I Doubt That Anyone Will Be Interested, But Here Goes....

[strummer]

I have a stash of Unitrack I'll be using for a shelf-type switching layout for my large-flanged AHM and Euro models.

Although the "snap together" feature of this track is fine, I wanted to see if something else would look better and reduce the "klickity klack" noise that seems to be a result of those joiners. I removed the Unijoiners and tried to come up with a decent substitute.

Although this track is rated at code 83, the rail "foot" is quite narrow, and I've found that Atlas N scale code 55 joiners fit perfectly. They are nice and snug, so they hold the pieces together well, and conduct electricity very well too. The gap left from the (now missing) plastic part of the Unijoiner is hardly noticeable, and in fact I think it looks better than the large, off-color original piece.

I took my most silent engine (not a Kato, but a Roundhouse RS3...go figure!) and ran a side-by side test with both the stock track and with the Atlas joiners. The track noise was indeed reduced, so all in all this little experiment turned out to be successful.

Again, I don't know if this will be of any interest, but I thought it was worth sharing...

Mark in Oregon

[Carolina Northern]

I've been using standard Atlas code "80" joiners on my HO Unitrack for both connecting to itself and to code 83 Atlas flex. Have to opern the joiner a bit to go over the web of the code 83 flex, but works very well. YMMV.

Don

[strummer]

Cool beans.

I did try various other joiners, including the N scale code 80, but (for me anyway) I found the tiny code 55s have the "best" fit...

Mark in Oregon

[Carolina Northern]

Another tip - Ray Stillwell's BCD circuit works just as well on HO Unitrack turnouts as it does on N.

Don