The delivery of the Kato Unitrack CV1 Compact Loop Track …
… and CV2 Compact Multi-purpose Turnout packs …
… from Gaugemaster enabled me to look again at the inclusion of points/turnouts to my track plan.
Using these two packs as the basis, I was able to devise a much more satisfactory track plan than the original simple oval I had decided upon.
My original track plan.
Initially, my new plan looked like this:
My new track plan.
However, when I assembled it and ran one of my 0-4-0 locomotives over it, it kept stalling on the top point/turnout (which was not one from the recently purchased CV2 set, but one I already had), although my 0-6-0 and 0-6-2 locos didn't. This was due to the short wheelbase of the smaller locos as their electrical pickups (which use the wheels to pick up power from the rails) were shorter than the isolating piece of track on that point/turnout. They could manage to get over this problem when travelling at speed due to their momentum, but then they tended to hit the end of the track before I could use to controller to slow them down!
When I tried the 0-6-2 locos on the track, they had no problems until I attached some rolling stock to them. Due to the length of the locos, the back end tended swing out on the tight curves and pulled the rolling stock off the tracks, thus derailing them. In the end, only the 0-6-0 locos performed without any problems and it looks as if they are going to be my loco of choice for this layout as it stands.
I might see if I can get hold of another CV2 Compact Multi-purpose Turnout pack so that I can replace the top point/turnout. If I can, it will mean that I can run both my 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 locomotives on my layout, which will give me a bit more variety when I am using it.
Please note that the photographs of the Kato Unitrack featured above are © Gaugemaster.
Note: I actually began drafting this blog post on Monday 4th December, with the intention of posting it on 6th December … and then COVID struck! I ordered an additional CV2 Compact Multi-purpose Turnout pack just after I had written the draft of this blog post, and it was delivered whilst I was unwell.
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I hope you are starting to feel better , track layouts are a thing that needs a lot of investigation before finding the right one.
ReplyDeleteThe Good Soldier Svjek,
DeleteCheers! I’m getting better … slowly!
One of the joys of using Kato Unitrack is the ease with which you can change and test a layout configuration, and I’ve been playing around with several in order to get one that I like.
All the best,
Bob
I am enjoying seeing how your track will be laid out, a real try and see and then try again! Glad to hear you are on the mend, hopefully you will be back to full fitness soon.
ReplyDeleteDonnie McGibbon,
DeleteCheers! I’m slowly recovering, and hopefully I’ll be fully fit by Christmas.
I’ve played around with all sorts of track layouts and what I’ve outlined above is pretty close to what I think I’ll end up with … but I’ll not make a final decision until I’m ready to fix the track to the baseboard.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear your working on revising your Track Plan and that your recovering from the virus. Still waiting on an order from the UK- 25 days now...it causes a great deal of anxiety. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI could have stuck with a simple oval of track, but I wanted some points/turnouts so that I could have a bit of variety when running trains. As to my COVID … well, it has now developed into a very heavy cold, but at least I can go out.
Our post in the UK is in a shambles. We’ve had several parcels delivered during the last week, but only ONE letter! I suspect that your order might have been delayed by the problems the mail is having. I only hope that you get your order soon.
All the best,
Bob
We used to encounter similar problems with our HO/OO track when we were kids. Anything with a long wheel base such as the Inter City Pullman tended to derail all too easily on the curves, much less so smaller rolling stock. Hope you find a good solution to your problem.
ReplyDeleteAs for the post, I had a package arrive the day after it was posted, despite the sender being told it might take two weeks. Then a NHS test kit sent on 23rd November arrived 9th December! Aside from the cost of sending letters these days, this is one reason we've stopped sending Xmas cards, giving the money to charity instead.
Steve J.,
DeleteNever having owned a proper model railway before, the radius of the track curves is not something that I’d ever considered. It’s not a problem on the layout I’m currently building, and it’s a lesson learned for future ones.
We got three Christmas cards today, but to date we have only received about a third of the number we normally get. I must admit to giving serious consideration to reducing the number we send next year and just giving the money to charity.
All the best,
Bob
Railway modellers seem prone to frequent changes to their track plans, often after the track has been laid and the scenery modelled. I suspect that they get their fun from the modelling rather than playing with the trains! I think you are doing well to experiment and fix on exactly what you want before you start.
ReplyDeleteThe normal reason for short wheelbase locos - such as your 0-4-0s stalling on points is using insulfrog points rather than electrofrog ones (using Peco's product description terminology). This can also happen with larger but older models where there are insufficient pickups. This does make the electrical wiring a lot simpler, which is no doubt why it was the standard for train sets.
Looking at Kato track online, it's not made clear -at least where I looked - whether their frogs are powered, though the images showed what looked like black plastic unpowered ones. I am a bit puzzled as to why the CV2 Compact Multi-purpose Turnout didn't give a problem as the image I found seemed to show plastic frogs, but they could be short enough to avoid the difficulty. I have heard of modellers who permanently coupled a wagon to a small locomotive and added power pickups to this to give extra feeds to the motor.
As for the post, ours has arrived in fits and starts but we have received almost all the cards we normally get, and there are still a few days for the missing ones to turn up. I have some sympathy for the Post Office, as it cannot be easy to manage the disappearance of nearly all the traditional personal and business mail whilst maintaining a universal service. They probably must go hard after the small parcel business, but this means that they cannot annoy Amazon by falling down on their deliveries dates, whilst most of the people sending cards probably don’t use the letter service other than at Christmas.
Mike Hall,
DeleteI’m told that a model railway layout is never finished … and I can see why! As you’re working on it, ideas arise and you it’s very tempting to try them. I suspect that railway modellers are actually greater tinkerers than most wargamers!
As far as I understand, Kato points/turnouts can be wired in or left unpowered. I think that if they are wired in, the problem I had doesn’t usually arise, but as I’m very much on a learning curve, I’m leaving mine unwired. I’ve laid out my track, and as long as I open and close the point/turnouts in the right order, the locos won’t stall on them. That said, the 0-6-0 locos work better than the 0-4-0 ones because of their longer wheelbase.
We got a whole three letters today (they were all Christmas cards) and a parcel. I actually spoke to our postman this afternoon, and he told me that he is having to help to cover three ‘walks’ (it’s what the Royal Mail call a round). That, plus the concentration of parcels, seems to be why our deliveries are so patchy. (A whole load of undelivered letters and parcels were found dumped at the side of a road in a nearby estate two days ago. The Royal Mail are currently investigating.)
All the best,
Bob