I bought a loop of bachmann ez-track sectional track to test out my old locos after scrapping my old layout and taking a hiatus and going back to armchair modelling for 8 years. That loop of track actually having trains run combined with youtube channels like yours has rekindled my love of the hobby. I feel that just having something run even in a simple loop is better than any grand plans that never get built.
i actually did the exact same thing with ez-track! I had a loop and it was my little travel setup and practice loop when i didn't want to work on the layout. that was back when I had a 2x3 setup and old lifelike and bachmann locos. it was a good start to the hobby.
I'm looking forward to the Kato # 4 turnout video. Their geometry seems to match the Atlas #4 geometry, and I had no issue with my 6 axel and BLI steam locomotives navigating the Atlas #4. I found the Kato #6 to be too big, and I couldn't get them to fit my small layout properly. Plus, their centers don't match the #4s.
so here's a real quick basic cheat on the #4. a lot of folks have them in areas with turns - so come right off any degree turn right into a #4 and you're going to be 50/50 on derailments. But, add just one small section of straight between the end of the curve and the turnout - and the wheels of the locomotive have enough time to straighten out and make it through the points correctly.
Unitrack fans, and we are legion, seem to be gaining more and more market share of the hobby as folks see it on TH-cam and hear about it. It's one of those things that once you try it - either you're in or you're out and most seem to stay with Unitrack.
I don't see why a hybrid approach can't work. I have a LOT of Peco turnouts and flex track. I'm gonna use it in the yard/siding/switching areas. Leave the Unitrack for what it does best - long, smooth runs. Plus, Unitrack is EXPENSIVE.
@ in the short run Unitrack is expensive, it holds up better than most other tracks. When you go to rip up your layout and can reuse 97% of the track that’s went Unitrack shines. And I have some Flex track on my layout. Plus you really don’t need to solder Unitrack. Every kind of track has a place on a layout.
You have the coolest kato n scale layout on TH-cam! I’m inspired and my next N scale layout will be all unitrack! Whst do you think of the wye switch ? Thanks! George subscribed!
Thanks! Kato Unitrack is excellent - I absolutely love it. The wye is fine - it's basically a two-way #4. It'll handle trains at a decent speed without issue. I have two of them from the previous build and I've reinstalled one already in mainline service.
I totally agree with your reasoning for using Unitrack. I modeled HO and N scale back in the '70/80s when I was a kid using sectional and flex but quality wise was hit and miss back then. Peco was definitely more reliable than other brands. Now in my mid 50s and back in the hobby I did plenty of reseach and quickly found Unitrack was the right choice for me. I also use Kato Flex Track which is super flexible! And again worked out how to ballast Unitrack to look pretty great. Its simple to use and reliable.
that's exactly it. it's easy and noncommittal. Set it up, run it, change it, repeat until perfect. Kato flex track has the same issue with all flex track - it needs carefully planned. but if you intermix it with Unitrack, perfection!
Just a building bench tip, to keep boards from splitting, where you want to put a screw drill a hole just a tad bit bigger or same size. Like the layout
indeed. it's an excellent tip and works 100% of the time. except in my case it adds time so i rammed those screws in like a pile driver and might have split a few of the smaller members LOL!
Been using Kato for 20 years and then when I moved from 'N' to 'HO' - yep, chose Kato HO. There are 'issues' with some of the HO track but they can be overcome, (Dremel). I'll be watching more.
awesome. ok, i'm looking for a little more information on how this works and i'm striking out. how does the BD4 get wired into the track/turnout to autoswitch?
Agreed, I have about 250'+ of flex and I want to lean on the sectional in my mainline corners for reliability. There are a few places my radii are not quiet there and I want to get sectional to eliminate the issues. I'm also interested in making the rest of my layout sectional either Freemo or T-trak. but i have a high rail leaving my tiny shop and entering my master bedroom down the hall to my living room like Mister Rogers and loops back to the shop. I intend to use Flex for the master and hall segments
Flex track is a proven method - works well when soldered correctly and the radii are bent correctly. Without a good centerline to follow or a jig to hold the track at the correct degree - no issue. free-handing flex track, however, not such a good idea. might have made that mistake. Sectional will definitely eliminate that concern - it's not foolproof, but does eliminate a good chunk of possible track mistakes.
