Built two more single wide modules. I had to re-build the fence on the Hot-Wire-Foam cutter. The picture has them butted tight against each other. I estimate the gap at less the 0.5mm. If ultra careful, I think I can cut single wide modules 209mm wide, reducing the gap between modules to 1mm.
Toowoomba Show Some photos of the Ipswich Heritage Model Railway Club's T-TRAK layout at the Darling Downs Model Railway Club's show in Toowoomba on the weekend. We just set up a simple loop on the Friday night and expanded the layout on Saturday morning when more modules arrived. The module with the bridge in the last photo is a recycled N-Track module and is the same length as two junction modules to allow the configuration seen in the second last picture.
Some photos of the Ipswich Heritage Model Railway Club's T-TRAK layout at the Darling Downs Model Railway Club's show in Toowoomba on the weekend. Part 2 Viewers of British television might recognise the Time Team crew engaged in an archeological dig on dad's British modules in the third photo. The fourth shot shows my brother's partly finished bridge module which can be varied in length depending on how many Kato bridges you put in it.
Some photos of the Ipswich Heritage Model Railway Club's T-TRAK layout at the Darling Downs Model Railway Club's show in Toowoomba on the weekend. Part 3. Last but not least, a club member demonstrates an new use for a T-TRAK module.:tb-wacky:
You guys have a lot of modules and a lot of variety. It looks like a lot of fun train running. Very nice pictures. Thanks for posting them.
I forgot to pack my video camera but I shot a bit with my Iphone. [video=youtube;eGOYvbwP7XE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGOYvbwP7XE[/video]
Really neat video. I watched in HD. The trains look huge, like O scale. It's amazing how real N scale trains look. You guys have a nice mix of trains. Thanks.
Double Crossing Module This module is from http://t-trak.cincy.home.insightbb.com/, a great site. I was asked if you could have a Figure 8 in T-TRAK. No becuase you would need a Crossing Module. And then I found one. So don't blame me. One Crossing Module looks kind of dangersous. Two Crossing Modules looked like a mouse. Four Crossing Modules...now we got something catastrophic.\ Demolition Derby could be a game. Two trains running in the same direction. Each engineer gets a manual turnout to change tracks as required. You lose if you hit the other guy. You lose if you have to stop. You lose if you de-rail the other guy by throwing your turnout at the wrong time. You win be getting in behind the other guy and he can't shake you off, or you give him a gentle nudge from the back. All engines will need some sort of rubber on the front end. This is so full of all the things we don't normally do. Racing and collisions. Besides being way beyond dumber...all the way to dumbest. So don't give me a hard time. I didn't invent it.
That website is one of the things that convinced us to go with T-TRAK, along with this one Shelf-Top Modules (formerly 'Shinkansen Extensions'). Both show that T-TRAK module design can be more imaginative than a square box with two tracks across the front.
Westfalen, Thanks for that link. I just added it to my bookmarks. That's a good site and really helps push the T-Trak envelope. Adam
It's Alive This is my last in the quest for the most dangerour T-TRAK layout. Just 90 degree outside corners and crossings. It looks more like a bathroom tile.
That would limit the length of your trains a bit but it would make some exciting operation if, like us, you run DCC and have multiple trains on each track.
Accurate Track Placement on T-TRAK Modules Let's assume that I can manufacture T-TRAK modules on a CNC router..accurate to better the 0.01 inch (0.254mm). In addition, let's assume that using the same, very accurate, CNC router, I can make a 3/16" hole, directly under the mounting points of the KATO Unitrack. Could I not push a cheap, 3/16" OD, 5/16" long, hollow rivet up through the 3/16" hole...and drop the track with the track's mounting point inside the rivet? The ID of the rivet is 0.135 (3.429mm). The OD of the KATO mounting point is 0.125 inch (3.175mm). The fit has 0.01 inch (0.254mm) slop..just enough to make some fine adjustments. In addition, to using the mounting points, I would also use a couple pieces of long double track to get the track-to-track spacing and angles correct. The fit of the rivet in the hole is very tight (0.1875" hole, 0.183" rivet OD.) and may take some persuasion. The mounting points on the KATO Unitrack, appear to be located 0.71 inches (18mm) from the end on the long straight and curved tracks and 0.51 (13mm) from the end of the short straight tracks. Short feeder tracks do not have any mounting points. I think I would only place these holes on the edge of the modules, so that people who like to nail down track have some attach points. The straight modules would have eight holes (two holes for each track on each end). The first hole is for long straights...located 0.67 inch (17mm) from the edge of the module. The second hole is for short straights...located 1.87" (12+35.5=47.5mm) from the edge of the module. Modules with curved tracks have four hole(2 for each track), located 0.67" (17mm) from each edge of the module, along the centerline of the track. Using the mounting points, the end of the track should hang 1mm over the edge of the modules. Worst case uncertainty (error) is close to +-1mm. Not perfect, but a very nice starting place. I'm running an experiment now and will have real placement uncertainty (error) numbers in a week or two. In the mean time, I'm open to ideas.
I just discovered that the length of all straight pieces of KATO Unitrack are 0.5mm (0.020") short. So a 248mm plus a 62mm is actually 247.5+61.5=309mm. If your single wide T-TRAK modules are exactly 308mm wide, the track would overhang the edge by only 0.5mm (0.020") on each side. If you chose to use five 62mm pieces, the actual length is 5*61.5=307.5mm which is way too short to work. The answer is to get some 0.5mm (0.020") shim stock and make sure there is a 0.5mm (0.020") gap between every piece of track. This can't possibly be true. Can somebody verify the lengths of KATO Unitrack straight pieces?
I just verified that two pieces of KATO Unitrack will "snap" connect with a 0.5mm (0.020") shim in the middle of the connection. Ugly gap, but a little ballast will cover the gap in the roadbed. Cars seem to cross the gap in the track without a problem. I guess the "three foot rule" has to apply to track gaps now. I still can't believe it.
