T-TRAK Modules – The single mainline track modules, part the Eigth – Corner Module Woodwork – Part 1.

With the wiring over and done with on the station modules my fingers got itchy on building a corner module so that I can run locos and wagons a bit further than just the very limited  station confines. For this set of modules I am using some materials that deviate from the normal 6mm/9mm plywood or MDF. Australia has a company named Porta Mouldings that manufactures various sizes and profiles of timbers, mainly for decorative trim on furniture and inside houses. After browsing their range in a large hardware store I came across their lengths of DAR(dressed all round) 67X11mm pine in 1.8m and 2.4m lengths, which is made up of shorter lengths `finger jointed’ together  . I also had access to a large amount of 3mm thick plywood. It quickly came to mind that as 67+3=70, placing the 3mm plywood on top of a frame made of the 67X11m pine I would have the correct 70mm height of a T-TRAK module. The Porta Moulding is a tad expensive but that fact that it could be cut easily with my Drop-Saw, or even a hand saw and mitre-box, and that 3mm ply can be cut with a larger sized good quality  craft knife meant that it would be an option for people with limited wood work equipment etc. Worth a try!

T-TRAK corner modules are 365mm on a side and so I cut four pieces of 67X11mm to a length of 354mm. They were assembled so that the 354mm length of each piece was added to by the 11mm thickness of the next piece joining it at 90 degrees. I have a good store of 50mm square wood blocks for  corner blocks and these were glued on to each side section before assembly. Fast drying MDF glue was used, the same stuff that I built the station building kit with. The following photos should explain.

All the wood pieces set up for gluing.

Gluing on the corner blocks.

Gluing the first corner.

Gluing the second corner.

Gluing the third and fourth corners.

John Rumming of Perth, Western Australia, has an excellent article on assembling T-TRAK modules, it is at:

http://home.iprimus.com.au/nuggles58/T-TRAK.html

look for: “A PDF on how to do a T-TRAK module ”

The next post will cover fitting the module top, painting, and placing some track.

T-TRAK Modules – The single mainline track modules, part the Seventh – Actual Wiring.

The Australian T_TRAK  (and original standard T-TRAK) double track T-TRAK wiring colours are white for the inner rails and blue for the outer rails of the paired mainlines. On the single track mainline used for these modules the mainline is the equivalent of the `inner’ or `back’ main line of the standard double track T-TRAK module. Therefore the `back’ rail is officially blue and the `front’ rail is officially white. I have updated the ‘Wiring Diagram’ posting to fit in with this nomenclature/description.

The underside of the Goods Shed module. Here I used blue wire for the `outer rail' wiring and yellow for the `inner rail' wiring. This was the only suitable wire I had available at the time. You can also see the RCA sockets I fitted to both the front and back of this module for power input to the modules.

The underside view of the platform end module. Here I used wires of different colours for each appropriate switch.

The actual wiring process was pretty straight forward. I use a 40 Watt soldering iron that usually get the job done quickly. There are web-site around that can take you through soldering process a lot better (both in explanation and technique) than I can. To make soldering easier I use a flux applied with a small cheap (ie almost disposable) paint brush. The flux I chose IS NOT CORROSIVE  AND DOES NOT NEED RINSING OFF, it is “Broad gauge Models” low melt solder flux. Again, check with the more expert web-site for more information on this.

Access to the terminals of the slide switches can be a bit cramped inside the module. After my experience I recommend that you attach small lengths of wire to each terminal BEFORE fitting the switch in place.

Some Japanese N gauge modules built to a size a bit narrower than my single track T-TRAK modules.

After some web surfing this week I got referred to the following web-pages (which are all connected by a menu system). They feature Japanese table top modules that use Kato Unitrack as T-TRAK does, but are of a narrower dimension, 100mm height for module top, and different track location. They are certainly inspirational and have urged me on to get some corner modules built.
Basic dimensions are at:
http://space.geocities.jp/popoya2008/c.html
http://space.geocities.jp/popoya2008/b-2.html
http://space.geocities.jp/popoya2008/e.html
Images of displays are at:
http://space.geocities.jp/popoya2008/f1.html
http://space.geocities.jp/popoya2008/f4.html
http://space.geocities.jp/popoya2008/f6.html
http://space.geocities.jp/popoya2008/f7.html
http://space.geocities.jp/popoya2008/f8-2.html
Enjoy, and be inspired!

T-TRAK Modules – The single mainline track modules, part the Sixth – Wiring Diagram.

Before working on the wiring for the platform module I thought it best to have a well drawn diagram of the existing wiring on the goods shed module plus what I plan for the platform module.

