"Will my locos run on UNITRACK ?" Yes!!, you can run almost any make of loco, Coach or rolling Stock on it. Don't Forget Kato Make Locos For The Far East, USA & European Markets And Unitrack Is Sold In All These Continents!. We Also Use Unitrack HO & N In Our shop as our test tracks, so every make we sell gets Run on it!!!
How do I clean Unitrack to keep my trains running smoothly? Kato recommends using a plastic compatible liquid cleaner.
For stubborn spots, paint or glue on the rails, Kato recommend a soft rubberized abrasive "eraser".
Track cleaning cars are also available. Some are designed to use liquid cleaners, some with abrasive rollers or pads, and some equipped for both.
You should be able to find any of these cleaners and cleaning tools at your local Model Railway Shop.
Kato do NOT recommend constant use of abrasives.
Items not recommended include: sandpaper, steel wool & cleaning pads (used for cleaning pots and pans), and any liquid not compatible with plastic, or is of a caustic chemical compound. Is track from another manufacturer compatible with Unitrack? Yes! Unitrack was designed in such a way that it can be used with other manufacturers track. Both N and HO scale Unitrack is compatible with standard & sectional track.
HO Unitrack is also easy to connect to other track! Many HO modellers who use Unitrack wish to use special-purpose track pieces from other manufacturers. To "splice" such a piece into a Unitrack layout, simply remove the Unijoiner® from the ends of the Unitrack sections that will attach to the conventional sectional track piece. After using a piece of trimmed cork roadbed to adjust the rails of the conventional track section to the same height as the Unitrack rails, connect the sections together using standard nickel-silver rail joiners (available at your local hobby shop).
For both scales, a little bit of Unitrack ballast (Woodland Scenic's; Grey Blend ) should blend another manufacturers track into the rest of a Kato Unitrack layout. Do you expect Kato to expand the Range of HO Unitrack? Kato does have intentions of expanding The HO track Range, We have seen new points, straights & curves recently. Future consideration is also being given to some simple crossings and other "specialty tracks."
It is important to understand that while HO scale is quite popular in Europe & North America, N scale receives greater universal support of the European, North American and Japanese markets. This is why the N scale Unitrack line is far more developed than the HO product range. As hobbyists in other parts of the world are faced with greater space constraints, there is far greater support WORLDWIDE of N scale Unitrack than there is of HO scale Unitrack.
With that being said, the HO Unitrack line will continue to grow over time. Does Kato offer track planning software for developing layouts with Unitrack? There are already a number of companies that offer this type of product with specific libraries for Kato Unitrack and structures. Because of the high quality of their software, Kato have no plans to produce software of their own. Please contact;
There may be other companies that offer track libraries for Unitrack. How can I permanently mount Unitrack? Unitrack can be permanently mounted using small track pins in one of the two posts moulded to the underside of each piece of ground level track, you could also screw it down by using the same holes, if you can find some suitable for the job!
The other option is to glue it down using a wood glue (PVA) you can place dabs of glue to one of the two posts mentioned above. Whilst putting a dab on both posts seems better, no layout is that permanent that one might need to pull up the track to make adjustments.
This is another way that Unitrack triumphs over other manufacturers flexi-track systems, ever tried to take up glued down flexi track?
Kato do not recommended gluing the following Items;
These should be allowed to float, so that they may adjust for inconsistencies due to humidity and temperature of the mounting surfaces. Kato Unitrack & DCC.
With regards to the use of Unitrack with DCC, there is a capacity of DC12V @ 3A built into the product. The quality construction of Unitrack and reliable rail connection provided by the Unijoiner® assure that the DCC signal is dependably transmitted.
Its also so DCC friendly that Digitrax & ZTC use Unitrack on their demonstration layouts at shows. Kato Promote & sell the Digitrax DCC systems in Japan, and Digitrax make the New Kato DCC decoders.
Unitrack turnouts use a bi-polar solenoid drive for reliable operation. To switch the turnout digitally, be sure to choose a DCC turnout decoder that supports the bi-polar drive. Digitrax recommends their DS64, DS52 or DS51K1 stationary decoder for operation of Kato Unitrack turnouts. Lenz Recommend the LS100 (But you Can Use LS150 With Diodes). |
All Prices & Specifications Are Subject To Change Without Prior Notice Or Warning.
