Layout construction with Bachmann EZ Track

[ek2000]

Does anyone have a layout with Bachmann EZ Track? If yes, how did you conceal the height of the roadbed in places where you had to? Rail tracks look prototypical without the roadbed in some places like in an industrial or switching layout and I'm wondering how to get that look with the EZ track. If you did manage to, appreciate if you could post some pics.

When I first got into the hobby, it was more for the love of trains than modelling. The EZ track allowed me to quickly put a track together and run trains and overtime, I collected a lot of them, switches, turnouts and all and I'm now too much invested in it to start over with flex track etc. I'm especially fond of tracks that run just above the ground or at the ground level (like in crossings) and the EZ track is far from it. Plus the height of the roadbed is also much higher than real world specs.

All suggestions are welcome except starting over with a new brand of track 

[nkalanaga]

If it's a permanent layout, could you bury the roadbed in scenery? 

[ek2000]

Ive thought about it, yes.  I wonder how it will look like in an industrial setting plus the height will show. I could cut into foam, to bury the roadbed a fairly tedious option.

[Dave V]

Ive thought about it, yes.  I wonder how it will look like in an industrial setting plus the height will show. I could cut into foam, to bury the roadbed a fairly tedious option.

For industrial trackage using built-in roadbed track, the answer is usually to bring the ground up to the rail.  One way to do that would be to use foamcore or Gatorboard in the right thickness.  Cut it out to fit the areas around the track and bring it right up to the edge of the roadbed.  Then go to town with fine cinder (steam era) or dirt (modern day) to blend the gaps.

[nkalanaga]

If your layout has a solid, or mostly solid, surface, such as a table or door, you could cover the entire surface with a layer of foamcore.  The mainline roadbed would be on that, and it would be easy to cut areas out for industrial track.

If you're using foam board for the surface, cutting pieces out is easy, and with the integral roadbed, the holes don't have to be neat.  Low spots under joints can be built up with shims, such as scraps of foam, or other scenery materials, and the roadbed itself will bridge low spots within a section.

As for the roadbed itself being too thick, a visual solution to that would be to use "dirt", whatever scenery material you like, to make a shoulder along each side.  On the prototype, the ballast sits on top of the roadbed, which is usually a little wider than the bottom of the ballast layer, especially on well maintained track.  Doing that allows the ballast to be as deep as you like, while hiding the excess.

I did that with my mainline, which is on wood roadbed, elevated 1/4 inch to allow the "ground" to built up under the roadbed.  The roadbed itself is 1/4 inch thick, too tall for ballast, but with about 1/8 inch of dirt roadbed shoulder, on top of the scenery, then 1/8 inch of ballast on that, it looks like my prototype.

[ek2000]

Thank you, Dr. And NK, guess I will have to use a mix of techniques to make the roadbed less predominant.

[nkalanaga]

A "mix of techniques" describes my layout very well.  Some of them are older than me, dug out of ancient magazines, but for a particular location or problem, they still work.

[Point353]

Does anyone have a layout with Bachmann EZ Track? If yes, how did you conceal the height of the roadbed in places where you had to? Rail tracks look prototypical without the roadbed in some places like in an industrial or switching layout and I'm wondering how to get that look with the EZ track.

Another option would be to take one of the commercial roadbed products (such as Midwest cork or Woodland Scenics track-bed) and lay it down inverted along each side of the E-Z track, with the beveled edge of the roadbed overlapping the beveled edge of the E-Z track. Beyond that, any remaining area can then be filled in with sheets of cork or track-bed, foamcore or gator board, or whatever other material you might choose to use.

[nscalbitz]

Hi
I gave a comprehensive response late last nite on what I did with a Kato Unitrack layout with pics, however it errored saying "the upload folder was full".
The pics did not exceed 650k however and all was lost.

[mightypurdue22]

Foam core or cork will do the trick.  I use Gatorfoam which is similar to foam core, but much stiffer.  I can run it through a table saw, just like you would with plywood.  I put a 45 degree bevel on it, turn it upside down and butt it up against my Unitrack roadbed.  I use 3/16" thick, which is very close to the top of the roadbed.  Leaves just a small gap that is easily filled with ballast, dirt or other scenery material.

This is a photo of Unitrack "buried" in Gatorfoam.  Notice the roadbed on the left of the photo.  At the coal tower, the finish grade is just below the rails.  Looks convincing to me, and gives the appearance that I once achieved when I modeled with flex track straight to foam or plywood.



Dave

[peteski]

I don't see the photo Dave - just a gray "do not enter" sign, or as others call it "circle with dash across it".

[DKS]

Strange, earlier today I saw the post and the image appeared. Now it's a black X (IE's equivalent of WTF?).

Here are a couple of images that should stick around.

I built several small layouts using Kato Unitrack, and buried the bulk with Foamcore, the same stuff available in craft stores. It's easily cut with a modeling knife and is just the right thickness to bring the ground level up to a more realistic height for non-mainline scenes.





This is my Trenton Transportation Company layout under construction. More information on the layout is here:

http://davidksmith.com/modeling/ttco_1.htm

[Dave V]

Another option if you don’t want or can’t find foamcore board is using Woodland Scenics Track Bed sheets. I’m not a fan of using it for trackage (it’s actually “too spongy” in my opinion and allows for too much vertical inconsistency) but it will work quite well for raising adjacent scenery.

[ek2000]

Thank you all.

DKS, I would never guess in a million years that was KATO Unitrack on that layout. Nice job and now I have some hope !

[robert3985]

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