Installing Kato Unitrack on the 2x4 Foot N Scale Layout

Рет қаралды 125,604

Жыл бұрын

In this video I install all the Kato Unitrack on the 2x4 foot N scale layout and get enough wiring done to run four trains at once.
How I built the benchwork: • 2x4 Foot N Scale Layou...
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Check out my website: www.steves-trains.com
Note that while I have amazon affiliate links for most products, often you can find them at hobby retailers for cheaper. I like fiferhobby.com and modeltrainstuff.com but check other stores as well. Note that as an Amazon affiliate, I receive a commission on any sales make through those links.
Number of pieces, track item, Amazon link
15 Kato Unitrack 20000 straight 9.76" (9 3/4") amzn.to/3iBLMb0
5 Kato Unitrack 20020 straight 4.88" (4 7/8") amzn.to/3ZrB4EJ
2 Kato Unitrack 20030 straight 2.52" (2 1/2") amzn.to/3kemj7M
7 Kato Unitrack 20040 straight 2.44" (2 7/16") amzn.to/3vXqZBA
4 Kato Unitrack 20048 bumper 1.99" amzn.to/3ZAas4c
4 Kato Unitrack 20070 straight 1.79" (in track assortment) amzn.to/3CKuuPX
1 Kato Unitrack 20071 straight 1.14" (in track assortment) amzn.to/3CKuuPX
12 Kato Unitrack 20100 curve radius 9.8" (9 3/4") angle 45° amzn.to/3GGhXho
4 Kato Unitrack 20101 curve radius 9.8" angle 15° amzn.to/3kbTkll
8 Kato Unitrack 20110 curve radius 11" angle 45° amzn.to/3CLCqQS
5 Kato Unitrack 20170 curve radius 8.5" angle 45° amzn.to/3vXG46a
2 Kato Unitrack 20171 curve radius 8.5" angle 15° amzn.to/3ILzwiW
8 Kato Unitrack 20176 curve radius 4.61" (4 5/8") angle 45° shop.fiferhobby.com/cart.php?...
4 Kato Unitrack 20203 Right hand turnout 7.32" amzn.to/3H0BwT7
1 Kato Unitrack 20222 Wye turnout 4.96" shop.fiferhobby.com/cart.php?...
16 Kato Terminal Rail Joiners. shop.fiferhobby.com/cart.php?...
TRAIN SETS:
N Scale Kato Amtrack Set: amzn.to/3iyCbBt
N Scale Kato Super Chief Set: amzn.to/3B4ISS7
Kato N Scale Track and Controller Set 1: amzn.to/3B61UHF
Kato N Scale Track and Controller Set 2: amzn.to/3Y5hflZ
More Kato Track Sets: amzn.to/3OYcZQJ
HO Scale Rail Chief Train Set: amzn.to/3OVJizQ
O Scale Lionel Polar Express Train Set: amzn.to/3EQLcNu
O Scale Lionel Hogwarts Express Train Set: amzn.to/3Y5hM7t
KATO TRACK:
Kato Unitrack (N Scale): amzn.to/3kl9msS
Kato Unitrack (HO Scale): amzn.to/3kl9msS
CONTROLLERS:
Battery Powered Controllers that work great for N scale too: amzn.to/3umqFfa
Awesome DCC Starter System: amzn.to/3gZVbbp
LAYOUT KIT:
HO Scale Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3uiPvN1 (my first adult railroad project)
Track set for Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3VPyzsS
Building set for Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3F1b8WQ
N Scale Scenic Ridge Kit: woodlandscenics.woodlandsceni...
N Scale building set: amzn.to/3BsZMu3
TOOLS:
Bench top hot wire cutter: amzn.to/3Voq1tk
My Resin 3D Printer: amzn.to/3gT2PEH
My Filament 3D Printer (upgraded version): amzn.to/3Uroph6
Snap-off Blade Utility Knife: amzn.to/3OXM1cj
Cordless Dremel Set: amzn.to/3VO86Mm
My DeWalt cordless drill: amzn.to/3gW5i18
My Dewalt cordless saw (current version): amzn.to/3H73Jbo
My Dewalt cordless miter saw: amzn.to/3VNnzfL
My DeWalt Cordless Brad Nailer: amzn.to/3XBvltD
Speed Squares: amzn.to/3IxfJ6h
Hot glue gun: amzn.to/3ZFcTmk
VIDEO AND AUDIO GEAR:
Rode Wireless Mic: amzn.to/3KhNlCy
Shure MV88 Portable iOS Microphone (Great external microphone for iPhone): amzn.to/3LmWw67
Smartphone vlogging kit: amzn.to/3rTXyPf
Selfie Mirror to see phone screen when recording self with back cameras: amzn.to/3KiCgRU
Canon SL3 (nice basic DSLR): amzn.to/3kdBHy1
LED light panels: amzn.to/36NZBNy
More Items:
NEC PowerCab: amzn.to/3acwox9
Digitrax DS74 Units: amzn.to/3M7KBbW
Pneumatic door lift stay: amzn.to/3x0AAb8
Toggle latches: amzn.to/3aiFt7P
Carry Handle: amzn.to/3GCsUAi
Drawer slides (Home Depot): thd.co/3M6XTpk
Drawer slides: amzn.to/3PYRjV4
Push Buttons: amzn.to/3M9eEQG
As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a commission on any products purchased through Amazon links.

