Is EZ track used in any serious layouts. Most people I've talked to (so far) have told me only kids and beginners use it. I'm a beginner, and it seems to fit my wants and needs fine. When I show my plan, some of the comments have been unprintable.
I've seen photos of EZ track ballasted over the base, and it looked great to my uneducated eye. I'm hoping this forum will not have a brand to push and give me an honest answer.
Thanks
One thing you can do is to paint over the plastic base to remove some of the plastic effects. I've spray painted flex track and it does a lot to improve the appearance of the ties & rail. You have to go back over it to clean the paint off the top and inside of the rail to keep the paint out of equipment.
Rgds IGN
Not sure what you mean by "serious layouts", if you mean very large basement empire's, then the answer is most likely no, if you mean impressive layouts that have impressive scenery and realistic scenes, then I would suppose there are some, but again, probably in the minority, not the majority.
I had and used Bachmann's EZ track and I liked it. they have a nice easy to use system. I recommend it, especially for those that want an easy to use, ready to go track system. It's a fast easy way to get started. You can generally save a few bucks by getting it on ebay. Keep in mind they make it in black roadbed and grey roadbed, grey is much more popular and better looking.
You won't be dissapointed. Enjoy.
(ignore the ones who have nothing positive to say)
David
Speaking as a serious practitioner of scale civil engineering, I have three personal objections to sectional track, which sectional track on roadbed (EZ track, Kato etc) exacerbate.
So, if you are building on one level and don't mind watching your trains lurch in and out of every curve, EZ Track is one way to get a layout on a ping-pong table into operation quickly. So is snap-track, if you want to model a poverty-stricken short line that can't afford to re-ballast.
Notice that I said nothing about appearance. IMHO, operation trumps appearance. The prettiest layout ever isn't worth the space it takes if the trains won't stay on the rails and coupled together.
So, what's on MY roadbed? Flex track. It takes a bit more care to achieve perfect curves and smooth tangents, but makes spiral easements almost automatically and can be formed into vertical easements without undue effort. Note that I haven't specified brand. There are several different brands in use - mostly leftovers from earlier layouts or whichever was on sale that week at Walthers.
One sly and cunning trick is to use sectional track for most of a curve, replacing the last section into the tangent with flex. Offset the tangent outward about 3/8 inch, omitting the last section that would normally form the joint with the curve, and a spiral easement about 18 inches long will almost form itself. Also, a yard of flex is almost guaranteed to be less expensive than the four sections of rigid straight it replaces. I've never heard anybody complain about saving money.
Note that there's no rule against mixing track products - but if you start off with EZ Track, you will find it much more difficult than it needs to be.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Thanks, guys - I appreciate the information.
It's your layout and you're the chief engineer, you can do what you want. I have nothing against EZ track but prefer not to use it (along with other sectional track). Chuck gave some good advantages/disadvantages regarding sectional track.
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Both statements well stated.
I got so caught up in trying to do things "right" that I forgot that it's my layout and I'm doing this for fun.
Bluegill1 (ignore the ones who have nothing positive to say) David
Really?
This kind of defeats the purpose of the OP's posting the question doesn't it?
He should have just PM'd you and not bother with the rest of us idiots I guess?
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
Fun Senior Citizen Is EZ track used in any serious layouts. Most people I've talked to (so far) have told me only kids and beginners use it. I'm a beginner, and it seems to fit my wants and needs fine. When I show my plan, some of the comments have been unprintable. I've seen photos of EZ track ballasted over the base, and it looked great to my uneducated eye. I'm hoping this forum will not have a brand to push and give me an honest answer. Thanks
Fun
Chuck's response pretty much sums it up, to me it is made for temporary set ups (train sets) that are put up and taken down often, and usually on a floor of a childs bedroom.
Do what you wish, it is reliable, but carefully laid "standard" track is just as reliable, takes less work to make it look prototypical, and isn't really that hard to work with. It is part of the learning process we all go thru, and is part of the hobby.
Thanks again. I really appreciate everyone's input.
Didn't mean to get an argument started gang. Especially on something like this.
