EZ Track Switches are here!

I went to the site, ordered four, and some other stuff, but the credit card section kept declining my cc card.  It's a valid card that worked elsewhere at another site where I ordered some right afterwards, so sorry.  I tried. 

Lee, give us a call at 516-378-9594 instead. Four other sales went through after your two attempts. 

Thanks Charlie for the update.  I placed a preorder with another order last month and paid the "deposit" with PayPal - Do I need to call or will you send an invoice with shipping costs through PayPal?

What is your real name Action? We are looking thru the EZ track orders now

Found it Chris!

Just got the email - thanks for the follow-up and the quick shipping!

Charlie,

 

And thanks from me, also, for shipping my order so quickly.  I already received an email from USPS with a tracking number.  I can’t wait to get them.  OTOH after 10 years of using Superstreets without switches, I guess I can wait another 2 or 3 days!

 

Bill

Thanks Bill!

Lee........Have you figured out how/what you need to make a intersection with the switches??? Like adding them to this test layout......

 

We shipped out a ton of switches yesterday, more going out today!

I don't have any switches yet.  Should soon.  I'm not sure where you are thinking of adding them into an intersection.  I plan to use them to link the upper and lower 'Streets loops I have, arranging a sort of helix climb from one to the other, with upper and lower loops having switches to either stay on that loop or head to the other.

Lee.......funds unlimited I'd do the center city four way interchange.......

 

Each line is a single track. This replicates a simple four way interchange. A full  on four way has each track able to go any direction......but unless I want to spend a year hand laying track...this would work....

 

But what will more likely happen first is a intersection like this......

 

Even this would lend some big city look to a trolley system......and add running options.

Thanks!!

Dave, Lee,

 

Using the old Superstreets library in RR Track 5.0, looks like the D21 turnouts will require a 2.5" curve to curve straight track to avoid any cutting of track to make the intersection work.  The D16's included in the library would work without the 2.5" straights (not that they will ever be produced). 

 

 

 

 

Larry

 

 

Thanks Larry.......

Ddin't know there was a library of the Streets.......looks like it would work pretty well.

May have to add it.....at least one set or switches.

Thanks

Dave:

 

To get a full 4-way without any really complicated track work you could do what we used to call a “cloverleaf” intersection.  While it would eliminate the need for complicated track crossovers at angles that will likely never be produced, it would require 8 more switches and 16 more D-21 curved sections.  See my crude hand-drawn modifications in green to your original professional-looking diagram below.

 

But I’m not planning anything like that for the E-Z streets switches I have on order for my streetcar layout.  To get ready for them I will start dismantling my temporary arrangement which used a troublesome post-war #1122 switch and some Super O track.    

 

HTH,

 

Bill 

 

If traction was my main model field.....I'd model 2 rail O scale. This is HO I saw at Anaheim train show in JAN. It shows real complected street trackage......

 

Wow, you are right, real complicated.  I have not considered this, mainly because it requires two lanes wide in each direction and I do not have the room.  It is neat idea having the switch turn a car at the intersection, but among other things i would want a 16 diameter, not 21 for that before I'd try to squeeze it in.

Hmmmmm....

And here I had managed to avoid getting into 'streets.....

I drew this just now to show what I intend to do with the four switches I have ordered.  

 

This first diagram shows my two biggest 'Streets loops as they are on the layout now.  I have four other much smaller 'Streets loops and three train loops that are not shown and not involved in this plan.  As to size, extreme width of the layout is 28 feet.   

• The gray country road is seven inches above the blue city road.  Both are long dogbones, 92 and 59 feet around respectively, that create two-lane road for most of their length.
• Solid lines, gray or blue, are 'Streets track, dotted lines are O-27 tinplate track under mountains, where you can't see the vehicles run on train track.

 

 

Below is the revised plan.  

• Purple is a new mountain road that is 12 inches above the blue city road.  
• Green turnouts are O27 turnouts, again, hidden under the mountains.  They are already in place.  
• Red turnouts are the new 'Streets turnouts and will be visible.  
• Orange road leading from one loop to another is a combination of 'Streets road where you can see it to O-27 when out of sight under a mountai, where you can't.  

