Hello everybody. I came up against a dilemma today. You can read the full story in paragraph 4 of this week’s Bradwood Chronicle (link in signature). For those who dont want to read, here is a long story short. Should I plaster the gaps in between modules and create continuous scenery, or should I try and hide the gaps in exchange for the ability to take my layout to shows?
If you plan on using it as a modular rail road then leave the gaps. You can limit the visible gaps by using scenery and buildings.
Pete
I would say, if you plan to take your layout to shows, don’t plaster the gaps. If you are planning to be a couple of modules in a larger club layout, most I have seen, the joints are evident and little effort to hide them. However, if you are planning to take your whole layout as a stand alone layout made up of several sections, there are some things you can do to help disguise the seams. Plan a field edge that you can insert a fence with some bushes. The edge of a road with some weeds. Edge of a parking lot or building. A stone wall or edge of a rock face. Lichen can be placed on the seam after you attach the parts. It is usually in larger clumps than othe scenic materials, thus easier to pick up when you get ready to pick up and go home. Actually, I doubt many folks would worry about the seams showing, as long as the rest of the layout is well done and draws their interest.
Have fun,
I’d try to find something to address the gaps because frankly I find them to be one of the most distracting aspects of Ntrak and other modular layouts seen at train shows (maybe even more distracting – the regular rail is weathered but for some odd reason the short gap bridging pieces have a new out of the box black tie look).
How often do you envision taking the modules to a train show? If not regularly I’d try to find some way to hide the gaps, even if only masking tape with loose ground foam on it, that is redone each time the module comes back home.
Dave Nelson
I’m actually building my layout (N scale,four 38X48 modules) wich I’m planning on dismantling some day.Shows are not planned however,but I do know for a fact that I’ll have to move it some day since we don’t own the house we live in now.
However,I’m putting a lot of care into precision fitting to have the thinnest gaps possible.It is possible that I won’t be able to hide them all but I can live with this.A light price to pay under these conditions.
Dave, thats a brilliant idea! Ill do that: Cover the gaps with masking tape, scenic like normal, remove tape for transportation, retape and rescenic at destination. Stupendous! Thanks! [bow]
I saw one modular setup that had a forest on velcro. They put down an uneven piece of velcro about a foot wide with a forest on it. I really had to look hard before I could find where the tables came together. It worked well.
Brent
I don’t know about “brilliant” John but you are certainly welcome. With some care (a soft paint brush and something to act as a small dustbin you could even recover and reuse at least some and maybe all of the scenic materials.
After reading Brent’s posting, above, another idea did occur to me and that would be foam rubber glued on the edges of the tops of the benchwork, that would compress and meet when the pieces are fastened. Not too much - you wouldn’t want it sticking up over the top when it is squeezed together.
It would work sort of like weather stripping does on windows - compresses to form a tight seal. Like a gasket – actually I got the idea thinking about how full wideth diaphrams work on the ends of streamlined passenger cars to create a seamless look when the cars are coupled.
The foam rubber could be painted an earth or grass color and while it may not look fully scenicked, it would at least completely close the gap.
Dave Nelson
there is one thing which is absolutely essential for my layout, which is modules, are scenick modules, you prepare part of the module for a liftout section which is fully scenicked. My ordeal is I actually will have a sort of doubledeck on a doubledeck, more like an Elevated like Chicago CTA, will be fully removeable with operating trackage. you may have some kind of tiedown like screws, or clamps or whatever.
A scenick module could overlap 2 modules designed for each other and kills the obvious edge.