From my experience with working with T-TRAK modules the first consideration of wiring a T-TRAK module with points is that there is a continuous path through the module for each of the mainline rails. This is necessary as normally only one module in a T-TRAK layout is needed to be wired up for electrical input; the Unitrack® UniJoiners® do the rest.   If you are using non-isolating points this is not a problem and the existing track arrangement should carry the current through the module to the next ones. With isolating points like Peco there is a different situation. Even setting the point to the siding track on a module with a single stub ended siding causes a break in the main line on one rail. You can overcome that easily by wiring a by-pass from one end of the module to the other. If you follow the BLUE and YELLOW  wires on the diagram below, along with the unbroken rail lines to which they are attached, you will see that current coming in along the mainline from one end of the pair of modules has an uninterrupted path through to the mainline at the other end, no matter which way the points are set. My choice of each particular path  was governed by the requirement that each point would still function as an effective isolator.The double pole double throw slide switches serve a dual purpose. First they allow a firm mechanical action on the points that is actuated away from the track and is not dependent upon the Peco point spring. Second they act as a back up to the point blade contact system that Peco points use as part of their electrical isolation system. That way dirt, paint etc building up on the point blades does not hinder current flow through the points in the direction to which they are set.

 

To comply with the standard wiring reference colours for T-TRAK the blue wires represent the `Blue to Outer' wiring/rail and the yellow wires represent the `White to Inner' wiring/rail (yellow is used for this wiring as white would not show up on the graphic).

 

 

Please feel free to ask questions through the `COMMENTS’ facility at the bottom each blog page.

T-TRAK Modules – The single mainline track modules, part the Fifth – Building the Station.

Modelling time has been a bit all over the place lately but I managed to get some `on and off’ time  over a few days and this resulted in the construction of the Spirit Design 20ft Portable Station building. This is a laser cut kit made out of `micro -ply(?)’ and is the first one of this type I have ever taken on. As I am a medium skilled painter I decided that I should try and put at least one coat of paint on each part before assembly to reduce the chances of colours running beyond their assigned borders, the window frames and doors are a good example of this. The more than adequate instructions give suggestions for paint to use and I worked my way through my existing paint collection to get some `close enough’ colours. The nearest hobby shop is 130km and our local toy shop stocks only Tamiya acrylics in bottles, which is still way heaps better than nothing.

Wall colour – Tamiya 55 flesh. The institutions suggested a mixture of Humbrol Flesh and white, on a sample test the Tamiya  flesh came up lighter in colour than the Humbrol and I stayed with it. I had it in a `paint pen’ and not a bottle, but it went on fairly well. Roof colour – Humbrol M100 as recommended, just happened to have it the paint box. Trim colour – Tamiya acrylic white – from the local toyshop. Door colour – a Tamiya acrylic blue – from the paint box and `near enough’.

After the first coats of paint had dried I began construction using Bostik MDF glue because of its fast drying capability. This did end up with one small problem, which I will reveal at the end of this article. To apply the glue I squeezed a small amount onto the polythene bag and then used a bamboo skewer to place the glue onto the joint. A small amount of plain label `super glue’ finished each joint.

The etching of the corrugations for the roof sections makes those sections prone to warping. Adding paint makes it even worse. Note for next model: paint corrugated sections AFTER assembly. I painted the smooth side to even out the effects of the paint but even then I had to cut some `planks’ from the wood `sprue’ to make stiffeners.

I followed the assembly instructions pretty much as they were written and the results, after a second coat of paint and then some touch up painting are as follows.

The one mistake that I made in assembling the kit can be seen on the left. One of the end walls ended up being slightly out of alignment in relation to the base section. With laser cut precision dimensions for all the kit parts this ended up in a small amount of distortion of the building. Probably no more that some of the prototype had after some stumps had sunk or termites had munched for a few years.  I have yet to work out if I fit the chimney or not, but knowing the region of the in which I am setting the station a warm fire would be appreciated by the staff from early Autumn through to early Spring. Next jobs – The wiring and the platforms.

T-TRAK Modules – The single mainline track modules, part the second.

I managed to get some more work  done. I re-worked the ground cover scenery on the goods shed area with some real crushed granite collected from the side of a rural road and sifted down.

Buffer stops that were made from rounded match sticks were put in, and one definitely needs some re-working. The other two are a bit out of line with the rails but they will stay that way. I plan to work on some jigs for making and fitting Victorian Railway style buffer stops, but that may a couple of months away. Fitting them BEFORE ballasting is also a better way to go, the drill tended to wander a bit over the glued down ballast.

The siding at the station platform end has had a building temporarily placed there. It is a small warehouse type shed I had built from plans in a Model Railroader magazine from many years ago. It looks the part but it is not exactly what I am looking for. Some research on the Camperdown to Timboon branch line in western Victoria has shown that one intermediate station (Cobden) had  a super-phosphate shed on a dead end siding. It also had a fair bit of refrigerated T-van traffic to the goods yard serving an off-line butter factory. As I have 4 T-vans already built 30 years ago this is making a nice little setting. The station will not be a copy of Cobden, but it will be an inspiration to draw upon.

The gum tree is a temporary placement, it may stay,

 

An overall view of the modules. It looks longer than 620mm!!!

 

or be moved only a little way.

The next jobs are: paint the buffer stops, fit the linkages between the slide switches and the points on the station platform module, and build up the scenery around the fuel siding point. I also need to chase up dimensions for a super-phosphate shed.