Just perusing my usual online retailer for stuff & I came across Marklin track. They’ve got a couple of different track styles & systems; & I think I’ve seen an adapter to Bachmann’s EZ track at my LHS.
The main reason for this interest is that they have some really nice curved turnouts that sell for a lot less than their Shinohara counterparts & I’d like to see if I could integrate it into my EZ track layout…
Any ideas?
Marklin is 3-rail AC, which means that the 2 rails are not isolated from each other and are the conductors for one side of the motor, the stud rail in the center conducts to the other side of the motor. It works just like Lionel.
You won´t be able to use Marklin track for your 2-rail DC layout, but you might be able to employ Trix track. Trix is Marklin´s 2-rail DC brand and their track shares the geometry of Marklin´s C-track.
Once you reach the stage of wanting more variety and flexibility than the Bachmann EZ track (and other makes of integral track/roadbed product), it is time to explore how to mate up standard flex track with the product. The base on Bachmann E-Z track is not the same height as cork roadbed. But it is possible to experiment using standard cork roadbed and thinner sheets such as the N scale roadbed thickness that Woodland Scenics sells, to match the height quite closely.
That would give you the opportunity to explore other makes of curved turnouts, such as Peco’s.
As a track weathering demonstration for a clinic I gave, I successfully mated up the LifeLike version of EZ track with a piece of flex track and by carefully applying ballast and weathering ties and rails very carefully where the two tracks met, you could hardly see where they met up. If you tire of beefing up the height of the regular track it is possible to use a shim to get back to regular height of cork roadbed.
Dave Nelson