Hi! N-scale lovers I just purchased Walthers' 2 double stack sets and tested on my track last night.....but..It couldn't pass through R315-45 curve Viaduct(Kato Unitrack).....What a disaster! If in real situation(1:1) it can't through, then I will accept...I'll modify my track scheme but if it's not...How can I do? How about deluxe innovation's Gunderson Twinstack® 5-Unit Articulated Car? If the distance between axles are the same....I think this also cannot pass through R315-45 viaduct... Anyone has this and how about? Do I need to return this Walthers? I want to return if its scale is wrong... [ 23 March 2001: Message edited by: Seokyoung Ahn ]
I think you'll find the scale of the cars is correct, or very close. It's just that doublestack cars are TALL. Many prototype roads had severe clearance problems with bridges and tunnels and have had to spend a lot of money to increase those clearances. I had much the same problem after most of my track was laid; A tri level autorack was the tallest car available - and then Walthers brought out their doublestacks and I had to change all the tunnel portals and the helix to accomodate them. And then Con-Cor and Model Die Casting brought out their doublestacks which were even taller! I've got several Deluxe Innovations cars and find they are slightly shorter. You'll probably have to do what I did and figure a way around it. I wish you luck. If you'd like to see my layout, it's at: N Scale Modeling By Jim Reising
There is another clearance problem with doublestack equipment on curves. The center of the car is almost at track level to permit containers to stack two high, causing the cars to hang up on anything that is above rail level. The floor of a standard car on the other hand is above the level of the trucks. On model curves doublestack cars will hang up on ANYTHING above rail level.
How about this? Take your tallest doublestack height, with containers, and add a 1/4". That will make your lowest tunnel portal/overpass height from the rail. Yet another reason to use quality track, like Micro Engineering, make it as flawless as possible, and use wide, prototypical curves. Also a good reason to convert to Micro-Trains trucks/couplers. I have Walthers' doublestack 5 car set, and altho I have no layout to run them on, I hear they have been plagued by running problems, despite having a cast metal frame. What would be a good conversion to MT trucks for the articulated wheelsets?
Does anyone in this thread even have Unitrack? You could have a consist of quadruple stacks and not reach a height limit because there is no top clearance on the viaduct tracks. It's open to the sky. The real issue here is the radius and the sidewalls on the Unitrack. R315-45 Unitrack is 315mm radius (12 3/8") and a 45 degree segment of a curve. The walls of the viaduct extend above the rail height so at mid-car length, it strikes the side of the viaduct. The only options here are wider radius or shorter viaduct walls. I love Unitrack and have used it on my last four layouts.
Here's a photo of a layout that makes extensive use of Unitrack. The elevated sections are the viaduct tracks he is talking about. The layout is by Chip Atwood, and the photo comes from Online Train's photo gallery. [ 24 March 2001: Message edited by: ten87 ]
