In the beginning...

Had started posting some of this over on my "Shoofly" module construction thread, but then realized that there's going to be a whole bunch of photos & how-to's specific to staging yards & module construction (especially Free-moN), so thought our new staging yard module should get a thread of its own.

The story begins on April, Friday the 13th (duh duh duh...) when the Silicon Valley Free-moN group set up for a week-long show at the Hiller Aviation Museum. With four main modules, a large turnback loop, and many small 45 deg. fillers, we were able to get a decent mainline going, with trains of 10-16 cars running through some nifty scenery.

However, after operating Friday & Saturday we soon realized that, besides the turnback loop, Steve Williams' Lockhart, TX module was the only one with a passing siding, which soon became the passing / runaround / staging / terminus, as well as limiting us to about two trains at a time: one running out to the loop & back while the other loco did a runaround to get ready to leave when the first returned.

We needed staging, and another runaround, and we needed it bad.
Like an oreo needs milk bad.
And by the next weekend when the whole group would be there to run trains.

So Sunday, April 15, I looked at the sheets of wood in my garage and found two pieces of 16" x 4' 1/2" very nice ply (birch?) that my dad had used as center cross-supports when he built a queen-sized mattress box-frame for us when we moved back from Japan 10 years ago.

That determined the size of the yard sections (4' is perfect for transport), but using #7 turnouts limited the tracks to 7 in just 12" of space (using 1 1/2" centers). What to do with the other 4" of width? Ah, hah!





Free-moN module standards call for a minimum of 12" wide endplates (of 3/4" birch ply), so I centered the main at the 6" mark, offsetting the whole yard to one side. This left room for 1) a diesel service facility on one end and 2) a turntable for those of us who run steam and F-units. Later I realized I could squeeze in a MOW track for the wreck crane set I just got as well as a Machine Shop that could double as a programming track (something else we didn't have).

Using the two sections, that'd give us a 6'+ main, two 52" and two 30" staging tracks plus runarounds on each side.
Which would work fine as the passing siding on Steve's Lockhart, TX module is about 5'.

Still, it seemed a bit short to me (can you ever have enough staging?) so I designed a 12"x24" insert that curved 15 deg.
As it lines up with and extends the middle yard tracks, it can be inserted either way, bending the whole yard in either direction.
And the extra 2' means plenty of room for long trains!

So Sunday morning I went to the hardware store and got some 2'x4' 1/2" sanded ply handipanels, 1 1/2" sq fir for the legs, and bunches o' bolts n' washers. Also stopped by the LHS and got a bunch of Atlas C55 flex, but was heartbroken to find only 3 each of the L & R #7 turnouts! D'oh!

Usually I handlay turnouts, but since I had less than a week to get something built & operational, I went with Atlas. Luckily I found a few more #7s at a shop down in San Jose, so had just enough for a main, two staging & one runaround.

So Sunday, Monday and part of Tuesday, after appointments or being at the show, was all cutting (no tablesaw, only circular, chop & jig), gluing & screwing.
Was moving so fast I took only one "progress" shot:



That's my McGyver compass to get the 70+" radius of the insert (eyeballed it over a dot on the concrete)
By Wednesday it looked like this:



Thurday: finished track across gap & on insert



Friday: feeder wires, handles
Saturday...

[cont.]   

Down to the wire(s)...

Saturday: installed temp Caboose Ind. ground throws and buswire



And Sunday:



We ran trains, using our new staging yard!
Woot!

And here it is in action:

//www.youtube.com/embed/txeqQms9Zjg?wmode=opaque

What was cool is that Steve's Lockhart, TX module, which use to be the end (though there was some single main after it), now became the "meet", so a train could go out to the loop while one entered staging and another left.
Nice long runs with long trains!

More important: both the Shoofly module and the staging yard fit in the back of my car with all their legs (and mine)!

So the show is over, but there's another one coming up (hopefully) in June, so I have time to finish the yard.

Installed the phone jacks at either end we use to connect the control buses between modules and UTP panels:



Good ol' Gorilla Glue keep's em rock solid.
Steve has a 6-pin crimper, so the wires are straight through.

Got more turnouts, so I installed the rest of the ladders on both sides:



Notice I don't run the track up to the edge: need to leave room for the track to "float" a little over the PC board ties (which are raised a little) but I explain all that in a video I should have edited tonight or tomorrow.

[cont.]   

The Show must go on (to prep for the next Show)

For the feeders I've been soldering the wire "L" bent under the rails / joiners:



Then I solder them to the buswires.
At first I tried suitcase connectors, but 22 gauge to 12 gauge doesn't work too well.
Luckily, I can just put the modules on their sides on my workbench. (yeay!)

