Page 1. TRAK Modular Railroading Society, Inc. N E W S L E T T E R. March / April 2006

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1 March / April 2006 Edited by Jim FitzGerald and Lee Monaco-FitzGerald TRAK Modular Railroading Society, Inc. N E W S L E T T E R NTRAK Website: On page one of the last issue, I talked about modeling a western desert scene. This time we have an industrial scene. This is part of a module set that was in the big 2004 layout at Chantilly, VA. It was built by Mark Bandy of the Baltimore Area NTRAK club. Mark s model of a chemical plant complex takes advantage of a number of buildings with similar window and placement styles. Using a Company Color paint scheme helps tie the complex together. Additional buildings of different styles indicate the plant expansion over the years. Conveyors, storage tanks and piping add to the busy nature of the plant as do the stacks of pallets. Carefully worked out sidings let your railroad earn it s revenue and prosper. It can also create some interesting switching moves. Fencing, autos and trucks are used to complete the look of the plant. Page 1

2 Results of 1st Class Mail Delivery Thanks to the 12% of our USA members who took the time to report on the delivery of their copy of the January/February 2006 Newsletter. After the big delays in the delivery of the previous two issues, I felt it was time to test how 1st class mail would work out. It is more costly, but seems to be worth the extra cost. We will continue to use it. The J/F issue went into the mail system late on Wednesday (1/6/06), so would have gone to the Santa Barbara Regional Center (120 miles) on Thursday morning. The first reports came from Virginia on Saturday, before my test copy was received after lunch on Saturday (3 hour time difference.) The majority of reports are for Saturday and Monday. Jan 7 =25 reports Jan 9 = 60 reports Jan 10 = 17 reports Jan 11 = 8 reports Jan 12 to 18 = 5 reports Club Module Trailer Theft The Central Ohio N-Trak club in Columbus lost their trailer and 17 NTRAK modules in mid January. It was taken from the parking lot of an office building. They hold their club meetings in the basement of that building. They had a security device in the trailer hitch socket and a lock to hold it closed. A witness said that the two thieves simply chained the tongue to their vehicle and hauled it away. Police feel that they were after tools that contractors often store in such unmarked trailers. They had kept the trailer at the meeting location so it would be available when they needed to work on the modules. They plan to get another trailer, but keep it in a secure lot where boats. RVs and travel trailers are stored. For additional information and photos of the missing modules, contact: "Craig Sonnen" <casonnen@wowway.com> Phone (614) Special Sale! Our year end inventory showed that we still have some of the beautiful 30th Anniversary containers. We are now offering them at $14.00 per pair, including postage. See page 22. NTRAK, Inc Officers General questions and Newsletter material. Jim FitzGerald, NTRAK President, Editor Lee Monaco-FitzGerald Corporate Secretary, Editor 1150 Wine Country Place Templeton, CA Phone & Fax ntrak@tcsn.net Next Issue Deadline: April 1st Page 2 Hal Riegger Hal Riegger died in December His health had been declining for several years. Hal had a module in all of the early NTRAK layouts. He did much of the work to develop N scale live catenary operation and the N-CAT system, that adapted it to modular railroading. Hal will be missed by his many model railroad friends. Renewals and orders Business Manager, John Cook Brawner Dr Montclair, VA jcook@nvntrak.org Web Master, Bill Rutherford worj@comcast.net Web site: Deadline for Coming Events & other material is the 1st of the month before publication. (Feb 1st, Apr 1st June 1st, Aug 1st, Oct 1st, and Dec 1st.)

3 New From Micro-Trains A new car load is included with the Seaboard 50 double door boxcar # The side that shows in the other door is a different arrangement of wooden crates. The boxcar red, with white lettering, car is and $ The Florida state car is #33 in the 50 car series. It features the mocking bird and orange blossoms with the state flag. MT# Is $ The Rock Island blue two bay covered hopper has white lettering and the black & white Rock logo. The car has round roof hatches and roller bearing trucks. MT # is $ The Illinois Central 50 plugdoor car has no roofwalk and is orange with black lettering and the black & white logo. MT# is IC and $ Page 3

