This is how to use my 3D printed Unitrack compatible roadbed and non-Kato track on a TTRAK module.

The debate as to what N scale track to use is almost as old as the scale itself, but when it comes to building TTRAK modules, Kato Unitrack has always been the only game in town. Unitrack (specifically its Unijoiner) makes TTRAK possible, but it’s also kinda ugly. There are things you can do to get around that, but I developed my hacked Unitrack to avoid the situation entirely.

Because the original post about it is somewhat general purpose, I wanted to demonstrate how to actually use the stuff on a module.

First, go find the pieces on TinkerCAD.

Then you need to select the appropriate pieces for the module you’re building. If you’re doing the standard ~12″ TTRAK Single with two tracks, you need two of the double ends (marked 33mm for the spacing) and four of the “TTRAK/2” pieces (two for each track). If you’re doing a “double wide” module, you’ll want 8 of the “TTRAK DBL/4” pieces (again, four for each track). Print those up and you’ll be ready to get to work.

I use an Ender 3 Pro and slice it up with Cura. I used rafting for adhesion support, which has the unfortunate downside of leaving some “flash” around the base of the prints. You’ll need to do this yourself to get everything to fit together. I’m actually surprised at how strong PLA is and how much work it takes to clean them up.

Once everything is trimmed up, I pressed everything together on the work bench to make sure it works fine.

With everything ready to go it’s time to attach them to the module. I used another module to make sure everything lines up nicely, then marked where everything sits and lines up.

This let me drill the holes to attach the roadbed to the frame. This isn’t 100% necessary, but I think it’s a good idea to do it so that things are rock solid.

You may notice that the ends here look a little different than the originals. This is because the original ends have holes designed for #4 wood screws, but because of the 1″ foam top on this module, I needed longer screws that were not easily found as #4s. I ended up creating a new variation of the ends to accommodate the larger screws.

With the base in place, it was time for the track. For my demonstrator module I decided to use both Micro-Engineering Code 70 and Peco Code 55 because I thought it’d be good to represent them both for people interested in using either one.

I start getting the track in place my lining up one end and truing the end of the track up to the end of the roadbed.

Then do the same at the other end. There may be a situation where the ties do not line up properly with the securing nubs. My solution to this is to cut out one of the connectors between the ties and just adjust them over so they line up.

At this point, you want to do your future self a favor and clean up the ends by removing and burrs and rounding the ends to make it easy to get joiners on the track.

Repeat the same steps on the second track.

It’s great to use the short double track sections to validate you’ve got things right. Don’t be afraid to do a little extra trimming if things aren’t perfect.

I used Aileen’s Tacky Glue to attach the track to the roadbed on this module, but feel free to use your adhesive of choice.

Those double track Unitrack pieces come in handy again for maintaining track alignment and spacing.

With the track laid down, you’re ready for scenery.