So you want to try Tomix FineTrack?

[brill27mcb]

Are the replacement roadbed joiners available as spare parts?

 

Rich K.

[katoftw]

The metal joiners come as a 20 pack.  The plastic bed clips don't. Haven't seem them as a pack before.

 

They rarely break. I guess the expectation is you'll steal one if needed of a spare piece of track.

[VentureForth]

Anyone know why Tomix put in three holes for the power rather than the two that the brown track had?  I don't see the need for redundancy...

[mr bachmann]

Question about turnouts , re-place a Kato No 4 with. Tomix turnout (bigger radius) join to Peco track , 

 

do the Tomix offer the same power routing/live frog as Kato ? , this is for reversing loop (DCC) .

[brill27mcb]

If it is a current-model Tomix turnout, it offers a more complete power routing than the Kato. Both rails in each direction get electrically isolated, not just the one that butts up against the frog. Tomix calls it "full power routing."

 

Rich K.

[mr bachmann]

1 hour ago, brill27mcb said:

If it is a current-model Tomix turnout, it offers a more complete power routing than the Kato. Both rails in each direction get electrically isolated, not just the one that butts up against the frog. Tomix calls it "full power routing."

 

Rich K.

Thanks for the info , one on next order from Japan .

[Drew]

Hi all, 

 

I currently have a small layout using Fleischmann Piccolo track but aim to switch to Tomix Finetrack for my next layout. This mega-thread has been fairly instrumental in that decision!

 

I'm based in the Philippines and have ordered successfully from Hobby Search in the past, so I know I have a reliable supply route where the shipping cost is not too outlandish.

 

Question for you all: if you need to use a length or two of flexible track in a Finetrack layout, what options do you have and how difficult are they?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Beaver]

I would recommend Atlas or Peco Code 80.

 

These use the same tall, chunky, massive and robust rail profile as Japanese set tracks and so will join up easily with ordinary fishplates. Most other flexi track has much finer Code 55 or Code 60 rails for a more scale appearance meaning it will be very hard to join the rail ends without differences in rail height, railhead width etc that would be likely to derail or obstruct trains trying to pass over the resulting dodgy joint.

 

Since Tomix track dosen't have special fancy joiners like Kato there's no need for an adaptor track, just cut off the protruding plastic from the end of a piece of Fine Track and connect it to the flexitrack with ordinary fishplates. (Actually, with Unitrack you can also just take the unijoiners off any piece and connect to the flex track with fishplates. But the adapter piece makes alignment noob easy.)

 

By far the most difficult part is shimming up the flexitrack to the right height to compensate for the absence of a moulded base underneath. A good starting point would be to measure the thickness of the Fine Track's base as accurately as you can (with a vernier if possible) then look for a roadbed material to go under the flexitrack that is the same thickness.

 

 

This shows Unitrack connected to flexi, not Fine Track, but the principles are the same. Remove joiners from one end, match height to flexi by building up under the track, and butt together with fishplates.

[Madsing]

What about Kato’s flexible track? I particularly like the new Prestressed Concrete Sleeper Flexible Track. I have purchased some, but not used them yet.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10933230

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10778701

[katoftw]

6 hours ago, Beaver said:

Since Tomix track dosen't have special fancy joiners like Kato there's no need for an adaptor track, just cut off the protruding plastic from the end of a piece of Fine Track and connect it to the flexitrack with ordinary fishplates.

https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/1529.html

 

Joiner / joint piece

[Drew]

OK, so my best options are probably Peco SL-302 or Kato 21-001, since I'll be using Tomix's concrete sleeper items as much as possible.

 

Thanks everyone - very helpful! 

[mr bachmann]

On 5/22/2024 at 2:29 AM, Drew said:

OK, so my best options are probably Peco SL-302 or Kato 21-001, since I'll be using Tomix's concrete sleeper items as much as possible.

 

Thanks everyone - very helpful! 

Peco rail joiners struggle to fit  Tomix track best using Tomix . Peco insulated have ‘stretch’ to enable fitting .

[ao924]

I am catching up on the last few posts, but am I correct that atlas code 80 will fit tomix fine track? I will obviously need to build up the bed but will the joiners fit?

[MeTheSwede]

There was a question in another forum about single track with reversing loops in both ends and I messed up my answer at first (there of the deleted message).

 

Anyway, this is how simple it is. Just put the rail feeder in one of the lopps and swith both points using the Tomix 5532 points control box.

