Superstreets. Questions.

There was a fellow on here a while back that had put together quite the tutorial on superstreets. He had offered the book in pdf format for free.

His name is lee Williams or willis. Hasn't posted in a while but you probably could  search the archives for his post.

Sean

Yes .... Lee Willis is his name.  Really nice guy. Let the forum members download his two books on Streets, free of charge.

Yes, on Command Control

Thanks guys but I was not able to find lees website I had previously checked. If you have a link that would be great.

CPDALY ..... send me an email ..... ledet1 -at- optonline.net

Jim

super streets is just o track with road bed and tighter curves.

https://ogrforum.com/t...63#44229236039442463

https://ogrforum.com/t...-on-super-ez-streets

google is your friend!!

I use Super Streets and E Z Streets track. The main thing is installing 2.5 inch curve adapters or curve to straight pieces when going from a straight track to a curve track, also there are 2.5 inch curve to curve pieces for use between two curves without another straight being used.

I have found that a # 4 Phillips head screw about three fourths of an inch long works best to secure the track to the layout. Pop the little manhole cover out with a paper clip, unbend a paper clip and insert from the bottom of the track.

As for using the track with command control there should be no reason why it won't work.

Lee Fritz

Does Lionel still produce the SuperStreet product?  It doesn't look like that is the case.  It does look like Bachmann still manufactures the E-Z Street tracks.

    Originally, K-Line produced Superstreets products. When K-Line went out of business, Lionel took it over and it became K-Line by Lionel. More recently, Williams by Bachmann took it over and they call it E-Z Street. Williams by Bachmann darkened the color a bit, changing it from a lighter gray to a darker gray.

   W by B also added switch tracks and more vehicles to the line.  Recently, they added 1950's/1960's type sedans, police cars, taxis and even an ice cream truck.

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

John Knapp posted:

    Originally, K-Line produced Superstreets products. When K-Line went out of business, Lionel took it over and it became K-Line by Lionel. More recently, Williams by Bachmann took it over and they call it E-Z Street. Williams by Bachmann darkened the color a bit, changing it from a lighter gray to a darker gray.

   W by B also added switch tracks and more vehicles to the line.  Recently, they added 1950's/1960's type sedans, police cars, taxis and even an ice cream truck.

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

Interesting.  I never made the connection between Bachmann and the Lionel/K-Line products.   I guess it's because of the color change.   I wouldn't mind adding these to my layout.  I'll have to dig around and see if any of my local dealers have these products.

EBT Jim posted:

Yes .... Lee Willis is his name.  Really nice guy. Let the forum members download his two books on Streets, free of charge.

Yes, that's him, Lee Willis. Haven't seen him on the forum lately. I hope all is well with him. I think that I downloaded his Superstreets book.

Sean

CPDALY

You definitely want to find and download Lee's books.  As far as command control, Lionel did produce some vehicles with TMCC that you may still find available.  Stock non TMCC Superstreets and WB EZ Streets vehicles only run forward.  If you do anything with DCC (not DCS) in N or HO scale, you may want to consider modifying streets vehicles by adding DCC decoders and using a DCC system to control direction, lights, and in some cases sound.   Here are some examples of modifications I have done.

Why DCC in Streets Vehicles

Modified Superstreets Vehicles

Military HMMWV and Deuce and Half conversions

Like any command system, dirty track or pick ups will cause the decoder to stop.  Similar to BCR's/battery in the DCS PS systems, Train Control Systems (tcsdcc.com) and digitrax (digitrax.com) both offer systems to store and keep power going into the decoder during momentary breaks in picking up power from the track.

Larry

John Knapp posted:

    Originally, K-Line produced Superstreets products. When K-Line went out of business, Lionel took it over and it became K-Line by Lionel. More recently, Williams by Bachmann took it over and they call it E-Z Street. Williams by Bachmann darkened the color a bit, changing it from a lighter gray to a darker gray.

