Schleicher - Lionel FasTrack Model Railroads

Robert Schleicher

First published in 2009 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company,
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

Copyright 2009, 2010 by Robert Schleicher
Softcover edition published in 2009. Digital edition 2010.

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no
part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.
All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher,
who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.

This publication has not been prepared, approved, or licensed by Lionel LLC.

We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations
mentioned herein are the property of the trademark holder. We use them for
identification purposes only. This is not an official publication.

Voyageur Press titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity
for industrial or sales-promotional use. For details write to Special Sales Manager
at MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.

To find out more about our books, visit us online at www.voyageurpress.com.

Digital edition: 978-1-61673-219-6
Softcover edition: 978-0-7603-3590-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Schleicher, Robert H.
Lionel FasTrack model railroads: The easy way to build a
realistic Lionel layout / Robert Schleicher.1st ed.
p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-7603-3590-1 (sb : alk. paper)
1. RailroadsModels. 2. Lionel L.L.C. I. Title.
TF197.S3387 2009
625.19dc22
2008036096

Designer: John P. Sticha
Printed in Singapore

Steve Sherman and his crew from Quality Machine Solutions in Enfield, Connecticut, created the sheer rock cliff scenery for Mark Cavalieres FasTrack layout ().

You expect Lionel to provide a simple model railroad system, one that even an older child can assemble successfully. And so it does, thanks in part to the clever design of the brands track and electric control systems, which are designed to be operated on the living room floor or on a dedicated tabletop. You can assemble the layout of your dreams, take it apart to reassemble the next one, and be assured that each layout will operate as realistically and reliably as the first.

Any Lionel O-27 or O scale locomotive or car from the past 100 years will operate on FasTrack, including the incredibly detailed O scale EMD F3A like this one from Bill Langsdorfs layout ().

Lionel has been stamping three-rail track from sheet-steel strips for more than a century, and their all-steel track can still be purchased today, but Lionel FasTrack really is the Lionel track for the new millennium. Lionel had offered alternate track systems before, but none of them were any better, in balance, than the all-steel stuff. FasTrack, however, is almost as rugged as the all-steel track, easier to assemble and disassemble, and looks like real railroad track. Furthermore, FasTrack is not just track and switchesits an entire track system.

FasTrack is quick to assemble and even quicker to disassemble. The original Lionel all-steel track is rugged, and it takes a bit of strength to force the tight-fitting pins into the hollow rails. FasTrack is a much different concept in track design because it combines the realism of durable plastic with the strength of steel rails.

Basic information about assembling FasTrack and wiring is explained and illustrated in The Lionel FasTrack Book. Electrical wiring and additional layout building and operating information are in both The Big Book of Lionel and The Lionel Train Book.

Lionel fans expect an easy-to-assemble track that functions properly, with everything else a bonus. With FasTrack, the bonus is that it is all very realistic. The ballast looks like loose pieces of rock, the ties like wood, and the simulated spike heads like steel. Surprisingly, the center third rail does not seem to detract from the realism; when FasTrack was introduced the center rail was blackened, but enthusiasts screamed loudly and Lionel repented. Today FasTrack has three shiny steel rails.

FasTrack utilizes an injection-molded plastic base that includes simulated rock ballast roadbed, wood ties, tie plates, and spike heads. The rail is still formed from hollow steel strips with flat metal tabs that fit inside the hollow rails of the adjoining track section. The plastic roadbed has snap interlocks that make an audible click when the track is assembled tightly, and the steel pins in the rails provide both strength and positive electric-current flow.

Michael Fritschie placed his tabletop FasTrack layout () in the attic of his home and crafted the scenery.

Before FasTrack became available, if you wanted truly realistic track, you added wood ties and loose ballast to the all-steel track, hopefully with the loose gravel cemented solidly in place. Other brands of track offered more accurate-size ties, but with the challenging prospect of adding that loose ballast and gluing the whole mess to the tabletop. FasTrack combines the realism of loose ballast with the ability to move track to change the layout, or to add or remove sidings without needing to tear the track and glued-down ballast from the tabletop.

About a dozen basic Lionel track plan configurations have been developed over the past 100 years, most of which are discussed in The Lionel FasTrack Book along with the FasTrack geometry. Essentially, Lionel designers were careful and clever enough to produce every size and type of track section the owner could possibly need to create any Lionel layout imaginable, from a 4x8-foot under-bed layout to a 40x80 empire. The layouts can be expanded, modified, and even joined together to create a custom track plan. There are track plans for most of the layouts in this book to serve as suggestions.

The majority of Lionel FasTrack layouts are simply assembled on the floor, disassembled, and reassembled to suit an owners whims. You can, however, elevate the layout to a more comfortable height and still rearrange the track anytime you wish.