I was just wondering how big of freemo layouts have been built. the reason I ask is that they had a big one recently in big valley alberta and they think it was one oof the bigger ones. anyone know?
Depends on your limits: North American Free-mo setups have gone to the 50-60 module range, pikers compared to some European Fremo setups of well over 100 modules, approaching 200! We keep on trying as the movement grows in popularity The bigger they get, the more set-up time is involved, so you probably wouldn’t do it just for a weekend show, eh? jc5729!
Try this link www.freem-mo.org and click on links link and just select a club. they will have cad drawings of their previous set ups.
Ch
we are starting a free mo club in red deer and look forward to adding to this layout. I have looked at the different pictures showing the different layouts and this one is definately not the biggest but definately on e of the larger ones. just curious how big it has ever gotten. I can see the logistics of a large layout taking too much time to set up in a weekend event. gotta book a week of holidays, call in all the clubs together runa train over a prototype divisiion or two. just a thought!!!
One of the things I think is a strength of Free-Mo is that since it is not based on the presumption of setting up a loop, it should actually be easier to set up a large layout quickly at an event than a layout designed to be set up in a loop.
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Without having to set up a loop, there is less need to be precise in lining up the modules- so long as they line up properly at the module interfaces, you’re pretty well set. You don’t need to have two sides perfectly parallel to each other across a central “pit”.
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Likewise, a layout that is a chain of modules which is free at each end is more forgiving of the height drifting up and down by a fraction of an inch or so over a run of modules, since you don’t necessarily need to match the railhead height of the last module you set up with the height of the first module you set up in order to complete a loop. The interfaces between modules still have to be at the same height relative to each other, though.
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It is far easier to avoid room obstacles with a layout which isn’t arranged as a loop.
This has certainly been the case with the nominally NMRA RP-compliant modules my club has on its display layout: When we set up a large loop it takes considerably longer to get the modules set up and lined up right than when we set it up point-to-point.
With any module system you set up, though, a lot of work can go into planning the set-up. The best way to approach it is to survey the site well before-hand and make a scale drawing showing the room, with all major obstructions identified and placed accurately. Then, you’ll want a set of drawings of the outlines of the modules you intend to use, done to the same scale. Once you have these, it’s fairly easy to conduct the planning. You need to consider the location of power outlets and the minimum aisle widths required at the venue, too.
The better you plan, the less likely you are to have trouble when you start setting up at the site.
A complicating factor, especially
I agree that the untested module is likely to be the one that gives you trouble. I plan to have a small test layout to add to another clubs layout to see where the problems are. the idea is to have the new club layout modules tested with a module from a known working module. then hope that there is not too many surprises so we can actually run some trains.I may make a real simple module, just a straight piece of track on a praire landscape. then we will be able to as a club check out modules to this standard working module so that in a larger set up we will be able to make things work
I like the california team that used a laser level to set a master height in the room. everyone else just leveled thier track to the red line, eliminating the need to wait for the rest to be set in place before a module could be added. everyone could get close and then it really took less time to set them up.it sounds like they used a laser of the type that would be used to hang suspended ceilings. it might help to make your set ups go faster.
I also agree that a scale track plan will help set things up. for our own club I thought we would make a scale magenets of each module so that you could put a plan together by placing the modules on a metal scale drawing of the room.
I look forward to getting our club up and running to see what this is all about.