The system is based on Kato Unitrack/Unitram standards. The standard track centre distance is 25 mm, and the length of the sections is a multiple of 31 mm.
The structures are made basically of two components, the spans and the cross bents. They are designed to be erected over standard Unitram curved sections. Elevated sections can be connected directly with Unitrack/Unitram sections.
Bents and spans are fixed with screws, the assembly is modular and can be constructed / deconstructed.
Parts & Tools:
The construction requires some additional parts: Kato Flex track 21-000 and Kato UniJoiners 24-815.
You need the following tools: Allen key, plastic and/or AC glue, tools for cutting the flex rail, sandpaper, file.
We recommend to build only one 90° section a time, and to take care not to mix the parts unless you are familiar with the structure.
Both curved tracks use the same radius of 204.5 mm, the outer track has two straight sections of 25 mm on each end.
The inner curve is made of two 45° standard curved sections (yellow).
The outer track is made of one special 22.5° left section with 25 mm straight integrated (red), one 45° standard section (yellow) and a special 22.5° right section, mirror of the first one (red).
The plastic parts present small edges on top, this is inherent to the production process. We recommend to sand the top end of the spans a little. Glue the two 45° section together, and then the three parts of the outer track.
Take a length of Kato Flex track 21-000, file slightly the bottom ends of the rail profile, to avoid sharp edges. Push the tracks carefully into the channel of the spans, and plug one Kato UniJoiner on each track end, left side. We recommend to bend the track approximately to the radius without kinking the track.
Flex rail length for a 90° section (approx.)
- Inner track, inner rail: 314 mm
- Inner track, outer rail: 329 mm
- Outer track, inner rail: 364 mm
- Outer track, outer rail: 379 mm
Assembling the cross bents
There are 3 types of cross bents. The bents at position 0° and 90° are standard bents, same as on straight sections. The triangular bent at 22.5° has three columns and is the most complex one. The 45° bent is close to the 0° standard bents, but wider. The bent at 67.5° is a mirrored version of the 22.5° bent.
Standard bents:The standard cross bent is made of 5 parts: the top of the bent, two halves of the column gantry, and two column footers.
There are two types of bent tops: Type A for middle bents, Type B for end or connecting bents. You can use end bents "B" in place of middle bents "A", but not inverse.
Start with glueing the halves back to back. Sand the flat upside of the column assembly and glue it under the top. Then plug the column footers onto the bottom of the columns. You can glue them, or keep them removable. The bents are now ready.
Glue the half gantries back to back, sand the flat upside.
Start fixing the full arch under the top, the small "nose" pointing inside the triangle. This bent fills a gap in the triangular top part. Then test the position of the single column bent, pointing towards a "nose" in the first bent.
Sand the end pointing to the "nose" a little, and glue the parts together. Plug the column footers onto the bottom of the three columns.
45° Bent:
Proceed similar to a standard 0° bent.
67.5° Bent: This part is a full mirror of a 22.5° bent, proceed alike.
Once all spans and bents assembled, return the parts and fix the bent to the spans with M1.6 screws. 2 screws for one bent are more than adequate. Tighten the screws with care, otherwise you destroy the thread in the plastic bloc.
Adding 3rd Rail:
All curved 3rd rails are mounted outside the track. The shorter rails are for the inner track, the longer ones for the outer. The straight sections point outwards to the 0° / 90° ends (silver marking) Test the position of the 3rd rail before gluing, the small squares plug into the space between the sleepers on the the ends of a section. Chose the good distance to the track, my preferred value is 4 mm, inside rail to inside 3rd rail. Some sanding maybe required for adjustment.
