Hello all - Need expert advice regarding track set on my 8 x 4 table. Rekindled interest in HO railroading during quarantine. Made a table and got a track set and expanded with my sons. When I used to be invloved with it, always used ATLAS tracks. Wound up buying new product or least one that was not around when I was a young adult? child - Kato. Seems flimsy and doesnt work well with many road names. Switches break easy. Am I correct or just using improperly. What track products would work better or are they all similar these days? Can someone please advise. Thank you.
First as a newbee your first few post are moderated and delayed.Second your post leaves a lot of reading between the lines.Go into some detail of your problems.I’m not an expert on Kato track but there are a lot of members that are.Most model railroaders use flex track not sectional or track sets.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
SteveSansHello all - Need expert advice
I can offer some advice based on experience, expert... not really.
SteveSansKato seems flimsy and doesnt work well with many road names. Switches break easy.
Kato Unitrack is a top-quality product in both HO and N scales. The N scale product has many more pieces in the product line.
For my past few layouts, and my next one, I have used Kato Unitrack for all hidden trackage. I also use HO scale unitrack to test run and verify operation of all my models.
Did you buy this used? I have never heard of anyone having trouble with Kato Unitrack other than the joiners becoming loose, and these are easily changed.
Also, I have a couple dozen turnouts, all #6 HO scale, and never had one problem.
Please give us some more detail.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Sounds like he is trying to use two different track systems. Which doesn't work well as the different manufacturers systems don't mate well. And by that I mean the connects for the ballast pieces. The track itself when removed from the ballast base will mate fine. The ballast bases don't mate at all. Not sure what is means by doesn't work with all road names though. Can you clarify. kato has en extensive system of components
shane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Thanks Mel - Sorry if post is not clear. Not sure how to do a layout with flex track. Can you lead me in right direction please as to where I find out how to build flex track layout on a 4 by 8. Thank you
I've never heard of Unitrack not connecting securely. If you can share more information on what you are trying to do, folks may be able to help. If you are trying to mix track brands, that may be a challenge with any "click-track" style track.
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I use Kato HO Unitrack, and don't see where you're getting the idea of "flimsy".
It seems quite strong to me -- getting the sections apart (once connected) can be a job, because the joiners do the job so well.
What "broke" on the switches? Which switches were you using (#4 powered, or the #4 or #6 manual switches)? Are you throwing them manually or using power?
Stephen. let's start here. You are in the right place to get started in the right direction. Every year model railroader does a project layout geared for beginners. And this years should be published very soon. In the site archives you can find all the previous beginner project layouts going back many years. They use kato track system a lot too. Well worth looking through and reading them. There are also many separate articles for beginners on various topics. You are in the right place to find the info you need.
Flex track Requires a few steps that might be a little confusing right. So i would say stick with the kato track until you have the hang of of working with track in general. So switch tracks (Actually called turnouts) usually a sticking turnout is the result of being nailed down to hard or glued down in such a way that it does not sit even. That goes for any turnout not just kato. Binds the mechanism. I don't recommend securing turnouts at all so they can float and avoid that binding. none of the six manufactured turnouts out I have are secured down.
As for the engines Could be just dirty wheels. If they are older locos. If they are new, they most likely have electronics on board and possibly sound All which draw a higher current demand than a basic older power pack can provide so let's start with a few questions and any other information you can provide about them
questions
did you glue or nail down the turnouts? what power pack are you using?how old ar eyour engines?
Thank you Shane for the detailed response. I did not glue the turnouts. It seems when flipped with manuel mechanism, doesnt actually flip, I have to move the actual metal on the track if that maakes sense.
WIth respect to engine, they are new. I am using standard Kato powerpack, newer one - SX ithink. I did get booster wire which did help with subway i purchased. Yes, youre right - the ones with trouble are w sound and such. I dont think w kato i can get anything else re poer pack, right? I purchaed a steam enigine that suppose to blow smoke. The engine just won't go. had it work sporadacilly - most of time it doesnt, even with 16V booster wire. Any ideas here? by turnout itself sometime wheels roll, so defintely juice there somewhere.
