I can't quite envision how those work but assume they link the ties together somehow? still that's probably a big help. i'd have a little concern the ties would snap off at the rails at the "nibs" as I call them without some care. but there's a lot more plastic there than on O or HO track to hold everything in place...
NEED HELP WITH G SCALE TRACK
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You absolutely don't need track clips, zip ties or anything else with LGB track. The photos posted are not helpful. Flip the tracks over and show the tabs and the slots that hold the tracks together. There are a lot of solutions here looking for a problem.
Well , I hate to say it, but if they make the track clips just maybe someone thought it was a problem? Just saying there wouldn't be a need for something that had no need.
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Like @Severn, my first preference would be to just, as he said, throw it down, connect it up and hope it holds together. Wonder how well these clips would work if I got LGB track? They are certainly cheap enough to try! It might be an intermediate step until I get around to making a road bed.
EDIT: Just saw @Gramps post about not needing clips. If I get LGB track, I guess I'll find out. At least I know I can try the clips if I need to. In the end, I think I would like to make some sort of road bed, it's just a matter of finding time to do it. So something that works in the meantime would be nice.
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I have a New Bright Holiday Express Christmas train set. I run it on LGB track laying directly on carpet. The track normally stays together on its own, but those track clips mentioned above guarantee they stay together. The New Bright piece that connects to the track for power connects to LGB track perfectly. No need to change transformer. I prefer the New Bright Holiday Express over my LGB Christmas set because it has a lot of animation that the grandkids enjoy watching. Buy a box of LGB 11000 curved track and maybe 2 or 4 pieces of LGB 10000 straight track and problem solved.
Most G scale layouts are outdoors and in some areas, subject to wide temperature changes and track expansion and contraction and the clips can help with that. They will not be needed indoors with the LGB tabs and slots on the bottom of the rails. I had an outdoor layout for a number of years and never needed the clips.
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Excellent! Thanks for this info. You can't beat firsthand experience. I think I mentioned it before, but now and then I see LGB trains listed at estate sales. Since I have a few months before the trains come out, I'm going to watch for one and so is my son (he's 3 hours away, so completely different sales). From comments here, LGB track seems to be pretty stout, so I might find a used set in good condition. I often see them in their original box, so they might not be used too much. If I get lucky and find a set, not only would I save some $ over new, but I'd get a non-Christmas engine and cars we could use outside of Christmas if we wanted to.
And here is the bottem of the tracks for you. Not sure If I am missing something, but there is nothing here that would hold the track together that isnt visible in my other pictures? The dimple on the conecter only holds the conecter to the track? The track rail just slides into that? I only used it once , if ever? So what is so diffrent or is there another angle you want that shows something diffrent?
Any LGB track that I have seen would have either a tab extending down from the bottom of the joiner on one end and a slot on the joiner at the other end so I don't know why your LGB doesn't have it.
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I did think about that. I don't mind cleaning it when needed. And, I think I like the idea of seeing a brass rail with the Christmas train.
Maybe its older track? But all of mine looks like that even the 30 or so extra long straight ones?
It's easy to do with the Scotch-Brite pad.
It may be, how long have you had them and did you buy them new? The LGB tracks I had were bought new about 10 years ago.
I had them maybe 20 years and they were used. Lol. The long strights were tossed by someone and made it into my stockpile. I do remember that the lionel stuff mated to it. I think i had it around the tree one year, and on the roof for x mass. Still waiting for the time to do it outside or a roof display for x mass.
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Maybe we're misunderstand what we are saying about the tab. Since I'm not familiar with LGB track, I did a google search. It looks to me like the tab that is being talked about goes down into a slot in the tie. It looks to me like the point of it is to keep the joiner attached to that piece of track. Here's a picture:
Obviously you would need to pull the rail back, put the tab in the tie and then slide the rail into the joiner.
Is this what you guys are talking about? I don't think the tab does much to hold two pieces of track together, it just keeps the joiner from falling off the piece of track where the tab is. If someone for some reason removed a joiner on used track, I could see where a person getting track without the joiners would not figure the tab goes that way and would just slide the joiner on the end of the rail until the tab hits the tie.
@Gramps, if your track is different from this, maybe you can post pictures so we can see it.
Yea, my track looks a bit diffrent. It has a tab, but it looks to be permanent. And dosen't bend like that one. Take a look at my pictures. So, just 2 different eras. My track when put together is pretty secure, as they all probably are the first few times. Its qhen you constantly conect and reconnect them where they may need addtional help. So, the track clips look like a good idea reguardless. Since you will be assembling and disassembling it every year.
I don't have the track anymore, I sold all my G scale. The tab I'm speaking about looks like the one in the photo going into the tie but that is not where or how it goes. If the rail extended beyond the tie as it's supposed to, the joiner would be reversed, slide on to the rail and the tab would extend down to mate with a slot on the next piece of track. The one in the photo looks like it has been twisted out of shape.
I went on Trainworld's site and clicked on the LGB link and they show the rail joiner with the tab and it looks like the one in the photo. The older track without the tabs may well need the track clips to connect but I don't think they would have the conductivity of the tab/slot method.
I went on Trainworld's site and clicked on the LGB link and they show the rail joiner with the tab and it looks like the one in the photo. The older track without the tabs may well need the track clips to connect but I don't think they would have the conductivity of the tab/slot method.
Its a snug fit, and while I can get it apart I have to pull at it pretty good. So its probably good. It was on the roof in the winter in the snow, np. Track clips look like a winner with eather system. Anything that helps and dosen't hurt, can only add to the stability.
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