Ballasting on pre-based track

[AntonioFP45]

A friend of mine's HO layout is 100% EZ track. To me, it just does not look realistic and its too pricey...........but what counts is that he's happy with it. He does want it to look more realistic and ballasting would sure help him in this case. I had never considered that EZ track could be ballasted and look realistic in appearance.

Based on the responses above, I'm wondering if "N Scale" ballast might work for him as it is much finer and may lay more easily on top of the gray plastic "built-in" roadbed of the EZ Mate track.

Thanks guys!

[Anonymous]

i have a bunch of the life like pro loc stuff and tried to ballast it with no sucess on several ocassions so now im going straight with atlas 83 track and flex ive never worked with it but i like a challange

[Anonymous]

WOW CHIP!!! Digging deep into the past there big fella! I posted this original question in December 2004!!! This was almost a month before I laid a single piece of track. Based on oodles of advise back then, I abandoned the EZ-Track and switched to Flex track on a cork roadbed. I have been very happy with the ease of use and the finished results. Sorry you didn't switch sooner. I hope it all works out. And hey, Experience is the culmination of the lessons learned from our mistakes.

Even if it is a wee bit late...the spirit of your reply is truly appreciated.

Trevor

[SpaceMouse]

If you can, switch out of the easy track. I have stuck with it and I am very sorry. I have not been able to run for the last couple weeks because I raised the level of the ground around the track so that structure's dock heights would match the track height. After I ballast, it should look okay, but while EZ track is easy in the beginning, after that it is a pain in the butt to make look good. Every time I think nothing else will go wrong with it, I get a new lesson about why I should have switched a long time ago.

[darday]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CFournier

I hear there are 2 types of E-Z tracks: black is steel and grey is nickel-silver. I suppose the black ones are more prone to oxydation? right?
I have a box full of the black road bed E-Z tracks. I don't know if i should use them...

My little layout is almost entirely laid with the black (steel) E-Z track. To my surprise, it oxidizes slightly LESS than the one piece of nickel-sliver track I used. The only place I have had trouble is at a grade crossing that I built using Sculptamold, plus a skim coat of drywall mud. Sculptamold is slow to dry and the track rusted a little, and that one spot has remained prone to oxidation. I had to solder a couple of the joints, not for smoothness but because I was getting a voltage drop across them. My only real complaint with the steel E-Z track is that a couple of the turnouts were slightly out of gauge.

I ballasted my E-Z track, but found the process somewhat difficult, due to the steep profile and shallow depth between the ties. First, I airbrushed the rails a rusty brown, and also lightened up and dulled the ties a little using the same color. Next, I built up the scenery along the sides, to make the profile appear more prototypical. Then painted the shiny black sides with latex paint of roughly the same color as the ballast. After that, I used a fairly standard procedure: I spread dilute white glue on the sides, spread the ballast on top and over the sides, gently brushed it off the ties without brushing it away in between, misted it using water "wetted" with PhotoFlo, then eye-droppered dilute matte medium (Scenic Cement) on the top and over the edges to hold it in place. I even balasted the turnouts.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone for your input on my question. Thanks twhite for starting the ball rolling [:)]

As it turns out, I have decided to make my own copy of Dave Frary's Cactus Valley layout. So I'm likely going to use flextrack for those tight curves. It's my first layout so wish me luck. So far I have built my 8' x 4' bench work and have almost finished transferring the track plan to the table top elements. I plan on having a more wooded look than Dave's original layout (gotta make it more mine you know...no hard feelings Dave).

Thanks Again Gang,
Trevor

[FThunder11]

I would ballast it so that it looks more real

[Anonymous]

twhite

Thanks for the info. I have been playing with sections of Airplane const. Balsa wood
trying to shim the sections, and I knew there was a better way.
Thanks again.

[twhite]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kennyt47

OK so many modelers mix types of track. My question is "what do you use to bring the track to the same height?"
I have quite a bit of Kato track & would like to mix it with my Bachmann EZ track.
The sections of Cork roadbed seem too low.

Kenny--I had the same problem when I mixed EZ track (in one corner) with the Sinohara that I use. The Woodland Scenics N-scale roadbed sheets will lift normal height roadbed up to the EZ track height. Just buy a large sheet of the roadbed and cut it a little wider than your pre-fab roadbed, use it as a base and you should be just fine. I've never understood why EZ track is so much higher than normal sectional track--maybe Bachmann wants everyone to use ONLY their product. The main reason I used the EZ track is that I had a corner that was very difficult to reach on the mainline, and their 35" radius was just perfect, so I soldered the lengths together and just laid them in the corner as a unit. I've had no problems with the track in the past several years. Though most of my layout is Sinohara code 100 flex, I don't feel guilty at all about the EZ track. If it works, do it!
Tom

[Anonymous]

I use EZ track and I love the stuff. As long as your joints are secure, trains run as smoothly as they were on flextrack. I really see no advantage to using flex track, who wants to cut all that excess rail off? Besides, with sectional track (like EZ track), you get the clickety-clack sound.

[Anonymous]

OK so many modelers mix types of track. My question is "what do you use to bring the track to the same height?"
I have quite a bit of Kato track & would like to mix it with my Bachmann EZ track.
The sections of Cork roadbed seem too low.

