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So you want to try Tomix FineTrack?


CaptOblivious

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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.

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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...

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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) .

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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.

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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 .

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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.

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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.

 

bWhcIx.jpg

 

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.

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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

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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! 

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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 .

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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?

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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.

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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

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