UniTram questions

[velotrain]

What code is Uni-rail (I presume the same rail is shared between the Tram and Track)?

 

What flextrack looks the closest to Uni, in terms of tie length, width, and spacing - assuming that the rail size is the same or very close.  At the moment, my only example is the UniTram - UniTrak transition piece.  From what I've seen on the net, Atlas code 55 looks to be the closest?

 

Are there any N-scale turnouts - NOT mounted on roadbed - with a very sharp radius?  If not, what's closest?

 

==>  I've answered that for myself: Peco short radius

 

(The above questions are related to running tram lines in locations other than the street.)

 

Is there a known minimum radius for the Portrams?

 

Is there a known maximum grade for the Portrams?

 

Is there any indication that Kato might do a Y-turnout, allowing a bi-directional 3-way junction?

 

I think that's it for now.

 

Charles

[Mr Frosty]

Shinohara do a reasonably tight turnout.

 

http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/Shinohara_Track___Pointwork__N____Aiguillages.html

[velotrain]

Actually, they go tighter than that.  I just recalled that somewhere in my stash I have a bunch of 150mm and 200mm turnouts I bought two decades ago for HOn30 - code 60 as I recall.  I think they might still be available, perhaps through Australia.  Not cheap; they also had a box of ten 14" straight track sections that went for maybe $40 - and that was ages ago.  Many of the early micro layout builders used this stuff.

[katoftw]

peco and katp share the same track, only their ties and ballast/lack of ballast is different.

 

you can slide out the kato track out of the ties/ballast, and slide peco straight in.

[velotrain]

peco and katp share the same track, only their ties and ballast/lack of ballast is different.

 

you can slide out the kato track out of the ties/ballast, and slide peco straight in.

 

I don't know why anyone would want to do that? 

 

I'm not even sure I agree - based on what I see, the Kato rail is not code 80 - unlike the Peco.

 

I found a thread on the Shinohara code 60 at Atlas:

 

 http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=35962

 

I also found a photo of the micro I started, but never got past the track laying - test running.

The structure at the bottom left dumped Fleischmann N-scale tippers. 

I had planned a mine for the top level.

[velotrain]

I also found a photo of the micro I started, but never got past the track laying - test running.

The structure at the bottom left dumped Fleischmann N-scale tippers. 

I had planned a mine for the top level.

[kvp]

Kato is code 100. Peco makes both code 100, 80 and even 55 tracks. Unfortunetly some of my fellow Hungarian modellers prefer to use peco code 80 and/or 55 and build almost everything out of flextrack. Older stock with cookie cutter wheels don't really like it. Having to replace the wheels on a bunch of cars to graham farish fincescale is not really fun from the financial standpoint, but i have to admit, it does look good.

 

ps: Just one advice: if you go with peco, make sure to only use electrofrog turnouts. They not only look better, they actually work when you try to run trains. The same can not be said about the plastic frogs. Imho the best compromise is using code 80 if you really want to use the track, but connecting it with kato code 100 is not an easy task. (if you use peco, everything is harder, even something as simple as a motorized turnout)

Edited July 21, 2014 by kvp

[westfalen]

Peco use code 80 rail in their N scale track which matches Kato's rail pretty well, I have never seen code 100 rail used in N scale track.  Peco code 55 is actually code 80 with half the rail buried in the sleepers (ties) and can also be joined to Unitrack.  The Australian T-TRAK guidelines, http://t-trak.nscale.org.au/guidelines, section 14 shows several methods of joining Kato and Peco track, myself and other club members have used all these methods.

Edited July 22, 2014 by westfalen

[velotrain]

Code 100 is considered over scale in HO gauge, so I was surprised at kvp saying that's what Kato uses, and that Peco also makes it.  I'm well aware that the Peco code 55 actually uses the code 80 rail.  I have no concerns about joining multiple rail types wherever I might need to.  However, I have no plans to join Kato and Peco, so I don't know why folks seem to think I want to.

[cteno4]

Your original post made it sound like you were looking to what might mix and match.

 

Jeff

[velotrain]

Your original post made it sound like you were looking to what might mix and match.

 

Jeff

 

Sorry about that Jeff - didn't mean to mislead anyone.  I know I want to use flextrack in some places, and was thinking that I wanted the ties to be close to what I see on the Kato 25 mm - 33 mm transition section, but now I'm not sure if that really matters.  I have since read that Japanese ties are more widely spaced than American ones - more similar to European.  I would like to use code 55 for appearance reasons.  I know I want sharp turnouts, and it seems that the Peco short, or old Shinohara code 60 are my only choices.  I'm not so much trying to mix and match, but select what seem the best components for specific situations.

[cteno4]

no worries charles, just i assumed as well from your set of questions there you were looking at what the possibilities to mixing and matching might be to get everything you wanted for the tram layout.

 

ill try my kato and tomix portrams on my r103 torture loop (double bubble ended loop backs connected) to see if they work. i think i did a long time back and i think they ran fine on it. 

 

not heard of any new point or unitram track additions recently. the points only came out a short while ago and those took quite a while from announcement to release. i think kato has been very busy with the unitrak turntable lately.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[IST]

Kato is code 100. Peco makes both code 100, 80 and even 55 tracks.

 

According to my Peco catalogue, Peco makes only Code 80 and 55 in N gauge, Code 100 is available in 00/H0 gauge. Of course it is possible that once they made code 100, but I have no information about that.

[IST]

Is there a known minimum radius for the Portrams?

 

 

I do not know, but my Kato Portrams run fine on the smallest R117 Kato tracks.

[kvp]

 

Of course it is possible that once they made code 100, but I have no information about that.

I think you only need code 100 for the oldest Piko cookie cutter wheels, which tend to bounce on the ties even on code 80. I don't think anyone is making it now. (kato is code 80, i mixed that up) Can someone confirm the code of the old Piko rails? Also, what is the required rail code for this locomotive: