# Kato curves



## bewhole (Dec 31, 2016)

I have just bought some Kato track sets from someone on here and it seems the curves are too "Wide" to make it around and stay on the table. (My fault) so my question is what size curve is the sharpest that you can have for kato track. ( the table is 2 foot wide) I meant to cut it 3 foot but I got distracted and cut 2 foot. The curves I have now are R348-45 and R315-45 out of the M2 and V6 sets.
Thanks.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

I think they have 249... or something like that. Just under 10" or so

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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)




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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

bewhole said:


> I have just bought some Kato track sets from someone on here and it seems the curves are too "Wide" to make it around and stay on the table. (My fault) so my question is what size curve is the sharpest that you can have for kato track. ( the table is 2 foot wide) I meant to cut it 3 foot but I got distracted and cut 2 foot. The curves I have now are R348-45 and R315-45 out of the M2 and V6 sets.
> Thanks.


I would re-cut it to 3 foot….


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## bewhole (Dec 31, 2016)

Old_Hobo said:


> I would re-cut it to 3 foot….


Wish I could. LOL Can not afford A new sheet of plywood right now tho. Thanks for the chart it will make it much easier.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

So you can afford Kato track, but not a piece of wood…..and then try and fit track onto a layout that wasn’t planned (which will be more wasted money)….

That doesn’t make sense to me….but maybe that’s just me…..


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

I'm working on a 2' x 2' layout using Kato Unitrack as sharp as 7" radius. I haven't noticed any issues yet with little Bachmann 0-6-0's pulling 40' boxcars; but it's pretty much an "under the Christmas tree" layout with no turnouts or fancy trackwork. Your mileage may vary.


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## bewhole (Dec 31, 2016)

GNfan said:


> I'm working on a 2' x 2' layout using Kato Unitrack as sharp as 7" radius. I haven't noticed any issues yet with little Bachmann 0-6-0's pulling 40' boxcars; but it's pretty much an "under the Christmas tree" layout with no turnouts or fancy trackwork. Your mileage may vary.


All that I am having on this is a 2-8-2 and atlas VO-1000s for right now. Got some R249 coming so we will see how that goes.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Old_Hobo said:


> So you can afford Kato track, but not a piece of wood…..and then try and fit track onto a layout that wasn’t planned (which will be more wasted money)….
> 
> That doesn’t make sense to me….but maybe that’s just me…..


Gotta go with hobo on this one, I know plywood is expensive right now... but it's got to be cheaper than new track. Or connect two pieces, just support it well underneath so it doesn't shift. 

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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I think "measure twice, cut once" applies here...


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## bewhole (Dec 31, 2016)

MichaelE said:


> I think "measure twice, cut once" applies here...


LOL That is true. I cut this back in Dec of last year and after I see what I had done I said well this will work for now. I have limited space to work with so I Built the room around it. (Train,Bed,Computer room) All in a 11x12 foot room with two windows on two walls. I setup Atlas track on it. Worked fine till I decided to "Upgrade" to kato now I just need to have the right curves and I will be back in business. I have a 2'x8' table so it should be fine.
I forgot I hope it will run better too. LOL


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Limited space is something most of us face.

So let me see if I understand the rest of your problem. You made a 2x8 layout with Atlas track (what kind -- it matters) a year or so ago. Now you are trying to replace that layout with Kato track (in approximately the same design?) In the hopes that it will run better? 

With the exception of Atlas Snap Switches, there is nothing inherently wrong with Atlas track. While the roadbed on the Kato may help you to avoid kinks in your track work, nothing else the could be causing your layout to run poorly will be fixed by using different track. Taking more care in laying it down this time might improve some issues, but it's likely you have some others as well that will persist.


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## bewhole (Dec 31, 2016)

I have no problems I was just looking to see if I could get the right curves for the Kato track. the atlas is code 55 sectional track that comes apart too easy. There is no holes for pins and I have a foam base so gluing it down would be a mess. I went and got new Joiners but after a bit they are loose. Everyone(A lot of people) are raving about Kato track and how great it is so I am going to try it for myself. I did get a great deal on the overall package from the guy so I said why not.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

A great deal, but with the wrong curves…..? There’s no “great” in that, IMO…..


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

bewhole said:


> I have no problems I was just looking to see if I could get the right curves for the Kato track. the atlas is code 55 sectional track that comes apart too easy. There is no holes for pins and I have a foam base so gluing it down would be a mess. I went and got new Joiners but after a bit they are loose. Everyone(A lot of people) are raving about Kato track and how great it is so I am going to try it for myself. I did get a great deal on the overall package from the guy so I said why not.


So you crimp the joiners, which tightens them up. But if they're WORKING loose over time, that means you have a larger issue, perhaps with your track being forced into a configuration that is too tight for it's geometry. 

In any event, this is why best practice is to solder rail joiners rather than rely in them for mechanical and electrical connectivity. Also why your track should really be fastened down in some manner. Basically, you set your Atlas track up to fail, now you have to spend more money to fix it.

Roadbed track does help to hold things together, and if I were going to use roadbed track, I would also use Kato, as it is widely accepted to be the best. But I suspect that it would simply be hiding a more serious underlying issue.


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## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

bewhole said:


> I have no problems I was just looking to see if I could get the right curves for the Kato track. the atlas is code 55 sectional track that comes apart too easy. There is no holes for pins and I have a foam base so gluing it down would be a mess. I went and got new Joiners but after a bit they are loose. Everyone(A lot of people) are raving about Kato track and how great it is so I am going to try it for myself. I did get a great deal on the overall package from the guy so I said why not.


You can do a few things here. One would be a light dab of glue under the ties. Not all of them, just a few per section should hold. The other option is to use a small drill bit in a jewelers vise and drill a few pin holes in each section. It's not as bad as it sounds, I did just that on several of mine. If it isn't secured down any sectional or flex track will come apart. Unitrack will stay together, but it will shift if not secured somehow. You'll still want to use the occasional dab of glue to hold it in place. A little goes a long way. 

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