4 Kato s Santa Fe Super Chief Introduced in 1935, the all First Class train made the Chicago to Los Angeles run in 39 hours and 45 minutes. It was the glamor train of the era. The Kato model is now available and sold in three different four car sets. Set A has the beautiful observation car, the diner, a dome car and a sleeper. With these and one of the War Bonnet F7A engines you can get a taste of the famous train. Set B adds the baggage car, Post Office car, dorm/lounge and another sleeper. Set C adds four more sleeper cars. All sleeper cars have diffeent names. Pull them with an A-B- B-A lash-up of F7 engines and your full Super Chief will be ready to roll. The four car sets are $100 each and the F7s are $85 each. Craig Barrow reports that he has been busy painting the interior of the cars, adding people and installing the LED lighting kits. He also used a tip from a long ago Newsletter and added Z scale figures to the dome area. They fit much better than N figures. New Run of Atlas MP15DC Switchers Features include separately-applied roof detail, painted safety rails, dual flywheels, directional lighting, blackened metal wheels, Scale Speed motor, factory-installed AccuMate magnetic knuckle couplers, many different railroad-specific details and separately-applied coupler cut levers. Engines being offered include undecorated with the long hood or the addition of the square filter box. The decorated versions have the style used by the prototype plus correct sand boxes. Roads being offered include: Belt Railway of Chicago (Black/Gray/Yellow) and the Belt Railway of Chicago (Red/White/Blue) paint scheme, shown above. Page 4 Two road numbers and one no road number for Conrail (Blue/White), Frisco (Red/White), Louisville & Nashville (Gray/Yellow), Missouri Pacific (Blue/White "Eagle"), Union Pacific (UPY) (Yellow/Gray/Red) and Union Railroad (Blue/White). Delivery is expected in June 2006, $99.95 or $ with decoder. Expected later this year will be N scale items in the Atlas Trainman series of lower priced models. You will find more cast on details and fewer variations in road numbers and railroad specific detailing. We will have more information, as the models become available.

5 The Capital PenNScalers N-TRAK located in South Central Pennsylvania, setup at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania on December 10th and 17th, 2005 during the Museum's Home for the Holidays program. The club formed in the summer of 2004 and this was one of their first set ups for the public. Pictured left to right are: Dale Rider, Mark Friend, Ron Heiser, Ashlee Heiser, and Dwight Varnes. The three modules in the photo were constructed by Mark Friend. In the foreground, to the right, is a bit of the the club's 3 foot reversible corner, scenicked by Ron and Ashlee Heiser. In the center are two modules by Dwight Varnes, showing an industrial spur going past industries and then hidden behind trees. Below is another view of the Industrial spur. Photos by Mark Friend. Two by Mark Friend, a four foot corner module and a four foot straight that is part of an engine facility scene based on the the one on page 3-3 of the N-TRAK How to book Page 5

6 Thar s Gold in them thar locos Fitting DCC decoders into N and Nn3 locos has always been a challenge, but the task got a lot easier with the introduction of the Lenz Gold Mini decoder. Lenz "Gold Mini" decoder with "silent" BEMF. Measuring just x.11, the decoder fits within all tenders, and within the cab footprint of almost all Nn3 locomotives currently available. In Photo 2, the decoder has been glued to the top of the Marklin motor in a ten-wheeler using silicone sealant, while in Photo 3, the decoder is fitted horizontally inside the saddle tank boiler of an Aspen 0-6-0, directly above the brush assembly. Although members of The Nn3 Alliance have experimented with DCC for several years (including operating with DCC at the National Narrow Gauge Convention in Salt Lake City in 2001) this new decoder provided the impetus for our local northern California group to go all DCC. This was not a cold turkey transition, nor did it occur without a lot of individual experimentation. Using DCC in Nn3 requires some adaptation not required for N standard gauge. Most Nn3 locomotives are based on chassis and motors from Marklin s Mini-Club Z-scale range. These motors are rated at a maximum voltage of 10 VDC, and the five pole variants have very fine armature windings which quickly turn to smoke if this voltage is exceeded. Also, many Nn3 modelers are utilizing even smaller motors with ratings of 3 VDC and 5 VDC. (Photo 4.) Photo 2. Lenz decoder fitted into Aspen , with operating "oil" lamps. Photo 3. Page 6 Photo 4 The DCC-equipped unpainted brass rail bus in the middle of this scene is powered by a small 5 VDC motor. Not being convinced the advantages of DCC were worth the effort or expense, I acquired an inexpensive Atlas Master DCC system to experiment with. This is an entry-level system built by Lenz of Germany the manufacturers of the smallest DCC decoders. While the proper Lenz LZV100 command station can be programmed to limit the voltage, the Master command station requires external intervention. Atlas describes an assembly of rectifiers on their web site, as shown in Figure 1. Even with this assembly of rectifiers fitted

