Tomix Elevated Track

One the biggest appeals of Japanese N Gauge train track is the ability to create snap-together elevated or viaduct track.

There are a variety of supports available, you can have single track or double track lines, stations, switches and crossovers.  But it is more expensive than surface level track as you need both the elevated track section and the supports.  In some cases you will also need pieces of track.

The pieces are made out of ABS plastic which is very hard.  I’ve assembled and disassembled much my elevated track several times without any sign of wear or tear.  The pieces are very precisely manufactured and  keep on holding together.

Tomix elevated track on an earlier version of my layout showing two different types of elevated track supports.

But it does take a lot of space. The 317/280 curve in the photo above was on a table 30 inches wide.  It took almost the entire table width to accommodate a 180 degree curve.

There are fewer radius of curves available than with the regular snap track.  Curved double overhead  track radius include (all in millimeters) 317/280, 391/354 and 465/428. Single overhead is available in 243, 280, 317 or 354 mm radius. To build the  91075 HB-SL elevated station set requires 1120mm or just over 44 inches.  A station for a full 16-car Shinkansen train requires over 9 feet.

Tomix elevated track system provides unique operating options not normally found on model railroads outside Japan.  I will go into various track and support components over the next few weeks.

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