I never had a train set growing up, never got into the hobby before, but now I'm retired and am just getting into this for fun. I'm not a stickler for prototypical layouts or rivet counting (nothing against those who are serious, really). I'm not into the look of toy trains either, but somewhere in the middle. I do like detail that looks right (as opposed to exactly right). So, you can see where I'm coming from.
If this doesn't fit with the philosophy here, I'll understand. Just let me know. I had been on the Atlas forum for almost a year, and looking for a new home.
No problems .
Why do you seek the approval of others?
If you like it, use it. I don't but you aren't building it for me.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
I got back in the hobby 5 years ago ... I bought a trainset to get started with EZ track . I started buying more track and the next thing you know I have a layout full of ez track...It not bad and can look better with some addtional effort.. I have an N scale layout and wish I could move over to the KATO products for track.. They have addtional attachments and a better selection of bridges... I have used Atlas bridges and they will work with EZ track... I know that with my limited time to work on my layout I find ez track a good product for my level...I know everyone wants to be on the cover of MR but it takes time ...good luck and get those trains moving
With respects to the civil engineering guy, if you are running short equipment, then tangents are bull in model railroading because of the things that cannot be scaled like gravity, if you run long cars (anything over 50', then you better listen to him!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can get a great looking layout with almost any track!!!!! It is all in you skill. They tell you a lot of things in this hobby but few do the research necessary to bring it into the scale world. The real key in model railroading, is bullet proof track!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once you achieve that, the rest is easy and yes you can make that track bullet proof, it is just harder than with flex but look at it this way, if you can master that track, you can then build with any track and one of the benefits of that track is it's low cost and the fact that you can have it up and running in no time!!!!!!!!! Then you can go back and tweak things to get it bulletproof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To the Original Poster:
Welcome to the forum and to the hobby. Your "philosophy" is just fine, if it suits you. Just as on the Atlas Forum, there are a few posters who are more abrupt than others -- and a very few who snap at anyone doing things differently. Hopefully you'll take their attitude with a grain of salt.
Some nice layouts have been built with what some of us call "click track" such as Bachmann's EZ Track.
But one of the problems some have found with EZ Track in particular is that the track switches seem not to be as reliable over the long term as KATO Unitrack (which is generally more expensive).
So if you are planning to enjoy this layout in one arrangement over a longer period, many have found that Bachmann may not be the best choice.
It's true that most folks who build longer-term layouts don't use the EZ Track, or for that matter any type of "click track". Reliability, appearance and flexibility in track arrangements are the reasons folks often cite for choosing flex track, for example.
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
I built my first layout with EZ-Track and enjoyed it immensely. Yes, it was a first effort, and yes I learned that vertical curves into and out of grades was tricky unless one was willing to mangle the plastic roadbed by kerfing it so that one can impart that transition. Yes, it required me to sprinkle and glue a light covering of ballast over the plastic so that it looked more natural, but that was also part of the learning of how to derive an improved product due to my own druthers and ambitions.
For me, the expense was a bit daunting, but also the fact that it took much more work to get a nice loop closed. Due to the limited radius sections available, you must be careful about what you use where to get the geometry you need. Flex track has it all over any of the snap tracks because you can easily cut it, including individual rails if necessary, and bend it to fit as you need it to.
However, if you can afford what you need in the way of EZ-Track, and enjoy how it works AND looks once you figure you have invested as much effort and time in it as you want to, then there is no reason you should not get the full enjoyment out of it that the rest of us do with flex track, or hand laid track for that matter. We can all invest, give, and take what we wish to in this hobby.
Crandell
rrebell With respects to the civil engineering guy, if you are running short equipment, then tangents are bull in model railroading because of the things that cannot be scaled like gravity,
With respects to the civil engineering guy, if you are running short equipment, then tangents are bull in model railroading because of the things that cannot be scaled like gravity,
????? What does gravity have to do with straight (aka tangent) track?
if you run long cars (anything over 50', then you better listen to him!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can get a great looking layout with almost any track!!!!! It is all in you skill. They tell you a lot of things in this hobby but few do the research necessary to bring it into the scale world. The real key in model railroading, is bullet proof track!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Repeat! The Real Key in Model Railroading is BULLETPROOF TRACK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Once you achieve that, the rest is easy and yes you can make that track bullet proof, it is just harder than with flex but look at it this way, if you can master that track, you can then build with any track and one of the benefits of that track is it's low cost and the fact that you can have it up and running in no time!!!!!!!!! Then you can go back and tweak things to get it bulletproof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually, sectional track is the quickest way to get a place where wheels can roll - and does fine if you recognize and work within its limitations.
