Mar 25, 2019

THE "L" - Elevated Open Station 186 mm #160-0151



The system is based on Kato Unitrack/Unitram standards. The standard track centre distance is 25 mm, and the standard length of a sections is 186 mm.

The structures are made basically of three components, the spans , the cross bents, and the station decks. They are designed to be erected over standard Unitram sections.

Elevated sections can be connected directly with Unitrack/Unitram sections.

The construction requires some additional parts: Kato Flex track 21-000 and Kato UniJoiners 24-815.

You need also the following tools: Allen key, Plastic cement or AC glue, tools for cutting the flex rail, sandpaper, file

Before glueing parts, become familiar with the kit. Don't hesitate to ask questions.









Station cross bents:
The station cross bent is made of 5 parts: the top of the bent, two halves of the column gantry, and two column bases.

Assembling the cross bents:
The bents on the end of the station are made of one half bent with guards (blue) and another half of a standard station bent. There are also two types of bent tops: Type C25 for middle bents, Type D25 for end or connecting bents.

The center bents are made of two half standard station bents glued back to back.

Start with glueing the halves back to back. Sand the top of the column assembly and than insert and glue a Top of bent. Then plug the column bases onto the bottom of the columns. You can glue them, or keep them removable. The bents are now ready.

The spans
The standard span is single track 186 mm long, made of two twinned 93mm sections, with plate girder. Each span has two channels for the flex rails. Optional, you can add dummy 3rd rail.

Assembling the spans
The plastic part present small edges on top, this is inherent to the production process. We recommend to sand the top end of the spans a little. Then cut the rails 186 mm, or 372 if you want to join two station kits. Slightly sand 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.

Station decks


The decks are made of 3 plastic parts and 2 laser cut wooden decks. Glue the inside girder frame, the central deck frame and the outside girder with its cast-in guards

The central frame is not symmetric, the wider spaces must be placed OUTSIDE, next to the girder with guards. Do not yet glue the wooden decks.






Staircases:

The staircases are made of three parts: the stairway with right guard cast in, the left guard, and small squares (red) to enclose the staircase on deck.

Once glued, the staircase and the guards and handrails form a solid unit. Sand the top sides of this assembly a little.








Assembling the Elevated sections
Plug the track spans into cross bents. Return the assembly 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. Then you can insert the station decks

Fixing the wooden decks:
The wooden decks are made of half sections, each is mirrored. There are several positions of the stairways possible. The unused hole in the deck is to be covered by the small cover plate, with or without glueing.

Inserting the Staircase: 
Glide the staircase assembly into the deck. The middle of the stairway sits on small arms of the bents. You can remove unused arms later with a cutting knife, if you have decided how the staircases are mounted.

Adding 3rd Rail
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 93 mm sections. Choose the good distance to the track, my preferred value is 4 mm, inside rail to inside 3rd rail

Fixing to pavement or Unitram sections
You can fix the Elevated sections to your pavement or to Unitram sections with 1.6mm screws. The holes on the cross bents are 54 mm apart in width, the columns are spaced 93 mm in length.