Best Connecting Track?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

What is the best type of “Connecting” (True track, E-Z Track, etc…) to purchase? I’ve been investing into the Tru-Track, have a little bit of it, but not much. And if there is any “big” radius snap track out there, could you point me to it?

Thanks,

Mike

2

Bachman EZ track has 35 inch radius sections.

3

Wow :open_mouth:

I just made up a Tru-Track plan, hopefully this will go into full swing soon :slight_smile:

~MIke~

4

“Best?” is a poor title for your thread. Why not title it “What is the Best Connecting Track?”? It won’t cost any more and someone who uses this track might look at it![8)]

5

Ditto

Well, I’ve had experience with Bachmann EZ track, it’s all right. Atlas makes great locos and flextrack etc., so I asume true-track is good, I’ve heard a good amount of praise for Kato’s unitrack. So, really, I have no opinion, they all should be/are good, just take your pick.

6

Mike, you will find that first tail, right after leaving the inner loop at centre-left, is too short, perhaps by as much as 12-18". All you get onto it to clear the points is perhaps a small switcher and a very short car…if you are lucky. You will have to extend it a fair bit to get any length of train and motive power to the rest of the industrial tracks at the centre.

7

Key word “if”, get rid of the interloop and make a runaround.

Tjsingle

8

Here, I made a 10’x4’ instead, looks better to me :slight_smile:

~Mike~

9

You know what they say about “assuming” things…[:-^]

10

Hi Mike –

What is your vision of your completed layout ? Is it:

a) to look down on a toy train running in circles on a low table ?
b) to look in on one (or more) train(s) running “past” you through a landscape scene ?
c) to have a train switching cars at one or more industries ?
d) something else entirely ?

Once you know what effect you are going for, then you can decide what scale trains you want to run (Z, N, H0 or bigger), how big and what shape space you have available, and then your track plan and layout size and shape. It is not a given that a 4xsomething island layout would be the optimal use of available space for you.

Only after this it becomes sensible to worry about what brand and type of tracks to use, and possibly having to modify the track plan a bit to allow for the turnout geometries in track you choose (and for sectional/snap-together type of track - the curve radii available).

If you start by picking what brand tracks you want (and the assumption that a layout has to be H0 scale and that the layout has to be a 4 foot x something table in size) instead of by deciding what kind of layout you would like to end up with, you can quickly paint yourself into a corner.

Smile,
Stein

11

Thanks, well, I am interested in mainline operation :wink:

12

Mike,

Are you asking what brand ‘connects’ best? And are you looking at the integrated sectional track/roadbed type of track?

Your option are quite limited with that type of trackage, but here is what I have seen:

  • Kato Uni-Track - Very nice, a good range of curved trackage, but only a couple of turnout selections available(#4 & #6, IIRC). Price - quite expensive!
  • Atlas Tru-Track - Good stuff, but only ‘Snap Switch’ turnouts available, and nothing larger than 24" radius trackage.
  • Bachmann EZ Track - Quite a good selection of curves and several different turnouts/crossings. Buy the ‘grey’ roadbed stuff(n/s) The product is widely available in stores and ‘on-line’.
  • Life-Like Power-Loc - Very limited selection, but does have an interesting electrical connection. Again, get the ‘grey’ stuff…

I have helped build a couple of layouts with EZ Track and Power-Loc trackage. They ran fine(basic 4x8 layout), but the geometry really does not allow building a prototypically ‘operational’ type of layout.

My layout is built using Atlas flex and turnouts - and the only critical part of building it was making sure the subroadbed was level and rock hard stable. I have had good success(the layout is now 20 years old).

Jim Bernier

13

Thanks, I’ll have to stick with the trutrack, (Eaiest connection to controller for me ;])

I have some things to do, but I’ll bo back on later, with more layout vairents too!

~Mike~

14

The Atlas True-Track that I remember had the wires held to the terminal track with screws. On the EZ-Track I’m using the wires from the power source end in a plug that just plugs into the terminal track. Nearly all the types have the wire ends secured to the power pack (DC) with screws. On many of the DCC controllers you have a plug that will plug into the controller.

15

Heres a quick L-Type layout I threw together, It looks pretty cool to me :wink:

~Mike~

16

I copied that into photobucket and added some industrial tracks and an optional turntable.

17

I’ll add those in. I have no room for an L-Style layout, but I like making them, its fun :slight_smile:

18

Cool. I like drawing up layouts, but I don’t usually do it because I do it old school: pencil, ruler, grid paper.

19

Hows this?

A turntable wouldn’t fit, so I put some longer track in, I think this would be a pretty cool layout myself :wink:

~Mike~

20

SpaceMouse has a pretty good beginners guide to track design: http://www.chipengelmann.com/trains/Beginner/BeginnersGuide01.html

A great (in my opinion) beginners layout is the HOG (Heart of Georgia) Railroad at URL:
http://www.hogrr.com/

A book that many have found helpful in figuring out how a realistic looking railroad could be modelled is John Armstrong’s "Track Planning for Realistic Operation: Prototype Railroad Concepts for Your Model Railroad "

Smile,
Stein