# EZ Track Glue Down



## Bluwtr (Feb 28, 2021)

About to start the glue down of our EZ Track. Our roadbed is the Woodland Scenics foam style. Will a quality PVA style glue hold it down together? I use Gorilla brand wood glue for almost everything, but thought I ask if anyone has had experience with this scenario. I assume I would lay a bed a glue then lay the track and pin it down.

Suggestions appreciated.

W


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

A bit confused...you asked about glue for EZ track which is rails on roadbed
then say you are using Woodland Sceneics foam style roadbed. 

Each of our members have favorite adhesives. I used plain ole Elmer's
white glue. It doesn't take much to
hold track and roadbed in place. So, do yourself a favor and use only
a small dab here and another there. That way, a simple putty knife can
undo your work when you discover that you would prefer a different
track plan.

Don


----------



## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Bluwtr said:


> About to start the glue down of our EZ Track. Our roadbed is the Woodland Scenics foam style. Will a quality PVA style glue hold it down together? I use Gorilla brand wood glue for almost everything, but thought I ask if anyone has had experience with this scenario. I assume I would lay a bed a glue then lay the track and pin it down.
> 
> Suggestions appreciated.
> 
> W


Bluwtr;

What Don said.
I too don't understand the need for foam roadbed under track that includes plastic roadbed.  
One possible rational might be to glue the foam inside the plastic roadbed, for sound deadening. Plastic roadbed track tends to be quite noisy when trains are running. The plastic cast roadbed makes an efficient "sounding board" to amplify the sound of passing trains. Another thought along the same lines, gluing foam between your roadbed track and "the big sounding board," (the plywood table top) might also help reduce the sound somewhat.

For attaching track, roadbed type or not, I recommend latex caulk. In the case of your EZ-Track, a bead of caulk along each edge of the bottom of the roadbed piece. The small surface area of that little edge doesn't help with bonding, but the caulk should do the trick. Its also removeable. If you ever need to take up some track, spray a little WD-40 onto the blade of a putty knife. Then slide the putty knife under each side of the roadbed and it will come right up with no damage to the track. Do you have any of the Bachmann EZ-Track "turnouts"? (track switches) They have a bad reputation for derailments and mechanical failure. If you haven't already bought them, you would be better off to use a better turnout like Peco, Micro Engineering, Walthers, or Kato. Unitrack. Kato turnouts have roadbed under them. While no other brand of turnout will just plug into your Bachmann track, it is pretty simple to adapt any of them to connect. If you chose any of the first three brands, you can shim them up to match the height of your EZ-Track. Any other brand of turnout will be better quality than the Bachmann EZ-Track turnouts, so its worth the small extra effort involved in adapting them.

Traction Fan 🙂


----------



## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

I've used 1" wide 3M double-sided foam tape at the section joints to "tack down" EZ-track onto bare plywood.


----------



## Bluwtr (Feb 28, 2021)

Sorry for the confusion. Even thought the EZ track has the "bed" attached I still am using the Woodland Scenics foam under it. I decided to do this for the sound deadening effect and to help level any imperfections due to the scenery from plaster clothe etc.

Our layout doesn't have any switches etc but thanks for the heads up about the Bachman ones. I've read many times that they are not very good and cause more trouble than they are work especially over the long haul.

I will use the glue I have but I will also attach it "sporadically" for ease of removal if the need arises.

Thanks.


----------



## Bluwtr (Feb 28, 2021)

GNfan said:


> I've used 1" wide 3M double-sided foam tape at the section joints to "tack down" EZ-track onto bare plywood.


 That's a great idea. Did you have any issues with it causing the track to be higher than the unstuck sections?


----------



## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

I put tape at every joint, with the idea of coming back later with something like a bead of caulk to cover the gap between the bottom edge of the EZ-track roadbed and the board.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

I used Kato Unitrack on a pink foam base and took Traction Fan's suggestion of latex caulk to glue it down. It worked out well for me.


----------



## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

On my present layout I first used latex caulk, it came up too easily (I filed the sharp corners off the rail ends) re-laid with liquid nails and while it held better it still moved a bit so part of the track here is firmly held down with Elmer's but I know it will be easy to pull up should the need arise

I know someone is wondering, the sharp points on the ends of the rails were a snag point and for whatever reason caught the trains a couple of times, just the points were rounded over. A side effect / affect was there is a little more "clackity-clack" from the trains now


----------



## nsmustang55ol (Sep 3, 2021)

When I had an all KATO uni track layout, I hot glued the track down to bare plywood, made it easy to change and adjust, not to mention quick. Then I ballasted the track down permanently.


----------