Пікірлер: 69

@jamesa702 5 ай бұрын

Thanks Steve for sharing your build processes. You're the man. Great layout.

@AJB2K3 Жыл бұрын

30 flaming years I have been making models and not once did it ever occur to me to used, canned food! Thanks dude!

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

Don’t overlook that sack of potatoes either! Lol

@user-bm5rs4cm3e Жыл бұрын

Kato Unitrack is the best N scale track by far. So easy to connect, and feeder wires come ready-made.

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

They do make it easy!

@leonkernan Жыл бұрын

Tomix is very good as well, plus it's a little lower profile so perhaps better suited to branchline / lesser maintained tracks.

@G_de_Coligny 9 ай бұрын

@@leonkernando they have ~meter length flexible track ? I used it from Fleischmann a lot when I was in europe and could not go back to small section pieces anymore…

@SD45-ET44AC Жыл бұрын

You have given me some ideas and some optimism, thanks! A really good woodworker is one who can fix mistakes without anyone being aware. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

@lyndonfoster1090 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Steve. Enjoy your videos and it shows just how much work is involved even in a small layout. I always learn something from your videos too so thank you again for doing it.

@sergioarroyoguerrero5434 8 ай бұрын

Istalling Kato tracks in N scale layout, 2×4 '. In my layout i fixed the tracks with nails. Good job.

@williambyrne6855 6 ай бұрын

easy peasy...😂, but seriously an outstanding and detailed walk-through of setting up the layout. Inspiring!

@shawnpowell5876 Жыл бұрын

Great video and tutorial of the continuing progress of this awesome layout! You make these small layouts very interesting and fun to watch. Cheers from Delmar, Delaware

@entropytango5348 Жыл бұрын

Great build and design. Thanks for the inspiration

@edwardstd52 Жыл бұрын

Great work as usual. I'm one who's always been impressed by your woodworking skills. Now I know that the secret is wood filler and an orbital sander. LOL

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

Yes it is!

@dqauto500 Жыл бұрын

Love the SP bloody nose :) great job! love this build! I'm inspired to build one like this too! ;)

@kool-k-kel 4 ай бұрын

had some issues making the middle layer fit , stumped for hours , it was 1 straight that was wrong size for me. solved now. all fitting now i had the wrong straight on bottom run. great layout

@TheNorthwestWind 6 ай бұрын

Thats a cool little layout!

@rolfsnbahn 6 ай бұрын

Hello a very interesting video, it was fun to watch the video. Many greetings Rolf

@elleryparsons2433 Жыл бұрын

I am thinking of Doin a Project like that and Put in the Dinning room.

@GVAjay-wp4tj 10 ай бұрын

Superb !!

@DinsdalePiranha67 Жыл бұрын

This has more to do with metalwork, but I love the following expression: A grinder and a little paint, makes me look like the welder I ain't. There's probably a similar saying that pertains to woodworking.

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

Nice!

@andycrawford9870 Жыл бұрын

For some reason I forget to join all wires to one main feeder to the bus. Makes use of terminal strips a requirement.... Think ahead and use the KISS Principle. 😂

@averageguy7136 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Steve. I really enjoyed your video. I've learned alot from you.

@TIMG128 8 ай бұрын

Wow!!! REALLY complicated

@DinsdalePiranha67 Жыл бұрын

What sort of sorcery have you learned, that you can will power tools to materialize from thin air?

@NJP76 Жыл бұрын

Steve is strong in the Force. He is using hid Jedi Skills. 😅

@bobo327 Жыл бұрын

Very nice movie I like it 😊😊

@kentdemik884 7 ай бұрын

I enjoy your content its very help full..... I just built a 2×4 layout and I have a question. What is the radius if the corners and what length is of the straights on your bottom level .I have a hospital stay coming up and they said I could bring it with me so I'm starting to gather up some track and noticed the kato starter kit is to big for a 2×4 layout ,thanks for your time

@StevesTrains 7 ай бұрын

I’m using 11” radius curves for the outer loop and 9 3/4” radius curves for the inner loop. This post has the track plan and parts listing: www.steves-trains.com/post/installing-kato-unitrack as does the track plans post on the site.

@kentdemik884 7 ай бұрын

@@StevesTrains thanks for getting back to me.thats awSome of you

@jackunderwood6315 Жыл бұрын

Hey man I keep seeing the little Southern pacific switcher locomotive, what make and model is it and where did you get it?

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

It is an Atlas S2. I don’t remember for sure where it got it, probably either fiferhobby.com or modeltrainstuff.com.

@wazthatme Жыл бұрын

I wish I had a drill I could call to my hand XD

@NJP76 Жыл бұрын

I think he is using his Jedi Skills to do that. I must be weak in the Force, since it didn't work for me either.