[Anonymous]

Hi Trevor,

Although I have not used Bachman E-Z track I am familiar with it and I do use sectional track with a molded base from Märklin (C Gleis), Roco (Rocoline) and Fleischmann (Profi Gleis). I find that this type of track can be very easily blended into the baseboard by sprinkling a suitable amout of loose ballast material along the the sides of the base and between the ties. In yards and on branch lines you can mix in a little green flock to simulate weeds and grass. All of this can then be secured using a watered down solution of Elmers (or similar) white glue. Be careful not to clog or contaminate the moving parts and guard rails of turnouts with glue or loose ballast. One advantage to using this type of sectional track is that even after ballasting as described, it can if required, be carefully removed from the basebosrd and reused. With heavily ballasted flex track this is usually not the case as it is very difficult to remove and will probably become damaged during removal due to the amount of glue/ballast needed to give an authentic appearance.
As mentioned by colleagues "twhite" and "milotsukroff", reliable electrical continuity can be a problem with sectional track. My solution is to run a copper "buss conductor" underneath the baseboard, normal 16 awg single strand copper wire as used for wiring houses is good for this. At frequent intervals feeder wires can be run and soldered between the buss and also soldered to the rail joiners or the rail itself. This system works well for me and is best done at the same time as you are initially laying your track.
One other thought regarding track with a molded base, it is often necessary to raise the "ground level" to be flush with the ties in yards and industrial areas. This "fill in" can easily be done using the thin, blue, styrofoam insulation board available in all building supply stores.
Happy modelling, Neil

[CFournier]

I hear there are 2 types of E-Z tracks: black is steel and grey is nickel-silver. I suppose the black ones are more prone to oxydation? right?
I have a box full of the black road bed E-Z tracks. I don't know if i should use them...

[Roadtrp]

I am very happy with my 'N' scale EZ track and have read many posts by people on these boards who use EZ track and are very satisfied with it.

If YOU are happy with it, take the advice of twhite as far as ballasting goes and don't let some guy with a three-post history here discourage you.

[:)]

[Anonymous]

My layout is built exclusively with easy track. It is 8 X 20 ft. I started with a Spectrum starter set and built from there. I have a double track main line with 35" radius curves on the outside and 33 1/4" radius curves on the inside. For ballast, I went to Lowes and bought 2 bags of patio paver base for $10.00. I sifted it into a container and had more than enough ballast for my entire layout, including a 16 ft. 4-track yard. The remaining larger chunks made terrific rocks and boulders. Before ballasting, put a little solder on each joint. Take some Woodland Scenics Hob-E-Tac and "paint" the angled edge of the track. Then sprinkle your ballast over it. Then take Woodland Scenic Cement and with an eye dropper, put some between the ties. Sprinkle ballast over it and when it dries, take a brush and dust of the excess. Good luck with your layout and don't let the purists put you down. Have fun. That's what this hobby is all about.

[Anonymous]

Milo Spouts Off:

Trevor:

The problem with E-Z Track - and really, with any track, is the joints. If you take care of the joints, examine them carefully to make certain that the joiner didn't slip _under_ the rail, and then solder, you'll still have the problem that there's a joint every 5 inches. I use a lot of flextrack because, the longer the run, the fewer the joints, and the fewer problems. On the other hand, if you don't mind all those joints, and you're using fairly good equipment -- diesels generally run better than steam, all other things being equal -- then the ticky-ticky-clackety-clack of running over all those joints can be kinda fun.

Hope your project comes out GREAT!!

-- Milo --
- End Of Spout -

[Anonymous]

Throw all that """""E - Z Track """"""" away and start using Flex track and the more upper-end equipment for your TrackWork.
I say this for the satisfactinon you will gain for, Laying the most rock Solid track-
Work you coud.
Happy RailRoading :)

[tomytuna]

I agree with Twhite...have ballasted EZ tack also...i like it...follow his instructions and you'll be fine...like it so much have murged kato unitrack in layout reducing from code 100 EZ to code 83 Kato.....looks fine to me.....merry Christmas to all Tom

[nfmisso]

another method is to paint it with latex, just brush it on, then sprinkle ballast on top. after it dries, brush of excess if desired.

[twhite]

I wouldn't ditch the E-Z track, but make sure that your joints are really solid before you do any ballasting. As to ballasting, just ballast it as you would any unbased track. I use diluted Elmer's white glue and a spray bottle with a couple of drops of detergent mixed in the water to make it more 'wet'. I've tried using alcohol, as some other guys have suggested, but it doesn't work for me. Anyway, spread the ballast as per usual, then mist it wet with the water/detergent, dribble on the Elmers between the ties and on the shoulders, then mist it again and let it dry for about 12 hours. I've got a couple of places on my layout using the Wide-Radius EZ track, and after ballasting, you can't tell where it stops and the Sinohara begins. But make SURE you've got solid connection between the sections. I soldered my connections and after a couple of years, have had no problems with it.
Tom

[Anonymous]

I have a bunch of Bachmann E-Z Track. I was wondering if you guys ever use it and put ballast on it like you would a cork-based track? Are there any catches to ballasting this type of track? Should I just ditch it and buy new unbased track?

Any hints or suggestions you may have are appreciated....

Thanks,
Trevor