N scale Unitrack

[Point353]

A fellow forummer, mecgp7, generously sent me enough Unitrack to make a small oval, with a passing siding, and a spur. Made 2 ends of oval, and was assembling passing siding, but I need to disconnect one straight. How do you disconnect track pieces? Nice

While the track pieces can be pulled straight apart, gently wiggling them from side to side will expedite the process.

[MK]

You can also use the official Unijoiner Remover.    Or a plastic shim.

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/KATO-N-24000-Unitrack-Rerailer-and-Unijoiner-p/kat-24000.htm

[Maletrain]

...I need to disconnect one straight. How do you disconnect track pieces?.
 Joe D

Kato's instructions are to disconnect track sections by gently bending them at the intersection, which is what I do. That helps "lever" the plastic Unijoiners out of the track sections.  I do that with the track held flat against a surface like a table top to keep from twisting the joiners.  Note that the Unijoiners are all the same, but the pockets for them in the track sections are slightly different from side to side so that one side always keeps the joiner when two sections are separated.  That makes it easy to pull sections apart an put other sections together without having to keep swapping positions of Unijoiners.

Others answered a different question: how to remove a Unijoiner from a track section.  Kato produces a (relatively) flat blue plastic piece for slipping over the end of a Unijoiner and then levering the Unijoiner out of the track section.  Fifer has a video about making your own, in a fork-like configuration instead of Kato's configuration of a plate with a hole in it.  Either works fine.

[Maletrain]

I just checked the Trainboard resourse link, and it works for me using an old version of Windows and an old version of Explorer.  Not sure how to help, further.

[RBrodzinsky]

I just checked the Trainboard resourse link, and it works for me using an old version of Windows and an old version of Explorer.  Not sure how to help, further.

Works with latest FireFox and Chrome, too.  Only failed for me on iPad (iOS 11.x)  -- This part of the conversation should move over to TrainBoard.

[peteski]

You can also use the official Unijoiner Remover.    Or a plastic shim.

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/KATO-N-24000-Unitrack-Rerailer-and-Unijoiner-p/kat-24000.htm

I thought the remover tool was for removing the joiner which is semi-permanently attached to the roadbed.

[Joetrain59]

I've decided not to go with Unitrack. Don't like dealing with a track "system". Ya can't just cut a piece of flex track to fit.
 Thanks all for your input.
 Joe D

[MK]

I thought the remover tool was for removing the joiner which is semi-permanently attached to the roadbed.

You are correct Peteski, my bad.

[DKS]

I've decided not to go with Unitrack. Don't like dealing with a track "system". Ya can't just cut a piece of flex track to fit.
 Thanks all for your input.
 Joe D

Actually, it's not that hard to make custom sections of any length.

[Maletrain]

I've decided not to go with Unitrack. Don't like dealing with a track "system". Ya can't just cut a piece of flex track to fit.
 Thanks all for your input.

That is your choice, of course.  We all have had to make it one way or the other.  And, sometimes we make it differently from one layout to the next. So, what I am about to post should not be taken as an attempt to change your mind, but rather as further information that you may find useful now or at some later date for another decision:

Unitrack has several drawbacks, including non-US-protyical appearance and a geometric "system" that pretty much locks the user into making all angle changes in increments of 15 degrees.  Both can be overcome, but doing so requires additional work that to some degree offsets other advantages that Unitrack offers. 

Regarding the 15 degree angular increments, Fifer Hobby has a series of videos that show how Unitrack sections can be easily modified with a dremel tool to achieve many of the effects desired from flex track, including changing the spacing of tracks at crossovers, making shorter straight and curved sections, and making straight sections flexible enough to fit odd situations.  I have used some of these techniques when I wanted to use Unitrack and had only a few places where I needed more flexibility than the "system" allowed. 

And, those track section modifications can be easily hidden if the track is then ballasted.  However, the tie spacing is not going to be hidden, and ballasting the track tends to negate much of the benefit of a "system" that can be easily taken apart and put back to together in a different arrangement.

[mecgp7]

If you are going to ballast Unitrack then use code 80 flex track wherever you want. The difference is negligible in appearance.

[nscalbitz]

While the track pieces can be pulled straight apart, gently wiggling them from side to side will expedite the process.

Errr yeah, twisting sideways (while holding the parts in a flat plane) and disengaging one side, then the other, is I thought the recommended process....

[nscalbitz]

I've decided not to go with Unitrack. Don't like dealing with a track "system". Ya can't just cut a piece of flex track to fit.
 Thanks all for your input.
 Joe D

Yeah you can. Its a bit of extra work but worked on a layout I'm familiar with for a certain back section of layout.
Dave