Can someone please advise me on the pros and cons in useing EZ track.
Howdy, Doc. Welcome to the forums [#welcome]
The only pro with EZ-Track is that it goes together quickly and will stay put on a tabletop without being anchored to same. Not necessarily true if you want to assemble some, ‘Not in the book of plans,’ track arrangement, or if you run heavy trains at Shinkansen speed.
Cons:
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Incompatable with other manufacturer’s track products
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Selection of curve radii are limited, and not necessarily appropriate if you want to run big steam or long passenger/freight cars.
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Impossible to form proper horizontal or vertical easements for curves or grades.
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Looks toylike.
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Makes proper mounting of trackside structures a pain - the local ‘ground level’ has to be built up to get freight platforms to an appropriate level.
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Has to be pushed ALL THE WAY into lock. Easy to fail to do so, and guaranteed to cause derailments if you don’t.
I have some EZ-Track, which was acquired by my yard-sale-addicted sister. I have occasionally used it to assemble temporary construction tramways, but wouldn’t consider it for permanent construction.
A half-way better solution is to use the more traditional sectional track (the kind without the built-in roadbed.) Still has the second and third problems listed in, “Cons,” and has to be laid on appropriate roadbed, but is a considerable improvement. The best solution for more experienced modelers is flex track, which CAN be formed into proper horizontal and vertical easements and used with numbered-frog turnouts. One trick is to substitute lengths of flex for straight sections - one length of flex track equals four nine-inc
Quite a number of toy train enthusiasts use the various pre-fab track elements available from Kato and Bachmann. They go together well, are well made and engineered, and offer quick set-up. In the case of EZ-Track, their rather costly turnouts (switches) are usually in need of some repair or refinement/adjustment. We can get into that in more detail later.
As Chuck says, the main limitation is that you are stuck with the configurations of track you can generate based on the defined radii available from each supplier. With the more favoured flex track, you can make virtually any track configuration, provided it actually lets your engines and cars move around them.
Probably the most acute problem is in grades. If you have designed a track plan that requires tracks crossing overhead of tracks, such as on a bridge, you must provide a vertical transition, a curve, into the grade or the engines will lose traction. The stiff EZ-Track components can’t provide proper transitions unless you are willing to saw the plastic ballast base to generate several deep cuts, thus allowing you to spay the roadbed and form a shallow vertical curve.
Flex track takes some learning, but it isn’t rocket science. The suppiers sell tons of the stuff, literally, because it provides a good realistic track plan with a great deal of latitude.
Bottom line, the EZ and Uni-track components are good value for someone who doesn’t mind spending the money and who wants to get trains running quickly in relatively simple track configurations. My beef is with the EZ-Track turnouts, but otherwise I like the product for what if offers those in a bit of a hurry, or who have not yet decided that they would like more control over their track plan.
-Crandell
[:-^]
I know Jeff Wimberly uses it with a fair amount of success, so it can be done with the limitations previously mentioned.
In my opinion its only good use is for under the Christmas Tree.
Johnboy out…
EZ track and the products from Kato and Life-Like serve a purpose,generally for young kids who are impatient and want their trains running now! Not that the rest us us generally don’t feel the same way at time but if you want to build (some are going to want and jump me for saying this but don’t even bother) “a more serious” or more traditional type of layout EZ track and the like are not for you if you just want to have fun and watch trains go round then EZ track is just fine. Don’t fall into the EZ track trap as a lot of people have. You get some and hey I like playing with trains so you go back to the LHS and get some more track then a few turnouts etc. and before you know it you have a small fortune invested in the stuff but your still not happy with it because of it’s limitations. One thing this hobby is guaranteed to do is stimulate your creativity.The only reason we still have it laying around our house is when ever my over active 7 year old want to play with his small (HO) trains we pull out the Like -Like track and set it up for a while on the living room floor until he looses interest, which is usually about 15 to 20 min. after we get it all set up.
I just received my March issue of MRR and feel I need to revise my earlier statement about EZ track and the like, reason being I just saw the article about laying realistic sectional track on the Salt lake route and that railroad is as nice and as well done as any one I have seen using flex track or conventional methods. Dr. A ready the article of how he built it and judge for yourself. An excellent piece of modeling
Would you rather build a train-on-a-table setup or a model railroad layout? Takes your choice.
Mark
My son and I have built a significant sized layout with it. It holds together well and is very easy for my son. After you add ballast you can’t tell the plastic roadbed is there. The track is louder but mounted on foam, I can live with it. The biggest con I have seen is lack of flex track. Can’t customize anything. They do make track in various lengths and radii. However, I have built a very interesting layout with several industries and a harbor. It can be made to go on an incline, but you have to be very gradual with it. For a serious modeler, I would not recommend it because you are limited to premade stuff. For someone starting out or a younger person its great. I had trains running in one evening. It would be nice if they made some kind of transition piece to go along with “normal” rails.