Also called the " LIONEL " network.
QRMS owes no " O " scale railroad networks. However, during our annual open door sessions, one of our
members erects a small temporary Lionel network with many animated accessories.
The " O Gauge " is 1:48, almost twice as large as the " HO " (Half " O "). However, Lionel's "O Gauge"
refers to a 1 ¼ inch track gauge; trains running on these tracks are called "Toy Trains" and are frequently
semi-scaled to allow running on restricted surfaces. Hence, "O-27" refers to a system where a circle network
has a 27 inch diameter.
The third or central rail is typical to " O Gauge " trains. It was required to feed locomotives and accessories
with AC current; at that time, when Joshua Lionel Cowen founded Lionel in 1900, DC current was almost
unavailable. Further, this third rail is used to carry remote control signals such as DCS. TMCC and Legacy
signals are carried by a side rail and radio waves.
In the beginning, Lionel (http://www.lionel.com) was alone on the market; now it has to compete with;
- MTH (http://www.mth-railking.com),
- Weaver (http://www.weavermodels.com),
- 3rdRail Sunset (http://www.3rdrail.com),
- William (http://www.williamstrains.com),
- etc; K-Line (http://kline.lionel.com) is now part of Lionel.
Today, Lionel " Standard O " and MTH " Premier " products are scaled at 1:48 (1 inch equals 48 inches) and
the larger locomotives cannot run on curves less than 72 inches in diameter.
For more information, you are most welcome to contact our member Mr. René Roy.
A picture is worth a thousand words
(Lionel trains videos "reference site" www.lionel.com)
