Hello
The title says it all-- I want to replace my Bachmann E-Z track rail joiners with new ones (due to careless storage most of them are bent far beyond repair). For a while I contemplated throwing out all the E-Z track and starting anew with Atlas, but I paid all this money for the track I have and it seems to me at least like a fixable problem. My question(s) are:
How do I replace the rail joiners without damaging the track?
Will the track work if I simply replace the rail joiners or do I need something else to ensure success?
Thanks
-R
I know Bachmann sells replacement joiners, but I haven't used them personally.
I do know that getting the original Bachmann joiners off isn't easy and often breaks the set of plastic 'spikes' holding them in place.
Nevertheless, my method for removing joiners is to grab them with pliers and tug until they give, praying that the rails don't come off with them.
Yes, I've had 3 packs of 36 rail joiners ordered off of Amazon (cheap, thank goodness ;)) and hopefully they can solve my problem...the rails coming off worries me a bit though...
It worries me too, but you can lessen the chances of it happening by 'opening' the joiners so they don't grip the rail.
Quote from: Flare on December 15, 2015, 05:41:51 PM
It worries me too, but you can lessen the chances of it happening by 'opening' the joiners so they don't grip the rail.
Alright. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for your help. ;)
RyRy, as Flare Gun pointed out, the task is not always easy. I have used the method from this video:
http://s792.photobucket.com/user/NarrowmindedRR/media/20121110195709.mp4.html
Sometimes it has worked like a charm and other times, not so much :(. Seems that depending on when or even where the lot of the same kind of EZ track was made, it can be different in terms of how hard or easy it is to get the joiners off. I suggest that if the joiner does not start to pull off right away with diagonal cutters or needle nose pliers, take a hobby (Xacto) knife and trim the black plastic spikes form where they are in contact with the rail joiner and then pull the joiner off. Sometimes it also looks like the joiners are crimped to the rail. In those cases, I would do as my good friend Jerry suggests and try to open up the joiner with a jewelers screw driver first, to help be able to get it of the rail. Too much force and you run the risk of twisting a rail and sending it out of gauge.
Please know too, that EZ track is Code 100 and you don't need to have to buy Bachmann joiners-Atlas nickel silver joiners or other brand Code 100 joiners will fit the bill. Good luck and have fun! :)
Alright, I was able to successfully remove mostly all of the rail joiners while only sacrificing three curved pieces due to the track getting pulled out of place (but then again, who doesn't have enough curves? :P) Anyway, my next challenge is how to install new ones. Help would be greatly appreciated!
What, put new joiners on the rails ??? ::)
PS-before pulling the track out of place, did you try the above recommendations?
Alright so I began replacing the rail joiners this morning and at first they worked fine (not great, but art least the engines actually moved...) a few hours later I am back where I started. The engines are not responsive on any track at all, regardless of new rail joiners being present or not. I have checked my power sources and checked all the engines; none of them work. As previously stated i am using back Bachmann EZ track and I am running Bachmann trains. Any help is greatly appreciated...
I am confused here. did you say your power supply isn't working? did you test it?
my bad, yes the power is working.
RyeRye, what kind of EZ track is this?
And, have you ever cleaned the wheels of your locos?
Um...hehehe no?
How would I go about doing that?
Quote from: jbrock27 on December 25, 2015, 08:01:18 PM
RyeRye, what kind of EZ track is this?
Black kind...um...Bachmann brand...um...yeah...
you have voltage from the controller. do you have voltage to the rails where the wiring connects? you can touch a quarter to both rails and see if they spark, just don't leave the quarter on the track for any length of time.
Yep. I do...when I did the quarter trick it worked...any other ideas?
Quote from: RyanGNR on December 27, 2015, 09:25:52 AM
Yep. I do...when I did the quarter trick it worked...any other ideas?
now try the quarter trick on every piece of track, moving from the piece that sparked to the one adjacent to it. continue on around the layout this way. if you find a section that doesn't spark, the joiners connecting it to the last section that did spark are bad.
this is troubleshooting by logical progression. we have definitely established that the connections from your controller to the track are good, now we eliminate the track itself as the problem. or we find the problem track.
One other question that had been deleted from my original one: do you have the track down in any permanent way, or just snapped together?
The "quarter trick" sounds a little risky to me, specially for someone not used to working with this kind of stuff. Reminds me of looking of live wires by touching them w/a screwdriver (only w/o the 110 AC voltage involved).
Alright...
So I will try to do the quarter thing around all the tracks...unless
Quote from: jbrock27 on December 27, 2015, 05:50:41 PM
The "quarter trick" sounds a little risky to me, specially for someone not used to working with this kind of stuff. Reminds me of looking of live wires by touching them w/a screwdriver (only w/o the 110 AC voltage involved).
so what should I do as this has been established as a bad idea?
Also, no the tracks are not
Quote from: jbrock27 on December 27, 2015, 05:50:41 PM
down in any permanent way
they are just snapped together. And yes, I believe they are steel. Here is the Amazon link where I bought them...
http://www.amazon.com/Bachmann-Trains-Snap-Fit-Nickel-Expander/dp/B0000CGB3N/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1451257040&sr=8-7&keywords=Bachman+Ez+track
NOTE: this link leads to the nickel sliver variant-- I have the original black track.
Quote from: RyanGNR on December 27, 2015, 05:58:07 PM
I believe they are steel.
You don't have to believe, you confirmed it is when you said you have black roadbed.
Keep going about it using the quarter trick, just be careful. Specially if it is working fer ya.
For my suggestion, you would have to confirm you have a multi meter.
Are there no sections at all of track that the loco runs on?
