Comparing True Cost of Kato vs Atlas 55

meledward23 Nov 14, 2010

  1. meledward23

    meledward23 TrainBoard Member

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    I often see posted Kato Unitrack is more than 55. A point I am not arguing against, but rather would like to analyze from a purchasing NEW standpoint.

    Kato cost is easy to see. It is basically all in one.

    Code 55 however, a different story? When I look at Code 55 the switches often are 3 or 5 dollars less but then they are manual and need a switching station which makes them more.

    This brings me to a serious discussion. Not a flame war. I am interested in producing a dollar and cents comparison. Not a labor of love comparison. There are many factors to consider when choosing a track. This discussion is meant to focus on one small section of that. The pennies I must transfer to someone to get Atlas 55 running vs Kato. I plan on doing a detailed spreadsheet, put into a PDF analysis, for my review, and I will share the results.

    Where I need help is knowing what to include when calculating costs for Atlas 55.

    A mainline, needs roadbed (cork), nails or glue to secure, and track. Kato is the track some people secure it, but far from necessary. For now, I think I will leave out weathering costs for both, but if anyone wants to contribute that I would love to hear specifics (volume of ballast per l.f. etc).

    Turnouts, there is a large variety. I need some help understanding what they need to get working. Again, roadbed. Most appear to be sold as manual. So switches are extra? , nails?

    Kato costs seem straight forward as blue switch controllers while big and perhaps not the favorite, are ready to go.

    How many nails do you need for a switch or per 12" of mainline, with sweeping curves or in 15" radius.

    What I am looking at is help figuring parts need for comparison:
    Atlas manual switch + trackside switch + (both need wiring so that should be the same, unless one needs a different wire), switch controller (kato included, atlas needs ?), + roadbed, + nails.

    Has anyone already done all this ground work?
    If not, I look forward to some Atlas code 55 users to share some of the costs that are not upfront apparent.

    Same for KATO users if I am overlooking some of the more "hidden" costs in going with KATO.

    NOTE: Again I know labor is different. Perhaps resale. Perhaps re-usability / re-layout etc. All different discussions. Second hand purchases, ebay, are also possible but not part of what I am looking to analyze.
     
  2. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Kato switches come with connector wires (to attach to the blue controller).

    Some folks will want to be "pure" and add in the cost of Kato terminal track, but you can easily add feeders to any section of track, just as you would do with Atlas.
     
  3. Sierra117

    Sierra117 TrainBoard Member

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    It really is a big thing to consider, but I went with Unitrack even though it was a little more expensive simply for the ease of use. I have two small children, and time to mess with my track and lay a bunch of flex and such was not a luxury I had. As for the blue controllers, I have a dozen or so I'm not using and they are yours if you decide to go Unitrack. I will also send you an email tonight about my extra track.
     
  4. Seated Viper

    Seated Viper TrainBoard Member

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    This crops up every few months. I've seen it a couple of times before in the year I've been a member of Trainboard.

    I don't recall ever seeing ANY Atlas track, and the only Code 55 I've seen is Peco (YUK!) so I can't help your comparison of Atlas vs Kato. The sort of thing you mention as an extra cost once you've bought the bit of track is comparable, however. Take the scissors crossing.

    Last time I looked at a Peco catalogue, their scissors cost 55GBP, plus ballast if you want it, plus wires plus controls (four because you have four points/switches). On the other hand, the Kato was 41GBP, ballast included, wiring included and one control unit because points/switches all flick at once, straight or curved. No contest in my view!

    Regards,

    Pete Davies
     
  5. Wings & Strings

    Wings & Strings TrainBoard Member

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    Well, times have changed, and Atlas code 55 is amazing. The switches are $5 less, but you can get manual turnout ground throws from caboose industries for less than $5, so the price evens out. Essentially it comes down to realism VS ease of tracklaying. I really like the atlas and caboose industries products and would suggest atlas code 55.
     
  6. CraigN

    CraigN TrainBoard Supporter

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    I control all my Atlas code 55 turnouts manualy.

    I use Miniatronics slide switches model # 38-100-05

    They are S.P.D.T. switches and come 5 to a package. I paid about 80 cents per switch.

    I connect them to the turnout with piano wire with a couple bends in them. I also connect the frog to the switch.

    Visit my rail images here on Trainboard for a picture of them in action.