@Zinmar 6 ай бұрын

Could something like this be set up so the trains travel between the levels?

@StevesTrains 6 ай бұрын

You could do that, but steep grades with the track can cause a lot of headaches with different equipment so I opted to keep them separate. If it was a longer layout, say 6 feet long, it would be easier to transition from one level to the next without having a steep grade in the track that would be challenging for a lot of locomotives to negotiate.

@Poliss95 Жыл бұрын

I measure three and sometimes four times, cut once, and still find I've measured wrong. 😁

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

It is funny how that happens!

@jordanstrains2926 Жыл бұрын

The layout is looking great! Perhaps you addressed this and I missed it, can locomotives requiring larger diameter curves like the Big Boy or GS-4 run on the outside loop on the lower level?

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

The big boy might technically run on the outer loop but it would be iffy. I haven’t tried it yet but will sooner or later.

@cabininthewoods3750 7 ай бұрын

We would make a good team. Between the 2 of us, we could work on a 2x4 layout the rest of our lives.

@jayboo1447 Жыл бұрын

Where did you combine the brown paint and glue, Steve?

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

I poured the glue on top of the wet paint after painting the base.

@kennexkhong1244 Жыл бұрын

Hi Steve. Is turnout #4 any good? Since it is shorter and more tuning option. I noticed you used quite a lot of turnout #6, even for a small layout such as this.

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

The #4s often need a little bit of work to get them to run well. Often you have to file the rails around the points so you don’t get derailments. They tend to be a bit more hit and miss so I usually stick with #6 turnouts since those rarely cause issues out of the box.

@kennexkhong1244 Жыл бұрын

@@StevesTrains useful advice, thanks a lot. Almost wanted to buy the V4 set. Guess I'll take the V1 then...

@brianhill2634 4 ай бұрын

Hi Steve, is it possible to introduce Kato double crossover (20-210) to lower section double loop? If this is possible would I have to change the power cables to each of the track or just leave them as you have shown? Thanks in advance Brian (England)

@StevesTrains 4 ай бұрын

Yeah, you could use the double cross over. If just using DCC no changes needed. If doing DC you might want a toggle switch controlling what the inner loop is controlled by since if you have both controllers on and flip the crossover to crossing instead of straight through mode you would potentially have issues (shorts and what not) if the current was opposite and that kind of thing.

@brianhill2634 4 ай бұрын

@@StevesTrains thanks Steve, appreciate your reply; yes, only have DC at the moment, so take your advice I better tread carefully and have a rethink….Cheers Brian

@kennexkhong1244 Жыл бұрын

Hi. Is there any general rule that a feeder port could cover how much distance of the track?

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

Not really. Some say every three feet or so, but others have done them every 20 feet and been fine (but also soldered every joint). You will have a voltage drop over longer runs which could cause some issues, particularly with sound locomotives on DCC if you don’t have enough feeders. But usually less of an issue than people think. I mainly have a lot in case a rail joiner fails me at some point.

@kennexkhong1244 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info

@alixjanove2786 10 ай бұрын

Is the Rokuhan controller connected directly to the track feeder(s)?

@StevesTrains 10 ай бұрын

For testing it was, yes. You can see how I did the final wiring in my last wiring video on the layout several weeks ago.

@charlesfaulkner8653 Жыл бұрын

Do you offer the plan and material list for sale for this plan layout? Ty

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

The blog posts on the website have the material lists you reference. There is a post on building the benchwork from Feb 17th that has the materials for that. The post from April 11th has the track list for each level as you scroll trough it.

@pippoisback9844 8 ай бұрын

Ho bruciato il motore di una locomotiva Kato come quella che ho in foto, dove trovo i pezzi di ricambio?

@StevesTrains 8 ай бұрын

store.katousa.com/product-category/kato-parts/

@riff2072 Жыл бұрын

If I had summing powers, I would not use on my drill. I like my drill but, I could fare better 'things' to summon. Just saying. And nice video. Thanks Steve.

@alanevery215 Жыл бұрын

What religion are you referring to exactly?

@StevesTrains Жыл бұрын

This is true, I should really set my sights higher when using my powers.

@renderuthis 5 ай бұрын

1970's before automated factories you could afford these trains. The price of this hobby is no longer for me.

@StevesTrains 5 ай бұрын

Certainly has gotten more expensive, but that is true for a lot of hobbies. The price increases aren’t actually that much out of line with inflation rates though. The bigger thing is that there is a lot more money to be made in the high end, highly detailed equipment. That is where all the profit margin is and because the hobby is small, that is where they have to make all their money. At the same time, with 3D printing getting cheaper and steadily higher in quality, it is easier and cheaper to make more of your own things at home now.

@opairsoft8100 5 ай бұрын

You do realize it’s actually gotten cheaper? Automated factories greatly decrease manufacturing costs and thus the price

@frankbean7823 11 ай бұрын

Do you reply much?, . Is this DCC or DC?. Thank you.

@StevesTrains 11 ай бұрын

Both. My video on finishing the wiring has a wiring diagram in the video and in the description you can view in a web browser: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aMtkm7Snr7HIpn0.html