Have you at last been able to read what I said about cleaning wheels?
Quote from: jbrock27 on December 27, 2015, 06:07:17 PM
Quote from: RyanGNR on December 27, 2015, 05:58:07 PM
I believe they are steel.
You don't have to believe, you confirmed it is when you said you have black roadbed.
Keep going about it using the quarter trick, just be careful. Specially if it is working fer ya.
For my suggestion, you would have to confirm you have a multi meter.
Are there no sections at all of track that the loco runs on?
Have you at last been able to read what I said about cleaning wheels?
Oh ok. Well, unfortunately I don't have a multi meter, so I will continue with the quarter. I don't think I recognize either of the things you suggested for cleaning wheels. Are there any homemade remedies I could use instead?
Ok Sparky.
I guess you could use a Q-tip and some spit, but doubt that would be as effective.
What about insulated joiners?Are they hard to install on ez track?
UPTODAY
it seems to me the hardest thing is getting the original rail joiners off without damaging the track. any replacement joiners should slide right on, no matter what kind they are. just make sure you use code 100 size, as the others (code 83, code 70, etc) are too small to fit.
Quote from: UPTODAY on December 27, 2015, 10:18:26 PM
What about insulated joiners?Are they hard to install on ez track?
UPTODAY
No
Quote from: jward on December 28, 2015, 07:26:26 AM
it seems to me the hardest thing is getting the original rail joiners off without damaging the track...make sure you use code 100 size
Correct:
Quote from: jbrock27 on December 15, 2015, 10:55:36 PM
RyRy, as Flare Gun pointed out, the task is not always easy. I have used the method from this video:
http://s792.photobucket.com/user/NarrowmindedRR/media/20121110195709.mp4.html
Sometimes it has worked like a charm and other times, not so much :(. Seems that depending on when or even where the lot of the same kind of EZ track was made, it can be different in terms of how hard or easy it is to get the joiners off. I suggest that if the joiner does not start to pull off right away with diagonal cutters or needle nose pliers, take a hobby (Xacto) knife and trim the black plastic spikes form where they are in contact with the rail joiner and then pull the joiner off. Sometimes it also looks like the joiners are crimped to the rail. In those cases, I would do as my good friend Jerry suggests and try to open up the joiner with a jewelers screw driver first, to help be able to get it of the rail. Too much force and you run the risk of twisting a rail and sending it out of gauge.
Please know too, that EZ track is Code 100 and you don't need to have to buy Bachmann joiners-Atlas nickel silver joiners or other brand Code 100 joiners will fit the bill. Good luck and have fun! :)
Quote from: jward on December 28, 2015, 07:26:26 AM
it seems to me the hardest thing is getting the original rail joiners off without damaging the track. any replacement joiners should slide right on, no matter what kind they are. just make sure you use code 100 size, as the others (code 83, code 70, etc) are too small to fit.
Yeah...the new ones were really easy to reinstall but the tracks are still not picking up any electronic voltage and I'm not sure why.
Ryan,
If you don't have a multimeter, you can test for electrical continuity with a 12-16 volt light bulb. Touch leads from the bulb to both rails with the power turned on and see if the bulb lights up. This is easier on your equipment because you are not creating a short circuit.
Les
Before you ask where one of these can be found, they are commonly called "Continuity Testers" and are sold at auto parts stores and in the auto sections of stores like Wal Fart, KMart and SEARS. I bet you can also find them at one of my favorites (not), Harbor Freight.
For anyone interested, I am posting this again, as it has gone missing 3X now:
To clean the loco wheels, take a paper towel and spray it with WD-40 or PB Blaster. Some use isopropyl alcohol instead. Put the paper towel on the track. Place some of the loco wheels on the wet towel and the other wheels to the track. Apply power while holding the loco in place so the towel cleans the wheels resting on it. Then do the opposite wheels. You will see the dark streaks on the paper towel, which is the dirt and crud coming off. Some clean their rolling stock using this method and just rolling the wheels back and forth over the wet portion of the towel.
Solved the problem, all of the locomotives' wheels were filthy. A quick clean and they were all up and running. Thanks for all your help.
Now, who would have thought that??... :D :D
You are welcome. Glad I could help (it only took me posting cleaning directions 3 times because it kept getting deleted ::)) and glad it worked out fer ya :)
Have fun!
Reading through this thread, I had a feeling that would be the case when you said that the locos wheels had never been cleaned. A pity most of the other people in this thread were too busy trying to market multi-meters to actually spot that part. Even though the usual culprit in these cases is that the track, the wheels, or both are filthy.
Having been using E-Z track since Christmas 2003, I find that holding the rail down with your fingers and using a gentle tug with needle-nose pliers tends to be a simple way to get the joiners off. As far as maintenance of the track goes, do not use abrasive cleaning implements on the steel alloy rail track unless it's exceptionally filthy or coated with something like paint. If it's just a normal clean, you risk abrading away the conductive plating.
I would also recommend you begin slowly replacing your existing track with the nickel-silver stuff. The steel alloy rails are mediocre conductors of electricity at best, and they get filthier faster and more easily than the nickel-silver rail.
Quote from: ZeldaTheSwordsman on January 24, 2016, 10:17:12 AM
I would also recommend you begin slowly replacing your existing track with the nickel-silver stuff.
A solid and oft made recommendation here. "Which is better, steel or nickel silver track?"
I had pointed out earlier that steel track creates and contributes to problems but that comment was deleted by one of the Administrators here, along with the 2 other times that I had posted my instructions for wheel cleaning. It was someone other than
Yardmaster, but whom I don't know, since no one took credit for it. ;)