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.
It was the N-scale “Salt Lake Route” from the Jan-2010 issue. This layout was the topic of a recent discussion here.
Alan
[quote user=“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
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
[bow]
Please post some pictures when you get it laid out. Since I’m late to the party, my comments are irrelevant, but I would be interested in what you have come up with. Other than being expensive, my issue with EZ-track is the limited amount of pieces available especially in the turnout category. It really limits what can be done.
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.
[%-)] [8-|] [8D] [:'(] [;)]
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
I know I’m a little late to the party (been out of town for a few days), but it sounds like the new guys have it figured out.
You don’t want to come here to get “approval” for anything. The ONLY, and I repeat ONLY, approval you need is yours. “Model Railroading” is a term that encompasses a broad swath of activities (and yes, I know I’ll raise some hackles here) from the guy running a loop of track on his ping pong table to the guy with a 20,000 square foot museum quality layout and $1M worth of superdetailed brass locos and rolling stock. Only you can say for sure what is right for you.
The idea of having a “starter” layout and building a more advanced one later is an excellent one.
FWIW, sectional track, with or without roadbed attached, takes a lot of the guesswork out of tracklaying, and is a great option if you’re just starting out. True, it can be very limiting, but that’s probably not an issue for someone who just wants to get something up and running, and will learn what he likes over time.
Have at it and have fun!
I too, just started in the hobby, and started with EZ track. It’s now boxed up, haha. It lasted about a month. Like most guys said, you do the hobby for you, so if it works for you, then by all means! Personally, I found the switch quality lacking. More importantly for me, the sound and noise from plastic roadbed did not work for me at all. I switched to cork and flextrack and am much happier with the visual and audio quality. That said, I would recommend that if getting setup quickly is a bigger priority for you so you can start operations, then EZ track or Kato unitrak are great options to fit those priorities. Best of luck and have fun!
Thanks CTvalleyRR - That philosophy is what brought me to this hobby. And, yes, to me it’s “just” a hobby. The basic idea is get involved with something for fun.
MattD - I appreciate your time and effort to respond here as well. I’m glad you’ve been able to find the “sweet spot” of the hobby that gives you the most enjoyment too. That appears to be so many different things to so many people. This great pastime has something for any personality, and I can’t think of many things that do.
There was another forum I had been on, that tolerated me for a while. Most of the members were helpful and patient with me, but my attitude just wasn’t one of them.
Although I’ve been a subscriber to MRM for a while, I never thought about there being a forum here. I’m glad to find a place where all it takes is enjoying this hobby to become “one of them”. For any newbie lurkers, or seasoned veterans who look at things a little differently, now is your time to post.
My name’s Pops, and I’m a model railroader.
[:o)] [:$] [;)] [8D] [B]
By the way - I’ve found another neat forum that is worth checking out -
They have a great community as well.
[tup]
Though most of my garage layout is laid with Atlas and Sinohara flex-track and Sinohara turnouts, I do have several sections in which I’ve used the wide radius EZ track, simply because it’s bullet-proof and the areas are where the trackage hugs several sheer cliffs (one of them an actual 6’ drop to the cement garage floor). And painted and ballasted, it’s very difficult to tell the EZ track from the flex-track.
This is one area with the 6’ sheer drop:
Another area:
The track is their 34 and 36" radii, respectively. The track has been in place for 10 years or so and has been absolutely trouble-free. Not even the hint of a derailment. In fact, I’m thinking of replacing a couple of other curved portions using the EZ track.
So for me, it’s worked out VERY well.
Tom
Awesome work. And thanks for sharing the photos. What an inspiration.
I knew it couldn’t be just beginners using EZ Track. Neat work.
Pops [swg]
Anyone else using EZ Track?
[8-|]
Don’t take this the wrong way, but my son’s layout is made of nickel silver HO EZ Track. Mine is flextrack with some sectional pieces.
On one of my earlier layouts I used Atlas Code 83 sectional track along with their code 83 flex track. To get an easement I had one curve with 22" radius curves (in the tightest part of the curve) joined to 24" radius curves to form an easement. It actually worked pretty good. I made this my tightest curve and used it as a guide to make adjacent tracks with the flex track.
Concerning EZ track there is an ad where it is ballasted sitting on top of painted deep pile carpet that looks pretty good in my opinion. It is done by Bruce Carpenter, I believe. Maybe some of you guys have seen it.
Make your model railroad however you want because if you are not happy with it you can always tear it down and start over using different materials and methods later. That is how we grow in this hobby. Even masters like Pelle Soeborg do it!
My advice to you is that if you are open to using other track than EZ track for your time period modeled I would go with at least Atlas Code 83 sectional track without the roadbed. Railroads back then were mostly laid directly on a dirt roadbed. As your skill level improves and if you feel like you need to go to the next level you may want to switch to Micro Engineering Code 70 or Code 55 flex.
Happy Modeling!
Wow, but that does bring to mind a couple other former members of the forum. First was Spacemouse. He came here green as can be with issues with the Hogwarts train set he purchased for his son. He used EZ-Track. I’m guessing you could still look up some of his posts concerning EZ-Track.
Another fellow was Grandpa Coyote. He was interested in Route 66 and had just purchased a Walther’s superchief set.
It is really great to work with people just starting. It is challenging not to overload them with too much jargon and try to not push our own prejudices.