Mr.Bachmann More info on painting and soldering Ez Track

[tommy4u2]

Mr. Bachmann
I am very interested in the complete process you used when doing the soldering and painting of your layouts

1. When you painted the track how did you clean or cover the rails to keep the paint off the top of the rails

2. The complete process you used when ballasting the track and the mixture of glue and water used

It would be really nice and very helpfull to me and the others  to see
some pictures of the complete process, Maybe you can do a small thing in the photo gallery

Like I said in a prev post I have had some bad luck doing the flex track
but rally like the look of your finished product after you completed your layouts

I am going to try to insert a couple photos of my very early stages of my layout





Took about 8 trys but I think I have the pictures in

The second level will be a reveresd dog bone with the center being on bridges and the outsides being the tunnels for the first level

If anyone has any advise on the layout please advise

Thanks in advance
Tom

[THB-DAVE]

Hi Tom: here is a good site showing how to ballast and paint track [http://www.trmodels.com/scenics.html] you will find great books on the sublect at any Model train shop.

Dave

[grumpy]

I started to build my layout code 100 flex track but after having a good look at EZ track I took out the flex track and built my whole layout with EZ track.There are some restrictions but what a time saver - no track bed to create and very little ballasting to do .It is relatively easy to use the standard bridges etc. I have had no problems with electrical conductivity and have not had to use any sort of buss bar set up. I am using both DC and DCC with no problems.
Don

[the Bach-man]

Dear Tommy,
First I spray painted the track with Krylon Camo Brown. Then I spread the ballast with a small brush, and soaked it with "wet" water (a couple of drops of dish washing detergent) and white glue, applied with an eye dropper. When all was dry I cleaned the rail heads with Micro-Mark's track cleaning bar.
It's easy!
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[tommy4u2]

Don
Thats makes two of us that is taking up all the flex track and switching to ez track, My trains just don't run right on flex track, constant derails etc. I just hope after all the work of changing it over I will have a dependable running layout, If not I am going to go back to o gauge, I never had 1/10 of the problems with o gauge as I do with HO,
Tom

[grumpy]

I am afraid you won't satisfy the purists by using EZ track but you are building the layout for yourself no one else. The EZ track saved me a lot of time an fustration.
Don

[SteamGene]

Grumpy, I can't speak for the rest, but my choice of flex track comes from two things.  The first is that flex track and "regular" turnouts cost less.  Building an around the wall layout with 26x20 walls and two penninsulas about ten feet long each with EZ-Track would turn me into a bank robber, I'm afraid.  The second is the fact that EZ-Track does not come in a radius I need.
Once EZ-Track has had ballast added, it no longer looks like EZ-Track, but it no longer functions like it, either.
Gene

[tommy4u2]

Gene
I have a quick question for you, you said

" Once EZ-Track has had ballast added, it no longer looks like EZ-Track, but it no longer functions like it, either. "

What did you mean when you said it doesn't function like it either

[THB-DAVE]

He means that it no longer functions as track that can be easily taken apart and repositioned which is the "raison d'etre" for EZ track.

Dave

[grumpy]

Not true I have shifted and reballasted portions of my latout a couple of times. The ballast is only glued to the base of the layout and not to the track base. The next time you pull up your flex track to redo  your layout tell me how much track you can reuse and what it cost to replace all the track and ballast. There are some restrictions with EZ track and it is not for the purist or those who correct authenticitybut for those who just want to run model trains and just have some fun itis the answer.
Don

[tommy4u2]

Well I am hoping to get a railroad that runs trouble free almost as I have stated in other post I broke my back in two places and have very bad eye sight due to diabeates, but the love of trains and the extra time i have on my hands I am persistant to make it work and I tried the flex track thing but just couldnt get it dependable enough because alot of my lower level will be in tunnels and hard to get to. I just want to get the track down so i can go on to the scenery part of the layout
Tom

[TZX200]

Hello all,
I am also interested to hear more about soldering ez track. Is this a common practice? Is soldering the track sections preferable to using the supplied track connectors? I'm also assuming it must be somewhat of a permanent installation and changing the track layout after soldering would be somewhat diificult. Does anyone have any tips/advice on soldering ez track? Love to hear any comments.
Wayne

[SteamGene]

Wayne,
EZ-Track was not designed with a permanent layout in mind, I don't think.  Soldering track is for permanent layouts.  But if you build a permanent layout with EZ-track, then soldering the curves, at least, is probably in order.
You do NOT join the rails just with solder.  Rail joiners are still used, and the solder added to fasten the joiner to the rails it holds.  Solder the OUTSIDE of the rails.  Use plenty of flux, even if the solder has flux in it.   Use a pencil iron that can get plenty hot so you don't melt the track base.  Leave some straight sections unsoldered for expansion/contraction. 
Hope this helps.
Gene

[tommy4u2]

Thanks Gene
I just got some more track / switches and a couple of crossovers from one of our great fellow train lovers so I will start laying some Ez track down tonight and hopefully santa will bring me some for christmas to complete the first level

Thanks Again
Tom

[TZX200]

Gene,
Thanks for the tips, they really help. I saw another reply that you made on another post concerning ez track and glueing it to insulating board. I am absorbing all this in preparation of my first layout. This is really a great site to gather the information I need.
Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
Wayne