I have made a end module for the ZoCal group. We needed it for running multiple trains, DC on the outside and DCC the inside tracks. The 3rd and 6th tracks (from the inside out) are the main lines. In the picture below we were parking all the trains on the module for the first night of the San Diego (Del Mar) GTE train show. There are two Surfliners and one Coaster parked on the DCC side. I blocked the sidings so that the DC trains can be staged/assembled off the main. If you are doing an exhibit for the public, you need a staging area to assemble trains, but a straight yard takes up too much space. We can (and have) run 50+ car trains and can park them on the module. It is six feet long and three feet wide. It has been to the Ventura and Del Mar GTE shows. Next will be Anaheim and Sacto GTE shows. Scenery will come along... soon. I had to make the intermodal yard to show off the lighted Mi-Jack. DC pack on the corner.
All MTL switches and flex track. Tortoise machines controlled by Digitrax DS-54 controllers. Switch buttons are also mounted on the edges and the control panel for the blocking is in a drawer on the end of the module. When DCC is being used, the switches on the panel are bypassed - no blocking needed.
Nice work David! Since Jeff also has an end module like yours, I can say it really is a lifesaver module! We also setup 50 car trains on the one end module, and the trains are often 12 feet long!
Good job there David. I see you got another pair of tracks inside for 6 compared to my 4 so you can stage a lot more. We ran into some limitations with the 2 pairs on mine as we can only stage 2 trains on the inner pair while others run on the outer pair. Looks like you are about as far along on the scenery as I am .
Thanks Jeff and Robert. Looking forward to seeing you guys at Sacto GTE. With the two end modules on opposite ends of the layout, we can change trains more often. Great!
