Everything NTrak

We ran into a few issues with our setup locations and metal tips on our legs. A few of our locations have fancy wood flooring and they don't like anything metal that might scratch the finish. We have a whole box of those plastic cups you put under furniture legs to protect the floors .........MAJOR headache when setting up. I like the furniture pads on the ends of the dowel legs.......but it doesn't help when all your legs have eyebolts on the end.

 

Some pictures from today's Harrisburg NRHS show from the Capital PenNScalers NTRAK layout.

 

So I acquired the transition module set from my club’s modular layout we call the Legacy layout to the modified N-Trak I call 2 Rail N-Trak. There are 4 modules that go together in a set and they will take a one track line and diverge into 2 which is what my set up is all about. They need some repairs and modifications to be what I want, but they were well built and will do a good job for what I want. I didn’t get a picture of the full set… I thought I did, but the pictures are in order.

Here is the module that will link the 2 Rail side of things. I need to remove the switch and extend the tracks to the end of the module.



Next in line. This is where the fun starts. The north most switch goes to the switching puzzles up on the upper level and the southern switch is just a storage or team track.


Here is the rest of the one above. it’s a 90 degree curved module. The turnouts and crossovers can be used to link other modules to these as well.



Next up is a module that fell over a few months ago in the wind. It took some damage, but it’s repairable.




Coming to the end of the road so to speak, the main line comes


And since I’m limited to 10 pictures only, we end the show here with the end of the module set. This is where the set will interface with the Legacy or any other single track input such as one trak or an N-Trak branchline.

 

That is not a problem. WE use a wood "coaster" under our legs for any floors that could be marred by the eyebolts. Since the eyebolts do not turn the "coasters" don't turn either. The coasters are made from 1 x4 pieces of wood and measure 4x4x3/4"

 

Is Ntrak dying? I note the number of Ntrak clubs in the USA that are listed on the nrail.org site is reduced from when I first counted them about two decades ago. The very fact that Ntrak.org website was changed to Nrail.org testifies to the diversification within the N scale community. Maybe we may need to revise some standards so that it is not the same old Ntrak. Maybe get rid of the red line to allow a siding off of the yellow line and/or make the green line permanent? Maybe we need a discussion on this.

 

I don't know whether Ntrak is dying or not, but it moved its primary website under the Nrail.org umbrella (along with T-Trak and Free-mon).

Free-mon still maintains their own standards, etc. info at free-mon.org, with only links there from Nrail.org.

In general, I believe the model railroading hobby is overall, slowly shrinking. So slowly that segments may still be growing. I have read in the MRR editor's column a few years back, that if model railroading is growing anywhere, it is in N scale. Modular model railroading seems to be doing well too, at least for shows and clubs.

Apparently, model railroading is viable enough for TCS to come out with a whole new line of DCC/LCC command stations/boosters/throttles, and Model Rectifier Corp is bringing a new DCC/LCC command station to market. And don't forget the resounding success of DCC EX. Of course DCC growth could just/partially be cannibalizing the DC model railroad market. LCC peripherals are getting more plentiful too.

How much of the LCC growth is cannibalizing existing installations, vs equipping new layouts, with new users, who knows?

 

Maybe it is but don't equate N-Trak to N-Scale. Two different things.

Many N-Trak clubs switch over to T-Trak due to many reasons but basically you don't need a club trailer (along with a big enough car to pull it) to haul around modules.

So if you are seeing the number of N-Trak clubs dwindling on their website, are they just "changing names" and relisted elsewhere? N-Trak switching over to T-Trak doesn't mean N-Scale is dying.

I know my club still says N-Trak in the club name but we have gone 100% T-Trak. Why didn't we change our name from N-Trak to T-Trak? Too much paperwork; incorporation, IRS 501(c)(3), insurance, bank account, etc.

 

In addition to transport advantages, availability of a variety of module bases/kits in T-Trak may also play a role.

Laser- and/or CNC-cutting makes it cost-effective to produce and ship easy-to-assemble T-Trak module base kits, in a variety of configurations, to users that lack woodworking tools and/or skills.

 

The N rail website lists the number of clubs in the U.S. (and elsewhere in the world). It also lists what kind of set up these clubs have, be it Ntrak, Ttrak, Freemon or other. There has been a large increase in Ttrak to be sure but there has been a corresponding decline of Ntrak clubs. I think Ntrak becoming Nrail was partly an attempt to be a sort of umbrella organization for N scale while also maintaining its relevance in the face of the decline of Ntrak. Ntrak is over fifty years old at present and in that time there has been only two major changes adopted. They being using the Powerpole connectors rather than the Cinch Jones plugs and the use of Kato expanding track for joiner tracks. I don't regard the upgrade recommendation for buss wiring to be a major change as older smaller gauge wiring was more or less grandfathered in. So, is it time to revisit the Ntrak standards and make changes that will make it more appealing to future modelers? I think it is.

