whats the best o guage track and transformer

There is no "best" choice of track, or, for that matter, of transformer.  There are many choices out there, ranging from FasTrack and RealTrax (both of which which apparently don't interest you due to cost), to traditional tubular (Lionel and others), to GarGraves and Ross (tubular, but enhanced with ties), to Atlas (solid rail), and others.

 

It's strictly a matter of individual choice, budget, and availability/variety, I suppose.  I say "I suppose" because I look at track as a one-time lifetime investment, and figure that since track is the most important item on a model railroad, there's little point in going cheap with it.

 

Same applies to transformers, although for maximum power most choose from either the MTH Z-4000 or the Lionel ZW-L if they are interested in the latest and most feature-laden power sources.

 

Everyone has his or her own preferences, as you'll soon learn when others respond to this thread.  

The MRC Pure Power Dual is a robust transformer that should run everything you have. They are also very reasonable price wise.

 

You're best bet to save on track is to buy used...at shows, on-line, or right here on this forum.

It all depends on what you want out of a track system.  Fast track may be a bit expensive but it is a very good track.  The switches are highly rated.  The biggest down side would be the track noise.  What you have to watch out for is the slide shoes. Some of the scale track requires tweaks if the slide shoes need to run over switches or the slide shoes may snag and rip off.  Tubular is probably the cheapest route to go for track choices.  But you won't get the variety in switch configurations. If you are building a temp layout or carpet central then a track with built in roadbed would be a good choice. If you have magnetraction engines then stay with a steel track. Avoid track that is not magnetic. Stay with Lionel, Ross, Gargraves etc. I believe all MTH track is nickel-silver which is non magnetic.

As for transformers,  since you want to run modern as well as older stuff,  I would recommend a new transformer.  They work best with the newer electronics.  A Z4000 or a Zw with the bricks would be a good choice. The current top of the line is the ZW-L.

If you can provide some info about your layout that would help with the recommendations - Size, numer of trains running at one time, permanent or temp layout.

I thought that a newer transformer would not run the old locos   ac/dc the old ones different?

I run postwar ZWs and run everything

from prewar to modern locos with no trouble

The new/latest transformers will run any 3-rail O gauge trains from Lionel and others.  Prewar, postwar, modern...makes no difference.

Track good old reliable Lionel O gauge tubular.

Transformer MTH Z-4000.

It seems like these same questions about track and transformer come up about 100  times a year.  I can understand wanting to know information about the subjects from new members or those just getting into the hobby but just remember you are only getting individual opinions on what members like best. 

 

The statement above is true, there is no best, it is up to you what you like best so I suggest you do in-depth research on your own, looking at track and transformer options at train or hobby stores; try to see operating layouts with different track and place the options in your hand before you make any purchases.  The most important thing is take your time, these will be some of the most important purchases for your O gauge train hobby. 

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

Unless you have early PS-1 (And you indicated all Lionel so no problem) Any Modern Transformer will do.

 

I would advise to get samples of any track you are interested in and compare them.

 

Personally I'm going to MTH Scaletrax for track, solid Rail, Real Rail shape and the closest to scale rails and ties out there. Also not terribly pricey.

Limit: Switch selection is not great but Ross Custom Switches can be used with it.

Still, it might not work with your older equipment, the Flanges may be too large and if so will hit the ties.

True.

 

I had mixed results across a few Proto-1 engines.  I am pretty sure I initially successfully used a ZW-L to power my MTH Proto-1 WVP&P Shay(did not know about the board temp thing, but I may be more cautious about it now), but when I tried to power an older MTH Proto-1 NYC Empire State Express engine, it would not move. 

 

I almost thought the engine had died, but I then proved it was OK with an old PW ZW.  Point is, I don't think we can even paint Proto-1 with a broad brush in terms of saying one will or won't work with a given transformer.

 

As others have said, if you are all Lionel, you will not have any Proto-1 oddities to consider.

 

-Dave

Swank,
    Allan is correct, there is no absolute best, however if you are running Tin plate Trains
there are is some track to avoid.  However if you are running all modern trains you can pick from lots of different track and swithces.  In the transformer area, always pick a large enough power supply to keep expanding your layout, I would start with no less than one ZW transformer, if you can afford a Z4K all the better.
I chose FasTrack for my bigger layouts and have a combination of FasTrack and Realtrax on my smaller Christmas layouts.  Tin Plate Trains run well on both.
PCRR/Dave


Some of the larger office/game room FasTrack layout.

