Thanks.  Yes, I Micro Trains rocks, I have some of their box cars, and love the way they roll.

Quote from: Albert in N on January 23, 2012, 06:57:34 PM
My earlier comment about cleaning dust off track and layout relates to living in dusty Texas.  Even with the layout inside a tight house, it is necessary to dust household furniture and clean the layout train track at least weekly.  For the train track, I use the old method of cloth rag and dampen with rubbing alcohol if needed.  Wiping track with a cloth rag is much easier over Kato UniTrack or Bachmann E-Z track, than over ballasted track.  Also, hand wiping reveals any rail joiner gaps.  Layout planning is also very important.  I recall my first N layout (40 years ago)  had a screen wire and plaster tunnel, so I had to use a pad on a stick to clean the tunnel track.   Lesson learned, plan on access for hidden track!

LOL, never hurts to stick a rerailer in the hard to access portions of your tunnel as well.  I learned that the hard way once.


Oh yeah, I forgot to mention:   Take your sidings and spurs into consideration when deciding on a preroadbedded (is that a word?) track.  How will I get flat sidings off a high mainline?is the question.  (My answer, a gradual decline from EZ track to snap track on all sidings)

They don't have them as a seperate item.   

Maybe they will come out with the trucks someday. 

Knock on wood, my magnetics set ups are working fine, with EZ Mates and Micro Trains.  That will probably change once I set the magnets permanently on the layout 

In Florida, at least in my area, we have very light colored roadbed, like white granite rocks or something, very close to Atlas' chosen look.  (I used Woodland fine light gray for ballast)

Nice  work, Joe.

The Bachmann magnets work great under EZ track, BTW, with EZ Mate magnetic couplers and my Micro Trains cars with magnetic couplers.

(I have converted all my older bachmann cars with the roller freight trucks that include magnetic EZ Mates)

I just saw some Atlas N True Track up close, and I have to say it looks GREAT!  The code 65 track is nice, and the mottled ballast look of the roadbed is really something.

My EZ track main line, though, has worked just fine.  Looks good ballasted and weathered, and no problems with the turnouts (even the transition to snap track for the sidings and spurs is smooth).

Use the Life Like, easilly compatable with EZ track (or use short pieces of regular code 100 to join intersection and EZ track.

BTW, Life Like makes an adapter slot car
track which allows you to mix the intersection with AFX/Auto World HO slot track (the best and most available HO car track)

Quote from: Country Joe on January 19, 2012, 02:07:03 PM
I use Kato Unitrack on my layout. Kato's Unijoiners are far more robust than either Atlas or Bachmann joiners. Kato offers many more track sections and curve radii than either of it's competitors. Kato makes #4 and #6 switches, a double crossover and just came out with a wye switch. They also make a few bridges and other accessories, like a road crossing that can be used for single or multiple tracks.

Kato makes the most complete line of track. You can build just about any trackplan you can think of with it. The only way to have more flexibility is to go with flex track.

Joe, are you ballasting the  Kato stuff?  I saw they sell ballast that is identical to the look of their roadbed.  Might look better if the raodbed had some ballast along it's edges to give it a more natural, uneven look?

I ballast and weather roadbed track anyway, so Kato track is not worth it to me (It does fit together well, and I heard the switches are great).


The EZ track works great, is a little frustrating if you have odd numbers of turnouts (you have to make a "switch" piece, using 4.5" straight and that small section from the 90 crossing).

I did all sorts of modificvations, adding in Atlas snap track, and cutting away the road bed to make bridges and grate crossings.

Atlas True Track, BTW, is really nice looking.  I would go with that before Kato, if I wasn't going to add my own ballast.

Where would I find replacement trucks for the Bachmann 3 axle passenger cars (like the McKinley Explorer), with or without wheels?

Thanks

Thanks.  I bought the expensive pack with the 4.5, 2.5 and smaller section, and couldn't get it.

I actually looked at that crossing set yesterday, and was figuring out what else to do.

I did cut a section of Atlas snap track code 80 to 6 and 5/16", and fit it in between two ez track sections.  Need a couple bridges over canals anyway, so I may go with that. (you must saw off plastic joiners of those sides of EZ track, and unless a bridge section, use HO roadbed under at 3/16" high)

Snap track code 80 is NOT a perfect fit to EZ track, you need to file and fit it for best connection and conductivity

Strange Bachmann didn't come out with 1 5/16" sections already.  (I would love to see one in each switch package ) 

Other than that, love the EZ track, the switches work great, and it ballasts up and weathers really nice.

Easy to customize the wiring system too (for connecting to ATLAS CONNECTORS, CONTROLLERS, TWINS AND SUCH)

Am I the only one with this dilemna, or am I somehow measuring the standard switch length wrong?  (I'm sure it is 6 and 5/16" long)


Thus, and oval with say four 5" straights on one side, and three 5" straights and a switch on the other becomes out of skew.

Frustrating   

Great work!

Securing layout to benchwork top, and I am trying a couple changes, that bring up a new issue.

A standard switch is (the straight part) 6 and 5/16 long.   So what connectors can I use to balance an opposing side?

1.25 and 1.5 inch connectors obviously won't work. 

Should I cut down my own 1 and 5/16 section (or add in a Atlas snap track section) or just forget the new changes and go back to a balanced layout?

Thanks

Quote from: Doneldon on January 04, 2012, 01:25:03 AM
Darth-

Ballasted track looks pretty much the same regardless of what's under it since you cover up what's under it. I haven't noticed that any particular kind of roadbed is especially hard or easy to work on except that cork can be aggrivating unless you knock the angle off of where the horizontal surface starts down its slope.

Quote from: GoCanes on January 03, 2012, 11:19:50 PM
Ballasting the switches, well that's a bit trickier  

FL Boy-

Truer words were never spoken.

                               -- D

It may be blasphemy, but I did use a dark wask and drybushing on the naked N scale roadbed, and at a distance of a couple feet, it looks pretty convincing (the N scale EZ actually has a more detailed roadbed than the HO)  I went ahead and ballasted it (the wash/drybrush was just an experiment) , but it would work in a pinch for someone who wanted a better looking temporary track.

That said, ballast it!

I'll get some up soon.  Did an HO layout and currently doing N scale EZ track ballasting.

I use 50% Folk Art Gray acryllic paint and 50% PVA glue (after weathering and dry brushing the rail and ties) and carefully paint the roadbed (using a small brush to get around/between the ties), then sprinkle fine light grey ballast on.  

When it dries, I brush on a 50/50 water/PVA mix which seals it.  Looks great.  Pics to come ASAP

Ballasting the switches, well that's a bit trickier