On my upper level I use Kato unitrack, Kato does not make a piece of track longer than 10 inches. With a large layout that makes a lot of voltage drops so I solder the straight track about 3 ft long, when I do this I secure the rail heads since the ends of the track tend to be uneven just with the jointers. I will send you an e-mail on some stuff you covered in the video.
you know, some of those joiners maybe some super tight, super level joints. and some of them look like a blind person clipped them together. i can only assume it's just such a tight tolerance that manufacturing sometimes isn't perfect. i try really hard to adjust the clips and joiners, shim the track if i have to, but i try to avoid soldering. that makes a mess if you ever try to disassemble the track. don't ask me how i know.
Kato makes a flex track now and a cork roadbed that lines up perfectly with their Unitrack. It's been out for a few years - at least that when I found it. Atlas code 80 works for the track, but without Kato's cork, you're shimming regular cork which is significantly shorter and that's a pain.
Great video. It can be tiresome how in the hobby we create these sorts of artificial divisions with a 'vs.' statement that gets uses it as a basis for value judgements on the quality of the hobbyist.. There's more than one right way to build a model railroad. I think you offer the right assessment of the virtues and drawbacks of these systems. Beyond that, I'll never really understand why anyone cares what track (or other approach in the hobby) someone else uses to maximize their enjoyment of model trains.
I'm pretty sure I could pick any topic - one I'm not even passionate about, and start an argument just because. It's human nature to think that our way is the way and disregard any other possible path. Or troll online just for the sake of the trolling. Sometimes, we're set in our ways and that's that - for me, I know it's Unitrack. Sure, there's other ways to do it - some might provide better results - but in the end, what do you want to spend your precious hobby time doing? For us content creators, I think it's important to lay out what we chose to do and why (and playfully joke about other methods), but not necessarily close the door to those other ways. Rare exception to that - wiring components - sometimes that's not a subjective task!
@@AlleghenyNorthern well said. Just to make sure my comment was interpretable, I’m in agreement with your stance and commentary. I find it very silly that some in the hobby take issue with sectional track.
@@ChicagoCrossingRR I find that people take issue with everything anymore. personally, i find it funny but i know it angers some - and that is actually funnier to me. there's a lot of beliefs in the hobby i held forever until i tried it and was like "why did i shit all over this, it's amazing!"
I agree that the kato track is the best sectional out there by far I think. For me though, cost was a major consideration compared to flex track and also turnouts. I make turnouts using fast track jigs etc and atlas code 55. It saves me a lot of money but certainly costs more in time. A lot more in time.
Yes, i didn't cover the Unitrack cost - it is expensive. i haven't purchased it in a while and I'm still reusing pieces i already have - that's definitely a drawback for a larger layout. i'm not a huge fan of ballasting, though, so limiting my ballasting is another win. Flex track requires a lot more attention and planning. Great results but a lot of energy.
Because i dont like decisions, im going with both. Upper deck suspended from the ceiling kato double loop, for just running trains, not a single turnout. Propper spacing, super elevation, all done for me. The lower? Micro Engineering code 55 flex and hand built turnouts for a switching layout.
i use all section track i'm also all dc with switching ops point to point and contuned running new layout coming soon same track i been using from the last 3 layouts im ho but all old school dc
i've only been DCC for a few years. swore i'd never use it but then the layout grew and stationary power packs weren't working anymore. then i got my first sound loco and now i'm a year into sound and i don't think i would ever go back. DC works - needs a bit more wiring and a bit more planning for blocks, but i have some old MRC throttles and they're good reliable workhorses.