When I started building my present layout, the final iteration of close to a half-century-old master plan, the first thing I did, after erecting one L-girder table, was to flatten some cardboard boxes, plop them on the joists and put down a construction tramway - of (gasp!) EZ Track. Within hours of acquiring the layout space, my 0-8-0T-kettle (Baldwin, 1897) was dragging carloads of screws, track nails, rail joiners and such from the boxes at one end of the benchwork to the site of first construction at the other. Granted that the work train was transferred to permanent rails as soon as there were some to run on, the EZ Track is still available if I ever want to use it for something else.
Nothing in model railroading is set in cement. We always retain the option to rebuild, extend, modify or simply clear space and start over. An extreme progression would be EZ Track today, cheap flex and prebuilt specialwork tomorrow, precision flex and jig-built specialwork next week, all hand-laid next month and Proto88 next year. I'm stuck about half way between next week and next month, but it took me thirty years or so to get there.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on track as bulletproof as I can make it.)
Thanks gang. Yes, I might have been asking for approval, but only as an after thought. My main point was to get unbiased pros and cons of using it (which you guys have really helped with).
I have laid out my plan using RailModeller Software, so that helps a lot to get exact fit for parts. It's a 5'6" x 8', folded dog bone, with over/under crossings, so there are no switches/turn outs. Also has a separate inner loop and a meandering point-to-point run through it. Based on that, it seems it might work OK for me - at least for now. Most of the negatives seem to focus on more elaborate layouts.
I'm not planning on any expansion. When/if i get to that point, I'll be ready to start over with what's available at that time - laser-laid hologram tracks, or who knows what.
My layout will be set in 1880, so all rolling stock is short, engines also, and trains not long at all.
I should have mentioned all that in the beginning.
Ah, diamond stacks at sunset, is there a more beautiful sight?
One other comment. I'd forgotten about this. A few years back Model Railroader did a project with KATO Unitrak I think. There was also a piece that showed how one could use EZ Track as well.
Rule one have fun.
Rule two if rule one doesn't work have more fun.
Rule three if all else fails laugh !!!!
Thx IGN
My three favorite rules !!!
Since I have used both EZ-track and flex-track on prior layouts, I'll throw my in. For years I modeled in N-scale. And the one job I came to hate over all others was ballasting track. Especially in N, where it is a real pain to ballast around turnouts without gumming up the works. And I have had very little success removing ballasted flex track without completely destroying it. So the last N- scale layout I built was out of almost all EZ-track.
The first thing I learned was that, as had been mentioned before, the switches are inferior to even Atlas snap-track components. And in that scale the turnouts available are very limited in geometry, there is in fact only one design available. In order to facilitate the plan I required, I used Atlas snap-track switches instead of EZ track components. Which means I still had to ballast track, but at least not as much. The other thing I learned was that over time the ends of the indivudual track pieces "curl" where they are connected. Creating bumps and waves in the track. This was because when I installed the track I usually pinned each piece with one nail in the middle. And some not at all, relying instead on the adjoining pieces of track to hold them in place. If I were to do it over again, I'd pin each and every piece with two nails, on the ends. I think this would have resulted in more stable trackage in the long run. As it is the N-scale came down a few years ago when I decided to switch to a larger scale. Most of the EZ-track was salvageable, and sold at a local swap meet. Try doing that with flex track sometime.
So have I learned anything? Well my next layout is going to be S-scale. And what do I plan on using for it? S-Trax, sectional track components by S-Helper service. Why? Because I HATE ballasting.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
Good points. At least with HO it should be a little more forgiving.
I set up a large oval of Kato HO Unitrack under the tree for X-Mas. I found it surprisingly "noisy" even when laid over carpet. Something to factor in. I did like the overall quality of the Kato product.
Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/
narig01One other comment. I'd forgotten about this. A few years back Model Railroader did a project with KATO Unitrak I think.
It was the N-scale "Salt Lake Route" from the Jan-2010 issue. This layout was the topic of a recent discussion here.
