Hmmm. It would be very interesting to see how your terminal plans come together. Please let us know when you decide or sketch up an idea.
HI Bill, I just joined TB and have been looking at T-TRAK for a layout of my own. In looking at it on the web I like what I see, and after a visit to the LHS to look at Kato unitrak, I'm about hooked. My home layout will be a shelf type in a shed I will build that's 8x10 ft. I think most of the modules will be four feet in length tho. I visiting with Jim Fitzgerald he suggests four feet as a maximum length, and I feel that is a wise suggestion. I like the lightness of the modules, as heavy stuff is about to get not to doable for me after a recent heart attack. I have a little 2x4 ft layout now as no room is available in the wife's house. I used flextrack and then ballasted the tracks/ I ended up having to tear out a tunnel so I could fix the ballast where I had some glued up against an inside rail and was causing the leading axel on my steamers to derail. Unitrak will solve that problem i believe. So that's where I am at right now.
If you're just building the modules for your own use at home you can make them any length you like, if you will be setting them up with other modeler's modules all you have to do is make them a multiple of the standard length. I'm working on a 1240mm (aprox. 4'8") long T-TRAK module at the moment that is the length of four standard modules and it is quite happy in a layout with other T-TRAK modules.
Is your length of 4'-8" correct for a quadruple module? I think it should be 4'-7/16" allowing for the 1/16 between each single module.
You're right, I was making a quick conversion from the metric measurements T-TRAK Australia use and I must have put a decimal point in the wrong place. The 1240mm I quoted is the length of the track, the actual module length is 1238mm, as our guidelines state, modules must be multiples of 310mm -2mm. Eg; single 308mm, double 618mm, triple 928mm. Much easier than all these odd fractions you Americans use.:tb-confused:
Its like learning a very complex language at a young age. Its the way our brains are wired. Actually, I do tend to use decimal inches in stead of fractions. I suppose that comes from measuring everything with a vernier caliper. When I am working in the wood shop and drag out the steel tape measure, I get confused.
I have my T-TRAK layout up and running as of today. have a small yard and a couple of sidings, four standard modules, two two footers and two straight 12" modules so far. Have enough materials for two more straights. Now for some scenery. Have a pic of the layout but gotta find out how to get it on this site first.
Hi railnut (what is your name?) You should find that your T-TRAK layout will keep you busy and whats more, you can take it apart and join in with others when the occassion arise. The scenery will keep you busy for a while, if you treat each module as a learning experience you will learn lots by doing. Keep it up
Q: so t rack is using Kato unitrack as track .... any 1 using tomix track ....? (see there is more options from tomix than kato even tho have kato at moment .... ) plan on making home modules ( gonna use tomix track ) that in future gonna go tho a club.... or something (gotta move so that gonna have to wait... )
As long as it was very reliable and the end connectors matched Kato's Unitrack, probably would go OK. Those end connections are a must. What you use in between is less critical.
The bare module in the photos below that I took of the club's T-TRAK layout at a recent show is my brothers transition module which uses Tomix track, including a double slip which operates without any problems. He has used the Kato Unitrak/Tomix joiner tracks at the ends of the module and there is enough give in the track to spread the track centres from Kato's 33mm to Tomix's 37mm. I think Kato track is preferable at the ends of the modules not only to ensure compatability with any other T-TRAK modules but because of the Unijoiners which are easily replaced.
the whole point of tomix for me is because of all they types of switches and stuff + whenever i visit my in-laws (in japan) i can always but tomix etc as for kato yes the uni-joiners are great (use kato track past 10 - 12 years as table top temp and never replaced any yet ) that's a nice looking layout in pics u posted.... ( plan on making wall shelf modules assuming time and space allows ..... started on one module but its just sitting for now need some track ...... gonna wait till summer .... )
On his yard module (on the right) he used a Tomix three way turnout and tram track for the enginehouse.
ya i have seen the tram track before ( went to a hobby store in Akihabra and they had cool tram layout ..... using the kato unitrack tram and they were working on tomix one too ...) any problems with the 3 way or works fine ( gonna need one or 2 of em ..... )
no problem but its gonna take some time .... (moving, +need to get some stuff, plans are in my head but when gonna get the track the it will change LoL )
The 3 way seems to work ok, another club member also has three of them at each end of the yard on his home layout and everything we've taken over to run on it seems to go through them ok. He was a Kato diehard until I showed him a Tomix catalog one day while he was designing the yard area of his layout and wondering how he could fit in everything he wanted using Unitrack, now that end of the layout has 3 ways, double slips, curved turnouts, wyes and a Tomix turntable.
cant wait to go to my inlaws again ..... gonna have to choose what switches i want to get ( cant get all LOL ) but for sure gonna try to get 2 of the on curve turnouts, 2 3ways .... and (cross fingers 2 double slips) ...... that should get me started on my end pice ( gonna have to come up with a turnaround - or something ...... ) dont think want a wye crossing station or other tracks ( for me the best way to plan is to have the stuff and just lay it out ... and see ... if missing something or change can adjust as is and test as go...... ) one thing dont like the power feeders on tomix .... i guess gonna have to make a tomix-Kato cross breed ...... (or just use both ) if Kato had all that stuff to begin with - would not look anywhere else ..... BTW the modules i see are using single track doubled .... (last year i got some kato concrete tie double track which i think would look great on extended module .............. )
