some_guy5's Full Review: Bachmann Ho Steel Ez 18" Radius Terminal 44402
One thing I remember from many, many years ago when I had an HO scale train set is that it could be a pain to get the little engines on the track properly. On top of that, they sometimes just come off the rails during normal operation. Now that I am buying trains for my children I see that Bachmann has made strides toward solving this problem. The Bachmann Ho Steel Ez 18" Radius Terminal Rerailer serves the dual purpose of providing power to the track and correcting minor derailments. I think it is a wonderful addition to an EZ Track layout.
Ez Track General Description
Ez Track is a line of HO scale train tracks made by Bachmann Trains. It comes in both steel allow, being reviewed today, and nickel silver. HO scale track has to have electric current running through it and tracks can sometimes be tedious and tricky to join. Bachmann attempts to solve this problem by fixing their sections of track to a track bed. The pieces of track bed snap together, making it much easier to join the pieces of track together. On a normal piece of EZ track the track is connected to the rail bed, but in the Bachmann Ho Steel Ez 18" Radius Terminal Rerailer the track is replaced with grooves that guide the wheels back onto the rails.
Product Details
What I am reviewing today is a card containing a single piece of 18 inch radius curved Ez Track terminal rerailer. This track is made of steel alloy and the track is fixed to black plastic roadbed. A completed circle will measure approximately 36 inches in diameter.
The Good
Sometime normal operation can cause a slight derailment. There are some tricky turns, or a switchout that might just derail the engine or cars a little. Placing the Bachmann Ho Steel Ez 18" Radius Terminal Rerailer after a tricky part will guide the wheels back onto the rails. I am not sure if it was intended for this, but I also use it to put engines and trucks on the tracks initially. I place them on as best I can and run them back and forth through the rerailer to make sure they are on the rails properly. The Bachmann Ho Steel Ez 18" Radius Terminal Rerailer is also the piece that provides power to the track. The included wire runs from this piece to the controller. Other positives include the fact that it is relatively cheap and that the track bed is included.
The Bad
The Bachmann Ho Steel Ez 18" Radius Terminal Rerailer has only one real negative from my perspective. The steel corrodes pretty easily. It is difficult to clean and may need to be replaced. I guess the one real drawback is that it is not nickel silver. Had I been choosing on my own I would have gone with the nickel silver, but all three of the Thomas sets I have bought have come with the steel alloy.
Conclusion
The Bachmann Ho Steel Ez 18" Radius Terminal Rerailer is a good piece. It provides power to the track and corrects minor derailments. You can also buy a rerailer piece without a terminal hookup if you need one without a wire or if you need multiple pieces for a tricky layout. I recommend at least one rerailer piece per layout, just for getting the engines and cars situated on the tracks initially. Bachmann's EZ track is easy to use and relatively inexpensive. For the higher quality go with the nickel silver track and the gray roadbed, but for budget buy the steel alloy.
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