Super Streets

The best way to buy is the new E Z Streets which is 100% compatible with Super Streets except the color is different. Buy from an online vender rather then from Bachmann's website as you may save 40% or more buying from an online vender.

The WBB set with an E Z Streets car comes with 21 inch curves, a couple of 10 straights, 4 straight adapter tracks(2.5 inch), a car, the Plasticville Turnpike building and a power supply. The power supply from Bachmann in the E Z Streets set will power a Plymouth switcher set, diesel engine with 6 small freight cars. The Plasticville Turnpike looks nice but is limited to 1 track through the main area(between booths) and is only tall enough for Super Streets or E Z Streets vehicle to go under it.

There are 2 sizes in E Z Streets curves; 16 inch(D-16) and 21 inch (D-21). The regular straights come in 5 inch & 10 inch sections. Track adapter straights or curve to curve straights come in 2 & a half inch sections; curve to curve allows you to use the 2.5 inch straight between 2 curved sections, the 2.5 inch straight to curve is used for coming off a curved section to transition to a straight track. You can buy the track by pieces or in a set.

As for the Peter Witt trolley working with E Z Streets or Super Streets I have no idea if it will do the 21 inch curve or not.

K-Line's Plymouth switcher, and small hand cars will run on Super Streets or E Z Streets. I have an MTH Septa trolley that works on 16 inch Super Streets curves. Any K-Line Super Street vehicle and most WBB E Z Street vehicles should be able to go through the 16 inch curves. Maybe a small BL-2 diesel will work on E Z Streets. A lot of times it is trial & error as to what will work on E Z Streets track.

Installation tips for either E Z Streets or Super Streets; pop the manhole covers out with a paper clip(unbend it first) from the topside or use a small track pin and pop it out from the bottom. Also a # 4 phillips head screw about half inch long(flat top or tapered top) works best to attach the track to a layout. Power wires can be attached to the 10 inch straight(both hot & neutral) or just the neutral can be attached to a curved section. 

Lee Fritz

The pins in the E Z Streets track can be removed with a pair of pliers and re-inserted in case you want to change the direction of a piece of track. Mainly the center pin needs to switched out.

K-Line used to sell extra pins for Super Streets, not sure if WBB sells them or not. K-Line made a Y track for Super Streets however it can take up some space on a small layout.

WBB makes 21 inch switches for E Z Streets but don't make the Y track section.

The Lionel/K-Line or K-Line by Lionel Super Streets is the same exact track from K-Line just renamed!

Lee Fritz

We have a few K-Line by Lionel SUPERSTREETS left in stock and ready for immediate shipping.  Links are supplied direct to our easy-to-order online shopping cart web site.

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...=action&key=1594

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...=action&key=1609

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...=action&key=1610

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...=action&key=1611

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...=action&key=1612

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...action&key=14444

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...action&key=14445

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...=action&key=1614

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http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...=action&key=1633

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...=action&key=1636

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...action&key=14439

http://www.jrjunction.com/cgi-...action&key=14442

I just checked and WBB Bachmann site & it say yes the Peter Witt trolley will work on 21" but not the 16". See below the new cars and pick up trucks will run on 16"and 21" curves.

While serving as Cleveland's Street Railway Commissioner, Peter Witt designed an all-steel, single-operator streetcar that distinguished itself from others of the era by its use of the center door as an exit only. Passengers could pay the waiting motorman as they boarded at the front and exited at the center of the car, an arrangement which reduced stop times, improved schedules, and increased efficiency. Though designed originally for Cleveland, the Peter Witt Streetcar went on to service in cities throughout the world from the 1930s until the early 1960s.

Features include:

navigates O-21 curves
all-wheel drive
precision can motor with two flywheels
hidden drive train and electronics
detailed interior
painted interior with seats
photo-etched brass safety screen
digital trolley bell
electronic reversing unit

thanks for all of your reply's...

just ordered 8 21" curves and 8 10" straights and a peter witt trolley....

DL&W Pete posted:

thanks for all of your reply's...

just ordered 8 21" curves and 8 10" straights and a peter witt trolley....

Pete:

Depending on how you configure your layout, be advised that you are also going to need some 2½” straight-to-curve connector track sections.  For example, if you do a simple oval you will need four s-t-c’s (one at each junction between a straight and a curve).  If you are just planning to operate your trolley in one direction you can get by with only two s-t-c’s, one at each junction going from straight to curved.

