Questions about Hudson derailing on Lionel Switch

[gmaneis]

I am new to O gauge and need the advice of someone who knows. My beautiful new Williams by Bachmann Hudson steamer is apparently not made for Lionel O-27 tube track switches. They are obviously made cheaply, and the engine either jumps when it enters the curved route of the switch (it goes okay through the straight-through routing), or completely binds up in the switch and comes to a sudden and frustrating and unacceptable stop! So my question is: Which would be better....work on the switch (which I have no clue how to do), or change to the new Fastrack, which would be 36 inch radius and probably would not stop the engine. My layout space is small.......just a dogbone loop to loop. Are Fastrack manual switches non-derailing? If they are, a loop to loop would have no need to power them.
I'm still like a 5 year old on Christmas morning, and love to just watch a train roll while I work on buildlings and scenery. Any help will be appreciated. This is an awesome place for newbies to get answers.

[DominicMazoch]

Do you have the baby or scale hudson?  I think the baby takes O31, the scale O42.  If you have FT, thebaby will have no problem.  Scale WILL do FT 36 swithes on the straight path, but not curved.

[gmaneis]

Thanks, DominicMazoch. I have the baby and 4 baby passenger cars. Mail order place said all would go around O-27, and they do, most of the time, but the engine always balks and jumps even if it makes it through the diverging route of the switches. Do you know if FT manual switches are non-derailing like the remotes? This would save me some moola on my loop to loop simple layout if I buy FT. Thanks again.

[DominicMazoch]

I THINK FT M's are non-derailling.  Check Lionel Cat.

WBB cat does say O-27.  But L switches in tube are not the same as they used to be....

[phillyreading]

Lionel 027 switches are not meant for anything large to go through the curved section, as the motor housing gets in the way. K-Line before the Lionel buyout had 42 inch 027 switches that would prevent the hang-ups associated with regular 027 switches.
Gargraves or Ross Custom switches are very low profile and will do much better than the 027 series switches.
Atlas also makes track and switches, I have no experiance with Atlas in O gauge track.

Lee F.

[DominicMazoch]

Marx used to make O-27 switches with low profile switch machines.

[gmaneis]

Can Ross or Gargraves switches be connected to Lionel O27 track?

[DominicMazoch]

There are adapotor pins for Lionel to GG.  I have used GG to o-27, but the GG is a taller tack.

[phillyreading]

There are adapotor pins for Lionel to GG.  I have used GG to o-27, but the GG is a taller tack.

I have not noticed that Gargraves track is higher than 027 track, at least no noticeable differance that ffects train operations.
O gauge track is higher than Gargraves and will need to be shimmed a little to use a Gargraves switch with 031 or larger track.

Lee F.