# These Fast Track switches are becoming a real PIA



## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

I have some of the O-36 Fastrack remote switches that just will not work. I have the Pennsylvania Flyer locomotive that has real problems with the last two that I have purchased. My other locos do as well, but it seems that the Pen Flyer is the worst. Forward, it will go into the turn out just fine, but in reverse, when backing a train onto a storage siding, the back drivers just go over the top of the frog, but the front drivers try to follow it, and of course it derails.

I have one that I have bent and ground, with no success (Warranty shot on that one), and another that I heated and bent because the Flyer would just back straight thru the turn out and go straight on down the main line. I heated it up good and hot and made a gentle bend in it so that it, now, closes off against the main rail, and now it just does the same thing as the one that I ground on. The rear driver backs right over the top of the frog, while the front drivers try to follow it, and as with the other switch it derails.

I have a lot invested in fastrack, and now I am becoming very uncomfortable with the whole thing. Do any of you have these same issues, even after making the bends? This if very disappointing, to say the least.

I just had to rant, please forgive me.
Any help appreciated.

Roger


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## josef (Jun 20, 2015)

I been lucky with my fastrack switches. But have heard and seen engines going through sparking, shorting out, derail engines. Those with other brand tracks, seem to not have these problems.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm using O72, my Christmas layout had an O36 siding switch, and backing through it sometimes was an issue.


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## tabkld93 (Oct 18, 2012)

I have 15 of the O36 switches around the layout. I seldom have an issue going forward or backward. Can't say it never happens, but seldom.


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## Lynn D Bennett (Jul 27, 2013)

Just out of curiosity who makes the best switches and switch motors? My MTH RealTrax switches are a joke they are so bad. I got them to work but it was not from the box to the layout, by any means. Now this post says the FasTrack switches are problematical too.

I noted on my RealTrax switches that the guide rails opposite the frog had way too much clearance, allowing the wheels to get guided into derailment by the frog. Those guide rails are suppose to preclude that. In my case the wheels were hitting the pointed end of the frog and either derailing there or trying to follow the wrong tracks. Also, the points did not make hard contact with the adjacent rail. Part of the problem was the points were not traveling far enough thanks to the internal micro switches and the switch motor travel. Switches by others with independent switch motors that are adjustable for travel (like the old switch motors on my HO layout of 60 years ago) seem like a better design (??). At least the guide rails worked. I believe those switches were Atlas but I don't remember whose switch motors I used but they had the contacts for the points and had adjustable travel and were under the layout.

LDBennett


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I've had really good luck with Fastrack switches for the past ten years. Sorry to hear you are having problems. I've had only remote switches, but everything from 72 to 36 inch. I've had as many as twenty-two on the layout but have only two now - the only Fastrack left; I converted to Atlas about 3 years ago now but make custom conversion sections so I could keep two because they are better than any other switches as far as aut-switching dependability. Flawless.

To me, it sounds like it is the loco, not the switches. You say as much - you other locos do fine. Some locos get a bit "warped" or whatever, and while they run well enough on normal track give problems on switches or changes in grade. If your Pennsy Flyer is an RTR loco, it probably has a plastic chassis and this could be case.

From time to time in the past, I, too, had similar problems - a troublesome loco that would not make in through one switch, one way, etc. I always solved it:
- first, I always checked to see if it is the loco or the switch by seeing if the loco would do the same "trick" on more than one switch. From what you say, your Pennsy Flyer does it on two, so . . . 
- it might be the loco. I have one where I concluded it was the loco and there was nothing I could do about it - so I just don't run it backwards over swtiches or on one curve where it also balks. In my case a big Lionel 2-12-4 Up 9000. Its just too long and too fussy to back up through )-72 Fastrack switches. (For all I know it might balk at all other 72" switches, I've never tried. It bobbles but gores through straight, and is otherwise fine. I just live with it. 

- You can try to change the elevation or slightly bent the switches. when I did have problem switches, two, it was because they were installed with a slightl bow and lows lifted a bit off them, or maybe they need a bit of a convex bow so locos would grab the end as they went through. Either way, adjusting the fit of the switch to the benchwork to bow it slightly one way or the other fixed the two. But in both cases, it was multiple locos that misbehaved.

I'd look at the loco, not the switches.


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

Lee Willis said:


> I've had really good luck with Fastrack switches for the past ten years. Sorry to hear you are having problems. I've had only remote switches, but everything from 72 to 36 inch. I've had as many as twenty-two on the layout but have only two now - the only Fastrack left; I converted to Atlas about 3 years ago now but make custom conversion sections so I could keep two because they are better than any other switches as far as aut-switching dependability. Flawless.
> 
> To me, it sounds like it is the loco, not the switches. You say as much - you other locos do fine. Some locos get a bit "warped" or whatever, and while they run well enough on normal track give problems on switches or changes in grade. If your Pennsy Flyer is an RTR loco, it probably has a plastic chassis and this could be case.
> 
> ...


Just to be clear, I didn’t say it was just the Pen Flyer, but I did say that the Flyer seems to be the worst.
The odd thing with the Flyer is that, of these two switches, the it used to back through the turnout just fine, and for a fairly long time, but now it doesn’t. I don’t remember which on it was, now It just backs over the tip of the frog, and it is the rear drivers that are the problem, as the front drivers will follow the frog. Also, when going forward, into the turn out, it does just fine.

My Grand Central Express and BNSF SD70 ACE also struggle with some of these switches.

