Thoughts on KATO Unitrack?

[Anonymous]

I recently setup an oval so my kids could run the N Scale stuff we've been given by some friends of ours. I've wired an HO layout before (many, many, many moons ago) but for some reaons I felt completely lost looking at the N scale track. [:I]

I had gone to the hobby store, picked up some track, but kept putting it off. Finally one day I took a trip to the local hobbystore and took another look at the KATO Unitrack. It's simplicity was really appealing. I picked up the basic set, brought it home, dug out one of my old power packs (Tech II Railmaster 2400) from the boxes of HO stuff I have and within a couple of minutes, I had it up and running.

Besides the problem I had with the couplers, it's been fun running this. My youngest son will sit for over an hour running the train, putting on more cars, etc. I wouldn't mind making something bigger, but I'm wondering -- should I buy more of the KATO stuff or go for the full blown tabletop nail down the track sort of layout? Over time how does the KATO Unitrack work out? Has anyone used this stuff before and run into any problems and/or fustrations?

[Anonymous]

I recently setup an oval so my kids could run the N Scale stuff we've been given by some friends of ours. I've wired an HO layout before (many, many, many moons ago) but for some reaons I felt completely lost looking at the N scale track. [:I]

I had gone to the hobby store, picked up some track, but kept putting it off. Finally one day I took a trip to the local hobbystore and took another look at the KATO Unitrack. It's simplicity was really appealing. I picked up the basic set, brought it home, dug out one of my old power packs (Tech II Railmaster 2400) from the boxes of HO stuff I have and within a couple of minutes, I had it up and running.

Besides the problem I had with the couplers, it's been fun running this. My youngest son will sit for over an hour running the train, putting on more cars, etc. I wouldn't mind making something bigger, but I'm wondering -- should I buy more of the KATO stuff or go for the full blown tabletop nail down the track sort of layout? Over time how does the KATO Unitrack work out? Has anyone used this stuff before and run into any problems and/or fustrations?

[bcammack]

I'm on my first N scale layout on a 2'x4' board. I've gone the cork roadbed/traditional track/ballast route and, frankly, were I to do it again, I'd do Unitrack without hesitation. It costs more than regular track, but there's a strong value proposition when you consider it's trouble-free nature and ease of installation against the individual costs of all the traditional components and all your labor to implement them.

N scale railroad equipment can be finicky about the quality of the road it's running on and not having to deal with fine-tuning your new layout to get the trains to run on it is worth something to most.

I've seen it painted with Fleck-Stone to make it look quite good. You just snap the rails and ties out, as I understand, and paint the roadbed alone. If that's not the case, they must've run masking tape over the rails/ties part before painting.

Places like Toy Train Heaven sell Unitrack at a good discount, bettering the value proposition. The Kato Unitrack brochure is available on-line as an Adobe Acrobat pdf file, too, so you can make some better sense of the universe of part numbers and terse descriptions you find for the stuff when shopping for it on-line.

Regards,
Brett C. Cammack

[bcammack]

I'm on my first N scale layout on a 2'x4' board. I've gone the cork roadbed/traditional track/ballast route and, frankly, were I to do it again, I'd do Unitrack without hesitation. It costs more than regular track, but there's a strong value proposition when you consider it's trouble-free nature and ease of installation against the individual costs of all the traditional components and all your labor to implement them.

N scale railroad equipment can be finicky about the quality of the road it's running on and not having to deal with fine-tuning your new layout to get the trains to run on it is worth something to most.

I've seen it painted with Fleck-Stone to make it look quite good. You just snap the rails and ties out, as I understand, and paint the roadbed alone. If that's not the case, they must've run masking tape over the rails/ties part before painting.

Places like Toy Train Heaven sell Unitrack at a good discount, bettering the value proposition. The Kato Unitrack brochure is available on-line as an Adobe Acrobat pdf file, too, so you can make some better sense of the universe of part numbers and terse descriptions you find for the stuff when shopping for it on-line.