As you can already see you will get lots of advice for this or that.  Whatever you decide, keep in mind that often the most expensive track you can get is the track that had costs the least up front.  Fastrack, Atlas, etc., do cost more - but a lot more people swear by them than at them.

Well, postwar Super-O is the absolute best, obviously.  

 

Unfortunately, it will not fit your needs due to its low-profile rail design.  The problem is that prewar Lionel wheels have very large-diameter flanges that tend to interfere with the ties and switch frogs.   I am not sure, but it is possible that this may also be an issue with other "realistic" track designs.  I tend to agree with Jim that given your constraints, O-72 tubular would be hard to beat.

WOW, this is like asking who has the prettiest wife.

 

Best track, "O gauge", best transformer "AC".

 

Objectively, the best track is one that best fits your proposed layout. Unsure? A LHS is a great place to start, or order a piece or two of a variety of brands and see what you like.

 

As for the transformer, select it based upon your load requirement. Buying the newest, biggest, baddest transformer is probably a poor choice if you only have a 4x8 layout. Make sure the transformer has a fast, modern circuit breaker. The old stuff won't care, but it's life and death for the newer locomotives.

 

Gilly

 

 

im sorry guys ,you guys are great but my 58 year old little brain cant take this all in,,,,im going back to HO  only kidden

There is a wide variety of track out there and some work well others don't.

 

Gargraves track with Ross Custom switches gives you the greatest variety of switches and track sections. MTH engines don't like Gargraves 042 switches.

 

Fastrack and Realtrax are limited in curve sizes and switch combinations.

Also there are several posts on here about the problems with Fastrack switches.

 

My favorite track is tubular style from postwar time, or Gargraves track. It is less expensive and less problems with layout construction.

 

Williams by Bachmann now sells track tubular track, and the old style Super Streets now called E Z Streets for use with trolleys and small sedans.

 

RMT trains also sells tubular track in 031 and 072 size curves and switches, and a few straight track sizes.

 

Atlas sells O gauge track and switches but I don't much about Atlas track.

 

Lee Fritz

Two questions that I can not answer because I do not have first hand experience with all the track or transformers made.

 

To me the most pain in the back side is the old Lionel track but it sure has its fans. I love my Lionel Fast Track and I am ok with my MTH Real Track. I never used any other types.

 

Transformer - well I don't use one for my layout. I just use the Lionel 180 bricks in combination with my MTH TIU and Lionel TMCC. Thus I can not give an opinion for the best layout transformer.

 

For the three loops around the Christmas tree I use MTH Z-1000's. I like them better than the Lionel CW -80. My guess on the better transformer would me the MTH Z-4000 but only because it is big bucks cheaper than the newer Lionel ZW.

 

 

The classics:  Super"O" and Lionel "LW".  Never been matched for value/performance and most importantly, Aesthetic appeal.

So how does Lionel prewar work with Fastrack and Realtrax?

I have no issues at all, however I do not use  Realtrax switches it is just a loop. The FT switches work just fine.

The OP's original question is like asking, "Who makes the best car?" 

I can get my hands on some( super 0 track who makes it ),its not so wimsey lookin

Its got a real small middle rail,will all my locos run on that

I know but refuse to tell, it might cause a shortage.

Super O was a Lionel product. Will all your locos run on it? I dunno; it depends upon the minimum curve diameter requirement for your loco. It still has a broad following. If you have adequate supply to construct your layout, go for it.

 

You may want to read this... http://www.toytrainrevue.com/sup-o.htm

 

Gilly

There is plenty of Super-O around.  More expensive than postwar tubular, but cheaper than anything new.  As I said, it won't work for prewar.  The other negative is that it was only ever produced in 36" diameter curves. However, it is quite possible to rework Super-O curves into arbitrary radii. The information on how to do this is readily available. Switches are more of a challenge, but many people mix other brand switches with Super-O track. With its flat copper center rail, Super-O is about as good-looking as 3-rail is ever going to get. 

 

If you are intrigued, I suggest you subscribe to the Super-O Yahoo! group:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lionel_SuperO_Track/

 

It will change your life.  

