# Running S and O on the same track?



## ChopperCharles (Jan 3, 2012)

Does anyone make a four-rail track that would allow me to run both Lionel and American Flyer on the same track? Or is this just a pipe dream?

Charles.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

I've seen pictures of O track adapted to run S, along with the O. Essentially, you remove the metal ties from standard AF track and lay it between the two outer rails for O gauge: you end up with 5-rail track.


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## ChopperCharles (Jan 3, 2012)

Reckers said:


> I've seen pictures of O track adapted to run S, along with the O. Essentially, you remove the metal ties from standard AF track and lay it between the two outer rails for O gauge: you end up with 5-rail track.


Well, wouldn't you only need to lay one rail?

I see two options really.... lay a new rail and use one of the o-rails... or MOVE the center rail, and offset the pickup on the O-scale locomotive. Run the AF between the left rail and the now-moved center rail...

That would be an awful lot of work... was hoping I could just buy something 

Charles.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

I've never seen it for sale, Charles. As for the one-rail scenario, you would have to deal with that pesky AC/DC thing. In addition, unless I'm mistaken, O gauge track is higher than S scale (i.e., rail height from tie to crown). If I'm correct, this could be used to advantage to attempt hi-speed performance on curves, but would look like a drunken sailor coming down the straight sections.


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## ChopperCharles (Jan 3, 2012)

Wait, isn't lionel also AC? It doesn't matter, I can run separate transformers. I just thought it'd be kinda neat to run the Hogwarts Express around Christmastime. I was thinking about this though, looking at the tracks side by side (photos), and all I'd really have to do is disassemble the AF track and reassemble it inside of the O-track. The ties are approx the same height. The other option would be to take apart O track for the rails, and AF track for the ties, and combine them so that I'd have one extra rail instead of two... but I'm not really sure that's worth the expense or time. If I just run regular old AF track inside of O track, I think that's probably the easiest and cheapest to DIY. 

Now the question is... can I get curves in the same radius...

At any rate, this is going to be a back-burner, do-it-sometime-in-the-future project. For now, I'm just getting the room finished and the AF track installed. 

Alternatively, I suppose I can just paint a locomotive similar to the hogwarts express. Kids aren't going to know it's not an Olton Hall (to my knowledge that loco has never been made for AF, so i'd have to fudge it with something else). The passenger cars I've seen on eBay are a reasonable match, so it might just be easier to go that route.

Charles.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

The height of the center rail of the O is going to cause you soooooo many issues with the running gear and couplers on the S... if you raise the S rails up so that the S clears the center rail that will be good but thats a ton of work!
Insulating that monster is also going to a real challenge, the ties from the S can not touch the O outside and the inside rail.
I'm guessing you are just looking at making a loop out of it because a switch would require an engineering degree and a ton of $$!


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## ChopperCharles (Jan 3, 2012)

Yeah, I think it's probably easier to just keep everything S. Oh well... I'd love to run new lionel trains, but nowhere to put them, and I have a sentimental attachment to AF. But it appears there's a few "new" options out there. There's apparently a new passenger train that was produced in like 2008, and there's a "Big Boy" too. So I can still get some new stuff that interests me. And portlines has a lot of cool stuff too.

Hrm... wonder if that big boy runs on 19" curves...

Charles.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

ChopperCharles said:


> Yeah, I think it's probably easier to just keep everything S. Oh well... I'd love to run new lionel trains, but nowhere to put them, and I have a sentimental attachment to AF. But it appears there's a few "new" options out there. There's apparently a new passenger train that was produced in like 2008, and there's a "Big Boy" too. So I can still get some new stuff that interests me. And portlines has a lot of cool stuff too.
> 
> Hrm... wonder if that big boy runs on 19" curves...
> 
> Charles.


How big is your table?

You could put a loop of O over the S?
On trestles? Elevated.

Something like T man did, he has S and O and HO and soon N all on one 8x8 table.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

T man Table,

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=1672


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## ChopperCharles (Jan 3, 2012)

No table, this is running at the ceiling of my library.

Charles.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Charles, one of our members made a jig for bending rails to his preferred curvature and said it worked pretty well (http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=3931&highlight=bending+rail). I'd say the only limitations are those posed by your locomotives: they can either make the turn or they can't.


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