    Craig
     
  7. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Just did some price checking online for track

    C55 flex with cork trackbed would run about .15 an inch or 1.80 a foot

    Unitrack would run you about .20 an inch or 2.40 a foot

    Ballast? Most modelrs WILL ballast Unitrack (as it looks too toy like unballasted) so ballast is a wash with flex vs unitrack.

    Switches?..to many variables to figure out. Which turnout. What manufacturer. How will you move them. etc. etc. etc.

    My thoughts:

    At .05 an INCH difference...you do the math on the track footage on your layout...:tb-wink:

    .
     
  8. scenicgreenrr

    scenicgreenrr TrainBoard Member

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    Don't forget to add in how often you will change your mind on the track plan. I have literrally changed my 15x30 foot layout 19 times (ask our local hobby shop with all the pictures and questions I have asked). I've been changing to keep little hands from reaching the outer edges to reducing the military area for a commercial airport. I believe Kato track has given me more flexibility for change to fit my current desires ... which seem to change every six months.
     
  9. FloridaBoy

    FloridaBoy TrainBoard Member

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    There is a little more to this comparison than just cost, at least in my opinion. I am in my mid sixties and had several layouts over the past 22 years in my home. I mostly used Code 80 flextrak carefully laid, soldered and wired, but nevertheless still had more derailments and uncouples than I expected, thanks to weather, heat, humidity, etc.

    I joined a club that had MicroEngineering C55 track, which I hated as many know who read my rants on the Atlas board a couple of years back. It too, resulted in several derailments when built by team effort back in the early 2000's.

    Now I have a painful back and knees, and operate my trains from a very comfortable tilt and swivel easy chair over my control console, and have an all Kato Unitrak layout, which has exceeded my expectations of reliability. It is a pain in my tukus to get up ever few minutes to right a wrong or retrieve an errant loco or car. That doesn't happen, and also in agreement as during my initial layout planning, I made several changes to the trackplan after the track was down, and now I have the end I desired. Couldn't have been done the flextrak way.

    For ballast, my friend Bill Neilsen, from the former Model Expo and the best train guy down here in my humble opinion, turned me on to this rock textured paint which when painted on Kato track takes on the looks of real ballast, but doesn't have those little rocks that find their way into my loco gearboxes.

    That solution works for me, and I am happy. I am not where you guys out there, and we are all different. I am not against C55 like I used to, since Atlas made such strides over the past few years. I do not nor will I ever recommend MicroEngineering track, even if I am taken to Guantanamo and water boarded.

    Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
     
  10. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    While you can ballast Unitrack, (I just apply a bit along the edges to blend into the scenery), you don't need to get it running and looking reasonable and if you do you don't go through as much as you do with flex track. If we're only talking necessities ballast needn't be included on the Unitrack side of the ledger.

    Another consideration that indirectly effects cost is availability. Atlas C55 seems to go through periods of scarcity that Unitrack doesn't suffer from. With Atlas, to be sure of getting the track and turnouts to complete your layout you'd really need to buy it all at once or face the prospect of being a turnout short of finishing that yard and having to wait months for Atlas to schedule another run. Unitrack's availability means you can purchase your track as you go, when you need it, thus spreading the cost over time.
     
  11. johnh

    johnh TrainBoard Member

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    What paint do you use? That sounds like a great idea.
     
  12. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have to go with the "design in place" advantage of Unitrak. I don't believe Unitrak can ever be made to look as good as any non-roadbed embedded track options. That said I am not too concerned with exquisite scale model appearance that would withstand scrutiny in a 2048 x 2048 pixel photo, (exaggerated for emphasis).

    I too have changed the "Grey and Grandure" significantly at least 6 times. It is now in it's final stages of the - next to - final plan and have not had to replace a single piece.

    My thanks to Bob, (Power Steam Guy), and Mr. Sing along with other contributors to the same kind of thread back when I first joined TrainBoard for steering me toward Unitrak.

    Then again and I look at the work some folks have done and momentarily wish I had gone with C55. Er, I did say "momentarily". Best wishes in your decision.
     
  13. Train Kid

    Train Kid TrainBoard Member

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    This is all about personal preference and the amount of time you have to mess with laying track.

    Unitrak has it's advantages -- the best be great connectivity. It has it's disadvantages like no flex track option but it can be over come. Lots of people do it. Once ballast is applied to Unitrak I belive you have a superior application. Again, it's all personal preference. Cost difference is somewhat monor unless you have a huge layoiut then it can add up! Just my 2ยข. I'd say do whatever feels good. With enough care Unitrak can look damn good.
     
