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Kentkat

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Greetings from the Blue Ridge mountains of South West North Carolina! Not totally new to model railroading but new to N scale and Kato unit rack. rerurning after a 15+ year hiatus. My plan is an L-shaped N scale freelance layout fitting an area that measures 96" x 78", 2 piece "modular design. Basic L-girder benchwork with 1/2" plywood top covered by 1" polystyrene. Since all of my current rolling stock is HO scale I won't be using, I am looking at Kato unitrack and purchasing a Frieght car starter set. I have downloaded and using Any Rail software to design my layout. I find unitrack to be a little confusing as I used mainly Atlas HO track in the past. I would like to use the maximum radius possible in double track configuration, yet maximize my available space. I would like to run passenger cars as well. Forgive me in advance for not knowing all of the vanacular so my questions may not always be worded politically correctly. My 1st question is this: Can Kato 20186 (transition curve) pieces be used to form curves? (That are not super elevated) . Looking forward to reading the posts here and gaining knowledge along the way. I welcome any advice, as well as constructive critisim that is offered. If I ask the same question more than once please for give me in advance!
Kent N layout.jpg
 
Welcome to the group Kent!

I looked up that Kato part#. It says it’s a 22.5-degree radius so I don’t see any reason why you can’t make a curve out of it. It would take 8 pieces to make a 180-degree curve.

Might be good for you to download a track planning software so you can lay it all pout on the PC. There are a number of them available and some are paid, but there are free ones as well.
 
migalyto said:
Welcome to the group Kent!

I looked up that Kato part#. It says it’s a 22.5-degree radius so I don’t see any reason why you can’t make a curve out of it. It would take 8 pieces to make a 180-degree curve.

Might be good for you to download a track planning software so you can lay it all pout on the PC. There are a number of them available and some are paid, but there are free ones as well.
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Thank you! I have downloaded Any Rail and begun learning and using it. My concern with those Kato curve pieces is the fact they are "transition" curve pieces, easements for the super elevated curve pieces. Any Rail allowed me to use them as a curve but hoping someone can verify that they can indeed be used to make a curve by themselves. If not then back to the Ole drawing board. I like the way Kato has unitrack bundles but struggling a bit to sort everything out. I appreciate your feedback and willingness to help!!!
 
Kentkat said:
Thank you! I have downloaded Any Rail and begun learning and using it. My concern with those Kato curve pieces is the fact they are "transition" curve pieces, easements for the super elevated curve pieces. Any Rail allowed me to use them as a curve but hoping someone can verify that they can indeed be used to make a curve by themselves. If not then back to the Ole drawing board. I like the way Kato has unitrack bundles but struggling a bit to sort everything out. I appreciate your feedback and willingness to help!!!
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U website and looked on the Kato website, and that was no help!

The only other suggestions i can give you is to either go to a hobby store, that is if you're lucky enough to have one close. Look at the pieces and see what their all about. You could bite the bullet and order a pack to snap together and see if they form a consistent curve.

Wish I could be more help. When I was in N scale, I was a unitrack user, but they didn't have a lot of the accessory tracks they have now.

Great bulletproof track system though!
 
Mike I appreciate your effort. That's been my dilemma, gathering enough information from searches and youtube vids to make the determination. My gut tells me it is probably not going to work as I believe that the transition curve pieces for the easement are actually the beginning (or ending) of the eleation transition of the super elevation curves. They are the only pieces of curved track, besides super elevation track, that had the length I was seeking. I am not opposed to using super elevation for the curve but it won't give me the length through the curve I am seeking. Straight sections cannot be added between the SE pieces without transition ut of and then back into the curve. I am deadset on double track. The section in question is what I circled in the attached pic.
 

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Kent. Welcome on board. A good crew here.
I model British 00 gauge, though many years back I had an N gauge layout. One thing I learned was to have curves as wide as possible. Rolling stock don't always conform to what the maker says it will.

Enjoy the modelling journey and have fun.
 
Willie, thank you! There is conflicting information regarding the same information you shared. I have reached the conculsion that while it may work, using transition curves to make a 180, if my thinking is correct it would look horribly wrong. My understanding of the transition curve (easement) pieces is that they are used at the beginning of the superelevation curves to transition into (and out of at the end of) the elevation change. Therefore you would begin a transition to the banked curve and immediately back out it with the next piece, then back into the transition and back out again, etc.... I still haven't comfirmed this but I changed the tracks on the layout in Any Rail. Thank you for your time and willingness to help!
 
santafewillie said:
Welcome aboard Kent. I am neither an N scaler or a Unitrack user, but I found this.
Kato 20186
The last paragraph may have the information that you are looking for.
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Willie, thank you! There is conflicting information regarding the same information you shared. I have reached the conculsion that while it may work, using transition curves to make a 180, if my thinking is correct it would look horribly wrong. My understanding of the transition curve (easement) pieces is that they are used at the beginning of the superelevation curves to transition into (and out of at the end of) the elevation change. Therefore you would begin a transition to the banked curve and immediately back out it with the next piece, then back into the transition and back out again, etc.... I still haven't comfirmed this but I changed the tracks on the layout in Any Rail. Thank you for your time and willingness to help!

Reply
 
Kentkat said:
Willie, thank you! There is conflicting information regarding the same information you shared. I have reached the conculsion that while it may work, using transition curves to make a 180, if my thinking is correct it would look horribly wrong. My understanding of the transition curve (easement) pieces is that they are used at the beginning of the superelevation curves to transition into (and out of at the end of) the elevation change. Therefore you would begin a transition to the banked curve and immediately back out it with the next piece, then back into the transition and back out again, etc.... I still haven't comfirmed this but I changed the tracks on the layout in Any Rail.
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That is confusing and contradictory words there. After looking at other Kato products I think your original thought is right they are a conversion piece. To make a full 180 degree curve I THINK one would use an easement 20-186 followed by two super elevated curves 20-185 and then another easement on the other side. What I don't understand with that arrangement is if it is the same 20-186 easement on each side or if there are left and right easements. I don't see such a piece in the catalog.

Neither do I see any standard large radius curves in the catalog. Largest standard is 15" radius. I see 1/2 curves for 19" and 28.5" but that would take 24 pieces to make a circle and there are no matching curves to do a double track.
 
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