Will other brands of trolleys run on the tight radius Super Streets track. I noticed Atlas trolley sets have O36 track include in their sets.

Thanks and great forum!

[/quote]

quote:

Will other brands of trolleys run on the tight radius Super Streets track

Answer

RMT(Ready Made Toys)BEEP (short "0" Gauge engine with 4 wheel drive) will run on the tight radius superstreets track.

I tried running eight wheel trolleys on superstreets 16" diameter track without succes. K Line catalog does show a larger 21" diameter superstreets track, but I haven't been able to get it yet.

www.njhirailers.com

I changed my superstreets to the Larger 21" radius and run the RMT Beeps on it.

Chris

On the layout at Engine House Hobbies, Ron runs an MTH PCC on the tight radius Super Streets. He also has the transition piece at each corner.

Anyone tried the Western Hobbycraft trolley on Superstreets yet? I am guessing the 21" may work but kinda want to know before I get involved in buying the track product.

My Western Hobbycraft trolley negotiates the 21 inch (diameter) S/S curve.
NMRA RP-11 for trolleys on city streets recommends a minimum 9-in radius. Interurbans on city streets receommended min radius is 12.5 inches.
I expect you could run a single-truck trolley on SuperStreets 8-in radius, but that's all.

My Western Hobbycraft Trolley will NOT negotiate my 16" Diameter Oval set up.

I haven't had a chance to set up and test my SuperStreets trolley set yet, but I assume that most any of the single-truck cars should operate on the small radius curves--Lionel, K-Line by Lionel, MTH, Corgi (if motorized), and Bowser.

I'm planning to construct a SuperStreets layout here at home in the very near future. Just need to get the platform made and buy some additional sections of track. I'll be testing/using all brands of single-truck trolley cars on that layout when it's ready to go. Depending on what I end up with, track-wise, I'll also try some of my two-truck cars on the pike: Bowser, MTH, Atlas/IR, Western Hobbycraft, etc.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Allan Miller,

The two axle or four wheel Birney type MTH cars will not make the smaller 16 in radius curves on Superstreets. The axles are spaced too far apart and hang up in the curve. they will make the 21 in curve.

I feel like some one or group should advocate K-line/Lionel for one more size up curve for Superstreets as well so trolleys like the IR Atlas car can have a curve in double track running. As of now I have two routes a Lionel Birney route and a everything else O 21 route. The Birney layout track is much more interesting and dianamic while the o 21 is out of necessity a a boring straight dogbone because there is no nesting curve for the outside if the inside curve is o 21.

Please K-lionel make one more size curve in this system it will really increase the track systems usefulness.

While the K Line superstreets 16" and 21" diameter curved tracks doe fit close together, another consideration is that only narrow cars can pass on curves.

Trolleys may pass each other on parallel straight runs, but there is insufficent clearance between those 16" and 21" diameter curves for wide body and some will side swipe each other on superstreet parallel curves due to long overhang.

www.njhirailers.com

Thanks to Rich Melvin and his truck, I was able to acquire three hollow-core doors at the local Lowe's a couple of weeks ago. One of those doors--a 36-inch-wide one--is currently in my master bedroom and is in the process of becoming a all-tinplate New Marx layout.

One of the other two doors (both of which are 32-inches wide) will be moved from the garage and into my second bedroom, where it will become a SuperStreets trolley pike of some sort. If it works out well, I may expand it further by using the additional door, or even buy one or two more doors.

I have a fair amount of SuperStreets track components available now, and will be looking for more at York--especially 21-inch curves and a good number of additional straight sections.

I'm a big fan of traction, so am hoping that I'll be able to put the various trolleys I have stashed away to good use in the very near future.

Since I'm very much a novice with SuperStreets, I very much enjoy reading the tips, tricks, and techniques employed by others who have experience with this innovative track system. Would also enjoy seeing photos of SuperStreets layouts, and/or more traditional layouts that have incorporated SuperStreets as an additional feature.

21 in Super Street!

How many sections does it take to make a 90 degree curve?
Can you add a straight to the center of the 90 degree curve?

MAP

It takes (2) two sectons of Superstreets 21 inch curved track to make a 90 degree curve since each curved section is 45 degrees.

You must use a CURVE-TO-CURVE "straight" section between the two curved sections, since they would have the same wider width grooves. If you tried to put a regular straight section (with narrow width grooves)adjacent to any curved section, it may work only in one direction (from narrow groove to wide) but the wheels may jump off the track when going in the other direction (from wide groove to narrow).

www.njhirailers.com

Norb

Thanks for the information, I do not have any of the Superstreets yet but I am about to order some for testing.
I saw the Model street layout in Hamburg, Germany and I was so impressed that I might have to put something together.
MAP

How about some O-27 SS so you could model some industial tackage with stuff like docksiders, tank engines, NW-2's?

quote:

One of the other two doors (both of which are 32-inches wide) will be moved from the garage and into my second bedroom, where it will become a SuperStreets trolley pike of some sort. If it works out well, I may expand it further by using the additional door, or even buy one or two more doors.