7 made a portable version of the Atlas rectifier voltage-reducing-thingy to use on the output side of the command station (Photo 6.) I use this in conjunction with a 12 VAC wallwart. Figure 1 to the output of the Master command station, my Marklin-motored Nn3 locomotives would still run uncomfortably hot. The Atlas Master system comes with a power supply supposedly outputting VAC, but which actually puts out as much as 22 VAC. I experimented with different input power sources, and found that a 12V AC 3.3A power supply in combination with the Atlas bridge rectifier matrix on the output allowed me to run the Marklin locos for very long periods (several hours continuously) without getting more than slightly warm to the touch. I modified my Master incorporating the rectifiers internally, and adding a socket for the wall-wart 12 VAC power supply. (Photo 5.) (I also added Photo 6 The author's Lenz LZV100 with 12 VAC 3.3A power supply and voltagereducing-thingy dongle. The "voltagereducing-thingy" is really a 35 mm film canister enclosing a matrix of rectifiers as diagrammed on the Atlas web site. Photo 5. "Nn3 friendly" modified Atlas "Master" command station. an on-off switch and a selector switch to switch between running and programming.) After finally convincing myself that DCC was the way to go, I purchased a Lenz Set 100 from Tom Van Horn s Tom s Trackside Trains shop in Burlingame. Even though the Lenz command station can be programmed to limit output to 11 VDC, I Photo 8 Xpress-net sub-panels mount at various locations around the layout. Other more technically experienced members of the group had meanwhile ventured into DCC experimentation as well, and after a couple of years of individual experimentation we began fitting out our modular Nn3 layout to allow a transition to Nn3 operations. In the November-December 2005 issue, I described Page 7

8 Photo 9 CVP Products wireless base station. the power distribution center designed and built by Bruce Hunt which serves as the central hub for both DC and DCC control of our layout. While we had sporadically operated using DCC at train shows over the past year, we determined to go all DCC at this year s first train show, in January, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, as shown in the accompanying photos. All being adult males, we of course jumped right in hooking up all sorts of throttles (including a CVP Products wireless throttle, several Lenz XPA telephone throttles, and two Lenz LH100 throttles) without reading the instructions. Nothing worked. With the public bearing down on us, we switched over Photo 10 Lenz XPA devices (small white device) converts inexpensive cordless telephone to a wireless throttle. to DC to get trains running and keep them happy. Reading the instruction book over Margaritas at Chevy s, we realized our error, and were able to run DCC all day Sunday, with at least two continuously running trains and orchestrated meets-and-passes. To sum-up: [Gold Mini] + [reduced AC input] + [voltage-reducing-thingy output] = Nn3 DCC Photo 11 No, we are not loading cattle on the passenger cars - the passenger train has taken the siding for a passing train heading the opposite direction. Not typical, but then this is the narrow gauge! Photo 12 Gary Orkin pilots author's ten-wheeler with two narrow-gauged MDC Overton passenger cars using CVP throttle across Joe DuVivier's Jughandle Trestle. All photos for this article by Tom Knapp Page 8

