Klaus-Dieter

Straight and curved tracks in one set?

Straight and curved tracks in one set?  

59 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you like to have straight and curved tracks being sold in seperate sets or in one set?

    • I prefer to get straight and curved tracks in one set.
      2
    • I prefer to get a set with straight tracks and a seperate set with curved tracks.
      57


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Hello everybody! :classic:

The last days I've been planning on my final layout of Legostadt, my Lego City.

Having now a nearly finalised plan, I realised that I'd need a huge number of straight tracks. For the straight 9 V tracks there is mainly the problem of availability (since they are no longer produced and sold (at least not in Germany)) and the financial problem (since they are most of the time very expensive). For the straight RC/PF tracks there are the same problems, too, but nevertheless different: a set with RC/PF tracks is indeed available but the half of the set contains curved tracks of which I have absolutely no use. And seperate there is nearly no possibility to get them for a reasonable price.

But surely there are others which have a big use of curved tracks and do not know what to do with the straight tracks.

So I thought that it would be interesting to know which kind of set the EB Train Community (would) prefer(s):

straight tracks and curved tracks in one set (like in the current RC/PF tracks pack)

or

straight tracks in a set and curved tracks in another seperate set (like with the past 9 V tracks packs)

Please vote! Comments are welcome! :classic:

Klaus-Dieter

Edited by TheBrickster

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I'd prefer the expansion packs to be seperated. There's always a severe shortage of straight tracks and a large overdose of curves. Seperating them would fulfill my consumer needs a lot more than the current expansion packs.

Of course there's a good chance LEGO will hardly sell any curve only sets, which is probably why they ended up combining the two in the first place.

Same with the road plates, by the way. I need more straight roads, but I have way to many four-way intersections.

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I've posted about this before and I've tried to ask this question through the ambassadors as well. It makes no sense whatsoever to sell them together. A pack of plastic track costs the same as a pack of straight 9V track, only now I'm left with a pile of curves I don't need...

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Unless you live in Manchester or Liverpool you will be living in a town with mostly curved track and a little straight track. Probably at a ratio of less than one to one.

Tim

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This question is a no-brainer. Of course, practically everyone would rather buy the straights separetly from the curves. The only people who don't want to understand this is LEGO management. Speaking of which, I always felt the whole RC track thing was a rip-off. Sure, the track is half as expensive as the 9-volt track but you need to buy twice as much to get the same amount of straights!! Net result, no savings since the curves are basically useless.

Dan-147

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The likely reason they do this for track (and the road-plates) is because it allows them to have one less product. Given that LEGO (for all kinds of business reasons) has limits on the number of active products they can have (and the number of new products they can release each year) combining the straight and curved track frees up a SKU for a set in Star Wars or some other theme.

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99.9% of the time you need more straight than curved track, it's quite hard to believe that somebody would want to buy loads of track they don't need. This poll is pointless...

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Hello Lego - we ALL want straight only packs and curve only packs or at least more straights to curves in a pack.

I wonder if they'll listen or not - hey 'Klaus-Dieter' you should do a poll in the town forum on road plate packs I don't think a poll on that subject hasn't been done yet.

I'm a conformist! ! :sweet:

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Logical, that the everyone want straight rails separated.

there are just 4 angles generally in a layout and in and in a chamber.

you have 4 curved rails necessary and the rest straight :cry_sad:

and then 2x 7 and 2x5 meters (in my case) straights rails for

a total tour on the layout

if you examine the pol,

you will find no people that wants both together.

same problem for the street plates

but that is another matter.

:sick:

Edited by patje

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From a PM perspective a combined pack probably makes sense - one less product etc. But what would be nice is an expansion pack of straights only; or as previously indicated, increase the straight to curve ratio. Oh wait - this will mean a new product number for the new pack... In the meantime the old 9V curves will flood the market until someone can find a new use for them.

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Interesting though KD. Once you obtain a few ovals from train sets, Straight Track packs are all that you need. I for one, would just rather buy a pack of straight track. It's the curves that aren't needed (at least for me).

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Once you obtain a few ovals from train sets, Straight Track packs are all that you need.

Indeed.

I own two train sets with a complete track. Between these two sets, I end up with 36 (!) curved tracks and only 12 straights.

So either I put some really bendy parts in my layout, or I end up not using a large part of the curves. I don't need anymore bendy rails, so buying an expension pack that I'll only use half of becomes rather unattractive.

Seriously, this is a no-brainer.

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I would prefer that Lego put straight and curve tracks into two different sets. Let say you would need straight tracks instead of curve tracks. It would cost more to get the amount of straight track pieces. Curve pieces can take up more room in a town layout than straight pieces if you're trying to make a straight track with curve tracks. Hopefully Lego will sell the tracks in two different sets in the future. :classic:

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This is a pretty obvious poll; who, as a consumer, is going to argue about having choice in the matter?

I have a drawer full of both 9V and RC curved track. The only decent use I've seen for them is a MOC... I think it was a diner or some similar small structure, that used it for a cool wavy roof.

Edit: LEGO will not sell these separately; it would require two more boxes on shelves and complicate the whole process. They don't really like trains anyway; and if they can get you to buy stuff you don't need for the stuff you do, they're not going to change without a really good reason. Your best bet is to figure out some creative use for those pieces.

Edited by fred67

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I don't see LEGO going with seperate boxes of track.

When 9V was discontinued, all of the straight track sold like hotcakes. But what was LEGO sitting on? Lots of curved tracks, right? So now all of the other merchants see this and when LEGO releases the all-plastic track, what do you think those merchants are going to buy all of? The straight track! It's gotta be the same principle with the roadplates. We all need more straight roadplates, but the merchants know that. Mixing them all up works better for the company.

