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Bachmann Trains · Budget
Bachmann's 44512 is a card of four 3-inch straight sections of HO-scale E-Z Track, nickel silver rail on gray roadbed, which the maker says add up to one and one-third sections of its 9-inch straight track.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
Most of an E-Z Track layout is built from full-length pieces, and Bachmann sells this short straight for the places where those pieces do not fit exactly. Its own wording is that these sections are designed to provide layout flexibility and can also be used as gap fillers in more sophisticated railroad construction. The listing gives four pieces per card, scale HO 1:87, nickel silver rail and gray roadbed, and states that the four pieces together are the equivalent of one and one-third sections of 9-inch straight track. For a railfan who has moved from watching trains to modeling a favorite stretch of line, this is a small adjustment part rather than the part that defines a layout. It belongs to the same nickel silver E-Z Track family as the 18-inch radius curve (44501) and the 9-inch straight (44511), both already covered in this catalog.
The retail card prints the E-Z Track System claims: the track snaps together, stays together on floors, tables and carpets, and needs no nails, screws or special tools. Bachmann's page for the 9-inch straight (44511) says four of those build 36 inches of railroad, and its page for the 18-inch radius curve (44501) calls that curve the basic curve of the E-Z Track system; the 3-inch piece is the shorter length of the same family. The same Bachmann category lists other short sections, which makes the choice easy to compare: the 2.25-inch straight (44513), where four pieces equal one section of 9-inch straight; the 4.50-inch straight (44514), where four pieces equal two sections of 9-inch straight; and a connector assortment (44592) of ten pieces, two each of 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5 and 2 inches. The 3-inch card sits between the 2.25-inch and 4.50-inch lengths in that lineup. Bachmann also lists a 3-inch straight in steel alloy with black roadbed (44412); this card is the nickel silver version on gray roadbed, so the two are different products. The listing gives a shipping weight of 0.5 lbs and a recommended age of 14 and up.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| UPC | 022899445120 |
| Rail | Nickel silver |
| Model | 44512 |
| Scale | HO 1:87 |
| Roadbed | Gray |
| Pieces per card | 4 |
| Recommended age | 14 and up |
| Shipping weight | 0.5 lbs |
| Length per piece | 3 inches |
| Equivalent length | One and one-third sections of 9-inch straight |
An adult building an HO layout from nickel silver E-Z Track who needs short straight lengths to adjust a run, or a gift buyer matching a Bachmann track system for a hobbyist aged 14 or older.
The 2.25-inch Straight (44513) is the shorter piece, with four equal to one section of 9-inch straight; the 4.50-inch Straight (44514) is the longer, with four equal to two sections. Bachmann lists both in the same category.
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Image: Bachmann Trains · source
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Image: Bachmann Trains · source
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