Alan
tomikawaTT rrebell: With respects to the civil engineering guy, if you are running short equipment, then tangents are bull in model railroading because of the things that cannot be scaled like gravity, ????? What does gravity have to do with straight (aka tangent) track? if you run long cars (anything over 50', then you better listen to him!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can get a great looking layout with almost any track!!!!! It is all in you skill. They tell you a lot of things in this hobby but few do the research necessary to bring it into the scale world. The real key in model railroading, is bullet proof track!!!!!!!!!!!!! Repeat! The Real Key in Model Railroading is BULLETPROOF TRACK!!!!!!!!!!!! Once you achieve that, the rest is easy and yes you can make that track bullet proof, it is just harder than with flex but look at it this way, if you can master that track, you can then build with any track and one of the benefits of that track is it's low cost and the fact that you can have it up and running in no time!!!!!!!!! Then you can go back and tweak things to get it bulletproof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually, sectional track is the quickest way to get a place where wheels can roll - and does fine if you recognize and work within its limitations. When I started building my present layout, the final iteration of close to a half-century-old master plan, the first thing I did, after erecting one L-girder table, was to flatten some cardboard boxes, plop them on the joists and put down a construction tramway - of (gasp!) EZ Track. Within hours of acquiring the layout space, my 0-8-0T-kettle (Baldwin, 1897) was dragging carloads of screws, track nails, rail joiners and such from the boxes at one end of the benchwork to the site of first construction at the other. Granted that the work train was transferred to permanent rails as soon as there were some to run on, the EZ Track is still available if I ever want to use it for something else. Nothing in model railroading is set in cement. We always retain the option to rebuild, extend, modify or simply clear space and start over. An extreme progression would be EZ Track today, cheap flex and prebuilt specialwork tomorrow, precision flex and jig-built specialwork next week, all hand-laid next month and Proto88 next year. I'm stuck about half way between next week and next month, but it took me thirty years or so to get there. Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on track as bulletproof as I can make it.)
rrebell: With respects to the civil engineering guy, if you are running short equipment, then tangents are bull in model railroading because of the things that cannot be scaled like gravity,
Doc in CT narig01: One other comment. I'd forgotten about this. A few years back Model Railroader did a project with KATO Unitrak I think. It was the N-scale "Salt Lake Route" from the Jan-2010 issue. This layout was the topic of a recent discussion here.
narig01: One other comment. I'd forgotten about this. A few years back Model Railroader did a project with KATO Unitrak I think.
The Black River Junction scale project layout also used HO Unitrack, beginning in the Jan. 2007 issue of MR.
Well, thanks gang, for all the input.
It seems like I'll start my layout with the HO nickel/silver, gray EZ Track. Perhaps on my next layout I'll go another route, but from what I gather from here, it should fit my needs fine.
I appreciate everyone's time and effort to post replies. Thanks
Fun Senior CitizenIt seems like I'll start my layout with the HO nickel/silver, gray EZ Track. Perhaps on my next layout I'll go another route, but from what I gather from here, it should fit my needs fine. I appreciate everyone's time and effort to post replies.
I appreciate everyone's time and effort to post replies.
I'm new to railroading. And i use it. And like it. My layout wont be the best out there but. I'm enjoying my self with it. Maybe in the future when i get more knowledge on the subject i mite change track. who knows.
First, Texas zepher, your comments are not irrelevant. I still take ALL input very seriously into consideration. However, more importantly, there might be other readers out there with the same questions, but afraid to post - or whatever. I'm not as nervous about sounding like an idiot as some are. LOL.
As I progress, I'll try to get some photos. (Have to buy a camera first - or get a friend over here).
As for the limits, every track has some limits - sure, some more than others - but you just have to accept them and work within the parameters necessary. I have the software "RailModeller" and found it a great help.
I have one strong advantage over most here. Most posters can't remember before they were first involved with this hobby. At 68 now, and never having a train in my life, I can truly enjoy the start of this great adventure for the first time. The fun and surprises will never be better.
Thanks for your reply, Wilson.
Hey Wilson, I know what you're talking about. I just turned 68 myself and having a ball with my trains all aspects of it. You got a great attitude and thanks for your posts too! Above all have some fun with this great hobby! Jim