Swank - when it comes to track, one thing that should - but rarely ever is - discussed is electrical connectivity. Full disclosure - I went with Atlas because of aethetics and because nickel silver is a good electrical conductor. Having said that, the rail material itself is only part of the equation. What really matters is how the track sections fit together from an electrical flow standpoint. I believe Atlas is probably the riskiest of all the track choices. This is based on the fact that the sections dont actually interlock in any way. They rely on those little track connectors to stay tight. I'm in the process of laying track now and happy to report that I have zero issues - when I ensure those little things are super tight. But will they relax over time? I just don't know. Looking at Ross, GarGraves, Tubular Lionel and even MTH scale trax - from a structural standpoint, it seems they all should have superior electrical conductivity. The hollow track choices have a steel pin that deeply inserts into it's neighboring track section. Solid connection. And, the MTH scale stuff has two metal pressure clip things that mash against each other creating what should be a very good connection too. In terms of turnouts and transformers, that it much more a matter of opinion. Peter

 

My understanding (and I have not tried it...) is that any engine with pickup shoes instead of pickup rollers will have a hard time with Super O. I am going to guess that some Marx engines and some prewar Lionel engines that have single reduction motors (with the "fat wheel", where the gear goes all the way to the edge of the flange) will not make it through a switch or crossing. However that's a problem for nearly every track system. Most people who have engines like that will include a loop of track on the layout with no switches (or crossings) for those units.

 

Before I spent a lot of money on Super O, I would recommend joining the Yahoo group mentioned earlier in this thread. There's a ton of info there and a good bunch of guys to help you out.

 

As for transformers, stick with anything that puts out a pure sine wave and you'll be able to run nearly anything. If you are running really old prewar, you may need a prewar transformer to get the voltages needed to make the trains fly off the track, but I think that was just a standard gauge thing. Some of the prewar transformers put out up to 24 volts, whereas postwar and newer ones top out at around 20. If you are using an old transformer with modern engines, you may need to add a sound activation button or two to blow the horn or ring the bell.

 

Hope this helps,

 

J White

 

It's good to mention about having good electrical connections in the track. 

 

The one thing that I look for is how well does it fit together if you do a custom track plan? Well I can say that Fastrack fails greatly in this department as it needs small fitter pieces to do what I use to do with tubular track in 042 and Fastrack don't always stay together for me. I had it on a floor layout, not fastened down.

 

A little FYI, I am still using a postwar ZW transformer that I bought in the 1960's, replaced the rollers once or twice and cleaned the contact area.

 

Lee Fritz

May I suggest something to the OP? You mention you are running trains from all eras, and that you found fasttrack to be too expensive, but it would be a lot easier if you were a little more specific:

 

1)Are you building a layout, or is this carpet central? And how big is the layout going to be? With a 4x8, the difference in price isn't going to be prohibitive, but if you are dreaming of a 20x25 layout the difference in track prices may be......

 

2)If you are building a floor layout, tubular or something like RealTrax or Fasttrack may be the way to go, because of the way they mate together (Gargraves could work). They IMO will work better for temporary layouts.

 

3)Are you looking to make a more realistic look, or is it more a toy train/tinplate look? If you want the tracks to look more realistic, then Gargraves or Atlas or MTH Scale Trax would be good choices. 

 

Gargraves to me is one of the better bargains, you can get it on a foot by foot basis cheaper than most other track types, other than standard lionel tubular track. Gargraves in its flex track form is easier to work with, and on a price basis, new or used, is relatively modestly priced because it is 37" long pieces, that I saw a 51 box of used for like 170 (on the other hand, there was some moron selling a 51 box new at 370, when you can get it for 100 bucks cheaper at any number of dealers)....most track can be found used, it simply is a matter of looking for it on the bay, at shows and such, and finding the good price.

 

Again, a lot depends on your requirements, the question about best track is very individual. As I plan my first real layout in a long time, I am planning on using Gargraves and Ross, it seems to have the combination of price and looks and performance that will work for me. 

 

Now on to the transformer:

 

1)Are you planning to run multiple trains? If so, a larger transformer like a ZW, Z4000 makes sense. You can get rebuilt post war ZW'a or used z4000's for reasonable prices, but if you have a lot of modern engines, I would recommend thinking about a Z4000 or newer ZW (which could, as others point out, have issues with some older modern engines, like PS1 systems I believe). 

 

Plus, are you planning to have a lot of track switches with switch motors? Are you planning accessories and lighting? If so, you may want to have multiple transformers, to run the trains and then everything else. 

 

 

Then, too, if you have modern command control engines, you may want to think about command control, using one of the transformers mentioned (I would suggest using a modern transformer, though older ones can work with fast blow circuit breakers and surge protection).

 

Again, it comes down to yourself and what your needs are. I recommend actually looking for pictures of the various track systems, and see what you like and also keep in mind that running older rolling stock from the deep flange era, some track systems (like Scale Trax or Atlas) might have issues, that tubular or tubular like track (gargraves, fastrack) might not have.

 

Jerry