Why is there no 24 inch radius EZ track curve to fit between the 22 and 26 inch curve?

I would like to add some number 5 turnouts to the EZ track layout. I have some 85' passenger cars that can't use the standard turnout. After I had problems with the standard turnouts, I have not been in any hurry to purchase more EZ track turnouts. How is the quality of the number 5 turnouts? What kind of problems if any, has anyone experienced?

I have six standard turnouts that have never worked correctly. They are rough and cause derailments anytime a train heads into the points. Went to the hardware store and got a fine flat file with one edge smooth. I put the smooth edge of the file down on the cross ties and filed away on the points. It took a lot if filing but I got four of them to work smoothly. The two that still don't work have weak springs that won't hold the point against the rail which allows a wheel to slip between the point and the rail. Bending the spring to get one point to set against that rail just caused a problem on the oposite side. Bachmann needs to use stiffer springs to keep the points set against the rail. Is there any good way to stiffen the spring without destroying the plastic part that holds it? The spring looks like a very thin steel wire. I had thought about soldering a wire to the spring for about half it's length to reduce it's flexibility. Doesn't look like an easy soldering job but I may experiment since these two turnouts are of no use as they are now.

Anyone else dislike these new knuckle couplers as much as I do? ...Until about a year ago all my equipment was older and had horn hook couplers, also known as X2F couplers. When I started getting new locos and rolling stock it all had magnetic knuckle couplers which I discovered were not backward compatible with the old X2F couplers. I discovered that not all of my older locomotives could be easily converted to knuckle couplers without major surgery which I am not willing to do. Some of those old locos still run good but are out of production with no parts available so I don't want to take the chance of damaging them if a coupler conversion doesn't go well. I made up several transition cars out of cabooses so I could run the old locos with new rolling stock. I remember seeing trains on the Norfolk & Western in the 1960s with a caboose behind the locomotive used as a mail car so that would be historically accurate for the era that I model. ...After I started running the new knuckle coupler equipped hardware I discovered that the knuckles don't like grade changes or rough track. Also different brands of rolling stock won't always stay coupled. Long strings of cars come uncoupled almost constantly.  Another big headache is the microscopic coil spring on the knuckle couplers. A derailment or a hard hit on the coupler will dislodge the spring and it will then spring away never to be seen again. Replacing those springs is almost impossible with my middle aged eyes so I have to replace the coupler to fix them. I experimented with the knuckle couplers to find out why they were causing me such a big reliability problem and discovered that a hard pull such as an upward grade or a long string of heavy freight cars will cause the coupler to travel vertically and slip out of the other coupler. The old X2F couplers have a shelf on the bottom of the coupler to limit vertical movement so it cannot slip out of the other coupler. That is why the X2F is a more reliable coupler that will stay together on grade changes, uneven track and will even stay coupled in a derailment. The X2F also has no coil spring to dislodge and render the coupler useless. The X2F will also couple on a curve while the knuckles will only couple on straight track. If I set up a layout with an overpass I will only use the old hardware with the X2F couplers if I want the train to stay together. I started looking at different couplers and discovered that Kadee made knuckle couplers with a lower shelf.  They are the Kadee 118 and 119. They are both medium center set so they won't fit everything. The 118 uses a separate spring and the 119 has whisker springs. I got some of these and tested them. The lower shelf on the coupler limits vertical movement and keeps them together on less than perfectly level track. Recently I purchased an IHC 0-8-0 steam locomotive with a Magic Mate coupler. I noticed that it had a lower shelf built into it and no coil spring. The trip pin can be slid up and down to adjust for clearance instead of having to use special pliers to bend them. The majic mate coupler is a universal coupler so they will also work with the old X2F couplers as well as magnetic knuckle couplers. I got some majic mate couplers and installed them on several locos to test them. The magic mates are a medium center set style coupler only so they may not work on everything. On the test track the magic mates will hook up to both knuckle and X2F couplers and stay coupled as reliably as the X2F couplers. ...They still won't couple on an 18" curve, you have to push the cars to a straight section of track like standard knuckle couplers. The majic mates will couple to anything and don't have that tiny coil spring that can dislodge and cause a coupler failure so I will be replacing the standard couplers on my equipment with magic mates any time they fail. 

Steam locomotives with DCC in the tender have wires with tiny plugs that have to be plugged into the back of the loco. Plugging and unplugging those connectors into the loco and handling the unit while it is wired together will eventually damage the plugs and wires. I would suggest a provision to permanently couple the locomotive and tender to prevent strain on wires and connectors. Also provide a storage box long enough to store the coupled locomotive and tender. This would prevent damage to wires and plugs from repeated connecting and disconnecting of the plugs to put the loco and tender back in the box for safe storage. I have an IHC 0-8-0 that is set up with the loco drawbar permanently connected to the tender. It can go on the tracks or back in the box without risk of damage to connector or wires. I also have a 1970s Chessie steam loco with electrical pickup in the tender. The locomotive drawbar is screwed to the tender to prevent damage to the power wire when handling the unit.

Just got a GE E33 locomotive (product # 82403) When I did a test run I noticed right away that it has lots of vibration, I could feel it through the table and it is excessively loud. I have a Bachmann FTA and GP50 that both run smooth and quiet. Anyone else have an E33 that runs like this? I haven't yet looked at the drive train to see if there is a reason for this. ...Looks like this one may have to be a warranty return.

I recently purchased an EMD GP50 (#61292) with the new knuckle couplers. The couplers sag and won't stay coupled to anything. I attempted to replace the original couplers with with the correct Micro Trains replacement but after four hours of total frustration I have given up on that fix. I only discovered that I am not qualified to be a micro surgeon. Anyone else have this problem with these new couplers? Does Bachmann have a fix for this?