EZ-Track Usage

[smithron455]

I want to expand my layout from one 4x8 sheet to two 4x8 sheets.  I was thinking of hanging the second from the first with a piano hinge so that I could bring the two together and then drop supporting legs into place that would make it one larger layout.  Could I use EZ-track at the point of connection to make the track transition that would allow a train to go from one sheet to the other?  If carefully placed, when I bring the second sheet up to the level of the first, would the EZ-Track point of joining easily connect?

If the problem is that the EZ-Track cannot connect from an angle, then should I bring the two sheets together by sliding one to the other like you do an extra leaf you put into a dining room table for expansion?

Finally, if one of these two ideas is feasible, can I connect regular track to EZ-Track and only use the EZ-Track for the points of connection?

Ron Smith

[Doneldon]

Smitty-

You can do this either way.

If you hinge your second sheet (I hope you're not planning 8'x8' as you'll never safely reach the middle) you can just bring the dropped panel up to level without physically connecting the rails. The rails will be fine if they are firmly fixed in place, which would be the case with EZ Track. This will apply to all tracks crossing the break joint regardless of the angles at which they cross. You can use sliding expansion track sections across the gaps once the tables are in fixed position but it shouldn't be necessary.

You can use rail joiners if you actually slide the layout sections together but that is likely to be physically difficult to do. It would probably be better to use expanding rail sections which are made for just such a case. Also, recognize that you'll have a devil of a time making sure that all rails enter their matching rail joiners when you do this with more than one or two tracks. And if your joining tracks are not all perfectly parallel, it will border on the impossible. The solution here would be to use sliding extension track sections like I mentioned above, or just leave the rails unjoined but firmly fixed in place. EZ Track will work for this method of joining, too.

With either technique, you can use beefy butt hinges to hold the layout sections together and in alignment. Clamp the sections together, install the hinges at the frame edges, and separate the sections by popping the hinge pins out. Easy, cheap and effective.

Good luck with your project.
                                                                                                                        -- D

[jward]

since ez track has a physical connection in both the roadbed and the track, i would advise against the use of ez track across the joint betwen the two tables. instead, do what modular railroad clubs like ntrak do. they set up and tear down their layouts for train shows, and transport them in sections. they have a standard interface between sections wherer the roadbed (usually cork) is laid right to the section break, but the ends of the permanent tracks are inset by 1/2 of a standard section from the ends. the "spikes" are cut away from the ties for one or two ties on the ends of these sections. just enough that the rail joiners can slide completely under the rails of these secyions. when the layout is assembled, a standard section is dropped into the gap, and the rail joiners are slid forward to secure it.

this system uses standard, non=roadbed track sections, and has worked very well for the clubs involved.

if you like, use ez track for the permanent track.

[Terry Toenges]

If the second piece swung up, you could reach the whole thing to do scenery.

[Doneldon]

Smitty and Jeff-

Jeff's post leads me to make clear that I was not suggesting that EZ Track traverse the actual joint between sections. Rather, EZ Track can go right up to the edge of the tables pieces. Since it is quite rigidly made, it isn't strictly necessary to use rail joiners across the minute gap, though there is no reason not to, either.


Terry-

Swinging a panel up can be problematic. The rails will hit one another unless the hinges are carefully offset, and any scenery, etc., on the two adjacent panels will interfere with the same on the adjacent panel.
                                                                                                                                                                     -- D

[Terry Toenges]

Fitter pieces could be used in the fold. The scenery could be carefully planned so as not to interfere. I've seen suitcase layouts.

[Jim Banner]

A few suggestions, based on my experience with both hinged sections and slide apart sections:

If one section hinges upward compared to the other, the center lines of the hinge pins must be higher than the highest point on both sections.  If you have no permanent hills, bridges, buildings or trees, this is mostly likely the tops of the rails.

If one section hinges downward compared to the other, the center lines of the hinge pins must be below the bottoms of the tales.

For sections that fold upward, butt hinges are a better choice than piano hinge but they will require some stiff framing under your table top to have something to securely screw them to.  Best size is 3-1/2" to 4", just like those used on doors in houses.

For sections that fold downward, a piano hinge (a.k.a. continuous hinge) is a good choice, particularly if the table top is at all flimsy.

Sections that slide together can be bolted or clamped together but aligning the ends of the tracks is difficult and time consuming.  It is a bit easier to use removable sections with sliding rail joiners to allow less precise alignment of the sections but sliding the rail joiners on a 4 foot wide table will be difficult.

Sliding sections can also be aligned with pin and socket hardware similar to that used on dining room tables.  I prefer metal pins and sockets over the plastic ones as they do not wear with repeated insertions.  Wooden dowels in drilled holes are not a good choice.  With a pin and socket arrangement, you just slide the tables together, plug in the electrical, and you are in business.  No tricky alignment, no sliding rail joiners, perfect alignment every time.

As far as crossing from one section to the other with tracks at an angle, this just requires careful alignment and filing the top inside corners of the rails to make sure the wheels are properly guided from section to sections.  This is the system I use on my 0n30 layout.  I started out with Bachmann H0 E-Z Track because it is quick and easy to install and have been slowly replacing it with hand spiked rails on cedar ties.  The trains do not derail on either track type.





I have added a photo of a liftout section that uses 3-1/2" butt hinges.  The four hinges are marked by red arrows.  There are two of these liftouts on a layout a group of us have in our local museum.  Each time a train runs over these liftouts, it must cross a total of four joints (one at each end of each liftout.)  This layout has run over half a million trains in the last 20 years (yes, we counted them with an automatic counter.)  That is over 2,000,000 times a train has crossed a joint.  What is remarkable is that we have never had a derailment at any of these joints.  Also note that the pins of these butt hinges have had rings added to make it easy to pull the pins when we need to lift out a liftout.

Jim