I’m in the planning stages of designing and building an around the room shelf layout and presently have a good amount of Bachmann EZ-Track including turn-outs. I want to go with flex-track for looks but don’t want to throw out over $100 worth of EZ-Track. Would mixing EZ Track and flex track work or screw up a good track design?
Thanks, Jim
Yes, it will work together. I think Bachmann has an adapter track section to go from EZ Track to flex/sectional. You will need roadbed under the flex/sectional track.
If your EZ track is steel, I wouldn’t suggest using it on a serious layout, however.
Rotor
Yes. Be sure to build up the flextrack, as the EZ base is taller than cork stuff. But it’ll work. There’s been several pics here in the last month of people doing so. And sometimes, EZ has been used in leiu of flextrack in tunnels whenre things aren;t as noticable.
If your EZ-Track is the type that has steel rail on black roadbed then you’re better off chucking it or using it only for spurs. If it’s the type with nickel-silver rail on gray roadbed then by all means use it where you think it will do the most good. If you can’t find the adapter that goes from EZ-Track to sectional/flex then you can simply connect the flex track to the end of the EZ-Track. Just make sure you build up the roadbed undre the flex track enough.
It should be fine to mix the two, as long as you are careful to match the heights of the roadbeds. IIRC, the EZ-Track roadbed is taller than the standard cork roadbed, so you’d have to shim up the cork to match the height of the EZ-Track. Just be sure to provide a good transition grade for the shimmed area, so you don’t have too sharp a vertical curve - that would lead to uncouplings and derailments.
Good luck, and Have Fun! [:)]
All of the EZ Track is the black plastic roadbed type. Probably steel. I just just wondering if it’s worth the effort. Otherwise I’ll package it together and sell it with a few HO cars and a bachmann loco. Also since one day my layout will be used for a club layout visit it should conform to the same standard as what my club runs.
Thanks,
Yes, get rid of the steel track. You’ll have nothing but trouble with it.
IF it’s black plastic base, it’s steel track. As Jeffrey said, it does get dirty real easy, and causes issues.
You could use it for a test track.
Rotor
That’s a better idea. Or save it to run around the Xmas tree if you do that sort of thing.