Ok, I am buildinga mile and a half of the PRR right of way through urban Philadelphia which is pretty flat and will have urban scenery so I will be doing this in 24" wide modules consisting of a 1" x 4" frame and foam with most buildings being in relief on the backdrop or in the 4" in front of the backdrop. The question regards the length. I was originally thinking 4’ or 8’ but it struck me that 6’ or 9’ would allow two or three pieces of flex track to exactly reach the edge on each module. The 6’ length also allows the two pieces to be lopped off a standard 8’ 1x4 for the end pieces. Any thoughts? It would waste a little foam unless an occasional module consists of three 2’ x2’ pieces but that would work also.
go 4’, place the piece of flex track centered, use a 1’ section to bridge the gap between two modules, that way if you have to move the modules (maintence, moving, ect) you only have to remove 1 piece of track. if you have the flex track go right up to the edge, there’s chances that they will become mis-aligned, due to expansion, bumping, ect. the bridge piece will allow for some minor shifting of the modules without affecting track alignments.
[#ditto] The difference between a 6 foot module and a 4 foot module may not seem like much until you try to move it, store it, or haul it. The 4 foot is a much better way to go.
Years ago I built some NTRAK 6 footers, but thats really to long to handle easily. I then switched to 4 footers. Much easier to handle. With a little planning a long module can be made up of 2 or more 4’ sections. You don’t need a “standard” interface every 4’ as long a the sections are always used together.
I’ve considered going 30" x 5’, but haven’t built any thong that size yet. If anybody has, how are they to move around?
It seems to me that the more important issue is where the turnouts will fall and how many tracks must cross each joint between sections. For an urban area, I assume lots of tracks, which makes this more important.
How often will you be moving these sections? Must they be truly portable (e.g., you’re going to take them to train shows 6 times per year), or merely transportable in case of a household move? Making sections longer means fewer joints, which offers more reliability in the long run.
Unless there’s an important storage or transportation constraint that demands that the sections all be the same length, I’d recommend designing your trackplan first, then looking for spots where the sections joints will be most convenient. Then build the sections to those (perhaps varying) sizes.
It’s slightly more work in the construction phase, but it will might pay off in smoother operation again and again.
Regards,
Byron
Here is a variation on the suggestion by Steamerfan for the 4 foot module. Metric flextrack comes in 39 inch lengths. This allows the connector track to be approximately 9 inches long, the length of standard sectional track. This way no straight thru track has to be cut.
By all means check out Free-mo.org for their standards. 3/4" ply x6"ends, 1/2" ply x6"sides with some cross bracing in 1/2" ply, and a 2"x23" wide foam deck . I have 1 module 8’ long that is lighter and easier to handle than a 4’ one made out of lumber! Just remember to cut the foam 1 1/2" shorter than the overall frame length. Glue the foam in with liquid nails. I glue the roadbed and track down with dabs of clear silicone adhesive about 3 to 4" apart. Weight the roadbed down overnight for the silicone to cure. Lay the track, wire it and start railroading! Being the impatient type, I often test it using alligator clips on the power pack leads.
At the Allegheny Western Lines, a modular group associated with GATSME in Ft. Washington, PA (www.gatsme.org you can see pictures of our modules). We have stayed with the NMRA standards of a 2’ by 4’ module and standard 9 inch connector tracks. We use foam for decking, but use 1/8" masonite underneath to reduce crushing.
We use the Woodland Scenics trackbed system, it goes down fast. You glue the roadbed then glue the track. Their glue is better than anything else we tried. It dries in 15 minutes. The trackbed and glue are flexible which holds up better with modules that are moved to shows.
One thing we have learned is to keep the weight down for anything you have to carry, especially a module. Having to have 2 or 3 people move a module gets to be a big pain.
If you can hit a train show and see the modules, if you ask, almost any modular member will help explain construction and operation of modules.
Doug Baer
Good point