A lot of online advice is well-meant. Some of it is also repeated so often it becomes “truth”, even when it doesn’t match what we see day-to-day.
Myth 1: “Kato #4 points always derail, so you have to tweak them”
Apparently some people online do have derailments on #4 turnouts, particularly in the past. In the last four years, we've only ever heard from one of our customers with problems.
The mistake as we see it, is jumping straight to “the turnout is faulty”.
In a lot of real-world cases, the turnout is simply where the train finally comes off — after it’s already been set up to fail by approach geometry or rolling stock quirks. Two patterns show up again and again:
1) The approach track is doing it
A common trigger is feeding a #4 straight from a curve. Add a short straight between the curve and the turnout and the problem often disappears.
2) One specific vehicle is doing it
If changing the order of the same cars changes the derailment, it’s rarely “a bad turnout”. It’s usually coupler forces, car weight, trip pins, wheel gauge, or a vehicle that’s already riding up before it reaches the points.
What to check before you touch the turnout
Use this as your “prove it” checklist:
- Curve into turnout? Add the shortest straight you can.
- Is it always the same car? Swap its position. If the problem moves with the car, you’ve found your culprit.
- Wheel gauge on the offender(s).
- Trip pin height / low-hanging details catching on frogs/guard rails.
- Track joints before the turnout: a tiny lift or twist can preload an axle off the rail.
- Backwards moves at slow speed: tight geometry + coupler swing makes weaknesses obvious.
About “tweaks”
You’ll find advice online about filing, bending, shimming, or modifying #4s. Some modellers do it. We’d treat that as a last resort, after the checks above.
Important: Any physical modification to a turnout can invalidate the warranty. If a point is new and you think it’s defective, don’t alter it — contact us first.
Myth 2: “Unitrack needs masses of powered Unijoiners or it won’t run properly”
Reality: Unitrack needs enough feeders, in sensible places. It does not need a powered joiner on every piece of track.
Why this myth sticks:
- “More feeders” is safe advice, so it gets repeated until it becomes “feed everything”.
- People try to fix one unreliable area by powering every joint, instead of working out what’s special about that area (long distance from the feed, a complex cluster of points, or one dodgy joint).
Our own experience
We’ve run around 70 feet of Unitrack from a single feed without issues. That doesn’t mean “one feed is always fine” — it means the idea that Unitrack must have powered joiners everywhere doesn’t match reality.
A simple feeder approach that works
- Start with one good main feed (decent wire, solid connections).
- Add feeders strategically:
- near yards / sidings
- around clusters of points and crossovers
- where you see slow-speed hesitation
- If one spot is flaky, add one feeder there. Don’t rebuild the whole layout.
- If you want a rule of thumb, then plan for one feed every 6ft/2m for each loop or siding.
Quick test
If the problem is power-related, you’ll usually see it as stalling/hesitation in the same place, especially at slow speed, and it won’t “move” when you swap wagons around. If the problem moves with a vehicle, it’s not a feeder issue.
In summary:
If you’re about to file a turnout or buy powered joiners by the handful, pause. Most of the time the fix is boring: approach geometry, one rogue wagon, or a feeder in the right place — and you can confirm that with a couple of simple tests.
If you’ve bought from us, send a photo or plan and we’ll do a quick sanity check as part of our included support. If you want it properly worked through, our £50 inc VAT services cover layout design, layout review/optimisation, wiring plans, repairs (parts permitting), and DCC fitting (model/parts permitting).
One important note: physical tweaks to points can invalidate warranty. If you think a turnout is genuinely faulty, don’t modify it — talk to us first.
