Photo of TTRAK Unitrack "bridge"?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm working on a write up about a skunk works project of mine and I could really use a photo of a Unitrack "bridge" in use on a TTRAK module. By bridge, I mean, a piece of Unitrack used hanging in space to fix the geometry of the layout.

I know we used one in Altoona but I didn't get a good photo of it.

[randgust]

I think that was mine, Ed, and it was just a standard Kato 2-track section of concrete-tie track that was 2 13/32 long.   I use those as power jumpers to power my T-trak modules and to test track power.

That little chunk was the "Golden Spike" on Friday night at Altoona.

[kiwi_al]

Ed I searched the Skunk Works website but couldn't find your project!   

https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/aeronautics/skunkworks.html

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I think that was mine, Ed, and it was just a standard Kato 2-track section of concrete-tie track that was 2 13/32 long.   I use those as power jumpers to power my T-trak modules and to test track power.

That little chunk was the "Golden Spike" on Friday night at Altoona.

Yep, that's definitely one. Got a photo of it in the layout, by chance?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ed I searched the Skunk Works website but couldn't find your project!   

https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/aeronautics/skunkworks.html

Ok, this isn't ready for prime time yet, but it's in process.
https://conrail1285.com/hacked-unitrack/

[EdKap2]

Will this do??

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Will this do??

Quite perfectly, and I can even credit the photo to Ed Kapuscinski!

Thanks Dad!

[dem34]

And for anyone curious, those hacked pieces work with Handlaid track, even better since Handlaid 55 will work with Pizza cutters so no one can belly ache about wheel compatibility.

[John]

Ed, since you've gone to all that trouble -- why don't you design a C55 to C70 conversion piece that also works with the unijoiner ..


Excellent work .. you printing with filament?

[dem34]

Ed, since you've gone to all that trouble -- why don't you design a C55 to C70 conversion piece that also works with the unijoiner ..

Excellent work .. you printing with filament?

Idea is to keep everything stock as possible, with my own experiments, there is enough slop in unijoiner alignment that the difference can be made up with leg adjustment.

[randgust]

We're getting into topic drift, but on the handlaid C55 - my expiriment on Nn3 with printed RP tie strip and tiny rail went rather badly when the Pliobond reacted with the printed tie strip and the ties disintigrated right at the rail base.   I ended up tearing it all up and scrapping it, replaced it with Marklin conventional Z track.   Another case where it looked fantastic and works in theory but failed miserably.

I still think we need something 'better' on Ttrak to smooth out the module-to-module vertical issues.   We had a lot of rough joints, a lot on mine, and I think at least for my own modules, I'm looking at some alignment pins of some kind here as the rail head transitions could sometimes be pretty harsh.  The Kato connectors are good, but you can still get an amazing amount of vertical head mismatch.   Combine that with sharp curves and compliant flanges and some stuff was having a pretty rough time of it.   

I had a module connecting to mine where the outer main was OK, but the inner main was 'high', coming off a curve, and there was enough of a head-drop off that a lot of equipment derailed.   Tweaking the height to fix it resulted in offsetting the other track as a hit, and that was the DCC long train loop, so it got priority.   We got it to work, mostly by enforcing a slow order at that curve and accepting that some stuff just couldn't make it, like my entire train of Wheels of Time Harrimans.

[wm3798]

The best solution to provide for a bit of vertical "slop" is to make the adjustable legs adjustable from top of the module.  Having to lift up the box to fiddle with T-nuts on the bottom is completely counterproductive.



You can see the tops of the adjustment screws in this view before I put down the finished scenery.  The front ones are just inboard of the tracks, the back ones just in front of the skyboard.  You can see the allen wrenches still in the ones on the right.  These are furniture assembly bolts, available from Lowe's or Home Despot.  Thread them through a T nut, then put the cap nut with the allen socket facing up.  Leave a couple of discreet holes in the scenery, and you can make the most minute adjustments without bunging up the neighboring modules.



Use some movable scenery bits to cover the holes once everything is set.



/thread drift

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ed, since you've gone to all that trouble -- why don't you design a C55 to C70 conversion piece that also works with the unijoiner ..


Excellent work .. you printing with filament?

Yep, it's all filament. It's quick and easy, and allows me to do bigger pieces like this.

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As for the height issue, there's nothing that can be done with printing. The issue is that, when the rails line up, there's always going to be a bump.

I've thought that maybe the solution might be to just bring a file along with me and "fix" the issue when nobody's watching, lol.

[turbowhiz]

The approach for better looking but end compatible unitrack shown in this video around 9:18 is very interesting… Being Japanese prototype looks to be using Kato flex but it’s a guess. In any case the technique should work I’d think regardless of track used…

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Some fabulous work on that channel!

[wm3798]

The better solution, rather than vandalizing someone else's module, is use a Unitrak transition to your module, and do the fixing on a more permanent basis where it's completely on your module.  Or create a short transition module... say, half a single, (or rather two half singles) so you can go "in and out" of your finicky c55 modules using your own infrastructure.

If you file down the ends of someone else's module, next time they connect something that's NOT yours, every low hanging pilot will get hung up on it.  And you'd have to live with that for the rest of your life.  Which if the guy finds out you did it, might not be a very long time.

Lee