Bachmann Trains · Budget
Bachmann's 44530 is a card of four short curved sections of HO-scale E-Z Track, nickel silver rail on gray roadbed, which the maker says equal one and one-third sections of its 18-inch radius curved track.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
A curve built only from full 18-inch radius sections can end only where a whole section ends. Bachmann sells this one-third section for the places in between, and describes it as designed to provide layout flexibility and usable as a gap filler in more sophisticated railroad construction. The listing gives four pieces per card, scale HO 1:87, nickel silver rail and gray roadbed, with the four pieces equal to one and one-third sections of 18-inch radius curved E-Z Track. Bachmann's page for the full 18-inch radius curve (44501) calls it the basic curve of the E-Z Track system, so this card is the fine-adjustment size for that curve. For a railfan modeling a favorite stretch of line, it is a small part rather than the part that defines a layout. The full 18-inch curve and the 9-inch straight (44511) are 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 18-inch radius curve says four of those pieces make up one-third (120 degrees) of a 36-inch diameter circle, and that the curve can also be placed on the inside of 22-inch radius curved E-Z Track for double-track mainline realism. The 22-inch curve has its own listing, which says four pieces make up one-quarter (90 degrees) of a 44-inch diameter circle and that the radius accommodates longer locomotives and rolling stock and permits mainline operation at higher speeds. Bachmann lists two more fractional curves in the same category: the half-section 18-inch radius curved (44531), where four pieces equal two sections of 18-inch radius curved, and a half-section 22-inch version (44532). The one-third section on this card is the smallest of the 18-inch fractions Bachmann lists in that group. The listing gives a shipping weight of 0.25 lbs and a recommended age of 14 and up.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| UPC | 022899445304 |
| Rail | Nickel silver |
| Model | 44530 |
| Scale | HO 1:87 |
| Radius | 18 inches |
| Roadbed | Gray |
| Pieces per card | 4 |
| Recommended age | 14 and up |
| Shipping weight | 0.25 lbs |
| Equivalent length | One and one-third sections of 18-inch radius curved |
An adult building an HO layout from nickel silver E-Z Track who wants to finish an 18-inch radius curve at an exact point, or a gift buyer matching a Bachmann track system for a hobbyist aged 14 or older.
The Half-Section 18-inch Radius Curved (44531) is the larger fraction, with four pieces equal to two sections; the full 18-inch Radius Curved (44501) is the basic curve of the system.
Image: Bachmann Trains · source
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