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Frustration with using some track pieces in KATO HO track library

Started by RevivalinHO153, June 11, 2022, 06:09:00 AM

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RevivalinHO153

KATO track issues in AnyRail

This is long, but the whole story needs to be told to the AnyRail designers, and new users.  I had spent many weeks building and tweeking my new HO scale layout plan using the AnyRail KATO HO track templates. I installed the turnouts where I needed them, a total of 37 turnouts. I fell in love with AnyRail, felt it was the best thing since indoor plumbing was developed!  I then decided to order some KATO HO track and a few turnouts so I could run the new locomotives and rolling stock to be sure they would run flawlessly on the radius curves and turnouts I had in the plan. Everything ran well, but I got one huge surprise that I would not have seen had I not ordered a few turnouts.  I discovered upon unpacking the turnouts that some track components listed in the KATO track library in AnyRail must be used with the turnouts and ONLY with the turnouts and thus are not available to use anywhere else due to their design of the molded ballast roadbed.  In my original plan, since I was not aware of this issue, I used those turnout accessory pieces many other places in my track plan.  Unless a user wants to take a Dremel tool to other track pieces to modify them to fit, these specific accessory track pieces are the only way one can connect regular track pieces to the turnouts. This was extremely frustrating for me, I was angry that this crucial information wasn't addressed by AnyRail.  I had to remove these specialized accessory pieces from my track plan, which made the plan look like the old pick-up sticks I played with when I was a child, toss them in the air and see where they all randomly land. That is what my layout then resembled.  Just a bunch of disconnected track laying about randomly!  Had I waited to order KATO turnouts until I had the benchwork built around the perimeter of the room, I would have had an expensive re-work to do.  It took many hours to rebuild my layout plan with the correct unique turnout accessory pieces incorporated to each of the 37 turnouts, and to redo the plan with the common track elements to once again make it a workable layout.  With all that said though, I really do like the AnyRail software, finding it very valuable for designing a layout, easy to use, and it beats paper and pencil! I especially like being able to run the layout through it's paces in TrainPlayer software, which catches any track connection errors in the plan. So I do highly recommend AnyRail

I strongly recommend the software designers add some notes to the item description one sees in the item's tooltip and on the status bar, when the mouse pointer is placed over a track segment in the KATO HO track library, as follows: (I can only speak for the turnouts I ordered, in HO, which are 852, 853, 860, 861, but possibly applies to all KATO turnouts) The 850 and 851 turnouts are discontinued by KATO, have been replaced with 852 and 853 (manual, but can be electrified) For anyone planning to use KATO HO Unitrack, the following information will save you from the headaches I had...

Turnouts 852 & 853 must use accessory pieces S61R, S61L, & 2-212(R550-3.5°) which come with the turnout.
Turnouts 860 & 861 must use accessory pieces S94Q, S97P, which come with the turnout.

S61L Must be used with 852 and 853 turnouts, cannot be ordered separately
S61R Must be used with 852 and 853 turnouts, cannot be ordered separately
2-120 (S114) one comes with 852 and 853 turnouts, can be used anywhere and is sold separately
2-211 (R550- 15.5°) one comes with 852 and 853 turnouts, cannot be ordered separately
2-212 Must be used with 852 and 853 turnouts, cannot be ordered separately

S94Q  Must be used with 860 and 861 turnouts, except when turnouts are used together, then can be used anywhere, cannot be ordered separately.  S94Q has the option of being made to match the 2-111 S94 by adding track roadbed filler strips to each tapered side. and can then be used anywhere, if it is not needed to be used with the turnout it comes with.
S97P   Must be used with 860 and 861 turnouts, except when turnouts are used together then they can be used anywhere, cannot be ordered separately.  S97P can also be used elsewhere if not needed to be used with the turnout, by using the track roadbed filler strips.

2-290 (R867-10°) one comes with 860 and 861 turnouts, can be used anywhere and can be ordered separately
2-193 (S149) one comes with 860 and 861 turnouts, can be used anywhere and can be ordered separately

I do not guarantee the accuracy of this information as I am human, and cumans make kistakes!

David

You are correct that the Unitrack system needs some study to use it the way the manufacturer intended!
Also, many parts have been improved and renumbered over time, but the older ones are still available on the second hand market.
For N scale this is even worse.

We have put these small parts next to the turnouts in the track library, and added a geometry example here:
https://www.anyrail.com/nl/library/0010_H0_00/0180_Kato/0010_Unitrack
but I can imagine this is not enough.

Perhaps it would help if we group these special parts along with the turnouts, like we've done for O scale Lionel Fastrack. Do you think that would have prevented these problems?

To ensure you don't use the older parts, you can hide these (right-click the part in the library and select 'Hide').
David Hoogvorst. Founder and Owner of DRail Software. Creator of AnyRail.

RevivalinHO153

David, Thank you for your reply. Yes, grouping the special pieces with the turnouts would prevent the problem I had, so I highly recommend it, as long as the application of the special pieces is clear and concise.