# confused need help



## little fat buddy (Jan 14, 2011)

hi guys okay so ive decided on a track layout but im kinda confused on this. im wanting to build the model railroaders virginian project layout but with 2 caviots a its on a 6x10 ft table b im wanting to use kato unitrack in ho scale i would like to use 24 and 26 radius curves is this doable an i have no clue what track peices i need to buy to do this layout. i have doen osme test on small peices an i just aitn got the skills patience to do flex track. any help is very much appreciated thank you everyone LFB.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Go on Kato's website and download their track catalog. It's for both HO and N. I use Unitrack and am very happy with it. Although it's a little expensive it's also trouble free IMO.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

If you want to re plan it in Kato Unitrack you need to find a track planning program that has it in its library. Maybe someone can suggest. It’s good stuff but you’ll need a deeper pocket!


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

When you go on Kato's website you can also find track plans for Unitrack layouts but I don't know if what you are looking for is there.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

little fat buddy said:


> hi guys okay so ive decided on a track layout but im kinda confused on this. im wanting to build the model railroaders virginian project layout but with 2 caviots a its on a 6x10 ft table b im wanting to use kato unitrack in ho scale i would like to use 24 and 26 radius curves is this doable an i have no clue what track peices i need to buy to do this layout. i have doen osme test on small peices an i just aitn got the skills patience to do flex track. any help is very much appreciated thank you everyone LFB.


Perhaps I'm missing something, here. You're going to do the MR layout, but you're changing the size of the footprint and the radius of the curves. So you're not really building it. I worked with a guy on adapting a different MR layout, and as we made changes, the original design just fell apart.

I would recommend you invest in some good layout design software (I like AnyRail, but there are other options). This will allow you to lay out out the virtual pieces to see if everything will fit. Provided you use the correct library, any decent program will print out a list of the track pieces you need.


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## little fat buddy (Jan 14, 2011)

yes you are correct ctvalleyrr on that i like big modern locomotives an big road switchers like sd40-2s an i know they wont work on 18 inch radius curves too well so that is why i wanted to enlarge the curves the space im using is alryad built just so far form looki nat track plans it is the one i have liked the most so im open to any thoughts on plans in that sort of scheme


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

As a quick 'n dirty first step, if you would like, you can use John Armstrong's squares method. He breaks down the available surface into squares where a 90 deg arc can fit. The drawing must be to scale, and this will give you a good idea what size of curve you can use in the surface area AND still get your basic plan to close as a loop. Later, once you have mastered the software, you can insert sections of curved track with different radii to see if you can get a larger sized, in-scale, track plan to fit such as the one you'd like to reproduce.

Really, the trick, an absolute necessity, is to draw it to scale across the entire plan. If you could enlarge a scale representation of the original MR track plan, and insert it to fit, you'd then be able to use the scale to measure your radii quite accurately. This is the beauty of the software, though....there's no guessing or measuring....the software shows you graphically all the potential and limitations with each change.


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

Gramps said:


> Go on Kato's website and download their track catalog. It's for both HO and N. I use Unitrack and am very happy with it. Although it's a little expensive it's also trouble free IMO.


LFB: I agree with Gramps. The easiest thing to do may be to look at the Kato catalogs and layout plans and find one that is similar to the MR Virginian. It won’t be identical but you said you were going to modify it anyway. 
I also second the advice that it won’t be a cheap venture, especially if you buy it new. You’ll want an accurate shopping list for purchasing. It is a good product but not something you want to have a lot of extra pieces left over in the track box.


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## little fat buddy (Jan 14, 2011)

alright i will look that up an check it out the kato libary of track an yeah i know it will be epensive but i just cant od flex an cork i did a few test sections an just kept getting frustrated iwth it thanks for the help yall.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

LFB

We all understand when you say you get frustrated...
and the trains give us every opportunity to let that
get out of hand.

But also, many, maybe most, of us, do use flex track
on either cork or foam road bed. There are certain
ways to do a layout using these materials. Give us
an idea of what problems you were encountering when
your experimented with flex. Maybe we can make
suggestions that would help you do the job without
the frustration.

The reason I push for flex in your case is your preference
for large locomotives that require wide curve radii often
beyond the availability of sectional track of any make.
You may find even more frustration trying to push these
mammoths around curves too tight for them.

Give us a chance to help you.

Don


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

Kato offers HO sectional track in 7 different radii, the largest being 31 1/8”.


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## patrick.b (Mar 8, 2017)

I would suggest using XTrackCAD (http://www.xtrkcad.org/Wikka/HomePage) to help design your layout. It is very easy to learn and has a huge library of track to choose from (including KATO). It allows you to know for sure what you are attempting to do will fit.

Almost forgot, it is 100% free to use.


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## little fat buddy (Jan 14, 2011)

okay i will give that program a shot is it hard to learn hwo to use it an my problems with flex is the making evyerthing flow moothy an line up with the cork correctly an the marking out cuz the lines seem to dissapear once you put glue down i have a base of 2inch foam


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

little fat buddy said:


> okay i will give that program a shot is it hard to learn hwo to use it an my problems with flex is the making evyerthing flow moothy an line up with the cork correctly an the marking out cuz the lines seem to dissapear once you put glue down i have a base of 2inch foam


You split the foam or cork roadbed and lay it one side at a time. The first side goes right up to the centerline. The second (obviously) goes up against the first.


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## little fat buddy (Jan 14, 2011)

i know you split the cork but what im saying is how do i mark the center lines for the cork an keep the liens ofmr disapearing when i put the glue down i have foam sub base on top of plywood.


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## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

little fat buddy said:


> i know you split the cork but what im saying is how do i mark the center lines for the cork an keep the liens ofmr disapearing when i put the glue down i have foam sub base on top of plywood.


Stick pins every few inches along the center line.


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## little fat buddy (Jan 14, 2011)

okay antoher question i have some atlas 22'' snap switches what kind of equpiment will these handle i bought them a long tiem ago when i had no clue what i was getting myself into to be hoenst if theyll work id liek to use them thanks.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

little fat buddy said:


> i know you split the cork but what im saying is how do i mark the center lines for the cork an keep the liens ofmr disapearing when i put the glue down i have foam sub base on top of plywood.


Put the glue on the cork, not the subroadbed. Even if you do put it on the subroadbed, if you obscure the lines, you're using too much adhesive.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

little fat buddy said:


> okay antoher question i have some atlas 22'' snap switches what kind of equpiment will these handle i bought them a long tiem ago when i had no clue what i was getting myself into to be hoenst if theyll work id liek to use them thanks.


A 22" radius curve will be fine for most HO equipment.


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## jackpresley (Dec 19, 2017)

I converted the Granite Gorge & Northern layout from H0 to N, and changed the layout size -- so what you want to do might be doable. I could not have done it without AnyRail software, however. It has all the unitrack libraries.

I realize this is late, but let me know if you need help.


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