HO scale Kato Unitrak

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Greetings,

I am thinking about building a layout using the HO scale Kato Unitrak. I have built a layout before using the traditional methods of cork and Atlas track, etc. For the sake of time and other factors, I would like to avoid that route and use more of a ‘shelf layout around the room’ with the Unitrak. I am not bothered by the limited amount of various sizes that the Unitrak comes in. The room will be about 11’ x 20’ and I may also make the jump to DCC in the process.

Questions for the Forum:

With 1 basic feeder track, will the current be carried dependably down thru the layout?

Do you see any problems that I might encounter with this concept?

Any other suggestions you might have that would save me problems down the road?

Has anybody tried painting a light ‘weathering’ look to this Unitrak and been successful?

Are the joints between the track pieces smooth and aligned or will I be doing alot of filing along the way?

Thanks!

Mark Van Wyk
iawestern@netzero.net

2

Hi Mark;

“With 1 basic feeder track, will the current be carried dependably down thru the layout?” No. For DCC (and it is a good practice for DC) you will need a 12 guage bus, with feeders every three to six feet. 20 guage is a good size for the feeders, and they should be less than 12 inches long.

Use hot glue, or Aleene’s tacky glue to secure the track, so you can replace if required. Liquid Nails or similar is pernament.

Paint the track before installation. Wipe a thin coating of Wahl’s clipper oil (Wal-mart has it) on the tops of the rails, and on the electrical contacts before painting, and the paint will rub off those surfaces easily.

I doubt that you will have any other issues. The Kato track is very good; and it is $$$.