Unitrack beginner layout options with variation sets

[100mega]

I've been trying to decide what to purchase to expand my Kato M1 set. I need it to be easy setup and breakdown as well as not cost more than around $200 (not counting what I have already). Initially I was going to get V4 as I have the small local station that would fit perfectly with a few add-ons that allow there to be a platform for both tracks and it would allow me to have more than one train on the track (if not necessarily running at the same time). Now I'm looking at V1 and thinking that might be the better option as it allows for longer trains to be parked and extends the oval size quite a bit.

 

It's kind of funny, but I'm thinking V1+V2 would please me the most. However, I would be missing being able to run two lines next to one another and I've been struggling thinking of how I could add that to an M1+V1+V2 setup. Putting those sets in AnyRail's free version maxes out the part usage almost exactly so I'm kind of struggling coming up with other ideas for bumping up that configuration to something that could have two lines. It almost makes me want to scrap the viaduct part and just get an outer oval and power pack. Preferably I'd like each line to be at least twice as long as the M1 set so the trains don't loop too fast which I guess could be done with some cheap straights.

 

I've looked around on Kato and Tomix's website to try to get ideas for layouts, but most of them seem a little larger than what I'm trying to do here. If anyone has any ideas of how to make this setup a little more exciting I'd love to hear it. Thanks!

 

edit: I guess I should also say that I know the V12 double viaduct exists, but I like the look of the single track bridge more and I would prefer each line to be somewhat unique. 

Edited January 16 by 100mega

[cteno4]

The ease of setup and tear down is pretty much a function of just how much track you have in a layout. If your breaking down and setting up the same layout then having a larger flat container (like cardboard game boxes you can get at container store like 14”x24”x2”) that you can put larger chunks of tracks in in one piece for faster setup and teardown.
 

I guess first, how much space do you have? Also what sort of equipment do you want to run? Are you interested in sidings?
 

making a loop longer is easy just add some straight piece packs. Outer loop can be done easily just getting packs of curves the next radius up. 

 

Also check to see the cost equivalent individual track packs thru something like plaza Japan, it may be cheaper and more flexible than buying larger track sets. I was sort of shocked last fall when I priced out some Unitrak on plaza shipped to the us and it was significantly cheaper than all the usual us sources shipped. Even if buying small track packs ends up with some extra pieces of track that’s fine as it’s always handy to have some extras around to fiddle with.

 

jeff

[katoftw]

To add to the above. The track sets come with a lot of polystyrene as internal packaging. They become quite large in boxing size.  You will pay a lot to have the useless packaging material shipped to your.

 

In most cases, it's cheaper to buy the 4x track piece packs and ship them. But always do your homework. Sales and/or promos can alter the outcome.

[100mega]

16 hours ago, cteno4 said:

The ease of setup and tear down is pretty much a function of just how much track you have in a layout. If your breaking down and setting up the same layout then having a larger flat container (like cardboard game boxes you can get at container store like 14”x24”x2”) that you can put larger chunks of tracks in in one piece for faster setup and teardown.
 

I guess first, how much space do you have? Also what sort of equipment do you want to run? Are you interested in sidings?
 

making a loop longer is easy just add some straight piece packs. Outer loop can be done easily just getting packs of curves the next radius up. 

 

Also check to see the cost equivalent individual track packs thru something like plaza Japan, it may be cheaper and more flexible than buying larger track sets. I was sort of shocked last fall when I priced out some Unitrak on plaza shipped to the us and it was significantly cheaper than all the usual us sources shipped. Even if buying small track packs ends up with some extra pieces of track that’s fine as it’s always handy to have some extras around to fiddle with.

 

 

I've got a 6 x 5 foot floor space to setup in. I can go over a bit too if need be. I'm not sure I can answer what I want to run at this point as I'm just sort of getting what I think looks cool. I have the basic set for the E353, the Kiha58 starter set, the Eizan Series 900, and an EF66. I'm hoping to buy the extra cars for the E353 and I've got the Kiha 85 basic set on preorder. When you ask if I'm interested in sidings I'm not totally sure I know what you mean. It's a passing track, right? Yes, I think I want that. I was trying to decide between V1 and V4. I guess the siding means the trains are closer together? I have so many random questions about things already... hah!

 

 

I did order a pack of 4 straights from Amazon for about $10 to make my current loop larger. I was thinking about doing the same for an outside loop, but once I factored in the controller price with power supply it ended up costing more than getting one of the variation packs and controller + power would from Plaza Japan.