9 NMRA National Train Show Philadelphia July 7-9, 2006 We are eagerly awaiting to hear from all our friends in the NTRAK world. Philadelphia during Fourth of July week is a fantastic place to be. There are free fireworks, concerts, and all kinds of activities the entire week. One needn't even step inside the convention hall to have a good time. We have neat museums, and a lot of really good restaurants, most in walking distance from the show. There are local layouts to see, as well. Hopefully, Rick Spano can be prevailed upon to open his one night, and Paul Miller has a real beauty under construction in his basement. Mine is open for the duration of the show, and has a lot of new operational features and scenery. We have found plenty of easily accessible hotels, a parking lot that only charges $11 per day (a short train ride from the convention), and we hope to have an N-Scale breakfast if enough people are interested. NTRAK has always been the hit of the NTS since 1974, and we would like to continue that tradition. While we won't have a world record, we can certainly serve up a beautiful layout with lots of trains. Come join the fun at Independence Junction! If you have a module in the layout, you will be given a free Exhibitor Pass which lets you into the exhibit hall with the layouts, manufacturer s booths and dealer sales. The pass will not allow you to attend NMRA clinics or other activities. You need to register your module with: Terry Smith <mongo3@verizon.net Check the DARN club web site for the Module Registration form and more information. Module Registration will be cut off in May and the list of owners submitted to the NMRA for the Exhibitor Passes. The balance of the layout will be filled with local modules from Philadelphia NTRAK, Jersey Southern NTRAK and DARN NTRAK. Denver N Scale Convention August 8-13, 2006 Come to Colorado, August 8 through 13, 2006 for the National N Scale Convention sponsored by the Denver Area N Scale Club and the N Scale Collectors. The convention will be held at the Denver Radisson Hotel, I- 225 and Parker Road in Aurora, Colorado. Many events are planned including tours of Burnham Shops, the Colorado Railroad Museum, Cheyenne Roundhouse and yard, Georgetown Narrow Gauge Railroad, and Intermountain. A number of home layouts will be on tour including Mike Danneman s home layout of the Moffat tunnel route, Pat Lana's fine CRANDIC featuring operation with signals, John Widmar's layout with it spectacular suspension bridge you walk under, and Kent Charles' home layout built with NTRAK modules with long prototypical length coal trains. At the show, clinics will be presented by nationally known N scale modelers. Several model and photo contests will be conducted. There will be the normal N Scale Collector events including the Auction, Swaparama and banquet. There will be space for 555 linear feet of NTRAK modules in the layout being planned. If you want to enter your module(s) in the layout contact Dave Porter, 8695 N. Silo Road, Parker, Co., , davidporter_colorado@yahoo.com. With your contact information include your name, address, phone, if you have one, number, length, and type of module(s), and describe your module(s). You can register for the convention at: Convention Registration, N Scale Collector, 4208 Grand Ave., Everett Wa , or through the following web site nscalecollector.com. For further information go to the following web sites denvernscale.org or nscalecollector.com or at nscale2006@aol.com or daugh@comcast.net Page 9

10 10th Annual Southern Plains N-Scale Convention Early December in Oklahoma City has become the time for an N scale regional convention. Dec 1 to 4, 2005 saw members of Austin N Trak. CentraMod Temple, Denver N Trak, NEONS, Northwest NTrak, Rio Grande Valley NTRAK/T-trak, Tex-N and the host club, Oklahoma N Rail gather for the 10th Annual Southern Plains N-Scale Convention, Thursday started off with a tour of a Santa Fe tower and yard work shops. After lunch there were clinics by Pat Lana, George Hollwedel and Kent Charles. Friday was set-up day for the 7 club, plus some individual modules, in the big joint NTRAK layout. The layout was part of a large weekend train show put on by another train group. There was a banquet Saturday evening with speaker Even Stair of the Oklahoma Rail Passenger Assoc. Many door prizes were distributed during the evening. Overall photo of the joint layout. Below is the NEONs module set depicting Tulsa Union Station. Adding the historical material is great idea. Page 10

11 The NEON's yard is comprised of two 8-footers, a 4-foot corner another 8 footer straight and a 6 foot straight. The yard trackage is isolated from the 3 mainlines, and is run by DCC (Digitrax). This allows for people to switch the yard with DCC. The through mainlines can be run on DC or DCC. All photos submitted by Bruce Alcock. Page 11

