Wiring under Kato Unitrack

[Kiran]

My current Unitrack layout is a 4-track oval with multiple turnouts at various spots so that trains can switch from the outer most loop to inner most. There is a scissors crossover, 2 double track single crossovers (20-230) and 4 #4 turnouts.

 

How do folks handle all the wiring for a table top layout? I am running into issues where running the feeder and turnout wires under the track is creating an incline and a couple of the locos don't like that at all.

 

 

With Finetrack, I could use trough guarder bridges. Unitrack doesn't seem to have anything similar. Some of the feeder track pieces have little grooves but they can accommodate only 1 or 2 wires at the most. I am thinking of shaving sides of some of the longer track pieces to create grooves.

 

Are there any other alternatives for temporary layouts? Thanks ever so much.

[cteno4]

A simple alternative is a heavy cloth on the table. You poke holes in it to run wiring under the cloth and it hides the wire and evens out the bumps a bit for the Unitrak. Check out the fabric store for remnants. Usually you can get a better color than the table top for the trains to run on like a dark brown earth or grass green. You can even cut out sections of different colored material to make different scenery areas (ie earth, grass, concrete, etc) for some more temp fun.

 

Another solution is a layer of foam insulation board and carve some channels in the foam to runnthe wires. Cover this with cloth or construction paper. You can get 1” thick foam insulation board in 2’ square interlocking sections at some home despot/lowers.

 

jeff

[Welshbloke]

Spare feeder tracks are good for getting a single wire under the track, but a somewhat expensive solution. I am hopeful that Kato will follow Tomix in offering those low bridges, I can't see why they wouldn't work as a 62mm section of Unitrack.

[Lina_Blue]

I use the cardboard from track packaging to elevate thr track enough to guide wires under it.

 

I also try to cross wires ans rail as few as possible. And also guide the wires along viaducts and just go over the track.

 

See details how I did it here: