I guess you guys are tired of hearing from me since no one bothers to respond or comment on any of the things I've written lately, but I do need to apout or sound off occassionally so here goes.
I went to club meeting yesterday and found certain things have to get done by April 2012. The most important of them is to finally get my N-Trak module built. It is going to be a hrd job only because I do not have woodworking tools or experience necessary to do the job. However I do know that there are members who are interested in helping. One of the club members has a complete woodshop in his basement and I know he can get the necessary wood for me and cut it as well. I do have the N-Trak manual which gives the necessary dimensions and specs. I do need to get ahold of him and that is the hard part since he travels alot especially to football games and the like. But I can reach him by email and I think that is how I will do it. I do have something that I thought might do it as far as a table top is comcerbed but after showing it to one of the otrher club members it turns out it may be too large in that it 4 feet by 30" rather than 4 feet by 2 feet. Oh, well.
In any case this module is supposed to feature intermodal transfers of containers between trains, trucks and ships. At thi/s point I have gathered many of the things the module will need to make it look good. I have containers, double stack cars (10 to be exact) and some other stuff. i even have an old Revell T-2 tanker kit which I plan to turn into a small container ship since many were converted from the 1960s from T-2 and T-3 tankers and P4 type troopships. Of course the Revell model is aproximately 1/400 scale so it is aproxiamtely 1/3 the size of waht a real in 1/160 scale would be. I know it could lend forced persoective to the module but since one can never be sure what it will be attached to it might be a waste of time. Besides who wants to create 1/3 N scale containers? (Rhetorical question so don't feel compelled to answer 
)
I do have a design in my head but I need to get some help in deciding track spacing so I can determine where to put the three track loading/unloading yard and where to place the the lifting units so that they can run down the track and move the containers from and to the double stacks/trailers. Obviously I have design in my head and I also have the Walther's MiJacks needed. I had originally wanted to do something witha car ferry but I don't want to build the three or four modules that would require. I also don't have the space or capability of transporting more than one module at this point in time since my wife's mnivanis off limits and she has already converted it into a self-propelled, wheeled filing cabinet, ![]()
Don't ask me how, because I can't tell you.
So what about the Hudson and Hartford, well besides working on the design of the 4 track self-propelled car floats (I really should call them ferries since that what they have evolved into.) I've been playing with track diagrams. I haven't gotten anywhere near completing them as alot is going to depend on the final car ferry design at the float bridge end of the layout since that will determine just how far apart the tracks will be since I need to have room for yards to hold freight cars witing to go back to New Jersey and handle the freight cars that come off the ferries and to make up trains bund for Oak Point Yard in the Bronx. I know This could have been done by now but I like to plan stuff out once rather than change it every time I find something that will make the operation easier and simpler. I realize that something will come up anyway but better to take the time to reduce the likelihood.
I also discovered something new from Fast Tracks that should simplify the job of laying flex track. These things are called sweep sticks and they really work very well since they will let you form constant diameter curves which hereto fore took lots of practice and measuring. These Sweep Sticks come in straight and curved versions for many different scales. In my case I bought N-Scale straight sections, 17.5" and 18.75" curved versions.
I'm surprise that Tim Warris hasn't advertised them yet. They work by fitting between the rails of the flextrack to either keep them straight or put a curve into them and allow you to fasten them down with push pins while the glue you are using to dry. Ive experimented with them and rthey work very nicely.
Irv