 

 

 

For more complex track work were you want the power to come into a reversing loop from the track accessing it, Tomix 5536 can be used to reverse the polarity of the power as the point is thrown.

[cteno4]

Nifty way of using track fee in the reversing loop and the point power routing to do the power reversal! Usually reversing loops are tied into bigger layout situation where track leading to the reversing loops end up being power fed as well. May have to try this with mini onetrak. Make 2 reversing loop modules and then a string of single track modules between them.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[MrLinderman]

@CaptOblivious Just wanted to say thanks for the thread, it had a ton of useful info for someone wanting to try Tomix, ended up getting a few sets to try out.

[MrLinderman]

First test of Tomix, so far I'm impressed.

 

And I must say thier packaging is EFFICIENT, might not be as fancy as some brands but for international customers where size difference from buying in bulk is gonna save some $ over time in shipping its a plus in my book.

[disturbman]

FineTrack is BestTrack!

For those who missed my post in Tomix new announcement, Tomix is releasing a new curved track piece that will allow to design more prototypical station approaches.

https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/1199.html

I'm having issues loading Tomix website today, so hopefully others can still see it.

[MrLinderman]

For a small table it makes a fun little testing setup 😀

 

Lots of plastic kit bits to work on as well which i love being a retired Bandai kit maker 😆😆

 

[MrLinderman]

Ok have a weird issue, the Tomix train runs over the electric switches fine, but if I try to use my Kato Yamanote E235 as soon as the "engine" carriage hits the point it causes the point to jump and I have to either manually switch the point or flip the lever twice to get it to go back. 

 

Is the Kato train possibly giving off something that's causing the point to switch, or power to somehow flip it?

 

Using stock power system.

 

It only occurs when the switch is in the open position, the kato train seems to force to the close position when the engine hits it.

 

In the closed position I can see the little manual slider jump when it passes but it stays closed.

 

Did some more testing, it's even doing it on some of the switches that are not wired. Unless internally they are the same just mising the wire and switch box?

Edited February 14 by MrLinderman

[disturbman]

So it does happen. I thought Kato had solved the issue.

When Kato released their first train equipped with their new slotless motor, there was one post that did the rounds saying that the new motor magnetic field would flip Tomix points. Everybody was rather bemused that Kato hadn't tested their motors with one the other main national brand of tracks. Had never heard someone reporting this until now.

Just to be sure, you haven't removed the mechanism (electrical or manual) from the switch?

Edited February 14 by disturbman

[Yavianice]

@MrLinderman This is a real issue that was confirmed when the KATO slotless motor was introduced. In the meantime KATO started selling these sheets that you can retrofit your tomix points with. https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10947765, or to retrofit your KATO motors with https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/11024549

whichever is more suitable for you.

Edited February 14 by Yavianice

[MrLinderman]

8 hours ago, disturbman said:

So it does happen. I thought Kato had solved the issue.

When Kato released their first train equipped with their new slotless motor, there was one post that did the rounds saying that the new motor magnetic field would flip Tomix points. Everybody was rather bemused that Kato hadn't tested their motors with one the other main national brand of tracks. Had never heard someone reporting this until now.

Just to be sure, you haven't removed the mechanism (electrical or manual) from the switch?

 

Didn't mess with the switch at all just stock out of box.

 

7 hours ago, Yavianice said:

@MrLinderman This is a real issue that was confirmed when the KATO slotless motor was introduced. In the meantime KATO started selling these sheets that you can retrofit your tomix points with. https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10947765, or to retrofit your KATO motors with https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/11024549

whichever is more suitable for you.

 

I thought it might be the case, so those are out of stock, will see if I can search for them, im wondering if they are just 3m magnetic strips but super thin I might be able to buy it in bulk from a 3m supplier and cut them to size myself 

[brill27mcb]

Even the unpowered Tomix switches have a small magnet in the moving slider inside that serves to keep them toward one side or the other. The strong magnetic field of the Kato slotless motor overwhelms this function and makes the moving slider change sides as it passes over. The metal strip is supposed to shield the magnet in the switch from the field of the slotless motor.

 

Rich K.

[disturbman]

9 hours ago, MrLinderman said:

Didn't mess with the switch at all just stock out of box.

👍 didn't assume you did. Just wanted to rule out that unlikely possibility because without the mechanism, trains can flip the switch when passing on it.