When laying the track over the middle section, I first put a sheet of 0.020 styrene between the sections before clamping:



Even though I use a Ultra Thin Dedeco separating disc, the styrene makes sure that there's rail to file back flush with the endplate instead of wishing it'd grow a 1/32" to prevent a wheel-grabbing gap.

I thought of this trick after I cut the first track (at bottom):



As you can see, a wider gap than the other above it (when I used the styrene).
[The styrene is in place in the photo above: normally there's barely a gap in the upper rails]

Also, because the separating disc comes in at a slight angle:



The styrene allows enough space for a flush file.
By laying the rail over the PC board ties first, the solder helps create a smooth path over any little bumps or skewed PC boards / endplate top.
Sometimes there's a little rise but hardly noticeable.

[cont.]    

File this!

Once you get ALL the yard tracks smooth & even, soldered / caulked down, & cut, then & ONLY then is it ok to release the clamps, remove the styrene and separate the sections so you can file the rail flush:



Gorilla Glue is strong, but I still file only down, and I put my thumb over the rails to relieve any stress on the solder.
Make sure you file flush + a smidge: if the rails touch each other when mating the pressure of the clamp will pop them off the solder.
I also slightly camphor the head with a single light pass of the file.

The most difficulty aspect of Free-moN is to get the tracks from different modules to line up: fortunately usually there are two people setting up: one to hold the two module endplates flush and the other to clamp.
Usually it takes a bit of finessing and a lot of patience.
And that with modules with a SINGLE track.
This yard has SEVEN, and they all have to line up perfectly or it won't work (or only some will).
Seems like the model railroad gods were on my side today, as all seven line up great between the two main sections:



Now all I have to do is slip the 2' insert between them (with a sheet of styrene between each gap) and then lay the curved track on the insert so it matchs up with the established track on the main sections.

My crate of unassembled Bullfrog turnout controls should show up soon, too, so I'll get to figure out how to do the double-actuated (one on each side) control rods.

I'm also going to be building a sloped hardboard shelf & lip on each side that will hold our iPhone & NEC throttles as well as protect the Bullfrog knobs below it.

Thanks for watching and hope to have a video up soon.
Cheers!   

Those rail ends flush with

Those rail ends flush with the module end sure look a lot better than a little scrap of track bridging the gap!

Two years ago at the Milwaukee nation train show I saw the Mod-u-trak N scale layout that used the flush track ends. It looked great. Based on the other stuff you've been posting I expect your little yard will also look great!

Charlie

Flush with fun!

Thanks, Charlie.

The flush ends work great: barely a bump!
(Though sometimes it does take a couple of tries to clamp the modules in the right place )

Here's the last video of the Hiller show, showing steam & diesel running through the whole layout:

//www.youtube.com/embed/CBWYq0wMVbs?wmode=opaque

Thanks for watching!   

Flush with fun!

I do so look forward to your posts. And your choice of tunes, is very nice.

I saw an elbow on the set.

!!!

I think you might be having too much fun.

Hand vs dremel

Dremel attachments...

Now there is the flex adapters - you could put the cutoff wheel on the end of one of these, and then build a handle to hold the flex adapter end to any angle you desire.  You'd get a lot closer to normal this way...

Bravo!

Very nice and usefull work! I like the trick of using a sheet to get a tighter space between modules!

Flush rails need accurate alignment

Dear MC, MRHers,

Ah, you've just hit one of the common issues faced by regular exhibition layout builders. Flush-butt rail ends work great in the "speed of setup/teardown" stakes, but really demands a repeatable hyper-accurate module alignment system to avoid "multiple tries to get the modules clamped together correctly".
(I know of many hardcore show-layout owners/builders who long ago swore off any design which required G-clamps to assemble the modules. The more seperate pieces that need to be hauled to the show, the more likely something critical will be left behind, with potentially show-stopping results).

However, equally, for "tolerant", "pliable", or "flexible" module alignment systems, the "drop-in track section" has a lot going for it. By spreading the "mis-alignment" over between 2 and 4", modules with "drop-ins" can survive setting up on uneven surfaces (such as warped "community hall" polished-wooden floors, and drainage-equipped sheep-showing sheds!), where a "flush joint" module will never achieve "operable-level" alignment.

Some module groups use straight out-of-packet Atlas "set-track" pieces for the drop-ins, with associated lack of ballast and "obvious" visual joint. However, this need not be the case! A piece of 0.010" styrene sheet glued under the sleepers provides a platform for ballast to be glued to. The resulting "ballasted drop-in" is significantly less intrusive than a "naked" piece of set-track.

Alternatively, some modular groups lay sleepers and ballast all the way to the module edge, just like a flush joint, but drop in rail lengths. Again, this technique can tolerate module mis-alignments which flush-rail systems would find impossible.

