Kato N Unitrack FAQ's.

"Will my locos run on UNITRACK ?" Yes!!,

you can run any make of n scale loco, Coach or rolling Stock on it. from Arnold to Graham Farish To ZTC (Don't Forget Kato Make Locos For The Far East, USA & European Markets And Unitrack Is Sold In All These Continents!). We Know That Dapol, Digitrax & ZTC Use Unitrack On Their Exhibition Stand Along With The New Kato Controller & 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 all standard Flexi & sectional track.
For N-Scale, we recommend the use of the #20-045 conversion track. It is designed to connect with Unitrack on one end and flexi - sectional track on the other.
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.

Does Kato offer track planning software for developing layouts with Unitrack? No But These Companies Do!!

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;

• AnyRail Click Here. This comes Highly recommended By Some Of Our Customers.
  
• PlaniIt by El Dorado Software Click Here. This also comes Highly recommended By Some Of Our Customers.
  
• Abracadata Click Here. for 3D Railroad Concept & Design,
  
• R&S Enterprises Click Here. for RR Track,
  
• Sillub Technologies Click Here. for XTrkCad.
  
  
There may be other companies that offer track libraries for Unitrack.

Please Note; M.G. Sharp Models Take No Responsabilty for any of these products, we only list them as a service to our customers, and we have no ties with any of the companies listed above.

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;

all Points
20-605 Automatic 3-Color Signal.
20-650 Automatic Crossing Gate, 20-651 Crossing Gate Double track Adaptor, or any of the sensor tracks attached to the Gate.

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).

Some Unitrack components such as the Automatic Crossing Gate and 3-Color Signal were designed with DC operation in Mind only.

Click Here  For PDF Instruction On All Unitrack Points.

Click Here  For PDF Instruction On Unitrack #4 Small Points - Power Routing Problems.

How To - All!.