I'm a big fan of traction, so am hoping that I'll be able to put the various trolleys I have stashed away to good use in the very near future.

Allan, have you made any progress with your trolley pike? I might have to give up my layout area in the near future and would like to build something that I can still run my MTH Birneys and PCCs on and have thought about using a hollow core door as well with SuperStreets. My only hesitations are what I've heard about the Birneys not being able to negociate the smaller radius curves and also the reported problem of trolleys/cars hitting each other when using both size curves next to each other.

Have you run into either of these problems yet with your layout?

Dave

Dave:

The layout I'm building is primarily a 3-rail layout for "regular" trains with SuperStreets trolley lines as an addition.

Actually, I had two loops of SuperStreets up and running, but dismantled them this past weekend because I have decided to elevate the town-and-trolley portion of the layout to allow for the regular trains to run underneath.

I did test things out with a number of different trolleys when I had the two loops up. I found that, in general, the single-truck Birneys worked pretty well on the 16" diameter curves, although there was some slow-down on the curves. I tried the postwar Lionel #60, several LTI and LLC Birneys, and the K-Line by Lionel "City Transit" cars on this loop, as well as the City Transit speeder. Also tried a Corgi Birney (very nice cars) equipped with a PHM drive, but it didn't perform all that well on the 16" curves.

Everything performed better on the 21" diameter curves, which is to be expected. I operated a Bowser Brill car on that loop, as well as the smaller cars. When I get a new loop up and running, I'll try out my MTH and Western Hobbycraft Brills. I also need to get an MTH PCC and an Atlas/Industrial Rails Brill to try out (after I sell a few other train items). I thought I still had one or two MTH PCCs around here, but haven't been able to find them since my move last year. I sold a number of PS1 PCCs, but thought I still had a couple of conventional models. Perhaps they'll turn up one of these days. If not, I'll look for a new PS2 model.

You definitely have to be careful about placing adjacent tracks on curves because the overhang of passing cars will surely cause problems. I used curve-to-curve transition sections to broaden my 21" curves, and in the future will also use them on the 16" curves, where possible. I'll keep long straight sections of separate loops close together where possible, but will widen things out on the curves.

I hope K-Line by Lionel will consider adding end-of-track bumpers to the track assortment so one can use the SuperStreets in a point-to-point configuration and take advantage of any trolleys that have the automatic reversing (bumper) feature. That would be a great addition to the line.

I did not have/use any SuperStreets-to-tubular transition sections because I'm using FasTrack for the 3-rail section of the layout and there isn't a section available for a SuperStreets-to-Fastrack transition or crossing (at least not yet).

SuperStreets is a nice track system, though, so I definitely plan to make use of it. I darn well better, 'cause I bought a whole lot of the stuff!

But, there is a Superstree/FT grade crossing....at least in the catalog.

One could use a SS to tinplate, then tin to FT. But a direct connection would be nice!

You're right, of course, Dominic! In my post, I meant that I haven't found those sections available in my area--at least not yet. I'll likely be experimenting with the crossing (or a couple of them) once I get my hands on them.

Testing with my Western Hobbycraft trolley I have found that the tight-radious curves will not work but the wide-radius curves will work just fine.

The wye turnout that is offered with the superstreets has a curve that corresponds with the tight-radius curve, but the trolley will negotiate it. However the trolley will make a lot of gear meshing noise as it goes through. Basically I wouldn't recommend it as it sounds like the motor/drivetrain mechanism is being stressed as it goes through.

I really hope Lionel expands the line of Superstreets turnouts with wide-radius curves and with non-wye turnouts.

I still need to buy a couple of those "Y" switches for a configuration I have in mind that MIGHT fit onto my current FasTrack layout (worried about clearances with the FasTrack line), but if they don't work out there I'll use them on the planned second level.

Regardless, I'll likely use that separate line for the smaller two-axle Birney-type trolleys though, so it shouldn't be a major problem.

Now, with the new SS sections, with the rXr and the SS/FT highway-rail grade crossing, I am thinking of building a diarama. simple, but would compliment teaching about the dangers of crossing rail lines!

I picked up a couple of "Y" sections this past weekend, and will be giving them a try in the next day or so, evening time permitting. That is, I'll be giving them a try if I don't have to reconfigure part of my FasTrack setup. I think I have enough open space at one end of the planned line, but I may need to do some track alignment work at the other end.

Follow-up:

Not content to wait, I dug out my box of SuperStreets sections this evening and constructed a trolley line for one portion of the U-shaped layout. I used the "Y" sections at both ends with the 16" diameter curves (that's what the "Y"s are configured to use) so I now have reversing loops at each end of the line. I did have to relocate one siding to make room for one of the loops, but it worked out fine and the new location gave me a longer siding. It's also good that I had a supply of straight-to-curve transition sections on hand because I needed a couple of them, as well, to connect the base of the "Y"s to the adjacent straight sections. This line will likely only handle the small Birney-type trolleys from K-Line by Lionel and other SuperStreets vehicles, but I'll know more about that tomorrow night after I wire it up and give it a try.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Allan Miller,