Layouts and layout building

I have posted here before about my track question, and I am about to build a small N Scale layout (8' x 3') and attended the National Model Railraod Show today and saw a small layout operating with Kato N scale unitrack.  The stuff works and looks great, but is somewhat pricey.   Was wondering if anyone here uses it, likes/dislikes it, why you should/shouldn't use it over Atlas N scale flextrack.  Obviously the Atlas track leave you with more possiblities, but the Kato takes away all track wiring frustrations and gluing, etc.  

Is it worth giving Kato a shot or should I stick to Atlas? 

Any suggestions would be great.

Joe

I use Kato Unitrack on my N Scale 11 x 8 layout.  On the positive side it is very reliable and easy to use with great electrical connectivity. The built-in switch machines are very important to me, I'm 66 years old and my knees and back are no longer up to crawling under benchwork installing and maintaining 35 switch machines.  On the negative side, the tie spacing is Japanese not US prototype so it's not as realistic.  You will need to build up your mainline with some sort of sub-roadbed so that you can get the proper change in elevation between main and yard trackage.  Grades/Changes in elevation is more difficult to make since there is no "give" to the track sections; however, I have all my track at the same level so that is not an issue for me.  If you go with Kato you should still plan on painting the rails, ties and installing a thin layer of ballast to get away from the "toy train" look. In summary, I think it is a trade-off between convenience/reliability versus realism.

Good luck whichever way you go!

Mike B.

It's only my personal opinion here,for what it's worthed.With Kato Unitrack,simplicity and reliability aren't an issue,as it will give you what you'd like if you want to keep complexity to a minimum.However,8'X3' is sufficient to create an interesting N scale layout but is by no mean a very flexible dimension to work with.You'll need different curve radiuses if you want to build double track curves for instance and you'll probably need the most flexibility available from your trackwork for sidings,spurs,etc.That is unless you wish to stick with a simple oval with limited possibilities,wich I think you'll find boring in a short while.