Mixing 027 and O cars on 027 track

Mark Smith

New Member
I am a complete novice and just received my father's 1947 Lionel 027 train and track. My naive question is: if I purchase an 0 scale car, will it couple with and work with this 027 scale train? Thanks for indulging a beginner.
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Yes, No, and maybee. OK I didn't know, but I have a section of O scale dual gauge track as a test track. I have some O-27 cars that were my dads. they fit on the scale rails, although thier flanges are way too big and would not fit through scale flangeways on switches.


The couplers were about the same height as my On3 couplers, but are a lot bulkier than O scale couplers, so you would be lucky if they would work at all , much less well.

The bigest issue is electrical. O-27 track has a center rail that is isolated, and the right and left rails are electrically connected. The O scale, often refered to as two rail, has rails that are insulated from each other. thus a two rail car has wheel sets that are insulated to prevent shorting. the 0-27 cars axles do not need insulation as the outside rails are electrically linked. as a result an O-27 car would cause a short on a section of two rail track. A scale car might work on a section of 0-27 track, should the couplers line up, but the smaller flanges and skinnier wheel profile might cause problems.

So should you want to use a scale car on O-27 it would be best to alter the car with O-27 trucks and couplers. Most scale cars have underbody detail that would interfeare with the needed truck , so the amount of work needed would likely be prohibative. Likewise were you to want to run a O-27 car on two rail, you might want to replace the trucks and couplers,. many O-27 cars are prety crude , and might not be woth the effort, as they would look toy like next to scale equipment.


Bill nelson
 
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