Hello,

I recently pulled out my old Lionel Micro Racers 0-27 set to enjoy with my son.  I've been obsessing over trains ever since, reigniting the spark I had as a kid.  Now, I'm an adult with a house and an income.  Time to start planning a layout!

I have started drawing out all various pieces of track in CAD to see what kind of layout I can fit in he space I have available.  All the straights and curves have been a piece of cake, but I have a couple questions regarding the dimensions of the Lionel Fastrack switches - specifically at what point along the straight piece of the track does the turnout begin?

Here's a drawing to (hopefully) clear up my poorly worded question:

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and am excited to learn from everyone here.  Of course, I have a bunch of questions for all the experts that I was hoping you all would be able to help me out with.

I've had a Lionel set for years that I got as a kid.  I put many smiling miles on it and have managed to hold onto it all these years.  Now, after sitting dormant for ages, I set it up to show my son.  He is fascinated and, naturally, wants more!  I'm happy to indulge. 

The set I have is this http://www.collector-modeltrains.com/dash/universe/catalog_item/MT-0770591/.  It is in good working order.  I also have about half a dozen cars that my dad has held onto since he was a kid.  I remember from back in the day that my locomotive had no trouble pulling the light plastic cars that came with the Micro Racers set, but struggled mightily if I tried pulling more than a couple of the older metal cars.

My question is this: What would you recommend as a stronger locomotive that has a little more shove to pull heavier trains?  I, of course, don't want to break the bank and have no preference of new or used.  I don't need to pull five mile trains and my layout will likely never exceed a the 4'x8' sheet of plywood setup I got from my dad.

The research I've done is a bit overwhelming with all the prewar, postwar, modern, etc. 

I'm more interested in steam locomotives.  I don't need anything super fancy.  Smoke would be nice, but not a deal breaker.

Thanks in advance!  I feel like I'm 12 again.