12 NTRAK Junctions A Common Approach Doug Stuard, NVNTRAK As NTRAK modular railroading gained more and more enthusiasts, layouts at major meets got larger and larger. It soon became apparent that the traditional oval configuration, no matter how squeezed and contorted, was fast becoming a limitation. To answer this challenge, enterprising NTRAKers developed the Junction Module, an adaptation of the traditional outside corner module that permitted multiple loops to be strung together along a spine, with the outermost tracks linked together into a single track line that encircled the entire layout. Thus was born the Red Line Route (RLR). Such junction modules have played a key role in the large layouts at Alexandria in 1996, Edison (2000) and Chantilly (2004), among others. While individual junction designs displayed the creativity typical of NTRAKers, that very creativity exposed issues of a more practical nature. Since junctions had never been envisioned in the original NTRAK standards, configurations and wiring varied widely, frequently resulting in confusion during setup. This was most evident at multi-club shows and when the module owner was not available to explain how his particular junction was configured. This was a common theme at the Chantilly convention, and although perseverance paid off, it was felt that there had to be a better way. In the after action analysis, it was felt that it would be worthwhile to develop recommendations for junction configurations and wiring that would 1) make design and setup of multiloop layouts easier and more intuitive, and 2) provide additional flexibility in configuration and layout operation. In thinking about it, it also was noted that when clubs had a pair of junction modules, they would often place them both in their loop (possibly due to a common scenic theme ), without considering how the junction module in the next loop down the spine was set up. This made effective use of the yellow line as a passing track problematical. Three Objectives In approaching the problem, three objectives we kept in mind: 1) The basic junction design should be full-featured. This would provide maximum Page 12 flexibility in the design and setup of multiloop layouts. It would also promote more efficient use of the yellow line to add operational interest. 2) Variations on the basic junction design would be by subtracting features rather than adding them. This would ensure that nothing new would have to be learned when setting up an unfamiliar junction module. 3) Electrical design would be common for all junction configurations. Standard nomenclature and wiring schemes would be used The Basic Junction Although there are perhaps as many possible designs as there are junctions, it was felt that using a standard outside corner as a foundation, with connection to the spine off of the red line in both directions was a good (and well proven) approach. Most junctions today are variations on this theme, with the differences being primarily in the connection to the three spine tracks and how the wiring is done. To meet the first objective above, a full junction topology is proposed which can provide connection to the spine yellow line from either direction on the loop, as shown below. The RLR would use the spine blue and red tracks, with the spine yellow line being available for use as a passing siding from either red or blue, or as a reversing section for a wye or reverse loop configuration. Options by Subtraction The second objective, Options by Subtraction is satisfied by leaving one or more of the yellow line connections out as shown below left. The red line corner (loop) track could also be left out if a RLR only junction were desired (top next page). In all cases, private trackage can be added to the junction module so long as it does not interfere with the basic junction topology. Yellow Line for Flexibility By providing yellow line access from each end of a spine section, passing sidings can be

13 easily implemented to add operational interest. Alternating sidings between the front (red) spine track and rear (blue) spine track give the layout designer additional flexibility in accommodating meets and passes around the RLR. Electrical Configuration OK, now we have a common track configuration, and one that would (hopefully) be familiar to and understood by all. But what about the wiring? We have all seen what happens under the surface, and are often reluctant to go into the innards of an unfamiliar module, and rightly so. Unless a wiring diagram is clearly posted (and hasn t been ripped, torn, scribbled on or scraped off over many setups), the best course of action is often to look for the module owner s phone number! Last minute panics such as this can be reduced (note, panics are NEVER eliminated!) by employing standard electrical configuration and nomenclature such that if you have set up one junction, you can set up any junction. This would be analogous to driving an unfamiliar car. They all have steering wheels, gas pedals and brakes with common functions and in familiar places. To achieve this, we need to do two things: 1) Employ NTRAK standard bus connections at all three junction interfaces (either Cinch Jones or Powerpole), and 2) Use common connections and terminology to set up electrical connections through the junction. NTRAK Bus Connections The first item is relatively easy to do. The outside corner portion of the junction would use standard left end/right end connectors for the red, blue and yellow lines. The red line connection across the front would also follow this convention, with a right hand spine interface sporting right end connectors (CJ male or PP red over black), with the reverse sense for a left hand spine as shown in the table below. Cinch-Jones* Powerpole** Corner Connections (Red, Yellow, Blue): Right end P302-CCT (Male) PP30- Red over Black Left end S302-AB or PP30 - Black over Red S302-CCT (Female) Spine Connections (Red, Yellow, Blue***): RH Spine P302-CCT (Male) PP30- Red over Black extension LH spine S302-AB or PP30 - Black over Red extension S302-CCT (Female) *) Cinch Jones Connect pin #1 (wide) to front rail, pin #2 (narrow) to rear rail. **) Powerpole Connectors stacked vertically. Connect red to front rail, black to rear rail. ***) Front/rear sense changes at spine blue line configuration switch Page 13

