Newbie 2 Rail Introduction And Assistance Please

I also thought you would enjoy seeing photos of MTH locos that show once they are weathered the “gap” all but disappear.

There is something about the heft of a O scale 2 rail piece.

This is good therapy while recovering from a flu like condition !!!

John

What strikes me is how much different the M.T.H. locomotives look with scale wheels and scale couplers.  Everything in O that I own is M.T.H but not the convertible or designated scale version type.  Thank you really appreciate the pics. 

My two cents is don’t buy any locomotive with the intention of converting it to 2 rail unless you can do the work yourself. There are some that are easy to convert like the Weaver with the horizontal drive. There’s no one left performing that kind of work anymore now that Joe retired. Sell your 3 rail locomotives and buy 2 rail (if you decide to go the route of 2 rail). I have two 3 rail locomotives I wanted to have converted but I shouldn’t have waited. Now I don’t know what I will do with them.

If you have seen the new MTH catalogue then you know they didn’t catalog any steam locomotives with scale wheels. I don’t know if this is just for this one catalogue or if it is permanent. I fear the worst. At least the 2 rail (-2) diesels seem to be going strong.

I switched to 2 rail about 17 years ago and no regrets. 

Classy Woods, LLC posted:

Matt can you please elaborate on the radius at your club layout?  It looks like some of your curves are (I'll refer to 3 rail terminology O54) and I see some double door boxcars with scale wheels and scale couplers negotiating those curves?

The primary main on the club layout has 48"radius (O-96) curves, except for one hidden curve in a tunnel which is 36" radius (O-72). Where my scale-wheel locomotives has issues is where there are kinks or  badly-uneven track (which we get due to thermal expansion/contraction. Even the Big Boy will get through 36" radius but it doesn't look right. I have a video up where it derails in a couple of spots due to uneven/kinked track.

We have #5 Ross turnouts (11-degree) and the scale-wheel equipment seems to do just fine. They do bounce in the frog gap. We have a #8 curved turnout, which we modified with a "frog point" to allow the equipment to roll through (we even had some older hi-rail equipment derail on the frog). We're designing a closed-frog turnout right now as other members also have or are dabbling with scale wheels.