Bachman turnouts

[dazedsteve]

I have finished the planning stage of my new layout and i am intending to build the layout with E-Z track. In my research i have seen alot of criticism  or negative comments of Bachman turnouts.  Is this criticism justified? What have been your experiences. Some of the comments have been that they require alot of tweeking to avoid derailing. Would appreciate any comments as i am about to outlay a considerable sum of money on new E-Z track.

Thanks

Steve

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

I dont have any thing but reading experience with E-Z turnouts, but I think the problems were with a certain scale. You may wish to clue us in which scale/gauge you have as problems could vary with sizes.

[dazedsteve]

Thanks for your response - i was intending to build in HO scale and use remote turnouts. I have used them previously on a small layoutwith only a couple of turnouts and had no problems. My new layout will initially have 18 turnouts (#4 and 5). I was also going to put rerailers after most of these turnouts. Is this overkill?  Would this overcome any issues with the turnouts?
Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Steven

[jward]

if you are having derailment problems and trying to cure them with rerailers, you are treating the symptom not the cause. the best thing you can do if you have those problems is to shine a bright light low on the track in that area and watch the wheels as your train runs by. often you can see where they climb the rails which may be quite a ways away fromwhere they actually derail. finding this spot will help pinpoint the problem so you can correct it.

on many switches the points are too blunt. filing them to a sharp point can cure the problem.

one thing i've always wondered is how you change the switch motor on eztrack if it goes bad? do you have to rip the track up to replace it? are replacements even available?

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

  Rerailers after each I'm not sure if that's silly or genius .
jw's tip sound good and he has a good point/query about the motor. It could be a factor depending on the kind of detail you go for. 

[Doneldon]

Steve-

Are the comments about problems with Bachmann turnouts' problems accurate? Probably yes. Do those comments mean that Bachmann turnouts are poorly designed or a nest of problems? Almost certainly not. I've used Bachmann remote turnouts without what I would call problems. Does that mean I've never had to tweak one? No, but part of the fun (and a necessity even if not fun) is tweaking our models and layouts for reliable, rewarding operation. Too, keep in mind that no one ever writes in to say, "Gee, I've had my EZTrack track and turnouts for three years now without a single problem." It's only the folks who run into a wrinkle who write in for help.

I have to agree with Jeff that rerailers are a poor way to correct a trackwork problem, especially since it sounds like you are talking dozens of rerailers. You need proper diagnosis and treatment of the problem itself, not just a chewing gum and scotch tape patch job.

MicroMark sells a "flat car" with a clear plastic slab pinch hitting for an actual car body. It will allow you to see exactly what's going on under your trains as they move down the track or through a turnout. You can easily do the same thing with a pair of trucks and couplers but the MicroMark kit has everything at the ready. You can push the car along with a finger or couple it to a locomotive. It really turns the lights on, and not just at turnouts.

Jeff -- no, you don't have to rip up your turnouts to change a defective switch motor. You an leave everything in place and tunnel up from the bottom! NB: That's not as flippant as it must seem at first glance. Unless the defective switch machine is frozen in place, which I've never seen, you can add a Tortoise or whatever switch machine from the bottom with the turnout's own motivator disconnected but still present.

                 -- D

[dazedsteve]

Thanks for your responses. I will stick with my original decision and go with Bachman e-z track as it would appear that any issues with it are not insurmountable. I must admit that there were also disparaging comments with other brands of turnouts as well which led me to start this line of enquiry.   Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Steven

[jward]

all brands have their flaws and all need to be tweaked for optimum performance.

[Joe323]

Suggest you visit the model railroader site and look at the virginian series part 8 which gives a tutorial on filing points.  That cured my problems.