Modular Tables!.

Operater Jan 27, 2014

  1. Operater

    Operater TrainBoard Member

    117
    0
    20
    Hi Group,

    Here are Some Interesting Questions.
    How Long or Wide Should a Modular Table B, Now That There are More Items on the Market for N Scale?.
    I Remember Years Back When "George Gensen" Brought Up the Topic in "N Scale Magazine" on a 10th Anniversary Issue.
    At the Time it Was Suggested a Width of 750 MM from the 600 MM Width. I Like the Ideas of a 750 MM Wide Modular for
    Items Like Yards, Switching and Industrial Sites.
    With Containers, the so Called 53' are 100 MM Long and the 40' are 90 MM Long, and the Container Fork Lifts are What?, 120 MM Long.
    I Looked at Various Car Lengths as Follows -

    Kato 5 Packs 520 MM
    Kato 3 Packs 410 M,
    MT Container 185 MM
    BLMA Trailer Car 180 MM
    Auto Racks 180 MM
    Auto Box Cars 185 MM
    Various Related Cars 175 to 185 MM

    The Length of the Average Ntrak Modular Table is 1.25 Metres. If One Goes With Say 2 Metres in Length it Gives Some Room
    for Longer Rolling Stock Without Bumping into the Next Modular Table.
    This is Good for Either Free Mo or Ntrak Modular Tables.
    B Interested to Here from Others. Think George Jensen Had Some Good Ideas Years Back.


     
  2. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

    22,210
    49,630
    253
    If you are not going to build it to a standard like N-Trak to be able to hook up with other folks and just want something for your personal use, you can go with whatever works for you. Many folks like to build a modular layout because it would be easy to break apart and move if you had to. I would do a rough layout plan to get all the dimensions and then divide it up into convenient size modules. What works for one person may not be ideal for another.
     
  3. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

    1,367
    128
    30
    Also being they are modules, don't build them larger than what you can carry, or what your vehicle can haul.

    Also for NTrak, modules are built to a 2x4ft standards. As for having rolling stock/tracks but up against another module, you can build more than one module as a set. Some clubs set rules saying no more than X number of modules as a set, due to not wanting one member to hog a layout setup or the modular set being too long for a particular setup.
     
  4. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,560
    22,735
    653
    I haven't looked at their standards lately. There used to be thirty inch versions, for NCat, set up tracks, etc. Are those options now gone?
     
  5. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

    2,879
    7,585
    71
    Nominal module size is 2' x 4', with optional lengths of 6' or 8', and the optional addition of 6" to the front and/or rear of the module. The NCat tracks, located 2" behind the 3 main tracks and 2" in from the rear edge, would both fit within a standard 2' depth module.
     
  6. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,560
    22,735
    653
    This is what I was remembering. Back when I was active, I had a four foot with mountain track, 24 inch width. A six foot with mountain and setup track, 24 inch width. ( I still have the six footer base, all stripped down for rebuild.) And an eight foot, NCat equipped, 30 inch width. This latter module also had bolt-on ends to make it a stand alone layout.

    On mine, the NCat were in front of the outer main. And the added six inches were to accommodate that track. This shows clearly in an old photo.
     
  7. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

    2,879
    7,585
    71
    As far as tracks in front of the standard two mains and the branch, the manual mentions either an extra standard gauge track or an Nn3 track 2" in front of and below the red main. Other locations for Nn3 tracks are just behind the branch and/or just in front of and slightly below the mountain div.

    Of course, once you've got the two main and one branch lines, everything else can be considered optional. Aside from in photos, I can't recall ever seeing a module with either NCat or Nn3 tracks.
    The most common additions seem to be the mountain div. followed by the extra front (orange) track.
     
  8. Team DTO

    Team DTO TrainBoard Member

    27
    0
    13
    I agree with most of the replies above. If you plan to join a club, stick with the popular standards, if you just want easy expandability and transporting to a new location, just build modules to fit your available space and track plan.
     
  9. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,560
    22,735
    653
    NCat was never that wide spread, unfortunately. There were a few of us in the Pacific NW US and BC, Hal Reigger and a few others in California, a few in the mid-west, and a few on the east coast. Tom Savage emerged as a lead in this for a while. After John "Corky" Whitlock quit publishing NCat News, the whole thing faded away.

    I've found a poor quality photo of my module, taken with my wife's old little camera, from almost 35 years ago. Will attach a scan. After I built mine, Kirk Reddie built one of same size and we'd have them back to back at shows.
     

    Attached Files:

  10. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

    4,325
    1,424
    77
    While the 2 X 4 foot module is the universal size module for Ntrak it should not be interpreted as a maximum size. This size was easily carried in the back seat of a car in the 1970's when Ntrak was developed and thus the popular size. From my experience a module 2' X 6' should be about maximum size. It would allow easy portability as it can be easily maneuvered around corners, up/down stairs and through doorways. It also provides economy in materials [versus something wider than 2 feet]. Light weight building techniques will keep the weight down so one person coud handle it but probably better with two people.
     
  11. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,560
    22,735
    653
    I agree. The only reason I built that way oversized eight foot by thirty incher, was having a very specific scene with catenary in mind. It also served as a mini-layout, as there were a pair of clamp of ends which connected the two NCat lines. But it was cumbersome. It went to many shows in that area, but was always a bit of a pain to transport.
     
  12. HydroSqueegee

    HydroSqueegee TrainBoard Member

    96
    1
    14
  13. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

    5,685
    2,780
    98
    and, for FreeMo-N, the end plates can range from 12" to 24" (30.5cm to 71 cm). We typically use 18" (45cm) though a lot of modules are 24" (71cm). A lot of our small 45-degree corners are the 12" end plates. As to length, whatever is convenient to carry and fit in your car (FreeMo-N rule #1: if you can't get it to the show, it doesn't exist).

    And, a "module" does not have to be a single section. My station module is 3 sections, so is ~12 ft (~4.25m) (approximate since each section is also a 15 degree curve). Only the two ends must meet the FreeMo-N standard.
     

Share This Page