N Scale Kato Unitrack vs Atlas True-Track

I've seen both first hand and I'm torn what to do as having my benchwork complete, need to get rolling.

A few days ago I received a Trainman set that includes the True-Track oval, plus I bought a True-Track turnout and an additional pack of straights. I also have some Unitrack here for comparison.

Just a few random thoughts having both here and please keep in mind I'm not near as experienced as most of you in this hobby:

- Honestly the True-Track does make the Kato look a little more ugly than I thought it would. The TT rails and ties look great, but to me the ballast is a little funky looking color wise.

- A TT track section does not feel quite as "high quality" as Unitrack but it does not necessarily feel "cheap" either. I don't think I would rely on either systems joiners to conduct electricity so I consider that a non-issue (for me). I think for a permanent layout, soldering to each section like on Powersteamguy's layout is the rock solid way to go. I don't disagree that the Unijoiner would be better for constantly putting together- taking apart. At the same time the TT joiners would be cheap and easy enough to replace and quite easy to tighten with needlenose pliers.

- As far as the TT plastic roadbed joiner, I think it's fine if you be easy with it and aren't going to be constantly taking it apart and putting it together. For me building a permanent layout it's a non-issue. One thing I do like is it feels a little more solid/ridged once connected, not as much play. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

- I have bought a Kato template which I really enjoy using. I won't have that with the TT system and for whatever reason I seem totally unable to wrap my mind around the CAD programs. Worthy to note, I do see that TT is included on the new Atlas software.

- Price. The Atlas track is a little cheaper. I'm just going by woo woo woo Kleins prices. It's not such a price difference that I will base my decision on price alone, but yeah it's cheaper.

- availability. Not to point out the obvious, but Atlas has a long way to go here. Unitrack has a wide array of pieces. To my knowledge Atlas currently has:

-11" & 12.5 curves
- 6" and 2" straights
- a rerailer straight
- left and right turnouts
- a couple of different bumpers

- The turnouts look great cosmetically speaking. I've not opened mine so I can't comment on operation. It has a manual slide very similar to kato if you wish to operate manually. It comes with what looks like the standard atlas turnout control switch, so there's nothing extra to buy. To me it looks nicer than the big blue kato turnout control, and like kato you can piggy-back them.

- I've often read how superior kato's rail formulation is superior to other track as far as it's ability to stay clean and conduct. I don't know if this TT is the same formulation nickle silver as the other Atlas track lines. Something to think about..

- I'd say if your tastes lie closer to the rivet counting crowd and you don't want to hassle with conventional track, TT is going to be the way to go. If looks are farther down your list of desires, Kato would be the way to go, atleast until atlas comes out with some more pieces.

The bottom line, I don't feel the Atlas TT is inferior to the Unitrack mechanically speaking and I think that's been blown a little out of proportion. Common sense will go a long way in not damaging it. I feel the Atlas TT is far superior in the looks department with the small gripe that I think the ballast looks a funky color compared to what we have where I live anyway.. I'm sure someone will find a way to remedy that easier than you can change the rie size and spacing on the Kato track

My concerns about going the Atlas TT route are this:

-The turnouts look better than Kato, but are they going to work as well? That #6 kato is a hard one to top from what I've read?

- Secondly how serious is Atlas about this? Are they going to commit to it long haul and give us all the pieces we want/need? Or is it going to be a joke like the HO version? To me they went first class with this thing to just stop here. BUT what worries me is the way it's been accepted to this point. I think Atlas is only going to make more if what's available now sells. To me, it's not selling. I hear very little if any talk about it. I've started a couple of true track threads that went over like a lead balloon.

I might have to go Kato to have enough selection to build something worth building, but it kills me because this TT is some seriously nice looking stuff.

 

No problem Charlie. I thank you guys for having me here and allowing me to post. I know my newbie opinion isn't worth much, but FWIW I gave it.

 

Another consideration... COST.

For those who need to count pennies (raising my hand)...I did some math (dont blame me if my calculator cant calculate). These are average online prices ...LHS prices may vary.

Atlas:

Code 80 flex on WS foam bed...... $1.40 ft
Code 80 flex on cork bed............ $1.80 ft
Code 55 on WS foam.................. $1.53 ft
Code 55 on cork bed.................. $1.91 ft

Code 65 TrueTrack...................... $2.50 ft

Kato:

Code 80? Unitrack....................... $1.80 ft


* Just food for thought:tb-cool:



.