@@AlleghenyNorthern I just collected dc stuff all my life so I enjoy being old school DC and I have walk around throttles just wired so big power packs or power supplies will be under the layout and i have all kinds of circuit boards that i can do alot of stuff and when i do the wiring i'm gonna go ahead and run a dcc main bus wire just in case i would deside to go a different direction to each thier own
you were talking about regrets in your last video and mistakes,...my biggest was not finding your channel long ago. you saved me tons of cash and i have what you have,...except the kato track, its too expensive and flexes too much here in canada,..i can make my own turnouts with peco track for 8 bucks. my fAVOURITE TRAIN SITE
Kato unitrack is definitely a bit pricey. I haven't tried hand laying my own track but the more i see folks doing it i get the urge to try. I'm contemplating a small HO traction layout where I might do just that. glad you found the channel, enjoy!
Hi C Mastracci , you have made a lot of progress. Yea I’m a Kato Unitrack fan. Put it down and if it doesn’t work take it back up and try again. I do want to see a video on the #4 turnouts. I don’t have any at this time but would like to use them on the expansion. Especially in a staging yard. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week. 😎😎 👍
Yards and industries are great places for the #4s. They work on a mainline, too, but I always make them a slow crossover and not a track-speed one for both realism and my sanity.
I bought a loop of bachmann ez-track sectional track to test out my old locos after scrapping my old layout and taking a hiatus and going back to armchair modelling for 8 years. That loop of track actually having trains run combined with youtube channels like yours has rekindled my love of the hobby. I feel that just having something run even in a simple loop is better than any grand plans that never get built.
i actually did the exact same thing with ez-track! I had a loop and it was my little travel setup and practice loop when i didn't want to work on the layout. that was back when I had a 2x3 setup and old lifelike and bachmann locos. it was a good start to the hobby.
I'm looking forward to the Kato # 4 turnout video. Their geometry seems to match the Atlas #4 geometry, and I had no issue with my 6 axel and BLI steam locomotives navigating the Atlas #4. I found the Kato #6 to be too big, and I couldn't get them to fit my small layout properly. Plus, their centers don't match the #4s.
so here's a real quick basic cheat on the #4. a lot of folks have them in areas with turns - so come right off any degree turn right into a #4 and you're going to be 50/50 on derailments. But, add just one small section of straight between the end of the curve and the turnout - and the wheels of the locomotive have enough time to straighten out and make it through the points correctly.
I love my Kato unitrack, that said, Flex track has its place. Thanks for sharing.
Unitrack fans, and we are legion, seem to be gaining more and more market share of the hobby as folks see it on TH-cam and hear about it. It's one of those things that once you try it - either you're in or you're out and most seem to stay with Unitrack.
I don't see why a hybrid approach can't work. I have a LOT of Peco turnouts and flex track. I'm gonna use it in the yard/siding/switching areas. Leave the Unitrack for what it does best - long, smooth runs. Plus, Unitrack is EXPENSIVE.
@ in the short run Unitrack is expensive, it holds up better than most other tracks. When you go to rip up your layout and can reuse 97% of the track that’s went Unitrack shines. And I have some Flex track on my layout. Plus you really don’t need to solder Unitrack. Every kind of track has a place on a layout.
I have learned so much from you and everyone else.Thank you
Glad you're finding the information useful!
You have the coolest kato n scale layout on TH-cam! I’m inspired and my next N scale layout will be all unitrack!
Whst do you think of the wye switch ?
Thanks!
George subscribed!
Thanks! Kato Unitrack is excellent - I absolutely love it. The wye is fine - it's basically a two-way #4. It'll handle trains at a decent speed without issue. I have two of them from the previous build and I've reinstalled one already in mainline service.
I totally agree with your reasoning for using Unitrack. I modeled HO and N scale back in the '70/80s when I was a kid using sectional and flex but quality wise was hit and miss back then. Peco was definitely more reliable than other brands.
