Running on the floor

[IST]

Here is the weekend, I am at home, so I made a little, temporary Unitram layout. Just for fun. With the switches I can make a lot of point-to-point lines for my trams, and beside of this I can make roundy-roundy lines as well.

 

[kvp]

That's a huge tram layout. As much as i can see, you can even make reversing loops too. Or a loop or point to point layout with reversing loops in the middle.  :)

[Welshbloke]

I used to (bought a Kato Nozomi starter set, then V9 and V2 add-on sets along with a few other bits and pieces), then the cats arrived...

It isn't so much the attempts to hunt these motorised "mice" as the sheer quantity of fluff they shed around the place! Marklin HO can handle it fairly well (only harm seems to be a thick carbonised gunk on wheels, which comes off easily with lighter fluid and a paper towel) but N scale mechanisms are just too fragile for the same treatment.

 

The Kato CV series sets have proven incredibly useful to me. I currently have an oval with two sidings and a station (half the Kato island platform set, and the matching overhead station which makes a great view break at the far end) on a table which is about 35cm x 1m. Works a treat with B Train Shorties, and I may well buy CV3 next month (have CV1 and 2 already). Only thing I would say is to avoid the 150mm radius turnouts as the Bandai stock doesn't much like the diverging route on them and tends to derail. Given that it's fine on the other Kato turnouts I have I suspect the check rails on the 150mm need some attention, as the stock has a tendency to hit the tip of the frog and jump rather than being guided around. I'll have a poke around sometime and if I find a solution I'll post it.

 

You can also combine the CVs with their normal V-series track packs. I'm currently scouting around the house for a table big enough to handle my V9 pack (the nested figure eight) if I use my 150mm and 117mm radius curves instead of those in the box. You'd end up with long straights but wouldn't need a particularly deep table. Even better if I can cram the K2 loop pack in and add a station...

[Mark]

All of my temporary layouts go on the kitchen table. It works out pretty well because the only Japanese rolling stock I have are B-trains.

[HantuBlauLOL]

Rolling on the floor.. ROTFL

[kvp]

The difference between rolling and running is that you put rails under the wheels of your train when running on the floor, while rolling doesn't need the involvement of any rails under any wheels. :)

[Welshbloke]

I've solved the fluff problem!

 

It's called the V13 elevated track set. 5cm off the ground plus the sides of the elevated track sections both help keep fluff off the line. I do still have to tweezer/blow hair out of the locos occasionally but it's manageable, as opposed to them managing one circuit and then grinding to a halt as they would with ground level track.

 

Now if Kato would just make crossovers and pointwork for the elevated track system. Surely wouldn't be that hard, and they could use the tooling to make ground level slab track versions of the same trackwork.

[katoftw]

Now if Kato would just make crossovers and pointwork for the elevated track system. Surely wouldn't be that hard, and they could use the tooling to make ground level slab track versions of the same trackwork.

Unscrew current track from viaduct piece and replace with crossovers or points. Done.

[Welshbloke]

I was thinking more along the lines of something allowing diverging viaduct routes. Think the Unitram double track points but as a viaduct section, designed to match the standard geometry.

 

I know you can do this with the station set (and station extension set) if you use #4 points and single track viaduct sections to get enough elbow room at the point end, but I can only assume Kato have looked at the cost and decided a viaduct point wouldn't sell.

[kvp]

Tomix makes them, so if someone really wants one it's possible to buy finetrack instead of unitrack. The same is true for curved points and even viaduct curved points, which are a rare but existing tomix product.

 

Ps: Kato mainline geometry doesn't support diverging double track routes. Not even for ground track. On the other hand it's doable with tomix mainline and tram track and with kato's singe piece tram turnout.

[Densha]

A few floor running pics from two months ago...

 

First up is a JRF DE10 with a rake of WaMu(3)8000. The other two pics are a Kawai (Bachmann-produced) C-type diesel shunter pulling a long rake of mixed cars. This shunter is amongst my best running trains, and I wasn't even able to get close to testing the maximum tractive effort of this little wonder because I ran out of cars. :P

Edited June 4, 2016 by Densha

[cteno4]

Those little 3 axle bachmans were tough little beasties! I have several from 40 years back as a kid and I was always amazed how well the pulled and they did well thru points!

 

Jeff

[ToniBabelony]

A few floor running pics from two months ago...

 

First up is a JRF DE10 with a rake of WaMu(3)8000. The other two pics are a Kawai (Bachmann-produced) C-type diesel shunter pulling a long rake of mixed cars. This shunter is amongst my best running trains, and I wasn't even able to get close to testing the maximum tractive effort of this little wonder because I ran out of cars. :P

 

I spy I spy with my little eye, some very familiar cars xD