Kato Viaduct Station

[kvp]

Your station will have a length of 10x248 = 2480 mm. If you want at least 50 mm height so trains would fit under it, then with a 2% ramp, you will need around the same amount of ramp length. 50 mm with 2% (=1:50) is 50*50mm = 2500 mm = 2.5 meters. Doable, but it will need space. If you only have around 3 meters of layout length then you can place the station at the front or back and curve the two tracks to the other side and then down, crossing one in front of the other, then loop them again under the elevated curves back into the lower level station. Or you can make your layout much larger, so the two ramps don't have to run next to each other. (the curved sections can't have any ramps, otherwise the tracks running under them won't have enough space) The alternative is using two spirals, but those would have to be relatively huge to get the 2% grades that are usable with single motored trains.

[NJHA]

Mardon, thank you for explaining about the sintra board. 

Around here, Sintra is a city near Lisbon so you can imagine what i got on google when i searched for it :)

 

It may be an option to consider to replace the 10mm thick board i am using at the moment. 

[cteno4]

yeah sintra is a brand name and maybe not in europe. what you are looking for is pvc foam core board that is also faced with pvc. the big thing about syntra is that its a bit flexible so good if you need it to smooth over an uneven surface. it also can be thermo formed by heating it in hot water or with a heat gun.

 

there is also ultra board (again a brand name) which is just like syntra but is styrene foam core with styrene faces. unlike syntra its very very stiff stuff and would be great for a viaduct station platform and what i might consider if i ever do another large one a you can easily make holes to pop the kato walls on them if you wanted. laminating the formica (even getting plain unlaminated formica is now very hard in the us), foamcore and masonite is a really messy and tough job. the ultraboard can be cut with a matte knife, but its a real chore. cuts beautifully with a table saw or circular saw and a fine plywood blade. a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" here is like $75 or so so not cheap but cheaper than plates and allows you 

 

you can usually get syntra and ultraboard at plastic shops or sign making shops (some will sell materials). if they dont know the brand names ask just describe the materials and they can probably figure out something close they have.

 

Btw building with acrylic for modern buildings is great as your base layer. then just layer on concrete layers of styrene or art papers or chipboards on top of that. you can also print onto clear acetate sheets from a printer to get doors, frames and window mullions and just pop that over the clear acetate. pin tape also works well on top of the acrylic to make window frames, then layer over your concrete layers.

 

jeff

[NJHA]

Jeff, thank you for the input on materials, plenty to search for now, i believe i have already seen the PVC boars you talk about. Don't remember the price though, i was looking for acrylic boards then. 

 

Now all i need to do is to solve the near 3% inclines and i will be done with the track laying bit.

[lurkingknight]

yes, but if I'm going all the way to make a custom table to build this thing, I can play with heights as well. I can embed the lower station portion into the ground and drop it, reducing the height needed for the overhead station in comparison to the 'ground' level.

 

Also the kato kit for ground to viaduct demonstrates that you can incline through the curve, as long as you have enough distance to make it happen. I think in my preliminary playing with anyrail had the ramps clear of any crossing underneath the ramp, but if there was, I could easily drop the lower lines below ground level and get 10-20mm easily. I was thinking of incorporating some flex track to do stuff like that to add a bit of organic feel to it, as hard angles are a bit easy to spot.

 

 

Your station will have a length of 10x248 = 2480 mm. If you want at least 50 mm height so trains would fit under it, then with a 2% ramp, you will need around the same amount of ramp length. 50 mm with 2% (=1:50) is 50*50mm = 2500 mm = 2.5 meters. Doable, but it will need space. If you only have around 3 meters of layout length then you can place the station at the front or back and curve the two tracks to the other side and then down, crossing one in front of the other, then loop them again under the elevated curves back into the lower level station. Or you can make your layout much larger, so the two ramps don't have to run next to each other. (the curved sections can't have any ramps, otherwise the tracks running under them won't have enough space) The alternative is using two spirals, but those would have to be relatively huge to get the 2% grades that are usable with single motored trains.

Edited October 7, 2014 by lurkingknight

[macdon]

Yeah, with just a 2" height you gotta start from 8 feet away or roughly 1/4" incline every foot of track. Just going up and down will eat 16 feet of track - minimum. But then again my small mountain layout has around 10% but only 2-3 short cars and clean tracks. Hand on the throttles always for assistance. Going down is a hoot :D with only about 1/8 throttle. But with 2%, yeah you can leave the throttle unassisted.