 

 

 

Depending on how I switch the turnouts, I can just run a car or truck or bus from one of these three loops to another, or I can set the switched so it is one big loop of about 140 feet around. 

From RR Track 5.0 with the old Superstreets library:

 

Here is an over/under clover leaf.  Not sure what the grades would be to have the lower level clear the upper level.

 

 

 

Here is an intersection that I plan on incorporating into an expanded 'Streets section of my layout.  Note there is one .9" section of Superstreets adjustable track needed.  The curve track used are D16's.  Even with using D21 curves, there would still be a special length section of track needed.

 

 

 

Larry

Charlie:

 

My switches just arrived here in Florida!  Almost exactly 48 hours after finalizing my order by phone on Monday.

 

What great service!  I’ll start installing them in a few minutes.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

Post some pictures Bill

Four switches arrived yesterday (2 right, 2 left).  After waiting to get them since K-Line's first announcement, I must say they look great.  I'm looking forward to putting them into service.

 

     Now, a major "tip 'o the hat" to Nassau Hobbies.  Your quick and efficient service (got them on the third day after they became available) has made you my first choice for ordering. 

 

          Thanks Bachman, and Nassau!

 

 

 

I got the new blue sedan, too.  It is very attractive.  I'm going to play with these a while before I put them on the layout.  Interesting . . . 

Charlie: OK, here goes, although I don’t have a lot of progress to photograph.

 

I see that Lee has already posted a photo of the switches in their packaging so I’ll skip that photo which I had taken yesterday after opening the box shortly after the mailman delivered it.  So the first attached photo shows a left switch out of its packaging along with the controller, the separate red power feed wires and the attached green control wires.  Sorry for the over-exposure as I probably didn’t need the flash.  They are all plastic as expected but they look well made.  Note the lever for manual operation near the top center.  They are also spring-loaded which is a good feature because in my application I can get by without wiring two of the three switches I purchased.  The common “branch” and the curved branch have the wide track grooves while the straight branch has the narrow grooves on its end.  The curved branch matches a section of D-21 curved track and the straight branch is 7½” long.  That means you would need to add a 2½” section if the switch was replacing a regular 10” superstreets or E-Z straight track section.  Fortunately 2½” is the length of the various connectors that are part of the regular line of track.  There are three monting holes which are covered with manhole covers like the regular 'streets track.  The straight and curved branches plus the common “branch” are electrically connected which eliminates the need for extra feeder wires.  And there is no unsightly external switch motor!    

 

The next photo shows the wires connected to the controller per the instructions on the back of the package.  At first the instructions seemed a bit skimpy but they explain everything with diagrams and are all that’s needed.  They are shown in the last attachment.  The next photo is the underside of the switch.

 

The first of the installation photos is the next photo.  Shown are the two right-hand switches I purchased.  These are my first E-Z street products and the color difference from the K-Line superstreets products is obvious.  I will eventually paint the switches to match the superstreets.  The top switch is part of the streetcar mainline which converges from 2 tracks to one track to cross the Hellgate Bridge using only the left-hand track on the bridge.  Both directions of the streetcar mainline use that single track.  I need to add a short piece of Gargaves track to connect to the mainline.  The other track on the bridge is for trains only.  The lower switch leads into a passing siding which will be used to park extra streetcars.  The next photo shows the beginning of that passing siding.  However you can see a gap which I need to fill with a custom-cut and bent piece of Gargraves track to join the E-Z street switch curved branch to the first of the two Lionel Super O switches. Those switches lead into dead-end car storage sidings.  I had those switches there originally but in a slightly different position.  The next photo shows some MTH streetcars sitting on the tracks which may help to explain the track plan.

 

The other end of that passing siding connects back to the streetcar mainline about 5 feet away as shown in the next photo.  The photo shows a 3’ section of Gargraves track which I’m going to have to cut and custom bend to join the Super O track in the foreground with the E-Z street switch near the top of the photo.  And the last photo is a close-up of that switch, the only left-hand switch I bought.

 

In addition to cutting some track and wiring up at least one switch, I have a lot of track re-wiring to do before I can have anything in operation.  I am hoping to be able to wire the switch to an existing Lionel TMCC SC-1 so I can throw the switch using a CAB-1 remote like I do with mostly all of the switches on the layout.

