Not sure of the correct dimension location for the N-trak mountain line. I have the book, and it says the mountain line height 3.125 inches It looks like it is measured from the top of the rails on the main surface, but I cant tell. It also looks like it is to the surface of the mountain line level. My gut instinct tells me to go from the main surface to the mountain line surface and not the top of the rails, but my gut has been wrong before lol. Can anyone help?
I think you're right, at least that is what I've done on mine. I measured from the layout top to the mtn line top, rails come afterwards from what I've figured out, but heck, I'm never right anyway, just ask my wife.
When I got married my grandad told me 2 things about marriage. Rule #1- The wife is always right. Rule #2- If the wife is wrong refer to rule #1. Then he made a toast. To the bride. Remember the groom always has the last word. To the groom. The last words always are, Yes Dear! Anything after that is a new agrument.
The 3 1/8" can be measured from the base where the red-yellow-blue lines are laid to the base of the mountain line, the tops of the cork or from the top of the rails for each. If you have terrain that is not level between the front and back of the module a good way to measure would be a metal L square laid across the base for the three tracks with the leg of the L extending up to where the base of the mountain line will be.
I have seen some modules with a mountain line. But I was not aware of a standard from T-Trak.org itself?
Confirming r_i_straw, the 3 1/8 inch is technically measured railhead to railhead. Given the same roadbed and track being used on both lines it's the same measurement from base to base.
The Ntrak specs were written with the top-of-rail as the reference point since the early standard allowed use of either Atlas/Peco code 80 or Shinohara code 70. One then adjusted the roadbed thickness to compensate so that railheads on adjacent modules would be at the same height, regardless of choice of track.
As I asked earlier, could someone point me to the source of this data? I do not find it at T-Trak.org, nor on the unofficial T-Trak site.
Ah, OK. So it is not actually a written T-Trak Standard. It's an adaptation. Hmmm. Maybe I should polan a mountain division for a next module...