Rangerover this is a ridiculous statement "The Peco turnouts are European and require some attention with the track, a bit of filing here and there to match the gauge." Peco track is the same guage as any HO track and requires no filing and Peco Turnouts are the finest and most precise on the market and definitly require no attention.

Dave

You dont have the option of using flex track if you just use EZ track or the much greater variety of turnout types, ie; curved turnouts, tripple turnouts or number 10 or 12  turnouts like Peco offers. Also EZ track only comes in code 100. I use only flex track and Peco Turnouts which are power routing and some Atlas turnouts. Also Peco switch machines are great with built in frog polarity changing contacts. Peco turnouts have spring loaded switch points that ensure positive contacts and eliminate derailing at the points. EZ track is great for quick setups or for fast contstruction of a more permanent layout.

Dave

You probably missunderstood what they meant by  "converter sections". Any HO track can attach to other HO track with simple track clips. It dosent matter if the track has roadbed attached or not. You can even attach code 100 track to code 85 with a special transition rail joiners.

Dave

You will also find coloured tape at art supply stores or craft stores.

Dave

No you can't with just the track. You need the electronics that come with the Car barn that comes with the set. You will need to buy the whole set or a reverser unit from another supplier.

Dave

Hi Merrill: never put any grease or lubicant on a drive belt. How do you know its the belt making the clicking sound? The clicking sound is coming from somewhere else and it might be on of the brass wheel pickups that rub the inside of the drive wheels on the engine. Check to see if one of them is bent. Turn the engine over and attach alligator clips to the tender pickups and watch the operation of the drivers. You might also have a bent drive rod thats catching.

Dave

I have taken quite a few EZ track rail joiners off and I found the best method is to use needle nose pliers with lots of side to side and twisting motions to finese them off.

Dave

You need Atlas HO Universal Rail Joiners (Nickel Silver) (48 pcs./pk). You can pick them up ay any Model train store or from Atlas directly.

Dave

Hi Bill: dont use nails to hold down the roadbed or track use glue, its the better way to do it. I use No More Nails Glue for both the roadbed and track. Construction adhesive PL 300 is also a great glue to use for Construction foam or for roadbed and track. Use T pins to hold the flex track or sectional in place until the glue cures. If your using a foam base nails dont work very well or on homasote

Dave

Use flex track and you can have any radius you want. Atlas flex track is good but Peco is better.
Dave

You do not have to tear up anything to use Kadee magnetic uncouplers.
Just used Kadee number 321 delayed uncouplier magnets attached to the tie tops with track nails on the beveled ends. I have done it for 30 years. They work great and if you want to move the magnet just pull up ther nails and move it, nothings easier.
Dave

I bought this set for my son years ago and the coaches had a tendency to derail on the 18' curves supplied with the set. I solved the problem with wieghts over the trucks. I think I put 2 ounces over each truck.

I am confused: does not the Frontiersman set come with Baldwin 2-8-0 Consoladation which is not tender drive. I have 2 Bachmann Consols and they are definitly not tender drive.

Real Steam Locomotives can't run without tenders and model ones need the electronics in the tender and the tender wheel pickups to run. You can put any tender you want on your Pacific as long as the circuit board will fit in it. I havent bought a model steam Locomotive in 15 years where I ran it with its original tender as I modify them to Canadian prototypes with Canuck style tenders.

David

If you check under the product secton of this web site you will find that
Bachmann offers 52 sound equiped HO steam engines and I am sure they all move. As for smoke, you really should avoid it as it is unrealistic burns out easily and not worth the effort and a feature not found on higher end HO steam.

David