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| WeedenSteam |
Bowman 234 on Atlas trackWill a Bowman 234 run on Atlas track? |
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| johnreid |
I hate to sound iffy, but I think so. I believe their curves are 42" diameter curves and I believe the height of the rails is comparable to Cargraves. The wider the curve radius the better | ||
| WeedenSteam |
Thanks John, was looking at flex track so it was just height of the rails that worried me. | ||
| johnreid |
Compare it to Lionel track, probably sold at the same place. the regular Lionel track works fine but stay away from )27 track as it doesnt work well at all...
With 027 the Bowman will derail, but iit works fine on regular Lionel track. |
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| Keith S |
That runs well. I enjoyed that. Does it have oscillating cylinders? It's smooth. | ||
| johnreid |
The are Oscillating cylinders, in fact the simplest of designs, but a good design. That one has sped up quite a bit since then, I have some of the wicks capped off now. Bowman Locomotives are so much fun. | ||
| Nick |
Re: Bowman 234 on Atlas track
2 rail or 3 rail? I just bought some Atlas 3 rail today. The 2 rail was very small compared to the 3 rail. I like how it's weather resistant so it should hold up better than the Lionel track that I was using and the rails are solid. The center rail is also blackened so it's not seen and the ties look realistic. Be ready to empty the wallet though, I bought 16 pcs. of 0-72 and 16 pcs. of 0-54. I also picked up a few 40 inch straights and 10 inch straights. Total came to $283!  
Bowmans will not work on Atlas switches or crossings. I had my 234 and my 410 along and both will de-rail. Again, I would not recommend 2 rail Atlas track for Bowmans, I went with 3 rail like this: https://secure.atlasrr.com/ato1/itemdesc.asp?ic=6062&eq=&Tp= 
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| johnreid |
If I was to buy new track, Gargraves makes a 2 rail O gauge track and I have been told that the price is good. The 302 is O gauge flex track with Stainless Steel rails, I bet that is weatherproof.
As far as Lionel track goes, it can be painted if you wish as we are not running electric trains, or as far as that goes a light rust is the right color and probably better for traction. |
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| Nick |
I did look at the Gargraves too, but that had very short rails and most of it had wooden ties.
They did have some with plastic ties and stainless rails. I do plan to eventually set mine up outdoors, so I went with Atlas since it's weather resistant, and being 3-rail, electric trains can run on it if I ever wanted to, or if someone else did. |