Also at turnouts, often large coaches especially fork the wrong way resulting in derailment. The layout i have is "Lets DCC w amtrack" 22 inch curves. Is that part of issue? I appeciaciate the adivise and assistance - thank you
Steve
Hi Steve,
I think the confusion that everyone is having is about what track you are using, what you are using to control the trains and which locomotives you are trying to run on the track.
I looked up the contents of the Kato track set you have and it is Kato Unitrack track pieces that are included in the set. Most people have had little trouble using the Unitrack pieces because fo the quality of product and that they snap together quite nicely. Have you had problems snapping the pieces together?
The other item that I noticed with that set, is that it comes with a DC controller. . Are the locomotive that you are running DC only or do they have decoders in them to run with DCC. A diagram on Kato's site shows the Kato controller connected to a Digitrax DC51 command station through the jump port to run DCC.
If your engines have decoders, it could be possible that the DC controller does not have enough juice to start the locomotives. Can you give us details of the locomotives that you are running? Brand and model would be helpful.
The answers to these questions will help everyone give you the best advice.
Thanks,
Scott Sonntag
Steve,
at the top of this website is a tab "Get Started" Click on that tab to get lots of basic information that you will find helpful. The forum members will also provide great help.
I keep forgetting about the "get started" tab That billwiz mentions. But what I was referring to about the beginners info is there.
the derailment of the Amtrak coaches is called picking the switch. Happens to all of us occasionally. Even the prototypes. It's just one of those things. Your specific reason though is almost certainly related to the problem you are having with the turnouts not working. let me start here. Are they wired to be powered or are you using them in manual mode?if manual mode then the linkage might have come undone. Somehow. If they are being powered to through the mechanism, it might not like the occasional manual move. I am betting it is a linkage problem.
Does somebody here have a pic of the linkage in these turnouts they can post for Steve to compare?
your power pack is a 1 amp 16 volt unit. Not enough juice to run a dcc sound unit. Interesting ly. That power pack was designed by kato to be expandable to receive the needed components to let you do that and use it on bigger layouts. When talking power. The voltage is just the amount of current that is moving. Amps are what makes the current do work or the force to do work. My truck runs on 12 volts but has 280 amps. My layout runs on 12 volts but only has 10 amps. The amps determine how much work that 12 volts can do. That 16 volt wire is for a separate booster unit to feed into the power pack. The wire itself does nothing to change power out put. So your other locos will work once we get the needed power to them. locos with doc sound just need more power to run. Since kato made this pack expandable. Look into getting the booster unit and adding it. That should fix that.
who made the steam locomotive? What manufact that is? If you got a loco from where I think you might have, yeah it will need more juice as well. For anybody else reading this, I am thinking possibly BLI is the manufacturer they make smoke unit equipped steam engines
Hang in there. We will get you going.
Thank you Shane - your post was most helpful. I think that makes sense re linkage. And yes, its manual and have occasionaly switched manually. So perhaps I need to replace.
Thank you for info re power. You educated re amps. The wire I recieved is actually 16 volt and 2.1 amps - so it did actually boost power as original Kato Power pack is only 1 amp as you said. Helped with some, just didnt help with steam engine w smoke. It is made by Bachman. I suppose need more of a boost. Seems like Kato doesn't provide anything more powerful. am i wrong? Please advise.
another question: Re Walthers - I purchased some low cost freight cars. Seems like Walthers couplers prone to break. Does Bachman, Atheran and others make better products. Is there a pecking order of companies ? What do seasoned railroaders prefer? Please let me know re that and power. thank you.
SteveSansI purchased some low cost freight cars. Seems like Walthers couplers prone to break. Does Bachmann, Athearn and others make better products? Is there a pecking order of companies? What do seasoned railroaders prefer?