Only if the coupler is on the shell and not on the truck else it will cause interference and the method won't work. I believe the Kato F unit won't work as the front coupler goes through an opening in the shell. This is from memory as I don't have the loco in front of me.
I forget the size of your base? You have a lot going on there. Is that a reverse thingy in the middle. Reverse thingy is a technical term I also have 11" radius as the largest radius on my Two 2' x 4' bases. I am on the very edge though, need to get some fascia up at some point, or something. Wish I had space for a large yard like you do, but it is what it is Nice work! How are your wood piers attached to track?
I want to thank you again for this tip @MK . I was having derailment problems with a trailing truck on one of my Kato U-30s this morning and saw that my Rapido-to-Microtrains conversion done many years ago had left the tabs of the old Rapido coupler pocket on one truck standing a bit too proud, which were catching on the backside of the M-T coupler and intermittently preventing the truck from swiveling. I used the body shell removal trick and it worked perfectly the first time. I had it off in 30 seconds, no damage. Truck removed, tabs filed down, unit lubed and back on the rails. I've had it running around the layout for 30 minutes now and all is well. Yay!
Yes, that's my reversing section alright. It has no automatic control, but it can handle DC and DCC. It's used only once per operating session, so presents no hassle. I simply glued my piers to the Unitrack using Aleene's Tacky Glue. I found that there was no need to gob it on and it seems to be holding very well.
That raised section looks great. The overall flow of the trackage looks even better than I had pictured. The curves don't feel tight and the grades look very good. Excellent work so far!!!
I've always wanted to have some interesting sidetracks on a model railroad, as well as a house track. I managed to work them into my plan and am laying them out today. The covered hoppers are located on a spur that crosses my reversing section and will be reached with a switchback. The boxcar is on the house track and a depot will be located adjacent on the mainline. On the other side of the bridges will be my colliery and another industry spur, both accessed using the same lead you see here. The switcher is parked on a custom cut curve track that was required to fit the puzzle of tracks together. The covered hopper track crossing was inspired by this shot I took in Mongtomery, AL in May 1985. I just thought this arrangement was very cool and have never forgotten it. The SBD job that worked this cluster of tracks was called "The Bum".
By the way, I have two Kato Unitrack #2 Wye switches (20-222) in my industrial trackage and if you're wondering, they offer the same electrical capabilities as the #4s, with selectable power routing on each leg and the ability to turn the frog on and off. As @Grey One said on another thread earlier this year, the Unitrack #2 Wye switches seem very reliable. I've had no surprises in my messing around with them so far.
The track is disconnected as I figure my way along, but it will go under the bridge to service a colliery and likely a team track. I'll get a photo of that.
I put a red arrow where yours is to show where the tracks go. The twin tracks will be the colliery and the single track the team track. These tracks are just loosely set in place, but I can easily reach them and I think I'll stick with it. This is also the first layout I've built has a passing siding of decent length.
As someone that simply lays track down till I think I like it What is a colliery, team track, and passing siding? Ducks as replies come in Like I said I wing it, and not always correctly. Or even most of the time There he is using fancy words around me again. It's a joke, once again! But really, what do they mean?
No problem @in2tech . A colliery is a coal mine with other structures and equipment for processing and loading the coal. At least that's my plan if I have the room. A team track is a track for off line shippers to load and receive rail freight. They're handy on a model railroad because just about anything can be spotted on them, flats, gons, boxcars, covered hoppers, etc. The name is from the teams of horses that would pull wagons to these tracks, though nowadays "transload facility" is also used to describe such facilities. I'm adding a ramp to the end of mine for old skool piggyback loading, farm tractors, etc. A passing siding is a stretch of track that parallels a main line and is connected to the main line at either end. It's where trains can get by one another, a sort of passing lane, though one train is usually stopped while the other goes by.
Rule G notwithstanding, two DS&N RR officers do sometimes enjoy a Gin & Tonic on summer weekends before dinner. Served best in plastic frog glasses, rescued from my late mother's estate sale.
