Oh, No! Not Another Module
Article
text and photos by Tom Troughton
For me, the hardest part of this article was making
an effort to sit in front of the blank computer screen
and starting. Venita Lake had been gently nudging me to
write it ever since we met during the layout tours
associated with the 1995 Gateway Division fall meet.
Venita, her husband Richard, Bob Amsler, Steve Rosnick,
Richard Schumacher and myself were riding together
visiting the St. Louis layouts when I mentioned some of
the techniques our club used when it made its new HO
modular layout. She suggested I write it up for
publication in the RPO. Two years later, here it
is.
I belong to the Capital City Model Railroaders, a
group of modelers in Jefferson City that’s been in
existence for more than twenty years. Prior to our
modular efforts, the group was an informal gathering of
individuals who met each Monday night at the home of D.L.
Eichelberger, a long time NMRA member, MCoR Director and
organizer of the group. "Eich" is gone now,
but the group remains.
We decided to construct a modular layout in the late
’70s when module type layouts were just beginning to
hit the scene. Our standards were loosely based on the
"N-Track" theme, but enlarged for HO.
We use two by four foot modules with a three track
main line with 4½" setbacks from each end. Legs
were 2"x2" boards cut from 2"x4"s.
Six-pin Jones Cinch connectors joined the under table
wiring busses and a section of nine inch snap track was
dropped into place between each module.
It was a pretty common arrangement, and the group
displayed the setup at various meets and events around
the Mid-Missouri area. We did, however, have a few
problems. The 2"x2" legs were never straight
and the 9" sections of track never seemed to fit.
They were always too long or too short. Each time we set
up we were cutting new sections of flex track.
Around the mid to late ’80s we retired the modules.
The club’s railroading efforts didn’t stop however.
We continued to meet Monday evenings in Round-Robin
style in each other’s homes and work on the host’s
layout, talk trains or watch railroad videos.
About three years ago, we decided to once again build
a modular layout system. The mistakes of the past were
reviewed and a new set of construction standards
proposed. The new modules would be 30" deep by four
feet long. Rails would run to the end of each module and
be protected by end boards.
Our mainline would consist of two tracks, on
2½" centers with a #6 turnout being the minimum
allowed from the main line. The legs would be 1½"
PVC pipe with 3/8" carriage bolts for height
adjustment in their base.
We ran six #16 multi-colored stranded wires below the
tracks and connected them to 6-pin Cinch Jones
connectors; male connectors on the right side and female
sockets on the left. Four of the wires are used for
train control while the other two are for future use,
possibly phone communications.
We also included a 110 VAC circuit using #14 gauge
flexible wire with a duplex receptacle on the left
underside end and a grounded plug at the right. We
checked each module with a polarity tester to be sure
the wiring was correct.
The basic modules were built from ¾" birch
veneer plywood. We could have used a lesser quality
wood, but the veneer plywood was straighter and easier
to work with. The club met at my workshop for a couple
of evenings in a row where we ripped the plywood sheets
into properly sized components. The PVC pipe was cut to
length, and with the help of drilling jigs, holes were
drilled for mounting them to the modules.
We made 10 inch long leg mounting extensions from the
¾" plywood to serve as swivel points for the PVC
legs. These extensions allow us to set the modules on
the ground without worrying about snagging the wiring on
something. They also make it easier to grab onto the
ends when carrying them to and from the display site.
Quarter inch machine screws, washers, lock-nuts and
wing-nuts secure the legs to the plywood extensions.
Each leg pair is strengthened with a one inch wide piece
of ¾" plywood attached diagonally, adding
stability to the module. The plywood strips were
attached with inch and a half machine screws. The nice
thing about working with PVC pipe is it can easily be
drilled and tapped to accept the bolts.
This hinged leg arrangement makes transporting the
modules much easier than our previous units. We were
always misplacing the legs or wondering how to keep them
with their respective units. The legs never come off
these new modules. We merely loosen the wing-nuts,
remove the bolts and swing the legs into their closed
position. Near a spot where the legs touch in this
folded position, we drilled clearance holes in one leg
and tapped the other to accept one of the machine bolts
removed earlier. That way they’re secured to one
another.
The two diagonal running boards were also drilled
with clearance holes, letting us fasten them together
with one of the wing-nuts and bolts removed from one of
the legs.
To add strength, yet retain a light-weight module, we
ran another piece of plywood lengthwise and attached a
piece of ½" thick by 12" wide Blandex as the
subroadbed. The front and end boards of the module frame
were mitered so the subroadbed could be glued in place.
When the roadbed was added, the track would be above the
local terrain, creating a raised roadbed effect. In
later modules, we replaced the Blandex with ½"
thick by 12" wide Celotex house siding.
Homosote, 4' long and only as wide as the two track
mainline was glued to this subroadbed. To be sure the
Homosote came exactly to the ends of the modules, we
made a random crosscut in it on my bandsaw and slid the
square ends out towards the edges. The gap made by the
bandsaw was filled with Spackle or dry wall compound and
was hidden by ballast and scenery. This allowed us to
sand the Homosote until it was perfectly even with the
ends of each module.
The rear portion of the modules were filled with a
variety of materials. Some of the members used 2"
expanded polystyrene, also known in the construction
trade as "blueboard," available at your lumber
yard. Others used ceiling tile, while a few members
relied on ½" plywood.
Twenty gage, flexible wire feeders from the mainline
wire busses were run to their respective rails, with
every section of flex track receiving a set of feeders.
The wires were soldered and secured to the underside of
the modules with plastic wire holders. The connecting
points were staggered to eliminate any possibility of
electrical shorts. Insulating staples secured the wires
to the module ends for safety.
Several members created sections of track controlled
by on/off switches located on the back lower left end
side of their module. We recently suggested that every
member try to include controlled sections of track with
switches located in the same general area on their
modules so we could stop trains on either of the main
lines on any module. That will give us more control and
eliminate any guess work of the location of the on/off
switches.
Our four corner units incorporate 27½" and
30" radius curves. They’re large enough to
operate Northern type brass locomotives without shorting
out and long passenger cars look great rounding the
outer curve. Also, engines or cars with large
overhanging edges do not rub against one another.
Our current setup consists of 12 member-owned
straight units and four Club-owned corner pieces. We
also built two "bridge" units that are four
feet long and only 1 foot deep. They allow us to fill in
an odd space when-ever we have an uneven number of
normal sized modules. When we have an even number, we
merely add the bridges to create a longer mainline.
Each module is equipped with a painted blue sky and
cloud covered Masonite backboard. It's attached with
screws, "C" clamps or bolts, depending on the
owners choice. Even the bridges have their own
backdrops.
The group recently completed an inner staging yard
system that uses a six foot module with switches and
crossings, allowing us to set up and remove new train
consists outside of public view. It, of course, is
offset by another six foot unit at the other end.
The total cost of a basic 30" x 4' module,
including track, but not the switches or turnouts was
$43. We were able to buy our wire, mounting hardware and
electrical connectors from large distributors who gave
us quantity discounts.
The group is able to move into a show site and be set
up and running in about an hour and a half. Everyone
knows what needs to be done and the display just seems
to fall together. After everything is running correctly,
we hide the clutter that develops under the layout by
wrapping the display with a light tan burlap material.
We attach it into the edge grain of the plywood with
push pins, leaving only the painted front edge of the
modules showing.
We’ve had a lot of fun with the modular display.
New members have been recruited from the viewers and the
display gives all us a chance to visit with the public
and tell them about the hobby. I hope some of the things
we have done can be applied to your modular efforts
because they sure have made our display efforts less
stressful.
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