Thank you for the encouragement guys, These things are stupid heavy but that also means solidly built. I will be making leg pockets and cutting up some 2x3s for legs here soon, as well as going through the wiring.
Hey, I 've seen those pictures before! I'm looking forward to seeing trains run on them. Bill will be happy to know they have a good home. Greg O.
And thank you Greg for picking them up for me. When I got home I made end plates for the 2 6 footers and linked them together and the 4 footer is put away safe. My trailer is now stuffed full. I need a new transport system for some of my stuff.
Ntrak is over 50 years old now and along the way some of the specifications have changed. Things like Power Pole connectors instead of the Cinch Jones plugs and the use of Kato expanding Unitrack instead of the Atlas 5" sectional track for Joiner tracks between modules. However, there is room for more improvements and one such area is again the joiner tracks. Installing them, even with the Kato expanding track, is still a time consuming effort. We all know the pitfalls one can encounter but a better way has to be found. Any ideas?
i find this very interesting about pvc legs . got some pictures of these . i would love to see how there build /added to modules ...??
I dislike the joiner tracks more than anything else. In HO it’s not such a big deal as the rail joiners are larger and more robust and easy to slide in place, but N… well not so much. With Free-Mo there are no joiners just rail to the very ends of the module. This presents 2 problems with N trak and one with Free-Mo. the common problem is damage from snagging on something as the rails can be prone to do at the very ends. With Ntrak the problem is also track alignment. We can’t always trust that the next builder, or yourself can build a totally different module and have such a precision that the tracks will line up perfectly. Even in the Free-Mo modules sets that are always to be joined with multiple tracks, they need to align perfectly and won’t always. This is the main reason Free-Mo is single track at the ends. A single track can be aligned easily.
At least T-TRAK (Kato Unitrack) double track end pieces can act as a single unit for more robust placement and alignment. Paint the ties if you don't like the concrete tie color. Even if you don't want to use double track pieces, you can use a double track piece to accurately align the track spacing at the ends when you build the module.
But they still require 12 rail joiners at every module joint. That is the biggest time consuming part of any setup. Also, do we really need three tracks? Some clubs are small having ten or less members and/or don't participate with other clubs in joint layouts. Getting rid of the outermost track (the red line) would allow operation on the yellow line.
Very easy to do. Everything can be purchased at a Home Depot or Lowes store. One inch diameter PVC pipe (schedule 40) is cut into 37" legs. A 1 1/2 in. long wood dowel (1"diameter) is drilled out to accept a "T" nut and a 4 inch 'eye bolt. The dowel is inserted into the end of the PVC leg and fastened with 1/2-inch wood screws that are counter sunk into the side of the PVC leg. The leg is inserted into a pocket in the corner of the module. The pocket consists of two pieces of wood the same width as the module sides (usually the same as a 1X4). Inside is a piece of 1 1/4 PVC pipe (again schedule 40). Screws, 3/4" hold the PVC in place. You may have to grind off the points of the screws if you countersink them the in the wood so they don't interfere with the leg when it is inserted. The 1" leg telescopes into the 1 14" PVC. Remember the diameters are inside diameters. The one-inch PVC has an outside diameter just under 1 1/4 inches. Benefits include: 1. All the legs will fit all the modules, no looking around to find the right legs. 2. The modules can be levelled without anyone getting down on the floor. Just stick a screwdriver or a piece of 1/2 copper tubing through the eyebolt and turn the leg while checking the level. PVC pipe is sold in 10' lengths so you will get three legs per length. It can be easily cut with a ratcheting shear which is also sold at Home Depot or Lowes for about $14.00. Usually, you can get a discount on the pipe if you buy 10 or more lengths. One length of the 1 1/4 " should be sufficient for the pockets.
I'm not sure why noone has produced a "jig" for NTRAK. When I built my first module I took a wooden paint stirrer and cut grooves in it that corresponded to where the rails should be. You just slip it over the rails and then slide it along and it keeps the track perfectly spaced. On the opposite side of the stirrer I cut a notch that corresponds to the offset needed to make room for the connecting tracks..........simply butt the end of the notch to the end of the module and cut the track even with the end of the gauge.
Creative use of an eyebolt instead of a carriage bolt for the feet. What diameter bolt: 1/4, 5/16, 3/8"...? And PVC pipe does not need the ends filed as much as steel conduit (if at all) to keep them from slicing someone while handling the legs.
I have some leftover 1/2" copper tube (pipe) that fits through the eyebolt. So any eyebolt larger than 1/2" should work. Otherwise, any wood dowel or steel rod that fits whatever eyebolt one chooses will work. If one uses a length of 30" or more then both eyebolts can be secured and two people can do both legs at the end of a module with no need for someone on the floor.
Eye bolts are spec'd by their thread and overall length, not the diameter of the eye. I did some looking at McMaster-Carr (they have everything mechanical, and list the specs on what they sell) It appears that for bent-eye* eyebolts (the kind you'd prolly find at a local hardware store or home center) up to 3/8" shank diameter, the inside eye diameter is 2x the shank diameter, with some exceptions. Their thread length is not usually as long as the shank, since the shank starts to bend into the eye before the bottom of the eye. So... a 1/4-20 bent-eye eyebolt has an inside eye diameter of 1/2" a 5/16-18 bent-eye eyebolt has an inside eye diameter of 5/8" a 3/8-16 bent-eye eyebolt typically has an inside eye diameter of 3/4". *bent-eye eyebolts have a small gap at the base of the eye, where the eye is not welded/forged closed. Likely more than you ever wanted to know about eyebolts.
Yep, it is. The eyebolt will determine the ultimate height of the module so get one that is long enough. Our modules are topped by 1/4" plywood so that plus the 1/4" height of the track +roadbed must be figured in along with the length of the leg. The eyebolts I use are a total of 4" long with a 3/4" diameter "eye". If a floor is really uneven or can be marred by the eyebolt, we have 3/4" thick 4"X4" wood squares that are placed under the eyebolts. CORRECTION TO EARLIER POST: The PVC legs are 38" long not 37".
I have converted all my modules to 1 1/4 inch dowel legs. They screw in to mount and for leveling you can do it standing up and just reach under and twist one way or the other. I laminate squares of plywood together alternating the bias to make blocks that I tap. I tap the dowel legs as well. Furniture pads on the end of the dowels to glide on the floor. As for connector tracks I fashion expanding tracks modeled on the Kato ones using Atlas re-railer tracks with rail sections that I mill down to slide past each other. I milled "ties" into PC board for a rugged sliding end and even built a few expansion tracks made of all PC board. These are tedious to make but sure make setup and tear down a breeze.
The Capital PenNScalers NTRAK will have a small NTRAK layout in conjunction with the Harrisburg Chapter, NRHS, trainshow, Tomorrow, Saturday, March 8, 9 AM to 3 PM.
Just make sure you wax the wooden internal & external threads liberally. Wax both lubricates the threads and helps reduce moisture changes in the wood (thus swelling/shrinking) in different environments/seasons.