Comments about the portability of Ntrak modules and the need for a trailer to haul them have been made. Yet back in 1973 the basic idea of the Ntrak module was that it could be loaded in the back seat of a car and transported to a venue. That hasn't changed. I drive a compact car and can still get a four-foot corner in my car and folding the front and rear passenger seats down I can haul a six-foot straight module. Having a trailer just makes it easier and ensures that a complete layout arrives at the venue so that you don't have to worry if you will have four corners or only three. But there are areas in Ntrak that, in my opinion, need to be addressed. The primary one is the time it takes to set up the layout. It takes us a minimum of four times the amount of time to set up as it does to take down the layout. Usually, depending on the number of members present we can take down a layout in about one hour. Set up takes longer as it is usually started on a Friday afternoon and finished on the following morning. Again, this depends on the number of members present and the time allotted for setup. For local shows this could be characterized as an inconvenience but for out of state shows or those outside the local area this means an extra day and expense for lodging. We need a discussion therefore on what can be done to lessen the time for set up. We can start by identifying those activities that consume the most time. Certainly, adding the joiner tracks is the primary time consumer here. The Kato expanding track is not the game changer here as it still requires twelve rail joiners at each module joint. It saves a minimum of time at best. For our club getting all of the layout parts (modules and all associated accessories) from the parking lot to the setup space in the venue requires multiple time consuming trips. Then the task of setting up the modules and leveling them begins. Reducing all this from the three-four hours (or more) that it currently takes to maybe 1.5-2 hours is doable in my opinion but it will require some work. The good news is that the work is done just once and the benefits are reaped with every set up.

Regarding Ttrak, I make no bones about the fact that I am not a fan of either HCD layouts or Ttrak. Ttrak is, in my opinion, just a fancy set track layout with its inherent sharp curves and minimalist scenery. Ttrak benefits from using tables provided by the venue. But I have heard rumors that some venues may start to charge for tables as they do for venders. We bring our own table and sometimes the venue will provide one. If Ttrak had to bring their own tables or pay to use the venue's tables, then that would obviously have an impact. I'm not worried about it as I have no dog in that fight.

 

In my club we have 3 modular layouts. Our main layout is a rather large portable layout that is very detailed, heavy and a crowd favorite. Then we have our NTrak layout, which currently is held hostage by the participation of one member which I am working on trying to fix. And then we have T-Trak which is the fastest growing segment in our club. I use T-Trak mainly as a recruiting tool. When we get potential new members they are honestly intimidated by our Legacy layout because of it's size as well as it's detail. NTrak is also large and can be intimidating, tho less so than the Legacy. This is where I put T-Trak, they are small, easy to build and transport and they can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. We dont limit new members on running on one layout of the other, they can run trains on any or all of them. Getting a new member to build a small module is much easier than the commitment of an NTrak module and it gets people interested in the concept of modular railroading. I have adopted several Ntrak modules and I am going to be restoring these to a working status once again. Right now I lack space to work on them which is making it very difficult as my shop is an open car port.

I dont think NTrak is dead but I do think it's outdated, and honestly I do not like having the 4 main lines. I understand it is there to get more trains running but honestly it is too much track for too little of a space. Real railroads rarely have more than 2 main lines, so I am making my modules a 2 main line setup with the blue being a true branchline and by my own rules the blue doesn't transverse completely through a module unless it's part of a set, and must reconnect to the mainlines or simply end before the set ends. I call my system 2-Trak Within my club it will be either a branch off our Legacy or off the current Ntrak layout. It can also be a stand alone setup when the regular N-Trak can't make it, or when we just want a second layout. Being on the same format as current Ntrak the setup and wiring are the same, I even have the blue and green wiring passing through my modules just in case they are in the middle of a normal NTrak setup so they remain compatible. With my system we also keep the engineers operating their trains engaged with the trains. With a reverse loop configuration we are all essentially on the same tracks all the time. So you will need to pay attention to your train as it will be always following another train. This prevents operators from setting and forgetting, which I see often in modular layouts. Personally if I have a train on the rails I am at the layout with said train. On the T-Trak I do sometimes work on other things as my train is going around in circles, but I am always there with it or if I do have to leave I had my throttle to another member or park in the yard or a siding. The set and forget is something I am also trying to eliminate from show layouts. So This is my take on the whole thing. I dont think I will start an NTrak revolution here, but I have gotten quite a few members of my club interested in seeing what I am building. Oh and the modules I posted above are going to be the transition modules between the layouts.

 

The club I belong to started with N-Trak. Then built a hollow core door layout for swaps that are only one day. Then got T-Trak also for swaps. Then have set up some One-Trak. We still have all. We will be setting up N-Trak at Ohio N Scale Weekend next month. Like the Door layout for short shows for setup and teardown time. T-Trak has problems with some equipment because curves. Like N-Trak for broad curves that let you run anything.

 

I think N-Trak is shrinking rather than dying. When N-Trak started it was the only N scale modular game in town. Now there are a number of alternatives. T-Trak works best for me and I’m sure there are plenty of others who prefer another modular system for their own reasons. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with N-Trak, it’s just not right for everyone.

 

You can use wide corners on T-Trak to get wider curves than the standard.

 

So here’s my clubs Ntrak layout. It’s not much… I’m going to try and grow it this summer by building my own new modules. But for now here’s what we got.




And of course the Kidd Junction is here too.

 

Where I live nTrak is alive and well! Heck, it's even growing. We Picked up 5 new members this last year, and none of them were eligible for
AARP. We're investing in the future by building new, fresh modules. If I had to start over it would be FreeMoN. I'm going to dabble in that a little. It is what nTrak evolved to.
I Like to think that when I'm gone, the modules that I've built will live on for a long time,
Ken, When you coming over to run some trains?

Greg O.

 

Looks great Russel! Have fun!

 

Hi Greg, I know N-Trak is alive and well with you, I’m one of the 5 new members. I’m even building one of the buildings for the new station modules!