Kato actually made my piece - Kato Y switch

[David]

http://www.katomodels.com/n/unitrack_point/

 

It's the piece I've been asking for, an R418 Y-switch compatible with #4 switches.

[westfalen]

Looks like they might be going to start seriously competing with Tomix. A wye is a natural addition, many passing sidings in Japan use wyes to let trains using either track travel at the same speed.

[Densha]

Nice! If they also make double slip or an outside slip then everyone's happy and then there's also no real advantages for the Tomix track over the Kato track.

[bill937ca]

Looks like they might be going to start seriously competing with Tomix. A wye is a natural addition, many passing sidings in Japan use wyes to let trains using either track travel at the same speed.

 

Its about time.  The wye switch is a basic piece of Japanese train track. It allows for three track stations with passing tracks.

[bill937ca]

Nice! If they also make double slip or an outside slip then everyone's happy and then there's also no real advantages for the Tomix track over the Kato track.

 

The biggest advantage of Tomix track is depth of its track range.  Kato still has a long way to go.

[KenS]

The biggest advantage of Tomix track is depth of its track range.  Kato still has a long way to go.

 

Very true. But this is a significant improvement in their line.

 

Note the example on the page David linked of using a V15 to split two tracks and create a third track in the middle.  I've seen track like that in some Japanese stations, used for a stub to store equipment, or to create a third through track.

 

It's listed on the Japanese production schedule at the end of November, but without a part number (an omission more common for models two months or more away) and doesn't appear on the English-language schedule yet. But, HS is already taking reservations for it, using the "late November" time.

 

Ineresting how it just showed up, with only a few weeks advance notice.

[Nick_Burman]

HIP-HIP-HOOORAY! At last Kato seems to waking up (rather slowly) to the Tomix challenge. Bring out more Kato!

 

The other day I was thinking exactly abot how to make a wye using Unitrack, I was daydreaming a point-to-loop modular setup akin to what Sir Madog did and kept thinking on how a wye switch would facilitate the task a ton...

 

Cheers NB

[bill937ca]

Another point is that both Kato and Tomix are very focused on selling track sets rather than individual pieces of track like Atlas, Life Like and  Bachmann. Tomix has pages and pages of layouts created with various track sets in their catalogs.  I get the feeling Kato may be planning small radius track sets with these offerings.