14 To maintain compatibility with standard modules used in the spine, the other spine connections (yellow and blue lines) would use the same connector configuration at the spine interface as the red line. Where the RLR comes off the loop from the rear and connects to the spine, the front rail on the loop becomes the rear rail on the spine. This is supported in the junction module wiring itself, so no crossover cables are required. Configuration Switches Inasmuch as the basic junction module can also be used as an outside corner module, it is necessary to provide some means of changing the red line from a junction to a corner configuration. For the track, this is simply a matter of setting the turnouts. It s the bus connections (i.e., under the module EEEK!) where confusion can set in. To eliminate this confusion, three switches are proposed to configure any basic junction module. Two Corner Configuration switches would select corner or spine connections for the Red Line Route, and a Spine Yellow switch would route power between the spine yellow line (if used) and the selected side of the red line on the corner. For commonality purposes these should be labeled as shown below. Sw draw The switches can either be 6 Amp DPDT toggle switches or Powerpole jumper blocks. They can be mounted under the module on a common panel or placed near their respective turnouts, so long as they are labeled as above. As an alternative, relays could be used to route power, but the controlling switches should be clearly visible and labeled as above. Page 14 Putting it All Together If the above all makes some degree of sense, the next question is: How does this all hook up? The drawing below illustrates a right hand junction module with full yellow line access and configuration switches (Switches are DPDT and switch both bus wires, although only one is shown for simplicity). Both Cinch- Jones and alternate Powerpole connector configurations are shown. The left hand version would be the mirror image, with appropriate connector changes at the interfaces. Note that when the RLR is set to route to/from the spine, the center section of the red line corner is electrically dead. This is designed to prevent unwanted incursions should a turnout get inadvertently flipped. Yellow Line Options Because the spine yellow line can connect to either side of the red line route, it may be used as a wye or as part of a reverse loop. Where this option is desired, it may be desirable to gang one or more configuration switches with turnout controls. In addition, there will be the need to provide for polarity reversal on the spine yellow line. This can be done by adding a DPDT reversing switch (or for DCC, an auto-reverse unit) Wire diagram in the spine yellow line feed as shown above. Due to their complexity however, such configurations will infringe on one or more of the original objectives stated earlier, and should be approached with caution. Powering the Spine All of the above assume that power is properly delivered to the spine, but what is the best way to do it? In RLR applications, the front and rear spine tracks have opposite polarities

15 as trains head eastbound and westbound. This is true whether you are running DC or DCC for train control. Assuming the eastbound track above is the front (red) track of the spine modules, wiring and connectors are straightforward, just as for any normal module. The rear (blue) track however needs reversed polarity as shown. There are two ways to approach this : Feeding from the Loop: By feeding power to the spine tracks from the adjacent loops, the wiring on the junction module will ensure proper polarity connections to the spine. On a loop, the outside rail is always the front rail, and the feed point rail identity is clear. Y (feeder) cable connectors will be in their normal configuration (CJ male to female (i.e., no gender benders ), Powerpoles black to black, and red to red). One caution is that the reversed polarity on the spine blue line is not obvious by looking at the connectors. Mid-Spine Feed: If power is to be fed mid-spine, it will be necessary to reverse the polarity of the feed to the blue line. With Cinch Jones connectors, this means connecting the feed cable to the throttle/booster in reverse. With Powerpole connectors, this is not necessary as the arms of the Y cable may simply be connected in reverse (this is indicated by the color mismatch of the mating connectors as shown below). Page 15

