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Unitram Tram Track Wish List


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I just reserved 3 of each L & R Unitram Turnouts at Hobby Search.

 

The "You can Reserve" email arrived hours after the individual email that said you can't reserve item when reserve is closed.

 

Can only mean that production will be plentiful or people canceled reservations.

 

Kato Japan postponed tbe turnouts again to February.

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Have you seen this picture?

It seems the turnouts are ready.

 

attachicon.gifimage.jpg

Now, lets see if they actually work.  The engineering of tram turnouts and tram wheels is different than railway tracks and railway turnouts.

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Has anyone heard if there are there any plans to have a set of Y shaped Unitram points? in order to make triangle junctions? or even threeway points for Grand Union Junctions?

Edited by tsubasa119
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I could do my first try of the new switches:

 

 

And I am not 100% happy. :-(

My red Unitram continuously derailing on one of the switches, and my Kumamoto tram with Tomix LRT chassis is also derailing. I will upload a video about this also.

Beside of this it looks great, it works great with my other trams. It makes much more enjoyable the tram layout, there are a lot of option to use. Of course it knows the power and non-power route feature as the Unitrack swithces.

The moving part of the switch is very easily moving, so if it stays in a wrong position, every tram can run through it without any problem. I think from the other direction this cause the derailing issue.

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I suspect these are not spring switches, but we will find out. I am expecting some problems since tram points and tram wheels are very different from railway points and wheels.

Edited by bill937ca
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Just the red tram derails on the switches? Is there something in the trucks or is the front of the tram need trimming?

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Just the red tram derails on the switches? Is there something in the trucks or is the front of the tram need trimming?

 

Problem is that low floor trams have independent wheels without axles which frequently presents issues at switches.

 

Prototype info here:

 

http://www.apta.com/mc/rail/previous/2012/presentations/Presentations/Smatlak-North-American-Application-of-Modern-Streetcar-Vehicles.pdf

Edited by bill937ca
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The moving part of the switch is very easily moving, so if it stays in a wrong position, every tram can run through it without any problem. I think from the other direction this cause the derailing issue.

 

Did you read the instructions inside the package card? Spring switch (trailing switch) is non power routed. The factory setting is to power routing.

 

For power routing both screws are on the inside of the four screw positions.  For non-power routing both screws are on the outside of the four screw positions.

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Did you read the instructions inside the package card? Spring switch (trailing switch) is non power routed. The factory setting is to power routing.

 

For power routing both screws are on the inside of the four screw positions.  For non-power routing both screws are on the outside of the four screw positions.

 

Do you think that these crews cause the too easy switch moves? I thought the screws are only for which track has power and which has no power.

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Do you think that these crews cause the too easy switch moves? I thought the screws are only for which track has power and which has no power.

 

Edited by bill937ca
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Wonder if the Japanese says tram and it was just translated as loco as usual. Or the tech writer was lazy and no one caught it...

 

Jeff

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You can tell they are not "tram/trolley people" when the refer to "locomotive" and "train" on their sheet...

 

Rich K.

 

It could be worse.  We could still be adapting stock rail.

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I do give them credit for discussing a spring switch operation. That is a pretty tram/trolley sort of thing, and it helps to overcome the operational limitations of driving both points with one turnout motor. Having one car is swinging off on the curve and another coming down the straight route in the opposite direction is a fairly common thing, so it's good to have a way to handle it.

 

Rich K.

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Hi all,

 

I'm assuming from the posts in this thread that the tram turnouts are now available and have been for a while? I only ask because the main UK suppliers (the primary importer and also the web guy who gets stuff from all over) still haven't had them, and keep telling me they are not available yet? I'm itching to get a junction for my line 

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bill937ca

I`ve had mine since early March.  They are available through Japanese dealers.  I don't think Kato has released them to foreign dealers yet.

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