On another, completely different, switch, other than these two, it was the Grand Central Express that would derail when backing through. The back truck went through just fine, but the rear truck would roll over the frog. On that switch, when I tried to bend frog tip, I didn’t know about heating the tip, and it broke off. Now the GCE has no problems, and if I recall the Pen Flyer has no issues with this one either. That seems a bit odd, as there is now a relatively blunt frog there, with the tip broken off.

On these two switches that I am currently addressing, my BNSF SD70 ACE would derail when backing into the turnout on the switch that I ground back, but now seems OK with it. I have not tried it on the other of these two, nor have I tried to back it through that vary first switch addressed above. I have also not tried to back the GCE through these two switches.

To your point, I will do a complete experiment with all my locos and all my switches to just see what the true result might be. The two in question are on storage sidings, while the others are all on through sidings that go in one end and out the other end, so I don’t need to back through them, so I will go ahead and test them all, and then get back with the results. I also have a Polar Express, Lion Chief, Berkshire that I will test.

On another note, it seems that the chuff has quit working on the Lion Chief Penn Flyer. It still smokes but the chuff has stopped.

Stay tuned,
Roger


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

I bought 6 Fastrack switches last year, and had trouble backing, also I had trouble when switched to take the diverging route the pilot wheels would take the diverging track, but the drivers would go straight. This happened on more than one switch and with more than one locomotive. I tweaked them some, and things got a bit better. I finally decided to take 4 out, the 4 that allowed trains to go from the inner loop to the outer loop and back again. On a 4x8 layout, I thought it was to complicated. (Personal opinion) I sold the four, and kept 2 for my little yard on the inner loop.

That said, I have been stockpiling GarGraves track for my permanent layout and intend to buy Ross Custom switches. That was the intent all along, I just got Fastrack for ease of assembly when I was getting close to having my second carpal tunnel surgery on each hand in 20 years.


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## phillyreading (Aug 25, 2015)

I tried Fastrack some and was not fond of it for 2 reasons, the first was how it went together & didn't allow for any tolerances to be off more then a half percent, second was the cost of Fastrack plus astronomical prices for switches.
Sorry to hear that Fastrack switches are causing problems. Lionel's tubular switches(6-23010 & 23011) caused me problems about 15 or 16 years ago so I went over to Gargraves switches.

I have just placed an order the other day for 3 Ross switches in 042 and some track pins. I already have some Gargraves track.

Lee Fritz


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## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

Gargraves track and Ross switches, zero problems with these guys.

Bill


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

seayakbill said:


> Gargraves track and Ross switches, zero problems with these guys.
> 
> Bill


I have looked at Gargraves switches, and I would love to use them, but it looks like they don't have anything tighter than O-42. They may be great but I don't see how you could use them on a smaller layout.

Am I missing something here?

They seem to have O-32 curves, which I might be able to live with, but I would have to make some not so trivial changes. The O-31 style works perfectly for my layout, given the space that I have available to put it in.

Are there any other track systems that do have O-31 curves and switches, other than MTH and Lionel?


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

I have several Fastrack switches and I've only ever had to send one back for repair (locked up). I'd check the gauge of the rear drivers, especially if it is a Lionchief. Another idea is to creep through the turnoutand video it. Play it over and over looking at every aspect of entry. I've done that at the club layout when trying to figure out an issue. I've seen front pilots misadjusted, locos binding in the rear truck or pilot, wheelies, and all sorts of odd anomalies.


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## phillyreading (Aug 25, 2015)

herkulese said:


> I have looked at Gargraves switches, and I would love to use them, but it looks like they don't have anything tighter than O-42. They may be great but I don't see how you could use them on a smaller layout.
> 
> Am I missing something here?
> 
> ...


Gargraves has 032 track & switches that are just a bit larger then Lionel's 031 curves. Or you can go with Ross Custom switches as they have 031 switches. With either Gargraves or Ross you will need adapter pins for the track, Ross has the pins on their website; www.rosscustomswitches.com
I am switching over to Ross Custom switches on my layout.
With Ross or Gargraves switches the switch motors are different then Lionel & MTH, the switch motors are on the side of the switch and can be replaced a whole lot easier then with Lionel or MTH switches.

Lee Fritz


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

phillyreading said:


> Gargraves has 032 track & switches that are just a bit larger then Lionel's 031 curves. Or you can go with Ross Custom switches as they have 031 switches. With either Gargraves or Ross you will need adapter pins for the track, Ross has the pins on their website; www.rosscustomswitches.com
> I am switching over to Ross Custom switches on my layout.
> With Ross or Gargraves switches the switch motors are different then Lionel & MTH, the switch motors are on the side of the switch and can be replaced a whole lot easier then with Lionel or MTH switches.
> 
> Lee Fritz


Thanks for the info Philly,

I looked on GarGraves site, but did not see O-32 switches, so I just called out there, and verified that while they do have O-32 curves, they actually don’t have O-32 switches. O-42 is the tightest switch that they offer. He also informed me the SCARM software has there track in its library, so I will try out my layout in their track.

That said, the guy was really great to talk to, and since they are just 50 minutes away from me, and are open on Saturdays, I am going to go out there some Saturday soon, maybe even this Saturday, to just see what they are all about. My local dealer carries there product, but I really want to get out there to their factory store. He informed me that Saturdays are really about jawboning about trains and track, and they have a really nice layout in the store so that I can see just how it all works.

I will also look into Ross custom switches as well.


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