 

correction

The Atlas True-Track is 48% higher than Kato Unitrack using their longest
straight sections(most economical) as a pricing comparison(MSRP)

Comparing the two systems using woo woo woo woo woo woo's pricing, the Kato Unitrack is still more than 25% cheaper than Atlas' True-Track.

What is the height of the Atlas True-Track, measuring from the bottom of the roadbed to the top of the rail? How does this measurement compare to Kato's Unitrack?

How does the contour of the roadbed compare?

 

Matt,

Good post. Your "newbie" opinion is worth just as much as anyone else's. Everyone here has something he/she can teach and something he/she can learn.

:thumbs_up::thumbs_up:
Adam

 

Excellent information but it leaves out a subtle cost savings:
Reusable Rating
Kato track 100% - huge cost savings to people like me who have rebuilt thier layouts.
Atlas True Track: 60%?
Track on cork: 20%?

 

Quick question, do the turnouts in Atlas TT offer power routing like Kato?

I know this is a hit or miss feature to many ppl using DCC.

 

Hi

I have not used either product, so I don't have an opinion on which is better and maybe should not be jumping in here…but here goes.

I understand that both products from Atlas and Kato speed up the track laying process, but it appears to me that both products would limit what you can do with your track plan, it’s bad enough that turnouts are dictating some choices (no I’m not going to hand build my turnouts). What happens when you need a radius that is not supplied by whatever brand that you are using? What happens when you want to change the track plan and the local hobby shop is out of the curve that you need?

 

Thinking that 100% reusablity on unitrack could be stretching it a bit. Have seen some pretty messed up torn up unitrack...
:tb-wink:

60%? on truetrack?....unfounded/untested...but would think its about the same as unitrack. :tb-confused:

20% on track on cork? I use flex on WS foam trackbed...comes right off. May loose half an inch on each end...for cutting off soldered joiners though.
:tb-smile:


JMO....



.

 

I'm not 100% sure I was wrong about Atlas TT being cheaper than Unitrack. There are more pieces per package of Atlas track and the turnout prices are a lot cheaper:

As per Kleins site:

Kato #4 turnout $24.59 + $5.89 (control box) = $30.48
Kato #6 turnout $17.49 + $5.89 (control box) = $23.38

Atlas True Track turnout INCLUDING control box = $13.99

So unless someone is going to have a loop of track with no turnouts, I can't see Kato being cheaper by my math.

Also:

Atlas 6" straight (6 pack) = $7.49 (21 cents per inch)
Kato 7-5/16" (4 pack) = $5.69 (19.5 cents per inch)

Very little difference there as compared to the majot difference between the turnouts with controls.

Atlas true track 11" curve 22.5 degree 8 pack (180 degree turn) $8.99
Kato unitrack 11" curve 45 degree 4 pack (180 degree turn) $5.99

So you save $3 on a 180 degree turn, but it's never going to offset that turnout price. Plus just a FYI, the 11" curve is one of Kato's cheapest, but a fair comparison in this case. A kato curve with 30 or 15 degree sections cost far more.

So I'm not seeing where Kato is cheaper. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm not taking up for Atlas, as I said I'll likely go with Kato because of all the pieces available. I'm not completely sold though because the Atlas true track is far superior in looks (IMHO). You have to have more than 2 curves and 2 straights to make a layout so Atlas needs to bring it if they exspect to contend.

 

I have seen the Atlas and yes it looks nice but i'll be sticking with kato for now. There is just not enough track pieces of Atlas to build a larger layout to make it viable. I also think the Kato is better designed especially electrically. Not being a rivit counter unitrack fits my railroading today. A little bit more expensive yes, but so is my SUV.

Dave

 

I don't have a "dog in this fight," but that doesn't prevent me from having an opinion. If you want appearance, go with Atlas code 55 flex and turnouts. If you want reliability, go with Kato's proven Unitrack lineup. One of the true wonders of the N scale world remains the Unitrack double crossover, combining the two ugliest elements of trackwork - turnouts and crossings - in one unbelievably reliable unit. Add in the ultra-reliable turnout motors and we're there.... :thumbs_up:

Disclaimer: I've never even seen a section of the new Atlas track, so I could be way off base here. Time will tell.

