Kato tram layout + moving bus

[cteno4]

hugh, odd. was just going to order a tomytec chassis to play more with as ive only played with friends tomytec. i have a faller.

 

jeff

[Vato]

Hi Jeff

last night I try tomytec and faller with 1/16 (1.5mm) and 1/8 cardboard, faller does not follow wire, tomutec - time to time  (1/16), when I changed it to 1/8 - no results...

[cteno4]

vatato,

 

those are a bit thick. i used 0.02 0.5mm) and 0.04 (1mm) styrene. worked great on the 020 styrene and pretty good on the 040, but not as good for tight curves. the chip board/cardboard i used was probably about 0.5-1mm thick. worked around the same as the 040. my plan was to use the 020 and then put strips of 020 or 040 on either side of the wire to build it up to be flush. 

 

you can pick up pieces of 020 styrene to play with at a plastics shop or a sign making shop. they sometimes have scrap piles they will sell cheap. a whole 4'x8' sheet is about $8 at the plastic shop (much more and only small bits at a hobby shop).

 

im thinking the unitrak plate may be 1mm or more thick and thus just a tad too fat for your wire to register well. wasnt there a site where someone had documented how they added their wire to unitram plates? i wonder if they routed a little groove in the bottom of the road plate to get the wire closer to the surface. 

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Vato]

vatato,

 

those are a bit thick. i used 0.02 0.5mm) and 0.04 (1mm) styrene. worked great on the 020 styrene and pretty good on the 040, but not as good for tight curves. the chip board/cardboard i used was probably about 0.5-1mm thick. worked around the same as the 040. my plan was to use the 020 and then put strips of 020 or 040 on either side of the wire to build it up to be flush. 

 

you can pick up pieces of 020 styrene to play with at a plastics shop or a sign making shop. they sometimes have scrap piles they will sell cheap. a whole 4'x8' sheet is about $8 at the plastic shop (much more and only small bits at a hobby shop).

 

im thinking the unitrak plate may be 1mm or more thick and thus just a tad too fat for your wire to register well. wasnt there a site where someone had documented how they added their wire to unitram plates? i wonder if they routed a little groove in the bottom of the road plate to get the wire closer to the surface. 

 

cheers

 

jeff

Hi Jeff

check the link

I do same

[3railgreg]

Vatato, very cool how you did that. Thanks for sharing the post with us. The bus system is my next course of action.

[Vato]

Vatato, very cool how you did that. Thanks for sharing the post with us. The bus system is my next course of action.

Sorry but it is not mine

 

I want to do same, but something wrong with buses, they do not follow wire

[IST]

I used flower tightening wire (I do not know what is the official name of that) and worked well.

 

 

[Vato]

I used flower tightening wire (I do not know what is the official name of that) and worked well.

 

 

Hi

chassis is new one? (with white power button) 

 

I use faller and "precision brand" music wire 1.5mm I believe, but no results, can you tell me how you install the wire?

 

thanks

[IST]

No, the chassis is the old one with black power button.

I tried 2 different technique:

- First I do not want to cut out pieces from the Unitram plates, because I thought it will loose its stiffness, so I cut small pieces from the flower tightening wire and glued to the plate. It worked, although it was not the most reliable construction.

- Later I cut holes into the vertical pieces, so I can use one piece of wire for one plate.

I plan to make some experiment in the future to get a good and reliable solution.

[Vato]

No, the chassis is the old one with black power button.

I tried 2 different technique:

- First I do not want to cut out pieces from the Unitram plates, because I thought it will loose its stiffness, so I cut small pieces from the flower tightening wire and glued to the plate. It worked, although it was not the most reliable construction.

- Later I cut holes into the vertical pieces, so I can use one piece of wire for one plate.

I plan to make some experiment in the future to get a good and reliable solution.

Hi IST

I do same, I mean, I cut vertical pieces and glue wire. but no result, on of the guy, who already done kato layout with tomix buses, he told me, for some reason new chassis does not work... have no idea

[cteno4]

Wonder if they changed the steering magnet to a weaker one.

 

Jeff

[IST]

Wonder if they changed the steering magnet to a weaker one.

 

 

I think this is the explanation. But why would they do that?

[cteno4]

Perhaps to prevent rolling your own like this and force only running on tomytec streets!

 

Not cool in my book if they did. Im sure they have a reason of other issues that were there, but i suspect they dont want them used like the faller system they were licensed from... Perhaps replacing the magnet will be a solution.

 

Conspiracy theory always around bus systems like this, they took out the street car systems here!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[JR 500系]

HHmm i was wondering, was there really a difference in the old (white button) and the new (black button) chassis? I have two of the older white button chassis BM-01 type and they come from the older basic sets A1 (the one with the Hino Toei bus). I also have tow of the newer BM-02 types with black buttons and two of the latest BM-03 type (also black buttons) but i never seem to find the difference in them... Both move equally well on the roads ~

[Vato]

I'm ordering old chassis, let see

[cteno4]

vatato,

 

which specifically is the old chassis in terms or ordering one. i have been meaning to pick one up to play with myself.

 

jeff

[Vato]

I asked about loco1hobby, and they told me "the bm01 has black and white button versions. The bm02 and bm03 have never changed." Looks like bm02/03 still have "old chassis"