Bachmann EZ Track System

K

kf4jqd

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Jan 13, 2001
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Vonore, Tennessee Foothill's of the Great Smoky Mo
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Hi Everyone:

I have a small layout on a table. I use N scale E-Z Track by Bachmann. I had an oval and the trains ran just fine. No derailments!:D After purchasing some switch track, trains derail ALL the time.:curse: I believe the frog is the problem. Take alook at the picture. I have watched the locomotives wheel get trapped between the frog and the rail. Causing a derailment.:oops: I have tried 4 other locomotives with the same results. The table is flat. I have a very thin cloth as a cover.

Any Ideas?

Thanks,
Andy
 

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Actually, the frog is the place where the rails cross at the left of your picture. Your problem is at the end of the point rails; it's known as "picking the points".

Sounds like the switch isn't moving all the way, leaving a gap between rails that should be in contact.
 
I've never used EZ-Track. I can still give generic advice.

Sometimes, this problem is due to ballast getting stuck in the switch, but you've got the plastic roadbed, which can't be doing this. It looks like there's a screw where the points pivot. Maybe that screw is too tight?

Is it just one switch that has this problem?
 
Can you push the points all the way home by hand? If so, you have a problem with the mechanism.
If they won't go all the way, look at the main rail; see if there is a notch that they should fit in. This may not be aligned properly. You may be able to slide the rail a tad to cure it.
 
Take a pair of flat jawed pliers and twist the top of the points outward toward the top of the rail it alligns with. I have fixed quite a few for customers that way. The points are a stamping and they tend to be not the best fit against the rail. The bottom edge of the points will hit the base of the rail, leaving a gap between the top of the rail and the top of the point rail.

From a track level end view, the point should look like this:

\________/

Not

|________|

The top edge of the points needs to contact the top edge of the rail as tight as possible when switched. You can also file or sand the leading edge sharper to help things out.
 
Thank You!

A picture is worth...I dunno...a lot of words. Thanks for a simple yet effective picture of what you were talking about. That just might cure some of my more problematic turnouts. I've used EZ track for my layout and have six turnouts, one or two working better than the others. What I did to "fix" them was...file down all sharp edges, paying attention to the corners of all rails etc; next I tried to get the same "torque" on the small set screw so each turnout works the same; finally, had to look at each engine and car to check clearances. I found a LifeLike Proto GP60 had just a milimeter or two too much plastic on the bottom edge of the fuel tank that would hang up on the switch as it passed over. A little Xacto blade did the trick without effecting the "look" or realism of the engine. I also found that some of the grab irons were not the same vertical distance and needed a tweek here and there so they didn't hang too low. Filing the points worked the best and was worth the time. I'd start there...run just about everything you have forwards and back, then look at those engines/cars giving you problems and look with a magnifying glass and flash light for solutions. It might not be the track - it could be the car/engine. Actually, a problem I still have is that some of the Microtrain cars derail going over the frog (if I used that term right)...can't figure that one out. Some have no problems at all, and others derail every time they go over that one switch. The lead wheels just don't track correctly and ride up and over the "X" where the tracks all cross. There are no burrs, nothing on the side or inside of the rails, and other cars glide by without fuss. Anyone want to take a stab at that one?
 
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