HTH,

Bill        

DL&W Pete posted:

thanks for all of your reply's...

just ordered 8 21" curves and 8 10" straights and a peter witt trolley....

I hope that you bought a pack of straight to curve adapters 2.5 inch or you will be derailing or bouncing around your vehicle at every curve to straight track! The curve to straight track must be used when leaving or entering a curve track & goes between the curve and straight track.

Lee Fritz

phillyreading posted:

DL&W Pete posted:

thanks for all of your reply's...

just ordered 8 21" curves and 8 10" straights and a peter witt trolley....

I hope that you bought a pack of straight to curve adapters 2.5 inch or you will be derailing or bouncing around your vehicle at every curve to straight track! The curve to straight track must be used when leaving or entering a curve track & goes between the curve and straight track.

Lee Fritz

What does the curve to straight do? I'm not familiar with this.

George:

Refer to the photos of a straight section and curved section posted above by jrjunction.  Note the narrow grooves on the inside of the rails on the straight section but wider grooves on the curved sections which need the wider grooves to enable the flanges on vehicles to go around a curve track.

When a vehicle is approaching a straight section from a curved section its flanges are at an angle to the straight section and therefore will not fit into the narrow grooves on the straight section.  As Lee said it will derail or at the very least bounce around. 

So you need to place a 2½” straight-to-curve connector track section between the two sections.  One end of the straight-to-curve connector track section has the wide curved track groove which tapers down to the narrow straight track groove to enable your vehicle’s flanges to smoothly transition from the curved to the straight track.  Tomorrow I will try to take and post a photo showing how I used the connector track on my trolley layout.

As I posted earlier if you are only running in one direction then you can get by with only needing a transition track section at the locations where your vehicle goes from CURVED TO STRAIGHT because operating from straight to curved does not present that problem.

HTH,

Bill        

WftTrains posted:

George:

Refer to the photos of a straight section and curved section posted above by jrjunction.  Note the narrow grooves on the inside of the rails on the straight section but wider grooves on the curved sections which need the wider grooves to enable the flanges on vehicles to go around a curve track.

When a vehicle is approaching a straight section from a curved section its flanges are at an angle to the straight section and therefore will not fit into the narrow grooves on the straight section.  As Lee said it will derail or at the very least bounce around. 

So you need to place a 2½” straight-to-curve connector track section between the two sections.  One end of the straight-to-curve connector track section has the wide curved track groove which tapers down to the narrow straight track groove to enable your vehicle’s flanges to smoothly transition from the curved to the straight track.  Tomorrow I will try to take and post a photo showing how I used the connector track on my trolley layout.

As I posted earlier if you are only running in one direction then you can get by with only needing a transition track section at the locations where your vehicle goes from CURVED TO STRAIGHT because operating from straight to curved does not present that problem.

HTH,

Bill        

The first attached photo is the photo I promised.  On this track the trolley operates from right to left.  The curved track is on the right, the straight track is on the left and the 2½” straight-to-curve connector track is in between the two.  Note how the grooves on the connector track taper down from the wide grooves of the curved track to the narrow grooves of the straight track.  You need one of these tracks every time you go from a curved track to a straight track.  Otherwise you will have the problems described above.

The second photo shows a package of 4 K-Line by Lionel straight-to-curve connector sections.  This is what you need to buy if you don’t already have any.   Those are now out of production but Williams sells them although the Williams product is a darker shade of gray.

Bill    

WftTrains posted:

DL&W Pete posted:

thanks for all of your reply's...

just ordered 8 21" curves and 8 10" straights and a peter witt trolley....

Pete:

Depending on how you configure your layout, be advised that you are also going to need some 2½” straight-to-curve connector track sections.  For example, if you do a simple oval you will need four s-t-c’s (one at each junction between a straight and a curve).  If you are just planning to operate your trolley in one direction you can get by with only two s-t-c’s, one at each junction going from straight to curved.

HTH,

Bill        

thanks for the heads up, just added these to my order. 

Yes as stated above the Peter Dewitt will run. Just make sure that you use the transition curve to straight pieces otherwise you will experience intermittent derailments. I have tested and am in the midst of setting up street running.

my box of super streets track and peter witt trolley was waiting for me when I got home from work. 

Peter Witt trolley is just beautiful..... 

Now comes my dumb question-    I ordered a set of power wires and turned over the straights and curves and none of them have a tab to plug in the wires.

Did I miss something......  

