I will get back to it, the hold up was/is that I am considering making the two sides identical scenes, one side summer, and the other winter. I have puchased all the needed double buildings and such, and laid all the track, I'm just not sure how I want to handle some issues. 1. the winter side; snow light dusting, newly fallen "xmas card" snow, heavy packed old "dirty" snow, some where in between, or none at all. 2. scene divider/terminators skyboard handles front back, but I am playing with a couple different plans for the end/corner modules to not only divide the scenes, look good on their own, able to handle future expansion, and be able to it twice.
I took a few videos on the Day. They were taken on my phone, so the quality is poor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwXVqoV51ls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Numq4bbI2uY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAZYoIdfuc4 PK posted about a dozen videos that are much better quality. http://www.youtube.com/user/AlcoRS45#g/u Peter Akers.
Peter, thanks! for sharing. How many cars were in that tank car unit train and what loco was on the front? That was impressive.
For those reading, who might have missed it earlier, billmtx has set up a TrainBoard T-Trak Group. Hope all you folks will join! http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/group.php?groupid=95 Boxcab E50
Bill, thanks for the comments. I actually had a table at the show so I didn't have much time to roam around. (did manage to spend some money though...funny how that works!) I'll miss Plano this year but hopefully I will catch up with you guys at some point...I might actually make it to OKC.
I am very impressed with the T-trak modules as well, although the big SD-s look like they got a bit of the accordian effect going through the crossover. I have been seriously thinking about how to get into T-trak. I do not believe that there is a club in my area yet, but the concept is very attractive: much more compact, and easy to manage the N-trak, although maybe with a little less room for big and impressive scenery.
The problem we keep running up against with the N-trak modules is that they get to be unwieldy to move and handle. Most of us don't drive giant cars anymore, and almost nobody in our club owns a pickup or van that can pull the trailer. Our membership is getting older, and with the slate of back problems and bad knees in the club it can be very exhausting just to get set up for a show. Some of us have been looking at T-Trak as a way to keep it portable and modular but make it a little easier on us physically. Those with physical limitation have a much easier time slinging a T-Trak module, even a triple length one, and those without physical limitations don't get totally worn out and exhausted scurrying around on our knees beneath the modules.
Therefore, our club has switched from Ntrak to oNetrak. I started with the first module, and then everyone saw the advantages of the smaller and thus better portable modules. Nowadays, we do not have any real Ntrak modules anymore. But our knees and backs are still suffering...
From toting modules? Standing long hours? Or both. I am unable to stand for any lengths of time any more, which is one solid reason why I went with T-Trak. Boxcab E50
Carrying 3 modules out of the car, setting them up, connecting the wires, and then standing three days at the exhibition. And afterwards, the same tasks but then backwards...... At one show this year, we had a layout in the shape of a circle. All our stuff was in the middle, so we had to crawl under the modules to reach our stuff... My poor back and knees...
Yes. Been there, done that many times. We always were set up in a circle with our NTrak. The middle pit was nice for a break area. One member built a great bridge module, which was easier for ducking under. But it was still.... Boxcab E50
Exactly the reasons our club went to T-TRAK, all of us are thirty years older than we were when we got into N-TRAK. A side affect is being able to set up a layout of similar size in a fraction of the time compared to N-TRAK.
At the 2009 running day my brother and I had 55 Micro-Trains hoppers running so long trains are a possibility on T-TRAK.
T-Trak Sites None of the information found in this forum would be complete without reference to all of the T-Trak resources avialable on line. Some of the major sites have been listed, and I reccommend all of you take a look at those. Don't overlook the Unofficial T-Trak handbook at - http://t-trak.cincy.home.insightbb.com/ For the most complete and thorough discussion of T-Trak trends and developments, I reccomend you join the on-line T-Trak group on Yahoo. The T-Trak List home is at http://www.trainweb.org/ttraklist Over 500 members and 4800 messages can't be wrong. Some T-Trak club websites you may want to peruse - www.nvnttrak.org/ttrak www.trainweb.org/ntxttrak www.trainweb.org/stlttrak http://ttrak.colorcountrytrains.org/ http://www.santrak.org/ All this presented in the spirit full disclosure. Mike
There is also the Australian T-TRAK Yahoo group. Australian_T-TRAK : Australian T-TRAK You don't have to be Australian, we let anyone in.
Reminds me of the Woody Allen line: "I would never join a club that would allow me as a member." or, from Groucho Marx: "I outta join a club and beat you over the head with it" LOL I'm tempted to look for a local T-Trak group. I was in a N-Trak group for a while, but as said earlier, carrying around a corner module in a small car isn't fun.
Wish there was someone else in my area. But I'm alone as to T-Trak, amongst a few N scalers...... In a sea of ho-ho-ho scalers. Boxcab E50