 

I have the Kato track and I also have the Bachmann HO EZ track for my ON3 set. From what I am reading it seems that the Bachmann track seems to have the same type of joiners that the Atlas has. The Kato system is much easier to set up. With the Bachmann system with its separate rail joiner it is possible to connect two pieces of track and have one rail not in the rail joiner but on top of it. Same way as with regular track. Very hard to do with the Kato system. I have not noticed any continuity issues with the Bachmann track opossibly because the rail joiners are not employed as a mechanical fastener to keep tracks joined together. That is accomplished by a plastic clip. That being said I only use the Kato track for a temporary set up. My other track of choice is Atlas C55.

 

Another correction

An accurate comparison of true cost would be to diagram a layout; make a list of required materials for both systems; then total the (both MSRP & discounted) price of those materials.
--------------------
Since you one of very few persons to have pieces of both systems in your possession, can you answer my two questions posted earlier? (total height? contour?)

 

I'll continue to use Unitrack until Atlas has matched or exceeded the track pieces Kato offers. That will likely be many years in the future... if and only if... Atlas stays commited to expanding their True-Track system.

Meanwhile... once Kato sees Atlas as a 'threat' to their domination in this field... they would most likely make some changes to their existing Unitrack product to thwart the Atlas incursion. :lightning:

 

Like lowering their prices do to competition ??????

 

or

Originally Posted by Grey One
Excellent information but it leaves out a subtle cost savings:
Reusable Rating
Kato track 100% - huge cost savings to people like me who have rebuilt thier layouts.
Atlas True Track: 60%?:tb-smile:
Track on cork: 20%?


Mine varies. I think the Atlas joiner will probably be a lot better Kato joiner for the things I care about. The loose fit of the Kato Unijoiner means that there is a lot of vertical movement between pieces. There are 2 points of movement (roadbed-joiner-roadbed) compared to the one point in the Atlas track. The result is that unless you fix the track to a flat surface, you will get a lot of vertical misalignment between pieces - usually small, but a good proportion will have a big bump. Nothing makes N scale look bad to my eyes more than when the cars wiggle and rock at 200 hertz when they cross a track joint, an especially annoying thing on sectional track with the increased numebr of joints.

Yes, the joiners are replaceable, but they also need a lot more force to separate pieces than existing competing sectional track product lines.

Every time I mention this publicly, I get a storm of Unitrack fanbois (fan boys) carry on about my post publicly, and quite a few emails privately agreeing. I find that there is quite a group of Unitrack fanbois who mirror the Apple computer fanbois - they're bizarrely passionate about a product they have to buy from a manufacturer, and will madly attack any contrary opinion. Seems strange to me, but maybe it comes from having to defend their choice against the equally wrong people who claim their track is toy like (I don't agree with that, incidentally), which seems to be similar to the minority-defensive place that Apple fans come from.

I've not used the Atlas track at all (I have some on order but it takes a while to wend it's way across the Pacific), but I do use the Tomix Finetrack. I used to use Unitrack, but for me the bump from segment to segment was a pain. I also hate Kato's geometry (did they have a plan at all? You can only use the small radius turnout for a crossover at the standard spacing? What's with that?).

I have no issues with electrical conductivity with the Tomix track, and I hope the Atlas will be the same. Saying that it will not, when it's just been released and nobody can possibly know, is classic fanbois rhetoric. The real Kato-versus-anything-else market is Japan, and it's interesting to note that Japan is dominated by Tomix track (yes, it's been around longer, but even new layouts use it a lot more).

If you like your Unitrack, that's great, but that's what *you* like. Don't try to make competing stuff seem poor with statements about "Unitrack's x feature is perfect, and this doesn't have it", particularly when you haven't even tried the comparison, and the product is new. And you just look silly when the statements are patently ludicrous as one of those above is .. how on earth can you know what the "reusability rating" of a new product is that hardly anyone even has, let alone has reused? I mean, really...

In any case, three or four years from now will tell the story.

Release the foaming fanbois! This should get the lather up, though that's not my intent, it just makes my point.

 

Unlikely. Being way in second place in their main market, Japan, hasn't impacted some of their decisions, where the situation is the opposite (Unitrak is the one with the limited choice of pieces).