center rail shouldn't matter (in theory shouldn't happen, but hypothetically if a center rail warps up or some such). Rollers might wear more if the spring is very stiff but in reality I suspect that the wear happens relatively evenly over time. Rollers that are softer will wear out faster than those that are harder, and given the history of Lionel with the changes in owners and production, wouldn't surprise me if the rollers had variable quality *shrug*.

Carl's post is also a great observation, a lot of people likely don't routinely oil the rollers and/or clear them to make sure they are free rolling, so what happens is the roller in a sense can become partially a sliding shoe, if the roller cannot turn well then there will be wear caused by the roller not turning as fast as it should,pure and simple (kind of like if the front wheels on a car don't turn and wear out the tread when you move forward). 

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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