 

Its fun to play around with gradients and experiment with various trains you have. Its tougher on incline curves. But those tomytec trams with separate power units can climb anything! 

 

Mardon

[gerryo]

Is the Viaduct Station Set from Kato still available?

 

I have never seen any reference to it anywhere other than here.

 

Gerry

Edited December 18, 2014 by gerryo

[cteno4]

Gerry,

 

Yep, still available

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10003169

 

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Kato-N-23125-Viaduct-Station-Kit-p/kat-23125.htm

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Robsr]

On 10/3/2014 at 8:15 AM, macdon said:

The Kato Viaduct station is a good, prototypical looking station - the basic set isnt really that pricey but cost do add up as you stretch it bigger.

 

When I started with running shinkansens, a temporary kato viaduct oval layout was created on the attic floor. Thinking that I might move it around, I considered a temporary DIY solution in such a way that a single carry station might be beneficial. After considering various ideas in my mind, I finally settled for a $10  6" diameter pvc tube with a length of 1240mm (5 x 248 tracks).

Rectangular windows were cut out using a dremel to view things inside and also big enough for hands to clean tracks, fix derailments, etc. Both platforms are made out of sintra with tiled printed decal over them.

 

 

After building a table for the shinkansen layout, the pvc tube stayed thru ver1 and the first revamp ver 1.2.

I even made various station facades that I just position in front to make it look somewhat different from time to time.

 

 

Early this year, I decided to scrap ver1.2 and started building a new layout - ver2. 

Like you, I also decided to have 4 tracks inside the station - so I had to shelve off my tube station in favor of another DIY station. Just 3 major components - sintra flooring and clear acrylic front and back. For platforms, instead of DIY I went for kato one sided. Still under construction.

 

 

Mardon

 

 

Mardon, please can you tell me how you made the viaduct junction as I’m thinking of trying something similar if it’s within my modelling capabilities.

Thanks

[cteno4]

@Robsr unfortunately MArdon has not been around the forum for a long time here. 
 

what exactly do you want to make when you say “viaduct junction”? I’ve made a number of viaduct stations out of various materials to use with Kato double viaduct so may have some ideas for you.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Robsr]

I've just posted in “layouts” but I’ve got a few ideas running through my head. 
One idea I was thinking of was to run a raised viaduct around the outside of my layout but use a pair of points to lower one track to the lower level, like Mardon had done, whilst not wanting to leave the points “hanging” in mid air or making an embankment as I did that on a layout years ago and I thought it looked crap. 

Edited March 10, 2023 by disturbman
unnecessary quote, answering previous message

[brill27mcb]

How about something like this?

 

Rich K.

 

[Robsr]

Thanks Rich. 
so that means that I can run two tracks off of the station plate onto a double viaduct and one track onto a single viaduct?

I wasn’t sure of the geometry but now I’ve seen your pic I can see that it would work. 
That means I can now have the viaduct station on one side of the layout and my tram, “local” and bus interchange on the other.

My new present arrived today. Can’t wait to get the bogies in them when HS get them back in stock. They feel a bit “clicky” and don’t always straighten up after bending. Will this improve with the weight of the bogies in them? 

Edited March 10, 2023 by disturbman
unnecessary quote, answering previous message

[kndy]

Congratulations to those who are able to find the KATO Viaduct Station these days at a good price.  I was planning to get it along with its add on but the prices have skyrocketed for the past year or two.  

 

I ended up going with the TOMIX version (ugh...terrible instructions).  A lot cheaper but doesn't look as cool as the KATO version.

Edited March 20, 2023 by kndy

[cteno4]

The station pieces are not horrible on ebay. The extension plates have always been very expensive if you wanted to build a big station (I think as they only sold them with all three kinds of walls with each pair). But easier to build a new platform from laminating Formica (or 040 styrene sheet), 3/16” foam core and then 1/8” masonite. Comes out the exact thickness of the Kato plate and the foamcore layer is just right place you can drill holes into it to push on the Kato viaduct station sidewalls. Laminating them keeps them flat and they really resist warping. We even found a Formica that had the same pattern as Kato Unitrak ballast.

 

jeff