Do I think that individual tracks and roadplates should be available on SAH? Yes, but with the flex track available (I have not yet tried this stuff out) I don't see us getting single straight tracks anytime soon.

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Straights and curves should be sold in separate sets. But there's always the possibility of buying several straight tracks by phoning TLC's customer service. Problem solved... at least for those who have no 9V trains. I always have to buy the more costly 9V straight tracks. Even in used condition they have become quite dear.

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Straights and curves should be sold in separate sets. But there's always the possibility of buying several straight tracks by phoning TLC's customer service. Problem solved... at least for those who have no 9V trains. I always have to buy the more costly 9V straight tracks. Even in used condition they have become quite dear.

Could you elaborate on the purchase of straight tracks by phoning TLC's customer service? If it's the only way to get only straight tracks without the curves, I'll do it. Unless there's a huge mark-up...

Alternatively, I could also try with Lugbulk. Too bad I didn't think about it in the first batch of 2010. Next time, perhaps.

Dan-147

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One of the reasons why they are packed together is the store room. Straight track will be more popular, but the shop has to make space for curved track as well. Combining them saves space. And now they can rid of curved track as well.

But I prefer seperated track of course. Track was already seperately sold in the blue era in the '60s, so why should they change that after a success story of 40 years?

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One of the reasons why they are packed together is the store room. Straight track will be more popular, but the shop has to make space for curved track as well. Combining them saves space. And now they can rid of curved track as well.

But I prefer seperated track of course. Track was already seperately sold in the blue era in the '60s, so why should they change that after a success story of 40 years?

Absolutely - fewer SKUs is why the straight and curves are both in one pack.

A better solution would be:

- improve the flexi-track - get rid of the check rails and make the curve smooth in all positions so there's no train juddering in any curvature position. The first prototype shared with AFOLs was much better than what got into the set. It's only derailment problems for kids that spawned check rails.

- then supply the straights and the equivalent of the curves as flexi-track in the one set, and get rid of the separate flexi-track pack. That makes fewer SKUs again, helping TLG's profits, and satisfies both AFOLs and kids because of the option to go straight or curved with the improved flexi-track.

There would be no need for 6-wide curves at all if the flexi-track were as good as it needs to be! The same could not be argued for the straights because straightness of flexi-track requires fixture, so straights are still required.

In the parts and moulds range, replace the redundant 6-wide curves with 4-wide straights for the Indy Mine Chase track, or make Indy Mine Chase flexi-track!

Mark

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Could you elaborate on the purchase of straight tracks by phoning TLC's customer service? If it's the only way to get only straight tracks without the curves, I'll do it. Unless there's a huge mark-up...

Alternatively, I could also try with Lugbulk. Too bad I didn't think about it in the first batch of 2010. Next time, perhaps.

Dan-147

I've bought many pieces from TLC that were/are not listed on PaB. Once I bought two straight RC tracks. My plan was to create a layout with 9V rails that would normally produce a short-circuit. By inserting an RC track, you could avoid that problem. You'd then need an engine with two 9V motors that are connected with a 9V wire with plates to get the train over one piece of straight track through which no electricity runs. The other straight track I wanted to have as a spare part or for other short-circuited parts of the layout. That was my original idea.

Well, I didn't do all that since my plans changed. But I got two straight RC tracks by just phoning TLC's customer service and telling them in which set that piece can be found. As I said, I got two and I'm sure I could have got 20 or more if I had wanted. These are the only two RC tracks I own.

It always irritates me when people complain about bricks not being available on PaB. Just phone TLC! Often they can sell you the bricks even though they don't exist on Pab. I built my own Vestas windmill without buying the rare pieces for very high prices from bricklink; I bought the green BURPs and the big white pieces for its support directly from TLC by making a simple phone call.

Edit: I could check the price of the straights if you're interested. I still should have the receipt of that purchase. But I made that purchase a long time ago, so the price of a straight might have gone up a bit.

Edited by legotrainfan

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My solution...... Just sell straight tracks only. Simple. If you want curves just buy another train set. Anyway there is enough new and secondhand curved tracks online for sale to last until TLG change to a different system again. Or just buy some (ugly) flexitrack.

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I have a gigantic G-Scale layout, and i have HO as well. you buy straight when you need it, and curve's when you need it.

not in LEGO.

LEGO, "SHOULD" make a set of 8 Straights, and a separate 8 Curve. and under 10 bucks for a pack. like... 7.99!

common sense.

right now on bricklink, its .20 cents for a curve, and 2.00 for a straight.(because there are so many curves out there). I wouldn't even care if the tracks were made in china, just bring the price down so everybody can build.

AND, if this is "targeted" at kids. only the rich kids can have a train, every kid needs a train!!!!!!

Edited by broomhandle

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I have a gigantic G-Scale layout, and i have HO as well. you buy straight when you need it, and curve's when you need it.

not in LEGO.

LEGO, "SHOULD" make a set of 8 Straights, and a separate 8 Curve. and under 10 bucks for a pack. like... 7.99!

common sense.

right now on bricklink, its .20 cents for a curve, and 2.00 for a straight.(because there are so many curves out there). I wouldn't even care if the tracks were made in china, just bring the price down so everybody can build.

AND, if this is "targeted" at kids. only the rich kids can have a train, every kid needs a train!!!!!!

Right!

Another good point is a box of 16 straights at $ 15,49 (the same cost of the box with cuve and straight) to guarantee a better economy of scale to LEGO company

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