16 While either method above is acceptable, to simplify power feed configurations it is recommended that power to the spine always be fed from the adjacent loop. Summary By using a common junction module configuration, both in basic trackwork and in electrical configuration, planning and setup of multi-loop NTRAK layouts can be made substantially easier and less prone to error. Common junction configurations can: Reduce confusion through the use of common nomenclature and configuration options. Allow module simplification using the Options by Subtraction approach Facilitate operations by making better use of the spine yellow line Reduce errors in spine power feed by clearly indicating when reversed polarity feed is in use If each club had at least one left/right junction pair available, multi-loop setups with enhanced operational interest would be easier to plan and implement. It also will help keep the junction module owner s cell phone bill down. Houston N Crowd T Yard as set up at the Oklahoma City NTRAK layout last December. At the far left end is a beautiful passenger station and departure tracks. Photo furnished by Bruce Alcock. Page 16

17 Photos and Text by Lee except as noted. New N Scale Modeling by Lee Lee@T-TRAK.org T-TRAK PHILLY SIXER 06 NEW CONVENTION! ********* NEW T-TRAK-N LAYOUT! NMRA National Train Show ** Philadelphia, Pa., July A new T-TRAK layout and modules. REGISTRATION FORM website or contact: LEE@T-TRAK.org Come run trains on a new layout design! Come join old and new friends! Come experience --- PHILADELPHIA-the BIRTHPLACE of the Nation! A new Convention Center built on the old, historical Reading Terminal site! A new Skyline and new Architecture amongst one of the most Historical American Cities and surrounding areas, in the country! Experience the Historical Treasures and Museums! Many Hotels, Restaurants plus Fun and Entertainment for all ages! ************************************************************* Compatible with American Flyer NEW! T-TRAK-S Starter Layout, Design #1 for S -Scale Layout size = 59 x 89 Page 17 See page 19. New! T-TRAK International Club List plus Modeler s List Information. See Page 21

18 T-TRAK-O Design #1 Small Starter Layout -74 L (including gaps) Design #1 FASTRACK # L T-TRAK-O Using Lionel Fastrack, snap together roadbed track. Bases are 2-3/4" High and 1/4" Plywood construction. Note: Tracks extend 1/32" beyond ends of all modules for solid locking and room for disassembling, or small screwdriver, if needed. Choice of full module or corners removed. For two 30 x 8 tables, side by side. FASTRACK # Dia. 2 pcs. 22" 22" 16" T-TRAK-O Design #1 4" 28" 4" 6" 18" # , 48" D 2 pcs. Measurements to track centers # , 36" D 2 pcs. 9" 29-7/8" T-TRAK-O Design #2 NEW! T-TRAK-O Design #2 New! Two Track Layout -96 L (including gaps) # , 30 L, 2 pcs. # L 2 pcs. 24" 28" Design #2 96 L (including gaps) Bases are 2-3/4" High and 1/4" Plywood construction. Corner uses 2 pcs, # , 36" Dia. curve. 2 pcs, # , 48 Dia curve. Straight uses: 2 pcs. # , 30" Straight. 2 pcs. # , 10 Strraight. Note: Tracks extend 1/32" beyond ends of all modules for solid locking and room for disassembling, or small screwdriver, if needed. Page /8" 96 L (including gaps) Design #2 Layout on two 30 x 8 foot folding tables, side by side.

19 29-1/2" NEW! T-TRAK-S Design #1 for S -Scale 5" 5" 19-1/2" 3 pcs #00292, 25" R, 30 curve 3 pcs #00259, 20" R, 30 curve Note: Measure to outside of outside rail. 6 pcs #00258, 10" straight OR 4 pcs #00257, 15 straight NEW! 24" 29-1/2" Note: Tracks extend 1/32" beyond ends of modules. Module Base Dimensions 30-1/16" if 3-10" tracks 29-15/16" if 2-15" tracks Allow for track wiring underneath. Bases are 2-3/4" High and 1/4" Plywood construction. As per other module bases with corner blocks & adjusting bolts. 3 pcs #00292, 25" R, 30 curve 3 pcs #00259, 20" R, 30 curve 6 pcs #00258, 10" straight OR 4 pcs #00257, 15 straight S Scale T-TRAK-S Small Starter Layout Approx 89, depending on straight track used. For track information Page 19

