I noticed that Kato makes bridges for their N scale Unitrack, but appears not to make for their HO Unitrack...
Any advice for a girder track that works well with a Unitrack (HO) with roadbed integrated? Want to make it work as well as possible...
Thanks in advance -
InterfX
The various Walthers HO thru-deck girder bridges can be built as a ballasted deck bridge, meaning they would have a flat interior bottom for the track to sit on. Their steel and concrete urban overpass bridges also just use a flat styrene base for the track to sit on.
If you have a bridge where you slide lengths of rail into place (i.e. there are pre-made slots), you can remove the rails from a piece of Unitrack and add them to the bridge.
I have used an Atlas code 83 bridge with Unitrack. The rails are the same height but the Unitrack rail is a touch thinner, so the Atlas joiners come out a bit loose but it's not a big issue. I eventually will solder the joints when I get the scerery done in that area, but it's worked OK for a couple of years with just the joiners.
I'd think that the Atlas through-girder bridge could be used as-is with the Kato track, simply by setting up the bridge support abutments so the rail height on the bridge is at the same height as the Kato track on its roadbed - no need to use the roadbed-type of track over the bridge. As Stix mentions, solder the rail joiners if they're too loose.However, it you wish to use the Kato track over the same bridge, my suggestion would be to cut off both ends of the Atlas bridge to remove the curves at the top - cut back to the first moulded-on stiffener at each end - then set the bridge, upside-down, on the abutments so that the top of the bridge's deck is at the same height as the base of the Kato track. You can then continue the Kato track, on its roadbed, right across your now-deck-type girder bridge.
You could, of course use any brand of girder bridge, but the Atlas one is likely the most affordable and easiest to modify as suggested.
This is the same Atlas through-girder bridge, but with the ends altered as suggested, and the deck removed, in order to make it into a narrower deck-type span...
...and this one is the same, also part of the same bridge...
I used the same bridge, altered in a somewhat similar manner, for my scratchbuilt turntable, too...
Wayne
Twelve year topic necro! Original post was made in 2007
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761 Twelve year topic necro! Original post was made in 2007
In this case, it took that long for anyone to answer the question.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I'm right in there with Stix and Dr. Wayne. When I use to set up my Christmas train, I used Bachmann sectional EZ Track, and I ran it up to a plate girder bridge, an old Atlas that I've had for decades.
I left the section of track that came with the bridge, just adjusted abutment height to fit the EZ Track.
Mike.
My You Tube
The Atlas plate girder bridge has the track down at the very bottom, whereas on a real bridge there generally is some supports under the track so the track is actually sitting up higher. As it happens, if you just take a regular Atlas bridge and run the Unitrack over it, the difference in height makes the Unitrack's rails sit at just about the correct height. Then you can ballast the sides to make it a ballasted-deck bridge.
riogrande5761Twelve year topic necro! Original post was made in 2007
.
Nothing wrong with that. It is the topic of discussion now. GOOD BUMP!
I would just get a cheap gircer bridge with a solid bottom deck and glue it to the ballast on a straight Unitrack section.
I use HO scale Kato Unitrack for home running, and it is a great product.
-Kevin
Living the dream.