What is best Life -Like Power-Loc track , BACHMANN E-Z track or any other company that makes track that is mounted on roadbed . Is steel or nickle silver track what is better. Thanks in advance
Define better. Cheaper? More durable? More flexible in possible track plans? More realistic looking? Easiest to find at a local hobby shop? Easier to assemble/disassemble? Harder to come apart unintentionally?
All the makes have slightly different feature sets. You have decide which feature set is most important to you. Or go with somebody else’s opinion based on what is important to them.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
Steel can rust, nickel silver will not.
As Fred said, each brand has it’s advantages and disadantages. If you have an LHS, it is easiest to go with their brand, even if you buy the majority elsewhere. Using sectional track you will undoubtedly come up needing some piece you don’t have on hand. A trip to the LHS is quicker than getting something sent and paying the shipping.
I have probably heard the most comments about E-Z Track and Kato. If you are planning broader curves, some makes offer more varities than others. I think it is E-Z Track I have seen with over a 30" radius.
Good luck,
Richard
As one who tries to adhere to prototype civil engineering practices (spiral easements, superelevation, properly designed transitions from level to grade…) I consider the rigid geometry of ANY sectional track less than acceptable, whether it comes with or without roadbed.
However, if you must, I think you would find Kato unitrack to be the best, if for no reason than their choice of curve radii. Kato curves (in HOj) can be laid with 60mm difference in radius, while the others are “even inches” That extra 9.6mm clearance can make the difference between lateral interference between trains on both tracks and passing without problems.
I lay my curves with flex track - to radii that only Kato sells.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
First of all, nothing beats flex track, laid on a roadbed and properly weathered and ballasted, for realistic look and feel. Regardless of the make, track that comes with a roadbed has a plastic look to it, which makes its appearance toy-like.
I use Kato Unitrack for my N scale mini.modular layout for the simple reason that Kato´s Unijoiner make up the connection between the modules. I do paint and ballast the track to give it a better appearance, though.
As Fred W pointed out, there are very few “bests” in this hobby. It’s generally a question of tradeoffs.
One exception is materials. These days, you should not use anything but nickel silver track.
As far as the rest goes, there are several drawbacks to the track with the pre-attached roadbed: the appearance is lest realistic, it costs more for the same length of track, and your layout possibilities are limited by the pieces available.
The advantages are durability and ease of assembly – it’s pretty hard to do poor track work with the pre-attached roadbed. For my money, a little care in track laying can make flex track just as bullet proof as the pre-attached roadbed.
But anyway, assuming you’ve already figured this out and decided that this kind of track is for you, you won’t go wrong with any of the major brands (LifeLike, Bachmann, or Kato). Use the one that provides the pieces that allow you to make the track plan you want (or closest to it), and the one you can find the best bargain on.
I use Bachmann fits better than Life like track in my opinion. If you are a novice like me, and want an easy start, this would be the best way to go. If you want more realism, and have the expertise, then consider the above comments. There is also a noise issue with plastic track so a noise reduction underlayment will need to be added if sound is an issue for you. Plastic wheels are quieter than metal. You are limited to a design unless you mix in some flex track to smooth out the areas that the plastic track won’t fit. Just some suggestions.
Happy Railroading!