It's horses for courses, but if the module-spec/design in question doesn't provide for inherrently fast and repeatably accurate alignment measurable in single-digit thousanths of an inch,
(which is the kind of accuracy flush-rail joint systems oblige,)

then drop-in joiners are _always_ an option...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

M.C., this is awesome

M.C., this is awesome work.  Your photography is excellent, too.  You're clearly demonstrating the steps you took.  Have you considered using alignment pins between your modules?  I know you're doing N scale. I have used metal table pins for my HO scale modules with perfect success.  I got them from Rockler at http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=787&site=ROCKLER , their item number 32334 brass pins.  Two of them have assured perfect alignment and very smooth running.  I also put the track in as you did with some PC board ties at the end, epoxied to the roadbed and the rails soldered to the ties.  Setup is nearly instant.  One person, real fast.  Actually I did away with the C-clamps, too.  I use 1/2-dia bolts between.  Sure don't need the strength, so I just put them in hand-tight, no tools.  The large half-inch size means the hex nut and bolt are big enough for me to get a grip without wrenches.  The brass pins hold the modules in an "X-Y Plane", and the bolts hold them in a "Z-Axis".

If you put one pin and one socket in the end of a module, then your curved section could curve either direction yet maintain alignment.

To install them, I clamped two modules together in correct alignment, and drilled for one pin, then took the clamps off.  I epoxied the pin in one module, and the socket in the other and let it cure.  Then re-joined the modules and drilled for the second pin, again pulled it apart and glued in the pin and socket.  I was pleased at how well it turned out.

You'll just have to check that these pins provide sufficient "tightness" for N-scale.

I've also seen people use wooden pins, but there are several tricks to using them successfully over long periods of time, with many setups and teardowns.  To me the brass seemed like an optimum.

There are also Patternmaker's pins available, and although more accurate they do cost more, and some people have said they need special tools to install once the holes are drilled.

Again, great pics and videos!  Thanks!

Not only are you a prolific

Not only are you a prolific modeller, you have a fantastic collection of elevator music

That's Muzak to my ears

Thanks.

All the music in the videos was written by my brother (and used by permission).
The super-cheezy elevator-type music was the background muzak in a supermarket for a Doritos commercial, so imagine it coming out almost inaudibly from a very crappy speaker while cruising the snack aisle at 2am.
I'm trying to get him to record some Johnny Cash-ish / Neil Young-ish / Tom Waits-ish more train-like music for me, but he's a busy guy down in LaLaLand.

Now onto today's adventure!

I might have over-emphasized the finickiness of aligning butt joints in the early posts.
Yes, it's not a two-second snap together, but it's not that hard to get the modules aligned.
Especially with two people: one to align, the other to clamp.
And most modules have a single main, so all you have to align is two rails (no matter the off-chance of endplate warping or wacky floor).
And what we've found is that even if there's a significant gap, trains will still run over it fine!
It's pretty amazing what long trains are able to run over.
Now, of course, it's better to get as close as possible to flush & smooth.
But there's a lot of lee-way.

Drop-in sections of track or even the pre-ballasted joints where you drop in two rails also have their place: we've found that those options actually have more variables than necessary (and the drop-in rails can get bent very quickly), and take longer to set up & take down.

Bolts & pins are great between sections, but not between modules: it's just too hard to get people from all over to precision-machine-place pins in the correct spot to allow alignment on either side of the module in any combination with anyone else's module.
Maybe if we machined endplates out of steel and then all used the same...
Ugh: the weight!

So butt-end joints over 6"-tall 3/4" birch ply have proved (for us) to be the most practical and repeatable.

Just to prove a point: today I connected the 2-foot, 15 deg. insert between the two yard sections in less than a minute, all by myself:



Perhaps having multiple tracks actually makes it easier to align, as (theoretically) just aligning the two outermost rails should line up all those in between.
But sometimes the Free-moN gods are with you, and sometimes they give you the fumbly finger.

You can see I also sprayed on the first layer of flat black along the sides.

Once I got the insert aligned and clamped, I cut track to fit the three remaining curves, laid down some caulk, placed the track, eyeballed it to have a 2" straight off the sides and then a smooth curve (1 1/2" track centers).
The caulk gives you plenty of time to adjust, test with a car, and then solder at the ends:



The fun thing about this part is that there are no rail joiners and you don't have to put styrene between the sections.
Just run the rails up to the ones already flush on the yard sections (ok, leave a slight gap, like hair-width).
So no cutting with the Dremel or filing, either.
And everything lines up lovely:



Now I've only tried the insert in one direction: I'm really really really hoping that it all lines up when I flip it around (and there might be a slight bit of filing to be done).
But as of now, we have all 7 yard tracks (a main with two staging tracks and a runaround on each side) up and running.
Or will, once I drop feeders on the insert section after the caulk cures.