  14. brakie

    brakie TrainBoard Member

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    What I like about Unitrack is the smoothness of the #6 switch and the ease of wiring them to their controller.

    I've thought about converting to C55 but,have to much moola wrapped up in Unitrack.
     
  15. MarktheShark

    MarktheShark TrainBoard Member

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    I understand all the reasons why people like Unitrack, but I think you are all down playing the true costs of it! On a regular sized layout I've seen it more than double the final cost of a layout! Just being honest!
     
  16. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    I admire your project. I'm not so sure it is worth your time if for no other reason than it could become obsolete in less than a year as relative prices change and new technology comes on board.

    Rethinking what I have said. You are asking for a black and white hard data bottom line comparison. You might as well compare "Mackintosh" and "Golden Delicious" apples the same way. I would never ever cook with "golden delicious" or have cheeder cheese with them but they do make for a great snack. Macs? Man, cooked or with cheese or just plain they are just as good as the golden delicious. So, ya, I feel a purely black and white cost analysis of the two track types is a very poor way to judge the either of them.

    Only one person has directly addressed the cost issue with any amount of clarity. The replies are still subjective since the results are going to be different.
    Factors that affect cost are:

    • Will the layout be radically changed? nuf said on this.
    • The size of the intended layout.
    • Experience level of the modeler - some folks have skills that make the
    • Where / what kind of environment will it be in? More leads will be needed for code 55 than Kato in a dirty environment.
    • DC or DCC?
    • Soldering skills will affect cost
    • Will the modeler have help.
    • How's their eye sight?
    All of those by themselves and in combination along with other issues affect the cost of using one type of track or the other. Bad soldering skills with limited vision will encourage the running of pre-made leads that are more expensive in Kato than code 55.

    Yes, if I, (me personally), were to build a DC layout using pure Kato track and accessories with an open budget it could easily cost twice that of a well done economized code 55 using the exact same track plan. Instead I have essentially built 6 layouts and only paid for the track once.

    If you have the skills, disposable income, experience, and inclination to design just the right plan for the space you have to build and run a DCC layout they I'd say go for it. Code 55 will look better in the long run and DCC has a lot more potential.

    I hope that helps even though it does not address your question the way you hoped we could.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 15, 2010
  17. Fotheringill

    Fotheringill TrainBoard Member

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    It is a tough question to answer, perhaps impossible. We can't go into the pros and cons of each for that was not the question.

    The huge variable is per inch cost. If the bounds are set as follows:

    All electric switches for each version
    Minimal electrical skill needed for the modeler
    Inclusion of tools in the cost per inch
    Inclusion of roadbed preparation for each

    I think that the cost for the Kato has to be cheaper.

    No tortoises or other electrical devices for the turnouts. As of a year ago, Tortoises were about $16.00 each in bulk. No Tortoise extension, tight fit devices needed.
    No soldering iron, gun, station or American Beauty, solder, desolderer, or flux (only wire nuts really required.
    No cork.
    No little metal or plastic joiners.
    It is much easier to mess up a length of Atlas or an Atlas turnout than Unitrack.

    If you have a lot of turnouts, and all other things being equal, Unitract has to be cheaper.

    I assume
     
  18. country joe

    country joe TrainBoard Member

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    I think you are exactly right. Kato track is more expensive than flex, cork and ballast. If one were to build a layout without switches, flex is cheaper. A lot cheaper. But when you use switches, Unitrack is cheaper IF you use remote switches. On an average layout I think the price is a wash.

    Remember, the original post was about cost only. I use Unitrack and would never go back to flex. There are other reasons to choose one track over another, but that was not the original question. I wholeheartedly agree with the good things said about Unitrack, but that doesn't make it right for everyone. This is not a question of which track is best, or even better for a given use. It is a question of what does it cost. Let's try to remember that what is best for us is not necessarily best for someone else.

    To actually answer the question, you need to figure out what an "average" layout consists of. If my layout uses 75' of track and 20 switches and yours used 200' of track and 75 switches, and someone else's layout uses 15' of track and 4 switches, the cost will be different. I don't know that you can say that the average cost of Kato is x and the average cost of Atlas c55 is y. You can say that a given layout will cost x to use Unitrack and y to use Atlas c55. Sometimes one will be cheaper, and sometimes the other will be.
     
  19. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    Oh, one more thought,
    You can use both. use the Unitrak for the majority of the layout and transition to flex for yards, sidings and such. I'll be using flex in my yards.
     

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