Now in my mid 50s and back in the hobby I did plenty of reseach and quickly found Unitrack was the right choice for me. I also use Kato Flex Track which is super flexible! And again worked out how to ballast Unitrack to look pretty great. Its simple to use and reliable.
that's exactly it. it's easy and noncommittal. Set it up, run it, change it, repeat until perfect. Kato flex track has the same issue with all flex track - it needs carefully planned. but if you intermix it with Unitrack, perfection!
Just a building bench tip, to keep boards from splitting, where you want to put a screw drill a hole just a tad bit bigger or same size.
Like the layout
indeed. it's an excellent tip and works 100% of the time. except in my case it adds time so i rammed those screws in like a pile driver and might have split a few of the smaller members LOL!
Been using Kato for 20 years and then when I moved from 'N' to 'HO' - yep, chose Kato HO.
There are 'issues' with some of the HO track but they can be overcome, (Dremel).
I'll be watching more.
They definitely have a great product. it's good stuff. I've dremel-ed plenty of sections trying to accomplish a particular configuration.
Great Video... At about 22.30 for auto switching, a BD4 would cover that for you... Thanks for the insights...
awesome. ok, i'm looking for a little more information on how this works and i'm striking out. how does the BD4 get wired into the track/turnout to autoswitch?
@@AlleghenyNorthern Hope this link works or you to review.
@@AlleghenyNorthern th-cam.com/video/gqaROr2arPg/w-d-xo.html - From Steve Browns - Its my Railroad.
You are looking for a PSX-AR (auto reverser) which supports turnout control. Easy to setup, easy to use - fire and forget.
Thanks! i do have four of these coming so i'm looking forward to giving them a try.
Agreed, I have about 250'+ of flex and I want to lean on the sectional in my mainline corners for reliability. There are a few places my radii are not quiet there and I want to get sectional to eliminate the issues. I'm also interested in making the rest of my layout sectional either Freemo or T-trak. but i have a high rail leaving my tiny shop and entering my master bedroom down the hall to my living room like Mister Rogers and loops back to the shop. I intend to use Flex for the master and hall segments
Flex track is a proven method - works well when soldered correctly and the radii are bent correctly. Without a good centerline to follow or a jig to hold the track at the correct degree - no issue. free-handing flex track, however, not such a good idea. might have made that mistake. Sectional will definitely eliminate that concern - it's not foolproof, but does eliminate a good chunk of possible track mistakes.
On my upper level I use Kato unitrack, Kato does not make a piece of track longer than 10 inches. With a large layout that makes a lot of voltage drops so I solder the straight track about 3 ft long, when I do this I secure the rail heads since the ends of the track tend to be uneven just with the jointers. I will send you an e-mail on some stuff you covered in the video.
you know, some of those joiners maybe some super tight, super level joints. and some of them look like a blind person clipped them together. i can only assume it's just such a tight tolerance that manufacturing sometimes isn't perfect. i try really hard to adjust the clips and joiners, shim the track if i have to, but i try to avoid soldering. that makes a mess if you ever try to disassemble the track. don't ask me how i know.
I have Kato unitrack and i m intrigued. What code 80 flex track do you use? And how do you match ?
Kato makes a flex track now and a cork roadbed that lines up perfectly with their Unitrack. It's been out for a few years - at least that when I found it. Atlas code 80 works for the track, but without Kato's cork, you're shimming regular cork which is significantly shorter and that's a pain.
@@AlleghenyNorthernThank you!
Great video. It can be tiresome how in the hobby we create these sorts of artificial divisions with a 'vs.' statement that gets uses it as a basis for value judgements on the quality of the hobbyist.. There's more than one right way to build a model railroad. I think you offer the right assessment of the virtues and drawbacks of these systems. Beyond that, I'll never really understand why anyone cares what track (or other approach in the hobby) someone else uses to maximize their enjoyment of model trains.
Concise comment. Rarely do any two modelers have the same solution.