 

Stay tuned!

 

Bill

To supplement the static photos I had already posted of the new E-Z switches, today I was finally able to make a test run of a Railking PCC going through the installed switches.  The test run was made using temporary wiring and with the switch motors unwired and operating only in the manual spring-loaded mode.  Attached are 2 short videos showing the test run.

 

As you can see, the car negotiated all 3 of the switches without any tracking or electrical problems.  There was no tripping of the reverse unit due to momentary loss of power when crossing over the frog area of the switch where the center rail is interrupted.  I retried it at various speeds and it did not stall out at low speeds nor derail at high speeds when going through the curved branch.  I then tested a Railking bump-and-go trolley at different speeds and it had no problems either.          

 

The Bachmann E-Z streets switches seemed to have successfully met the operating requirements for my streetcar layout.  For those who intend to operate shorter vehicles like automobiles and trucks with their shorter distance between pickup rollers, your results may be different and someone else will need to test to verify.  I only have one non-trolley ‘streets vehicle, an early K-Line PRR van, however it’s packed away for now.  But since Bachmann makes those vehicles I would think there shouldn’t be a problem.  Chances are someone else, perhaps Lee Willis, will have his switches installed soon and be able to report on his results with other vehicles. 

 

Bill 

 

Lee,

   You are definitely a trouble maker, looks like now that they have brought out the switches, I will need some operating cars and trucks for the Christmas layouts.

Last time I had any of this stuff on the platform was way back with the old jitter race cars, that did not run very well.  I have been meaning to look into the EZ streets for quite some time, your cool running tractor trailers are simply fantastic, you are definitely a corrupting influence on this EZ Streets stuff, no doubt about it.

PCRR/Dave

 

looks like I am going to have to rethink my trolley city scape.....

We are almost out of switches.....under 50 of each as of this morning

Thanks to Nassau hobby I to have my switches in two days.

I could not wait to open them up, especially the controller.

On my layout I want to control the switches from another set of contacts.

Then I looked at the board. More going on here than meets the eye...

Could these be like the Atlas switches where you can't leave the

motors powered ? Seems like a lot of effort went into a switch design...

 

 

 

Lee has "Streets" smarts!

 

Jerry

As I mentioned earlier in this thread I had planned to wire my new E-Z Streets switches to be operated using a Lionel TMCC hand held CAB-1.  For those that are interested in doing the same thing, well a few days ago I finally completed wiring one of my switches.  I wired it into an existing SC-1 which had 2 unused pairs of terminals and the wiring was quite easy.  However, in my first attempt I couldn’t get it to switch both directions because I didn’t know I had a bad terminal on my SC-1.  Once I realized that the problem was with the SC-1 and not the switch, I wired it to a different pair of SC-1 terminals and it worked perfectly.  Granted the CAB-1 and SC-1 are now outdated technology with Legacy now being the Lionel standard for command control, but for those of us who don’t want to spend $$$$ to upgrade to Legacy, this will work for us.

 

Essentially all you need to do is wire the “thru” and “out” terminals on an SC-1 in parallel with the two OUTSIDE green wires which are hard-wired into the switch and connect into the controller.  Plus you need to wire up the controller whether you intend to use it or not because the power for the switch motor comes from those red wires supplied with the switch that plug into the controller.  As mentioned I used an existing SC-1 which already had the layout ground wire attached to one of the center switch terminals.

 

If you don’t have an extra 3-conductor set of Bachmann green wires with that unique connector they use, you will have to cut the two outside green wires.  Then connect one wire to the wire from the SC-1 “thru” terminal and then to one of the remaining green wires that leads into the controller.  Then repeat that for the SC-1 “out” wire and voila, it works!  I did not want to cut the original switch wires (that’s the collector in me) and a friend gave me an extra Bachmann green 3-wire set with the connector, so that is why I only wired up one switch so far. 

 

If anyone would like a wiring diagram I will hand-draw one and scan and post it.   

 

Then just today at a local train show I found two more of those Bachmann green 3-wire sets with the connectors so I will be wiring my other two E-Z street switches for CAB-1 control soon. 

 

Bill