is kato unit track worth the money and do the swiches come with a turnout swich? thx fior your time. zack
For me personally, Kato Unitrack is worth the price. My layout was originally laid out using Atlas flex and snap track and I had so many problems with it, that I let my layout sit for years unused. I am electronically challenged as I put it(soldering and wiring are not my forte) and Kato unitrack takes me out of the equation. The track is bullet and idiot proof. Without it, I wouldn't have a running layout. It also allowed me to lay out the track and take it apart so many times until I finally got my track layed out as I liked and held up. I will admit, code 55 looks better, but only if there are trains running on it. Bob
About a fourth of my present layout is Unitrack. If I had known how great it was when I started the layout, I would have done it all Unitrack. My next layout will be 100% Unitrack. It is fool-proof, sturdy, almost maintenance free. I have had no derailments on it and no electrical failures. And, yes, the switches come with controllers.
Can you use Unitrack to go up grades etc? Looks like it would not flex or bend enough to make a gradual transition to a grade. Russ
Sure you can use it on a grade. I have a near 3% grade on a curve no less and I have no problems. Bob
It seems you never got an answer to this question. No the switches do not come with the turnouts. they are sold separately (Kato #24-840)and you need a dc adaptor(Kato #24-842) to hook them up. One adaptor will do all of your turnouts.
How do you do your grades with Unitrack to make a nice gentle transition, will it take a bend to give you that nice smooth transition at top and bottom of grade? Russ
My layout is of the cookie cutter design and the Unitrack just went with the grade. This is something I didn't even think about when I laid the track. Kato does offer bridge and pier sets. Bob
a little clarification about the TO controllers.. first time I priced #4's vs #6's, I was suprised to find that the #4's were a few bucks more. Further research led me to find that the #4's INLCUDE a TO controller (they are a BLUE color box switch that slides vertically). Word of warning at this point.... the #4's have a history of causing problems straight from the box, but there are some modifications that help performance. for my $$, I have only #6's, since modern equipment doesn't track well thru #4's..radius is just too sharp. The #6's work well with a 28 1/4" 15deg curve attached.. boy that makes for one BIG yard!!! Bobcat did you use viaduct for the 3% grade?? Seems like the viaduct is so easy to use, so I just sold all of mine....... Count me as another Unitrack believer!! (my 11 year old son can solder better than I can, I just gave him all my soldering stuff....) [ 22. February 2003, 07:17: Message edited by: ednsfan ]
I didn't need to use the viaduct as regular ballasted track sits on plywood. With the cookie cutter design, I made cuts in my sheet of plywood and raised where the track went to get my grade. I hope that makes it clearer. Bob
I brought Kato Unitrack K1, K3 track sets. It came with a blue plastic item that shows the celearnce height and track width. It also states that you can unsnap the tracks with it. Forget about the tool. How do you unsnap the tracks without lifting the whole track up to get to those little plastic pegs that hold the track together underneath? For the life of me, I cannot uncouple the tracks, is there some diagram, or steps this can be done?
Carl, what I have found the easiest to do is lay the track on a flat top (bench, table, etc). using both hands (on either side of the joint you are breaking), pull apart the railjoiner farthest from you, by rotating on the railjoiner closest to you. the railjoiner being pulled apart USUALLY stays with the piece of track on your right. Now flex one piece of track ABOVE the other piece and rotate the opposite way as above, and you'll find the railjoiner closest to you will stay with the piece of track on your left. Don't worry if you happen to break a railjoiner, kato makes replacements, or if money is an issue I've got a few spares... In 3 years of using Unitrack, I've never broken one, but i have lost a few. Practice joining and breaking track apart, you'll get the hang of it in NO time!!! Friendly reminder.... try to keep the railjoiner for the track farthest from you on the right side and the other railjoiner on the left side. makes it very easy to assemble, unlike sectional track that doesn't have the railjoiners attached. I'm not sure if Kato's website has a users guide to unitrack.... hopefully they do, and it's not in japanese !!!
