FRUSTRATED

[Ajhall]

I got my first ever train set for Xmas after mentioning it seemed like a hobby I might enjoy. I got the Thunder Valley N scale set, and to say I am disappointed -- or more like discouraged -- is an understatement. It's certainly aggravating enough to make me think about cutting my losses and writing the whole thing off as an expensive mistake.

I watched the YouTube video half a dozen times, where of course everything looked so simple a 2-year-old could manage. Ha! The EZ connection are anything but EZ. I could not get half of the connections to come together as the rail-joiners would not line up. I needed to use my modeling magnifier, needle-nose clamps, and modeling tweezers to adjust the misaligned joiners (thereby, I'm sure, voiding the warranty). Once I got one to fit, it would knock another out of alignment. It took over two hours, and a lot of &)#^#@+% language to get the simple circle assembled.

Then came the couplers. Oh what fun! Not one -- not one -- of the couplers would couple. The knuckles would slide passed each other, or would slide on right but utterly fail to catch no matter what I tried. Once again, I needed the modeling magnifier, modeling tweezers, and a very steady hand to join cars. I gave up after an hour and two cars.

Am I missing something here? Or is the manufacture and design that poor? Again, unless I can find a way that's easier, I'm writing the who experience off as a costly mistake, lesson learned.

[Piyer]

AJHALL, welcome to a hobby that does, on occasion, make one talk like a sailor with Tourette's Syndrome.

N-scale is brilliant in what you can fit in a small space, but yes, it can be frustrating when it comes to the couplers - especially the truck-mounted ones, whose misalignment is often the result of the truck not being properly seated on the rails. I'll be 44 in less than a month, and I'm finding that I need reading / magnifying glasses for everything from reading messages on my cellphone to just finding the bleeping glasses in the first place. So, yes, if you, too, are of a certain age, glasses and a bright flashlight are of great value in assembling a train.

I've not had the problem you experienced with EZ track, but then again I've been in the hobby most of my life, so unruly track doesn't bug me any more.

Before cutting your losses, I'd strongly recommend that you take a deep breath and continue to explore the hobby. Perhaps the large HO-scale would be kinder to your eyesight? I actively model in both HO and N, and I have already given thought to moving up to O-scale should my vision worsen due to health issues down the road.

Model railroading can be - and is - a rewarding hobby. There are craftsman skills you can learn (wiring, benchwork construction, scratchbuilding, painting, etc.), and there are also the friendships that you make through forums like this one, as well as the people you meet at the hobby shop / train shows / etc. It's a great hobby, so please don't let the learning curve frustrate you.

Have a happy New Year! 

[brokemoto]

The rail joiners on the E-Z TRAK do not always line up as they  should.  Never have I had to resort to magnifying glasses and pliers or tweezers, but, I am always careful.  It does not seem to matter what brand of sectional track that you use, misaligned rail joiners are a common and frequent problem.  I have run across this with the Kato, Atlas and other brands.   All that I can tell you is to take your time and do it carefully.

I wonder what version of this set you have.  If the locomotive and rolling stock have the dummy couplers, yes, they can be difficult at times.  What I do with those is put one car onto the track.  Next, I bring the next car, lift up the end to be coupled and carefully work the knuckle into that of the stationary car.   I continue until I have the whole train.

If they have the couplers with the external springs, you should not be having too much trouble.  One thing that you can do it put the locomotive onto the track.  With one hand, push a car up to it.  In the other hand, use a jeweller's screwdriver to push the knuckle on the locomotive coupler to meet the coupler on the car.   Take the  next car, push it up to the car already coupled, and repeat until you have the whole train.

I do not have this set or locomotive, as a GP-40 is too late a prototype for me.