I gotta stop hijacking this thread... I guess I'm not understanding you. When you say the expansion track is the last piece of track, I would say it couldn't be attached to the roadbed ( ergo floating) on the module due to it's ability to expand. That's all I meant.
All right you guys. Whoa!We will get some and try some. If it works, great! If it doesn't, we will know.
I see what you mean. If you use the expansion track as the bridging track it "floats" between two fixed tracks. You thus have a flexible piece over the module joint, which might be good. But also the track can get distorted if the module is moved slightly. Putting a piece of rigid track as the bridging track still results in the expansion track "floating" between two fixed tracks (if you temporarily tack down the bridging track), but the expansion track is on a firm foundation. Zscaler can try it and see if it is as good. I was just offering an alternative and have no bones to pick.
The thing is that the modules we set up don't move relative to each other. We bolt them together and then add the expansion tracks. From what Bob says, these should work. Robert Ray says he doesn't like the look of them. They could be weathered a little to tone down the shiny look. The center part could be painted flat black or aged concrete. The same ballast used on the module could be glued on top of the "plastic" ballast to match better. There are a lot of resourceful people out there (like me) who can figure out how these could fit in better. I ordered some when they first came available for pre-order with the intent of trying them out.
I would really like something like the Marklin design, but with MTL Flextrack tie spacing. That would be the ultimate expansion track. When I first seen these I thought they were somewhat unsightly, but necessary track piece, and I had incorrectly assumed they would be available in a 4 pack for about $20 MSRP. Maybe we would see them discounted to $16-17 at places like N Scale Monster. If they were priced correctly, I could see this track piece replacing the Marklin piece used by all the Z-Bend Track clubs, and selling thousands of pieces this year. Being they are MORE expensive then the Marklin piece, people will probably not replace their Marklin track with Rokuhan. I won't be going out of my way to see or evaluate them, as I know the Marklin tried and true, still work.
Very valid point Robert. First module to outfit would set you back at least $80.00 for eight pieces and thereafter $40.00 to connect each additional module. With ZoCal showing 34 modules, you can easily see the large investment it would take to use the Rokuhan pieces. I don't care for Micro Track from MTL or the Rokuhan, (my opinion only), but this will work for some.
Robert, Loren, Can you let us in on the discount source of the Marklin track? I haven't bought any for less than $12 a unit. I agree that the Rokuhan unit isn't a beauty contest winner, but what interests me is the mechanics. It appears that it might support use as utrkuse described above. It might be nice to have a bridge track that's just a 100mm stock. Mark
Mark, I haven't purchased any of the Marklin expansion tracks in years. As I build more modules, (a slow ongoing process) I just may have enough to finish two new modules I began in the past. Once in a great while, (long ago) dealers would offer savings on these pieces, but as the popularity of Z Bend Track modules grew, the supply of the expansion tracks has dried up to a large extent......at least for a decent price. Times change, and so do supply and demand. These Rokuhan pieces may fill the void, but nothing is going to be cheap ever again now that the demand is greater. Years ago I was able to purchase 5 brand new blue Marklin 0-6-0 steam locos from an online dealer for $50 apiece. Try doing that now.........ain't going to happen.
I tried a piece of 55 mm rokuhan track up against a module end ( as we were tearing down tonight) and it was 2-3 mm too high. So if can sand off some of the bottom, I think the new track piece would work. A lot of the Marklin expansion track we are using are starting to break and bow up in the middle. Ties are also coming loose. Some of these have been through at least fifty train shows - and the wearing shows. The only problem I can see is that some module ends do not end exactly even - expansion or something - and the Rokuhan track does not look like each rail is independent like the Markiln is. Cutting disk! Even those puppies out. If these new track pieces work, we may slowly start replacing the worn out Markiln sections. May take a couple of years... a little help - bulk price maybe?