Regards,
Brett C. Cammack

[jbd522]

As a general rule, I do not like sectional track. It just looks too rigid. However, I can see it's application for a child's layout. I have no personal experience with the Kato Product, but my son-in-law used it on a small layout and had very good luck with it. I was a little concerned about the turnout motors, but they have proved to be very reliable.

Jim

[jbd522]

As a general rule, I do not like sectional track. It just looks too rigid. However, I can see it's application for a child's layout. I have no personal experience with the Kato Product, but my son-in-law used it on a small layout and had very good luck with it. I was a little concerned about the turnout motors, but they have proved to be very reliable.

Jim

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the tip about Toy Train Heaven. I'll be sure to check them out.

I have to admit that when I picked it up, I felt a bit funny. Having grown up around O & HO, going to train shows, swap meets, I get this feeling that if I were to tell anyone who's been doing this for awhile that I bought this stuff, they would laugh or something. I'll have to be a closet N Scaler. [:I]

I'm still amazed at how simple it was to setup. My 7 year old daughter was able to add in a couple straight pieces so we could make it larger. She didn't need any help -- everything snapped together nicely. Even the wiring was easy. Plug the connectors together and attach the ends to the power pack. I realize that if I want to expand there'll be a bit more work involved, but at least I'm thinking about expansion now. [;)]

I really am thinking 'bout foregoing the traditional cork roadbed and stuff and stick with 100% Unitrack for an N Scale layout. Maybe as my sons grow up and they're still interested, we can get back to the traditional building methods.

Thanks for listening. [:)]

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the tip about Toy Train Heaven. I'll be sure to check them out.

I have to admit that when I picked it up, I felt a bit funny. Having grown up around O & HO, going to train shows, swap meets, I get this feeling that if I were to tell anyone who's been doing this for awhile that I bought this stuff, they would laugh or something. I'll have to be a closet N Scaler. [:I]

I'm still amazed at how simple it was to setup. My 7 year old daughter was able to add in a couple straight pieces so we could make it larger. She didn't need any help -- everything snapped together nicely. Even the wiring was easy. Plug the connectors together and attach the ends to the power pack. I realize that if I want to expand there'll be a bit more work involved, but at least I'm thinking about expansion now. [;)]

I really am thinking 'bout foregoing the traditional cork roadbed and stuff and stick with 100% Unitrack for an N Scale layout. Maybe as my sons grow up and they're still interested, we can get back to the traditional building methods.

Thanks for listening. [:)]

[Anonymous]

Hi my name is Larry KATO UNITRACK is abit more expensive but well worth it!!
i have been doin N scale for about ten years or so and from the beginnig in the early 90's i have had NOTHING but UNITRACK my present 13x16 foot layout is all unitrack
it operates flawlessly it is simple to wire and change without damaging surrounding areas also looks good only thing i recommend it that you use #6 switches all around as #4 switches are too sharp and i have had nothing but TROUBLE with them i am in the process of changing over but like it was mentioned it can be REAL EXPENSIVE REAL FAST!! they cost a bit more but derailments are all but gone once in a while is ok but not every two seconds
now i am in the process of possibly expanding into the next room there again is the money issue
in my opinoin KATO UNITRACK is a good buy if you got the money for it and dont want alot in a hurry heck it took me this long to get where iam at now good track+good engines+good cars = unbeatable operation! i somtimes leave my layout runnin three hours or more with not a worry one of trouble
so if this is for your kids thats great unitrack is easy to assemble in to almost any configuration simple plug it in wiring and rather durable too so thats why i stick with it higher cost versus ease of running in the time it take you to build a tabletop i can have a layout setup up and running and half the scenery done
KATO UNITRACK
YOU DANG RIGHT!!!
LARRY

[Anonymous]

