My TTRAK Technology Demonstrator Module

[Point353]

Also, given the dodgy nature of table top modular railroading, stuff with higher tolerances can be quite preferable.

I'm going to get some photos of examples this weekend.

If everyone chooses to use Unitrack, then the chances of having an operationally reliable T-Trak layout are far greater than with Ntrak, where it depends upon the track laying skills of the individual members.  Then, again, I've seen a (very) few N-trak modules that use Unitrack.

[robert3985]

If everyone chooses to use Unitrack, then the chances of having an operationally reliable T-Trak layout are far greater than with Ntrak, where it depends upon the track laying skills of the individual members.  Then, again, I've seen a (very) few N-trak modules that use Unitrack.

Having gotten my N-scale start doing Ntrak back in the mid-1970's, and having participated in MANY setups throughout the western USA, I never saw an insurmountable problem with Ntrak modules, even with certain members in our own club being well known to have low modeling and low track-laying skills. 

Although I hated the Ntrak connecting track module connectivity standard because its fugly appearance, and trouble-inducing design, it DID work, and after a short trouble-shooting run on all the lines once buckled up, even though the division between modules looked bad, the large setups worked very reliably...with absolutely NO UNITRACK, even with members with very obviously no track-laying talent.

So, I'm having trouble attempting to envision why once a setup is buckled up and trouble-shot, and is running reliably, why the addition of using Unitrack would make it more operationally reliable???

I mean, is Unitrack attached to a flat table top any more reliable than Peco80 on a flat table top? Or any other brand or rail code for that matter??

My experience, having carted as many as 10 modules per show around over the years, with only one having Rail Craft Code70 rails, the rest having Rail Craft/ME Code55 and hand-laid Code40 track...along with only hand-laid turnouts on all of them, is that mine were/are just as reliable (if not more reliable) than other modules which used various combinations of track brands.

The only track brand that I'm aware of as being unreliable is Atlas55 when talking about running pizza cutters.

I am pretty confident that Kato Unitrack being "bulletproof", whatever that means, is an unsubstantiated rumor when compared to other N-gauge/N-scale track brands when any of them are permanently attached to module or layout subroadbed.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore
   

[delamaize]

Or do people run pizza cutters still at shows?

To be honest, from what I have seen, a lot of people in any module based club still use pizza cutters, or MT medium flange wheels. Helps with reliability with portable layouts. Even when you spend tons of time tuning and setting up a layout, it still can be inconsistent. Sometimes those bigger flanges is the difference between running trains, and rerailing trains.