The wires get plugged into the 10 inch straight track, the 10 inch straight has both hook-ups. The curve section has only the outside rail power hook-up. You remove the plastic, with a pliers, on the side for side mounting or bend the clips down and drill a hole under the track for concealed wiring method.

Lee Fritz

FYI; Williams by Bachmann does not give you decent directions for the E Z Streets system. I have been trying to get an instructional read only posting or under Frequently Asked Question Section on "Ask the Bachmann forum" for E Z Streets but no success!

There is somebody who published a small book on Super Streets or E Z Streets, his name is Lee Willis. He covers almost everything about Super Streets or E Z Streets in his book. Also Lee Willis has made some powered vehicles for use with Super Streets.

Lee Fritz

phillyreading posted:

FYI; Williams by Bachmann does not give you decent directions for the E Z Streets system. I have been trying to get an instructional read only posting or under Frequently Asked Question Section on "Ask the Bachmann forum" for E Z Streets but no success!

There is somebody who published a small book on Super Streets or E Z Streets, his name is Lee Willis. He covers almost everything about Super Streets or E Z Streets in his book. Also Lee Willis has made some powered vehicles for use with Super Streets.

Lee Fritz

 

Have you read Lee Willis' book(s)?

phillyreading posted:

The wires get plugged into the 10 inch straight track, the 10 inch straight has both hook-ups. The curve section has only the outside rail power hook-up. You remove the plastic, with a pliers, on the side for side mounting or bend the clips down and drill a hole under the track for concealed wiring method.

Lee Fritz

I don't think the tabs on the curves are connectors; they are lager than the ones on the straights.

The wired connectors don't fit them so well. I guess that you could use auto connectors and make your own.

Made some streets, local hardware store matched the color. Here are the final results. $1 foam core board from doller tree, added tred tex to the quart of paint. Did 2 coats on 5 boards, will place the super streets on the 8x8 and cut the foam core boards to make streets on either side.

Does anyone still have K-Line or Lionel D21 curves in stock?

Reading the above comments. Is Lionel a better product then the Bachmann product ?? 

Gene H posted:

Does anyone still have K-Line or Lionel D21 curves in stock?

I had no problem getting the D21 curves under the bachmann ez-street name from trainworld.

My local hobby store still has some K-Line Superstreets left in stock

DL&W Pete posted:

Gene H posted:

Does anyone still have K-Line or Lionel D21 curves in stock?

I had no problem getting the D21 curves under the bachmann ez-street name from trainworld.

Exactly , yes you can buy EZ Streets anywhere 16 or 21" curves.

Seacoast posted:

DL&W Pete posted:

Gene H posted:

Does anyone still have K-Line or Lionel D21 curves in stock?

I had no problem getting the D21 curves under the bachmann ez-street name from trainworld.

Exactly , yes you can buy EZ Streets anywhere 16 or 21" curves.

There is a color difference between Super Streets and E Z Streets track, E Z Streets is darker then Super Streets. 

Lee Fritz

My ez streets are rusting and some sections are not usable anymore. Nothing else rusts in my basement.

Seacoast posted:

Reading the above comments. Is Lionel a better product then the Bachmann product ?? 

No, I would think there the same in quality but I have so many of the old K-Line and as Lee said above the Bachmann are darker than the K-Line.  K-Line did make more extras than Bachmann like bumpers and adjustable sections but I'm sure Bachmann will expand the line eventually. Hopefully they will have wider curves like 26" for larger equipment.

Gene H posted:

Seacoast posted:

Reading the above comments. Is Lionel a better product then the Bachmann product ?? 

No, I would think there the same in quality but I have so many of the old K-Line and as Lee said above the Bachmann are darker than the K-Line.  K-Line did make more extras than Bachmann like bumpers and adjustable sections but I'm sure Bachmann will expand the line eventually. Hopefully they will have wider curves like 26" for larger equipment.

Bachmann added switches to the E-Z track line which were sorely needed but otherwise seems to be concentrating on producing a wider variety of vehicles for E-Z streets rather than new track items.

Bill

Nate posted:

My ez streets are rusting and some sections are not usable anymore. Nothing else rusts in my basement.

I have not seen any of the Super Streets track rust. Some of my track needed cleaning after a few years of storage, I have had the tracks for almost 6 years. I cleaned the grooves with a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol, the metal strips I used a light sandpaper to clean.

But the new E Z Streets rusting? Seems like it is too new to rust.

Lee Fritz