 

 

16 hours ago, katoftw said:

To add to the above. The track sets come with a lot of polystyrene as internal packaging. They become quite large in boxing size.  You will pay a lot to have the useless packaging material shipped to your.

 

In most cases, it's cheaper to buy the 4x track piece packs and ship them. But always do your homework. Sales and/or promos can alter the outcome.

 

I'll keep a lookout for stuff on sale. Right now I'm really only keeping an eye on Amazon (US), Amazon JP and Plaza Japan. Anywhere else I should keep an eye on? Thanks!

 

Last night after making this thread I came upon this ad for Tomix track packs and I really want to do something similar to A+B+C+D or A+B+B+C+D in the pictures I've attached. I like the way one line goes up and around and rejoins the other line side by side after the viaduct. I'm assuming something similar could be done with Kato track? It seems like the corresponding Kato packs would be larger overall than Tomix, but that should be okay and a good thing.

 

like steps 5 and 6

 

 

 

 

[cteno4]

Yes passing siding or stub end sidings (only need one point but have to back into or out of them) are places to store trains while others are running, passing sidings at station platforms gets you two things at once’s, storage and station scene. Park one train, pop the points and run the adjacent train, fast simple operations to have fun with.

 

ive not shopped for Unitrak on Amazon.jp, might be decent price with their shipping that is a bit  cheaper than most places in Japan get for DHL. Amazon us I only do at times when I need just one pack and price and/or shipping from other places is horrid for a single pack. I was very shocked plaza was a better deal than mb kliens shipped when I looked last fall. Good prices and exchange beat shipping costs (which have also fine up quite a bit for shipping within the us). There are several us Unitrak sellers at decent discounts, Modeltrainstuff.com use to have good prices and shipping but that has waned. I’ve got a good pile of Unitrak so usually I’m just looking for one particular piece when I shop which is odd buying. Also if you have a model train show near by it’s usually a good place to shop for track as vendors usually try to be mostly competitive and no shipping. 

 

You can do an equivalent setup in Unitrak to this at about same size, would just need to play with it in layout software. If you are into doing lots of different temp setups then maybe investing in layout software might be worth it. It’s either that or get a smattering of track to just try different ideas out with. Part of the fun is learning to play with layout ideas and learn the track geometries. You may want to look at this book as it’s a nice treasure trove of interesting track plans and gives basic Unitrak and finetrack parts list and alternates on showing the plans in each. Also nice 3d sketches to give a more conceptual look at the layout wirh some scenery as opposed to just top down track plans. Text is of course all Japanese, but don’t really need it and smartphone can translate stuff if your curious. The chap I think still posts some more of these on Twitter as well. It’s not cheap these days as out of print so about $60 shipped, but it really is a great ideas book, about the best I’ve ever seen.

 

again it’s all about just fiddling to learn this stuff. Look at what others have done and play with the ideas physically and in layout software to learn.

 

 Cheers,

 

jeff

[MeTheSwede]

It seems to me that you are near to finding the solution: buying everything. 😁

 

A siding is a piece of track where a train or rolling stock can be parked. (The exact terminology can vary somewhat in different parts of the world.)

 

It's always worth while to keep an eye at Hobbysearch too: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/rail/

 

[100mega]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. Just yesterday I received 4 pieces of straight track from Amazon and it's really impressive how just a little bit more track and using a straight in each turn makes this feel a whole lot more fun than what you get in the M1 set. I'm still planning on picking up one of the siding packs very soon and now have a pretty good idea of what I want to do and how much space I'll need to do it.

 

Unrelated to the topic, but is there a thread or somewhere I can ask individual questions about n scale in general without making a thread for each? A new question seems to pop into my head each day and I don't want to bog things down by posting a ton of threads.

Edited January 24 by 100mega

[cteno4]

getting extra track is always a very good thing to do even if you don’t use every piece of it. Being able to play around with ideas really helps a lot in the hobby. Also try lopping off one corner a a diagonal with some 30 or 45 degree curves. The more you get out of the straight loop the better it feels to most.
 

No we don’t have an ongoing topic for random n scale questions, but you can post your own in the general n scale forum like 100mega’s random n scale questions. We usually don’t do ongoing topics for questions as the replies could potentially get mixed up as well as older question buried for others learn from browsing forum topics. 
 

jeff