20 On December 10, 2005 Northern Virginia N-Trak set up a T- TRAK layout at the Keena Temple Train Show in Fairfax Virginia. Several members brought out T-TRAK modules and filled three 4 x 8 tables, arranged into an L shape. These tables were bigger than the usual show size tables, and after a little rearranging of modules, we were running with no problems. We also had two other members stop by to run trains and see our layout. This is usually a tin plate and larger scale show, however our smaller N scale was well accepted by all who were attending and the show sponsors. We received an invite to next years event. Submitted by Jim Altobello T-TRAK at Oklahoma City, Dec 3-4, 2005 Photo submitted by Bruce Alcock, Oklahoma N Rail. NOTE: In response to some inquiries, my Carnival/ Circus shown in the Jan/Feb Newsletter issue and on other occasions, is not based on T-TRAK or any track sizes. I have been building and displaying assorted displays, besides train displays, on 15 x 30 bases and 30 x 30 bases, plus other sizes and forms, for many years. It is great fun and people enjoy them! Page 20

21 NEW!! T-TRAK INTERNATIONAL CLUB LIST T-TRAK MODELER S LIST Thanks to All, for your interest and support for T-TRAK. I have presented the foundations for T-TRAK-N, T-TRAK-HO, T-TRAK-O and now T-TRAK-S, in this column and then on my website. T-TRAK- Z and others are, in progress. My On the Road displays include full table, demo layouts for N and sample module bases for other scales,which have attracted much interest and building. (I am happy to say that my assorted scale layouts have grown, also, using the T-TRAK standards.) The Modelers List is growing, nicely and a new T-TRAK International Club List will allow more people to connect with each other. These lists are now started on the: website, to allow more room for the lists, there and for articles, on these pages. ALL SCALES As other T-TRAK scale clubs grow, all are welcome to join in, too. Please send Club Information: Scale, State, City/Town, Club Name, E- Mail Address, Contact person. Remember to add your scale. Modelers list-scale, State, City/Town, Name, address T-TRAK Column (NTRAK Newsletter) All scales, send photos and info-- LEE@T-TRAK.org There truly is, something for everyone to join in and model. Information on future NTRAK layouts, meets or conventions is being gathered by Advisory Group member Dave Porter: <davidporter_colorado@yahoo.com> 8695 N. Silo Road Parker, Co Mar 3-5, Ogden, UT Hostler's MRR 2006 Festival, Ogden Union Station, 25th St. and Wall Ave. Fri: 5pm-9pm, Sat -:30-6, Sun: 9:30-4, Contact: Mike Murphy, (801) Mar 11-12, New Bern, NC Carolina Coastal Model Train Show, New Bern High School, 10-5 both days Contact: Joe Hoffman, hofmannjoe@cox.net (252) Apr 1-2, Lockport, NY Railroad Show Case 2006, Keenan Arena, 195 Beattie Ave. Sat 10-5, Sun Neagra Orleans Model Railroad Engineers, Please submit your information to Dave. If you would like to join in with a module in a layout, please contact the layout coordinator listed for that event well ahead of time. There most likely will not be room, if you just show up the morning of a show, unannounced. May 13, Pennsylvania Furnance, PA Middle Div NTRAK M RR Club open house. Baileyville Grange Hall, Deibler Rd off Rt 45. 9am -4pm. Bob Ginter, (814) Jul 2-8, Philadelphia, PA NMRA National Train Show, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Contact: Terry Smith, mongo3@verizon.net, Aug 9-13, Denver, CO N Scale Convention, Denver Radisson Southeast, Contact: Dave Porter, davidporter_colorado@yahoo.com (303) Apr 29-30, Monroe, WA United NW MRR Show and Swap Meet, Evergreen State Fairground, Sat: 10-5,Sun: 10-4, Contact: David Moser, David@unwclub.org (425) Note: We try to include any information about NTRAK or N scale layouts that will be at the events listed. If you send in a notice, please include that information. If space is tight, notices that don't mention N scale will not be published. Jim. NMRA National Conventions 2006 Philadelphia, PA July Detroit, MI, July Anaheim, CA, July Hartford, CT July Milwaukee, WI, 75th Anniv, July Sacramento, CA July 3-9 Page 21