I was looking at the U.P.® #1838 - Prairie 2-6-2 & Tender, with E-Z-Mate® Mark II coupler on tender.  Some threads discuss different couplers, and I was wondering if my rolling stock from the kit (previous post) would work with this engine/tender.  The box doesn't include information about the couplers.

The couplers look like a thumb and fingers curled into a loose "C."  They don't connect when pushed together, but must be connected by lifting one and dropping it in vertically.

The engine is a Santa Fe diesel, "F7-A Diesel Locomotive with All-Wheel Drive ...", from the box.  (also, two cars and a caboose.)

Well, my track is "in the mail", so now all I have to do is wait.

I was wondering if EZ-Track is compatible with "another ballasted track brand?"

I can see how this hobby can become addicting.  I am already thinking about moving my bookshelves out of my office/computer room and using that space, and the space of the existing 4' x 2' table, to create a layout table. 

I am thinking of running a shallow grade along the wall (single track) out of the layout table, and then using a loop over my terminal (still an old CRT) to return to the main table.  Is a gap in the track of the loop all that is required to handle the polarity when leaving the loop, or is wiring required?

Ken P, I browsed your photos and was impressed with all that work!  Do you have any "overview" images of the whole layout?

I ordered the 30 degree crossover, and a pack of various connectors.  To get 8 of the .875 I would have had to order several packs.  So...I'll see if I can cobble together these and maybe it will work.

Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the quick responses.

The trains sets that I purchased were Walthers "Trainline", and the packaging info says that it uses Bachmann E-Z Track nickel-silver tracks.  I just unpacked these sets that I haven't seen in possibly six years(or more!) and realized the amount of extra rolling stock that I had purchased, including a diesel locomotive (Santa Fe), and a bunch of extra track.

Someone asked where the track was located.  I had it on the floor (carpeted) going around my coffee table.  Just to be clear, the track cleaning had to be done on a daily basis, or more often.  Subsequent to my first post, I continued digging through the message board and saw that denatured or isopropyl (sp?) alcohol seemed to be best for cleaning the tracks.

Len, I always felt that the "black crude" was not really dirt, as much as it was the residue of the electricity passing between two (possibly) different metal types.  I don't know the correct terms to use, but it seems to me to be ablative material.  How do you feel about that idea?

A number of years ago I purchased a couple of train sets, non-DCC.  I used trestles to create two ovals running around my coffee table.

I found that I had to wipe down the tracks on a regular basis to keep the trains from stalling.  Actually, it became annoyingly too often.

Is this typical?  Is there a way to delay the cleaning?

The guys at the shop (now out of business) were not helpful at all.

Tia.

I recently purchased an N scale set with 24 inch circle.  It currently fits on the 24"x48" table next to my computer desk.

I would like to create a figure 8 using a 90 degree cross-over.

Just "eyeballing" the circle it looks like I can remove 3 of the 11 pieces of 11.25" curved track and put in some straight track and the cross-over.  Then create another 8 piece circle and straight track to finish the figure 8.

I don't know how to calculate the straight track, but have considered buying 5" straight track and various sizes of straight track.

1) Does this seem reasonable?
2) Would the overall "length" (outside track) exceed 48 inches?

(Instead of the cross-over, I have seen 16-piece graduated trestles on different sites, but Bachmann doesn't seem to have it on their site.  Questions #1 and #2 apply to this scenario, as well.)

TIA.