E-Z TRACKS VS FLEX-TRACK

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hello, my Step-Dad gave me some grey roadbed E-Z tracks, I wanted to know if it would be possible to match them with Flex-Tracks, by removing the plastic roadbed, also is the track code for E-Z track the same as Flex-Trac. (100)

Thanks

Serge

2

Maybe, if you can remove the track and ties from the roadbed without damaging them too much. Every time I’ve tried it makes a mess of the ties and stuff gets broken.

Good Luck,

Jamie

3

Bachmann EZ track is code 100, so it can be matched with code 100 flex track without any problems. But I agree with Jamie–removing the EZ track from the molded roadbed is going to result in a lot of broken ties. Unlike the Atlas ‘snap track’ with the built-in roadbed, the EZ track is glued to the roadbed and extremely difficult to remove.

If worse comes to worse, whatever roadbed you decide to use with the flex-track, you can always ‘shim’ it to the height of the EZ track. It appears to be about 1/4" higher than either foam or cork roadbed.

Never quite understood why Bachmann chose such a high roadbed for their product. But the track itself is quite good. However fixed configurations of the curves largely prevent one from laying an ‘undulating’ track like the prototype. And if you do use it, make sure that you either solder the rail connectors together or use plenty of ‘feeders’. The EZ track rail-joiners are not the sturdiest in the world.

I have a section of wide radius (36") EZ track on a particularly tricky portion of my layout, and I replaced the EZ rail joiners with Atlas. That, soldering and some feeders have resulted in a trouble-free section of track that has withstood almost constant running for the past 8 years.

So in my case, it worked out just right.

Tom

4

Thanks for your quick reply and advice, Jamie and Tom, I already successfully removed 1 track from the plastic roadbed, and efffectivly they are glued to it, I just hope l will be able to remove the rest. It would be a waste to not utilize these tracks, they are freebes…

5

Of course you’re then going to need to add some sort of roadbed under the track. You can connect the EZ track to regular track and roadbed, just remove the tab at the end of one piece of EZ track that is used to lock the two together. Then you can connect it up to any code 100 track once you add roadbed under the flex track or sectional track.