# Bachmann EZ track



## Mannix (10 mo ago)

Hello everyone!
how wide is the H0 Bachmann EZ track? Thanks.


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## kilowatt62 (Aug 18, 2019)

I’m willing to bet that info is available on the Bachmann website.


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## Mannix (10 mo ago)

Bingo ! Width: 1-3/4"


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

The EZ track with the black plastic ballast base is made of steel….rusts, or corrodes, needs constant cleaning….cheaper, but….

The EZ track with the grey plastic base is nickel-silver, far superior to the black base track….does not rust or corrode, remains cleaner for much longer….a little more expensive, but well worth it….


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## Mannix (10 mo ago)

Thanks for the info.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Old_Hobo said:


> The EZ track with the black plastic ballast base is made of steel….rusts, or corrodes, needs constant cleaning….cheaper, but….
> 
> The EZ track with the grey plastic base is nickel-silver, far superior to the black base track….does not rust or corrode, remains cleaner for much longer….a little more expensive, but well worth it….


Yeah I was gonna say "narrow enough to fit in your trash can".


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

Timely post, I'm looking at HO EZ track on eBay and it was the black base so I'll be passing on that.
Kato would be my first choice but hard to find new or used for a price I can live with, now EZ gray base is number two.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Nothing wrong with the EZ track grey base straight and curved pieces, the rails are nickel silver, but it’s the turnouts that are not great….


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

I'm usually a bit wary of Bachmann, and so it was that I never paid much attention to their track. Long story short, my friend Jimmy, here, had some physical disability that prevents him from doing regular set track, so he went with a couple of hundred feet of this Bachmann Black Road Bed Steel Track. I tested all my stuff on it, and a lot of what I have are older, crummier pieces because most of my check went to feeding and raising my family- but it's all good, happiness is wanting what you have. 

Everyone has their preference, nothing wrong with that (as long as everyone agrees with me, right?), but to my surprise I found that Bachmann EZ track works really well and is really reliable- for the most part. The turnout problem did appear, and it seems to be a loose rivet that connects the guide rail to the cross beam, which allows the guide rail to float, almost imperceptibly, but as it does it will pick flanges and cause derailments. The arrangement is pretty flimsy, so attempts to compress the rivet can easily result in damaging the whole thing beyond repair. When I start to acquire those for a future project, I will immediately checking those rivets, and immediately send any defective ones back for exchange. Out of a half dozen or so #4's, one had the bad rivet. It took a while to figure out because the defect is so tiny, but the result is so large. 

As far as corrosion goes, we've not had any issues with that. A quick wipe with Wahl Hair Clipper Oil removes gunk and grime effectively, and leaves a microfilm of oil that resists oxidization for months of regular use. Safe on plastic, traction tires, too. Does not typically affect adhesion, but it it does, the problem is easily remedied with a quick dry wipe to remove excess oil. 

See for yourself: most of the equipment here is really old, junky, toy-like stuff that won't track worth a hoot and is often disdained by discerning modellers.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Wahl Hair Clipper Oil, that's from back in the day! I liked the E33 in the video.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

No one is arguing that you can make steel track serviceable. But with so many better options, why bother with the extra work? There are a lot of factors that affect how well track performs, no matter what it's made of. Better quality handles more adverse conditions better.

Likewise with old-"junky" toy like models. They often run fine, but they often don't too. And you can't fix the level of detail.

Every modeler is free to use whatever they want on their layouts... but too many people go cheap and then wonder why they're having so many problems. So let's be careful about saying "cheap & and low quality is fine, because I can make it work." Modelers need to be making informed choices about the tradeoffs, not just blindly going for the cheapest option.


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

GTW wrote:
_"Kato would be my first choice but hard to find new or used for a price I can live with, now EZ gray base is number two."_

Try modeltrainstuff.com ...


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

GTW son said:


> Timely post, I'm looking at HO EZ track on eBay and it was the black base so I'll be passing on that.
> Kato would be my first choice but hard to find new or used for a price I can live with, now EZ gray base is number two.


"Not good" is a very charitable description of the quality, or rather total lack thereof, of Bachmann EZ-Track turnouts. The gray base nickel-silver rail, track itself is OK, though not as good as Kato Unitrack, but the Bachmann turnouts are the very worst on the market. Conversely, both Kato's track and Kato's turnouts, are excellent quality. I suggest that instead of looking for Bachmann EZ-Track on E-bay, you start looking for Kato Unitrack.

Traction Fan


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

My main layout is in N scale but I do have a few HO loco's my father left me that I want to run when my grand daughter visits.
The track will be something I can put down fast and run until she looses interest then put away fast so don't think I'll even bother with turnouts.
That being said will try to hold out for Kato should I do decide to do a HO layout sometime in the future.
Thank you for this info, saved me some un-needed grief.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Well, you can use the EZ track with the grey base, if you are just running an oval with no turnouts….as most people agree, there is nothing wrong with the track itself, but the turnouts, not so good….

And if you just going to set it up very temporarily, and then take it down, why spend more money than you have to by buying Kato track?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Old_Hobo said:


> Well, you can use the EZ track with the grey base, if you are just running an oval with no turnouts….as most people agree, there is nothing wrong with the track itself, but the turnouts, not so good….
> 
> And if you just going to set it up very temporarily, and then take it down, why spend more money than you have to by buying Kato track?


I agree; something very temporary and seldom used like GTW Son is envisioning is exactly what roadbed track is created for.


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

So I did pick up EZ track with the gray base to make a large oval and a spectrum power pack off ebay for $50 plus $25 shipping.
Happy with this purchase for what I'm going to use it for, hope the grand daughter enjoys it!


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

I am enjoying great reliability and pleasant, trouble free running with a very large array that I will post under "Henley: Britain in OO Scale," tonight. The only trick is to make sure that the rail joiners are properly fitted to the rail ends, so as to avoid an overlap; it is surprisingly easy to do. Once that bug is corrected, many, many trouble free hours of running will follow.


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

@Chops ....boy, your not kidding about lining up the joiners....


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

GTW son said:


> @Chops ....boy, your not kidding about lining up the joiners....


It's amazing how easy it is to overlook that one....that one odd joiner way over there, where it's hard to reach. I used EZ-Track on my first layout, which was a whopper by beginner's standards. It was three sheets of ply abutted against each other on the long sides, supported by 2X4 legs and sub-frame. It was a beast, complete with a stacked insulation foamboard 'mountain' with EZ-Track spiraling up it at 3.5% to a mine. I had a lot of fun. And expense. But it worked very well, and I don't regret the experience one bit.


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## GTW son (12 mo ago)

Most sections fit together no problemo, then there's the 2 or 3 that drive you bonkers.
Don't know which would have been handier 3 arms or 7 fingers per hand.


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

Once all the joiners were in place, if there was a derailment it always traces back to a defective bogie or coupler. 

The turnouts have a bad reputation. After scrutinizing several, it appears that some have a rivet holding down the guiderail allowing it to float in the range of micrometers, but enough to pick a flange and spill the train. Trying to tighten that rivet is not something I have been able to do, as one can only access it from the top. Not all switches seem to be cursed, in this fashion, so when I start putting in turnouts the first thing I will check is the firmness of the rivet. If it is the tiniest bit loose I will return for refund, immediately.


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