For those who may remember, I'm the now 76-year-old who's embarking upon his last layout. Benchwork is completed, design is done, and now I'm going through over 6oo pieces of tubular track to determine what I'll use. I have a lot of vintage pieces easily identified by the markings "Lionel" on one side of the tie and "NY" on the other. Also, most of my vintage has the typical muted gray tone and many pieces have some corrosion. Where I'm having difficulty is between two other "types" of Lionel track pieces. From the top, both look the same, but one is marked "Lionel" on the outer edge of the tie, and "Made in China" in very small markings is stamped through the rest of the tie. These track pieces have both the top and bottom black. Now my confusing pieces. These are marked "Lionel" on the ties, with no other imprint marks, black on the top and gray on the bottom. Were these pieces manufactured in Michigan before everything went overseas to S. Korea and China? These pieces (and the China ones) are "like new" in appearance. I'm sure all the variations will blend together, but my question is more of curiosity. The "unknown" pieces are in 072 and 054 curves and I need many for the layout I'm developing. On a parallel note, I have maybe 35-40 pieces of Lionel and K-line straights ranging in length from 36" to 40". I know that fewer connections aid in continuity, but I'm hesitant because I want to develop blocks in various places so that the crossing gate goes down, the lights blink, or the gateman comes out when a train enters the block. With fiber pins on the ends, will a simple cut into the rail of a long piece work as well as a fiber pin? Enough chatter from me. I'm open to anything you all can share.
Ken
