Kato Double Plate Track Mini-Review/First Impressions

What is it?

The double track set and additional track pieces are double tracks (Kato 33mm spacing) attached to a base with molding and slots for fences and catenary. The boxed set has 5 248mm pieces, 1 248mm double feeder (with cables), and 8 282/315mm curves, along with enough fences and catenary poles for the set. There are also 2 smaller straight sections (124mm and 186mm), an incline section and several station pieces (the station components are attached to the same plate as the track). Except for the boxed set the catenary poles must be bought separately (fences are included with individual track pieces).

Why?

My best guess it is (or was, it was released in 2000 and doesn't seem to have gotten a lot of attention since then) intended to work like TTrak modules – it's possible to ballast and decorate each plate section, and still put them away at the end of the day (see box shot showing one Kato decoration). Since "no space for a permanent layout" describes me (also, "no space for a work bench"), I'm thought I'd give it a shot.

Unfortunately there seems to be hardly any English information about the double track plate system, so these are my first impressions and some close up photos of what the product actually looks like.

The first thing I found is that the track is not one piece – like the viaduct sections it's a plastic piece onto which regular pieces of unitrack have been screwed on. This is particularly evident on the feeder segment, since it uses 2x 186mm and 2x 62mm feeder pieces permanently locked together. This also means the track is not at the same height as regular unitrack – it connects just fine, but you'll have a small incline incline.

The feeder section has spaces cut out underneath so that the cables can be fed in either direction. There are also cut outs on either side of the track that extend the full length of each piece – perhaps a space for routing AC wires for signals and lights? However the space under the feeder track where the plug must go is a bit too tight – you have to bend the cable a lot to get it in, which also makes it a pain if it comes loose.

In between the tracks and directly beside it the plastic is colored in the same way as unitrack ballast – however it is smooth and maybe a bit too shiny. It should probably be covered up with real ballast at the first opportunity. The unitrack sections are set so that the edges are actually just below the shiny areas (overlapped), which does give a flush seam rather then the track just sitting on top of the base.

Along the edge of the track it is molded to look like segments of poured concrete just before the holes where the fences are placed (in the pictures the concrete and the fence look white instead of light gray due to lighting). The total width of the plate is just shy of 99mm, creating an outer track spacing (the distance you get when you place two plates beside each other) of 66mm.

The double catenary poles are straight forward – there is one set of holes on each track pieces, which the poles just slip into. As I mentioned, the pieces of track you can buy separately do not come with matching catenary poles, you need to buy a package if you plan on expanding beyond the original box set.

The fences look nice, with a fair amount of detail (though they are easy to warp due to the size). They also take forever to separate from the sprues – 17 cuts required for each straight piece (4 straights needed per section of track), and you will have a lot of the shorter sections left over.

When it comes to running there is obviously no electrical or track height difference (since it's just regular track attached to the plates), however if you're running on carpet the wide base does a very good job of keeping the track firm and level, while the double track connection prevents the track from warping. Running some trains on a loop sitting on shag(!) carpet was a complete success – the sections didn't bend or tilt at all as the trains moved over them.

One down side of the double track connection is that it requires a bit more force to separate track sections – when taking apart a loop it seems best to separate a straight section first, as bending apart 2 curve sections has led to something akin to an explosive chain reaction.

I had wondered about this system, thanks for the insightful review and helpful photos! It's a shame that it is just regular track bolted to a plate; I like that the new Tomix Wide PC rail is the same height as regular Tomix FineTrack. Still, the first photo shows that this plate is a good base for making miniature dioramas, which is an interesting feature. Does Kato offer super-elevated track in a compatible configuration?

Does Kato offer super-elevated track in a compatible configuration?

No, not that I've seen. The plate track I know consists of:

248mm straight, 186mm straight and 124mm straight

315/282mm 45 degree curve

248mm straight feeder

248mm straight incline (photos)

Suburban station building (station model with 2 covered platforms and 248mm of straight track in the middle)

Suburban station track - 2x 248mm straight sections with platforms on both sides, matching the building, and 2 end sections where the platform tapers off

Suburban station track expansion - 1 additional 248mm platform straight section

There are also the bridges - the double truss bridge blends in well with the double track, though on a flat surface the inclines are not quite enough to connect (the inclines are lifted off the table by the bridges base). You'd need a double track viaduct section and a #1 pier for each end to use it on a flat surface (on carpet it's not a problem as the bridge just sinks in)

Finally the V12/V13 double track viaduct is super elevated, and is compatible (that's what the incline track plates are for), but I don't really think that's what you had in mind for adding diorama details to.

Here's Kato's ground level super-elevated track.

http://www.katousa.com/N/Unitrack/concrete.html

http://www.katousa.com/images/unitrack/n-ctground2.jpg

Just so there is no confusion, this is the plate track.

http://www.katousa.com/N/Unitrack/double.html

I have a feeling that Kato will just phase out the plate track unless it is to become the Unitram series.... :dontknow:

Some restock items caught my attention today:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10096021

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10096022

The machine translation of "a double-track line plate on the market" isn't 100% clear, but the pictures clearly show the fence on double track plate, and the measurements given match the spacing of the peg holes exactly.

The only problem is that, much like Kato, they've included way too many small fence sections compared to the long ones. You'd need to buy 2 packages ($26!) just to get the 4 long straight sections needed for a single 248mm plate (curves aren't any better, they need 3 longs, 2 mediums and 1 short).