Hi my name is Larry KATO UNITRACK is abit more expensive but well worth it!!
i have been doin N scale for about ten years or so and from the beginnig in the early 90's i have had NOTHING but UNITRACK my present 13x16 foot layout is all unitrack
it operates flawlessly it is simple to wire and change without damaging surrounding areas also looks good only thing i recommend it that you use #6 switches all around as #4 switches are too sharp and i have had nothing but TROUBLE with them i am in the process of changing over but like it was mentioned it can be REAL EXPENSIVE REAL FAST!! they cost a bit more but derailments are all but gone once in a while is ok but not every two seconds
now i am in the process of possibly expanding into the next room there again is the money issue
in my opinoin KATO UNITRACK is a good buy if you got the money for it and dont want alot in a hurry heck it took me this long to get where iam at now good track+good engines+good cars = unbeatable operation! i somtimes leave my layout runnin three hours or more with not a worry one of trouble
so if this is for your kids thats great unitrack is easy to assemble in to almost any configuration simple plug it in wiring and rather durable too so thats why i stick with it higher cost versus ease of running in the time it take you to build a tabletop i can have a layout setup up and running and half the scenery done
KATO UNITRACK
YOU DANG RIGHT!!!
LARRY

[Wdlgln005]

For N scale

The Kato Unitrack has more variety than Bachmann EZtrak or LL trak. Get track plan ideas from Kato. You should be able to duplicate almost any published sectional track plan. I think MR used Unitrak for one of the beginner layouts published ofer the last few years. The good news is your children can easily change the layout. I use a circle of track to test & break in new locomotives. I think they all use code 70 or heavier rail that should be compatible with Atlas code 70 sectional & flextrak. It may not be compatible with smaller code 55 rail, but then you may face the problem of operating cars with too large flanges without the low profile wheelsets.
Have fun with your layout! [:)]
Have fun Nscaling! [:D]

[Wdlgln005]

For N scale

The Kato Unitrack has more variety than Bachmann EZtrak or LL trak. Get track plan ideas from Kato. You should be able to duplicate almost any published sectional track plan. I think MR used Unitrak for one of the beginner layouts published ofer the last few years. The good news is your children can easily change the layout. I use a circle of track to test & break in new locomotives. I think they all use code 70 or heavier rail that should be compatible with Atlas code 70 sectional & flextrak. It may not be compatible with smaller code 55 rail, but then you may face the problem of operating cars with too large flanges without the low profile wheelsets.
Have fun with your layout! [:)]
Have fun Nscaling! [:D]

[Anonymous]

I stopped at the local hobby store and picked up a few more pieces of Unitrack. The owner said that the stuff has been becoming more popular. I thought that was interesting.

I really wanted to get a switch, but looking at the price tag for a single switch, I just couldn't do it today. I looked over at the cost of a switch in the regular Atlas track and it was half the price. Tempting, but it would have been goofy to have Unitrack and one regular switch.

I noticed KATO also makes pieces of track that allow you to go from Unitrack to regular track. That's pretty cool. Wasn't really expensive either.

This time I had more time to look around and saw the Life-Like and Bachmann stuff. Their stuff was cheaper, but didn't look as nice. I'm curious as to who made it to market first? Did KATO come out with Unitrack first and the others were trying to capitalize or did KATO just come out with a better product?

So much for the retirement fund... [:)]

[Anonymous]

I stopped at the local hobby store and picked up a few more pieces of Unitrack. The owner said that the stuff has been becoming more popular. I thought that was interesting.

I really wanted to get a switch, but looking at the price tag for a single switch, I just couldn't do it today. I looked over at the cost of a switch in the regular Atlas track and it was half the price. Tempting, but it would have been goofy to have Unitrack and one regular switch.

I noticed KATO also makes pieces of track that allow you to go from Unitrack to regular track. That's pretty cool. Wasn't really expensive either.

This time I had more time to look around and saw the Life-Like and Bachmann stuff. Their stuff was cheaper, but didn't look as nice. I'm curious as to who made it to market first? Did KATO come out with Unitrack first and the others were trying to capitalize or did KATO just come out with a better product?

So much for the retirement fund... [:)]