   W by B also added switch tracks and more vehicles to the line.  Recently, they added 1950's/1960's type sedans, police cars, taxis and even an ice cream truck.

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

While Bachmann added the left & right hand switches to E Z Streets, I am not sure if they carried over the Y type of switch by K-Line or not.

To power the Super Streets or E Z Streets you can buy the Lionel Fastrack power wire set and use it part # 6-12053.

FYI; buy the WBB E Z Street vehicles or sets from an online vendor like Trainworld as WBB charges too much on their website.

Lee Fritz

Lee:

     The original K-Line by Lionel Superstreets Hookup wires are still around. They are Model 6-21290.

    And if you cannot find those, The more current Bachmann EZ Street Hookup wires are available. They are Model 00270.

John Knapp

Erie, not Eerie

I’m a little late to this thread but I’ve been using superstreets for many years now and also have installed a few of those Bachmann E-Z streets switches (turnouts) which I control with a TMCC CAB-1. 

Regarding hook up wires, as Gun Runner John would say, you can “roll your own”.  Use your own wires crimped into 18-22 AWG female push-on solderless terminal lugs available at electronic parts stores.  You will have to also crimp the ends of the lugs slightly to enable them to stay onto the built-in terminals on the underside of the track.  If you still have a Radio Shack store near you they may carry those lugs.

One issue I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread is that Super Streets and its successor E-Z Streets so far only come in two curved track diameters: D-16 (16” outside diameter but only 14 3/8” actual center-to-center rail diameter) and D-21 (21” outside, 19 1/8” cr-cr).  Not all vehicles, especially certain trolleys, will negotiate the D-16 curves.

Another issue is noise as I would recommend using something under the plastic superstreets track to deaden the sound.  I use kitchen cabinet shelf liners.  Re the screws to use, I also use a #4 screw but make sure they have flat heads so that the manhole covers will fit flat in their receptacles.

And one other issue is trying to control multiple vehicles on the same track.  While it’s a big step forward toward realism to be able to run one electrified vehicle by itself on a surface that looks like a city street, sooner or later you will want to run more than one at a time on the same street.  I have done this with MTH Railking PCC streetcars using the K-Line superstreets 10” insulated rail sections and relays.  But the automobile-type vehicles are usually too light and have such small diameter wheels that they don’t make good-enough electrical contact with the insulated rails to trigger the relays.  In addition whether they have traction tires or not, they often lose ground on the insulated rails and completely stop.  Quite some time ago “Dale H” posted a message on this Forum proposing a way to run multiple vehicles using magnets and reed switches to detect the vehicles and trigger the relays.  I believe he posted a follow-up message explaining how to do that so check the archives. 

HTH,

Bill

They tend to corrode. I soldered connections. Nice product.

L.J. posted:

CPDALY

You definitely want to find and download Lee's books.  As far as command control, Lionel did produce some vehicles with TMCC that you may still find available.  Stock non TMCC Superstreets and WB EZ Streets vehicles only run forward.  If you do anything with DCC (not DCS) in N or HO scale, you may want to consider modifying streets vehicles by adding DCC decoders and using a DCC system to control direction, lights, and in some cases sound.   Here are some examples of modifications I have done.

Why DCC in Streets Vehicles

Modified Superstreets Vehicles

Military HMMWV and Deuce and Half conversions

Like any command system, dirty track or pick ups will cause the decoder to stop.  Similar to BCR's/battery in the DCS PS systems, Train Control Systems (tcsdcc.com) and digitrax (digitrax.com) both offer systems to store and keep power going into the decoder during momentary breaks in picking up power from the track.

Larry

 

I have been thinking about and wanting to get some E-Z Streets and also getting into some DCC or at least being able to fiddle with it in some form. You are removing all my barriers and excuses here. I had not thought of DCC and Streets being used together and it does sound like a neat idea. I have actually been looking at NCE's DCC system off and on for a while now. Those look like good links and I thank you for posting them. I am looking forward to further study and watching the videos.