I'm pretty sure I could pick any topic - one I'm not even passionate about, and start an argument just because. It's human nature to think that our way is the way and disregard any other possible path. Or troll online just for the sake of the trolling. Sometimes, we're set in our ways and that's that - for me, I know it's Unitrack. Sure, there's other ways to do it - some might provide better results - but in the end, what do you want to spend your precious hobby time doing? For us content creators, I think it's important to lay out what we chose to do and why (and playfully joke about other methods), but not necessarily close the door to those other ways. Rare exception to that - wiring components - sometimes that's not a subjective task!
@@AlleghenyNorthern well said. Just to make sure my comment was interpretable, I’m in agreement with your stance and commentary. I find it very silly that some in the hobby take issue with sectional track.
@@ChicagoCrossingRR I find that people take issue with everything anymore. personally, i find it funny but i know it angers some - and that is actually funnier to me. there's a lot of beliefs in the hobby i held forever until i tried it and was like "why did i shit all over this, it's amazing!"
Hello my good friend please I need to know how you attach the coupler mate rail bodies do you have any video from you please
I don't have any videos directly related to installation of couplers. I will do one next time I have a car that needs upgraded.
I've used Kato Unitrack since the 1990's, so easy and a quick and if you run it for awhile and don't like it, it's easy to swop out track sections
that's why i like it. it's so easy to use, very noncommittal - even after the scenery is down you can just scrape it up and go again.
I agree that the kato track is the best sectional out there by far I think. For me though, cost was a major consideration compared to flex track and also turnouts. I make turnouts using fast track jigs etc and atlas code 55. It saves me a lot of money but certainly costs more in time. A lot more in time.
Yes, i didn't cover the Unitrack cost - it is expensive. i haven't purchased it in a while and I'm still reusing pieces i already have - that's definitely a drawback for a larger layout. i'm not a huge fan of ballasting, though, so limiting my ballasting is another win. Flex track requires a lot more attention and planning. Great results but a lot of energy.
Because i dont like decisions, im going with both. Upper deck suspended from the ceiling kato double loop, for just running trains, not a single turnout. Propper spacing, super elevation, all done for me. The lower? Micro Engineering code 55 flex and hand built turnouts for a switching layout.
HA! that's awesome. Quick and easy and all-pro hardcore track laying on the same layout.
i use all section track i'm also all dc with switching ops point to point and contuned running new layout coming soon same track i been using from the last 3 layouts im ho but all old school dc
i've only been DCC for a few years. swore i'd never use it but then the layout grew and stationary power packs weren't working anymore. then i got my first sound loco and now i'm a year into sound and i don't think i would ever go back. DC works - needs a bit more wiring and a bit more planning for blocks, but i have some old MRC throttles and they're good reliable workhorses.
@@AlleghenyNorthern I just collected dc stuff all my life so I enjoy being old school DC and I have walk around throttles just wired so big power packs or power supplies will be under the layout and i have all kinds of circuit boards that i can do alot of stuff and when i do the wiring i'm gonna go ahead and run a dcc main bus wire just in case i would deside to go a different direction to each thier own
Cool video
you were talking about regrets in your last video and mistakes,...my biggest was not finding your channel long ago. you saved me tons of cash and i have what you have,...except the kato track, its too expensive and flexes too much here in canada,..i can make my own turnouts with peco track for 8 bucks. my fAVOURITE TRAIN SITE
Kato unitrack is definitely a bit pricey. I haven't tried hand laying my own track but the more i see folks doing it i get the urge to try. I'm contemplating a small HO traction layout where I might do just that. glad you found the channel, enjoy!
Does the scrapyard have a siding?
It does. Two tracks at the moment but considering expanding.
Hi C Mastracci , you have made a lot of progress. Yea I’m a Kato Unitrack fan. Put it down and if it doesn’t work take it back up and try again. I do want to see a video on the #4 turnouts. I don’t have any at this time but would like to use them on the expansion. Especially in a staging yard. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week. 😎😎 👍
Yards and industries are great places for the #4s. They work on a mainline, too, but I always make them a slow crossover and not a track-speed one for both realism and my sanity.
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