So here it is:



While I was working on this, my daughter was using her model railroading skills to build a diorama of the BFG's cave for a class project (many layers of carved pink foam caulked together, sculptamold slathered on top, now painting the blue rocks), and my son was... ??? dancing / practicing karate / painting water pictures on the driveway.

So it was a good day.
Thanks for looking, and for all your comments and suggestions.   

Beautiful Butt Joints (for Free-moN & other modules)

Here's a video I made on how I make the butt joints over a Free-moN module section:

//www.youtube.com/embed/wM1H0URvKX8?wmode=opaque

Again, I apologize for the length & rambling, but I wanted to take the mystery out of a potential deal-breaker for anyone wanting to build a Free-moN module.
This is for 7 tracks on plywood, but can also be used for 1 or 2 tracks on foam / cork.
The same technique can be used for other modules, or swing-out / lift-up sections.
(At the single-main endplate of a module you can just solder the rails so they stick out & file back flush)

Hope this helps spread the Free-moN flow, and thanks for watching (and for all comments / suggestions!)
Cheers!   

Making a firm point

Built a couple of Bullfrogs and started figuring out how to install them.
While I could just screw them into the 1/2" ply, that wouldn't leave much room for the control rods to drop 4" to the sides, especially when install right next to the edge.
So I'll probably mount the Bullfrogs on some 1 1/2" square blocks (leftover leg material), but we'll see.

First, though, I have to deal with another issue thrown my way, specifically this:



The Atlas C55 turnouts, while nice for their power routing & easy-to-wire frog set up, have a weakass plastic throwbar / point rail clip that actually pushes the point rail up over the stock rail when thrown to the far side.
"You're throwing too hard!" you might say.
Well, so does the Bullfrog, so I gotta work with that.
And I have no problems with the Bullfrog working my handlaid turnout with PC board throwbar on the Shoofly.

So, before I started butchering the turnouts already installed on the staging module, I practiced with an Atlas C55 turnout I'm saving for another project (muhahahaha):



Just cut the point rail clips with rail nippers and soldered.
I use HO scale PC board ties for throwbars as I'll be drilling holes for the Bullfrog wire & the N scale ones are a little thin.
[Note to self: remember to cut the gap on the throwbar before installing & soldering ]
Seemed to work out pretty well, so now it's on to performing surgery on the 17 Atlas turnouts already installed!
Thanks for looking.   

Shim with styrene?

Dear MC,

If the issue is that the throwbar has too much "airgap" between it's top surface and the base of the stockrail,
(IE it can "lift up")

how about inserting some 0.005 or 0.010" styrene under the stockrails, directly above the throwbar,
(possibly glued to the top surface of the throwbar?),

thus keeping the throwbar "down" at the alignment it should be,
and stopping the switchrails from creeping _up_ the stockrails?

Could be easier to add styrene strips to existing already-laid turnouts than retrofitting PCB throwbars?

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

PS have seen this with HO turnouts too, it's not just Atlas, and it's not just N gauge...

Flopbar

Thanks, Prof, for the suggestions.

Thought of various ways of shimming or whatnot.

The problem, though isn't just the throwbar at the stockrails.
The plastic clips that hold on the point rails also have a lot of "give," in addition to the throwbar buckling underneath them.
Funny how the throwbar seems to be Atlas' Achilles' Heel (how's that for a mixed mythological metaphor) for both C80 & C55 turnouts.

As I've had zero problems with a PC board throwbar on other turnouts, just thought I'd go with that.
These turnouts are going to see a lot of action

I could have done something fancy with pins and allow a swivel, but the points aren't traveling that far, so solid solder should do the trick.

Prof is right on!

Last night I tried replacing a throwbar on an already-installed turnout and tweeked the point rail: they really like to bend and pop out of the hinge!
I think it'll be repairable, but otherwise I don't mind replacing one with a handlaid turnout.

But, thinking about how people had been talking about shims, I decided to give it a try.
There's a little channel in the throwbar under each stockrail, so I just slipped a small section of 0.02" x 0.06" styrene strip into the space:



Seems to work great.
I also tried 0.03" x 0.06", but that thickness doesn't allow any give around the point clip, and the tension pops the point rail out of the hinge hole after a bit.
The 0.02" x 0.06" is still thin enough to slide under the point rail clip & allow it some play, while still keeping the throwbar down under the stockrail to keep the point rail flush (and not ride up like it had been).

So far, I think you only have to do it on the side opposite the ground throw / bullfrog wire, but the groundthrow might be keeping that side down.
When I install a Bullfrog I'll see how it works, but it seems the worst case is that I slide another styrene strip on the throwbar under that side of the stockrail.

K.I.S.S. really is a great principle to live by.
Thanks to all who made all the suggestions / alt ways to skin the cat!   

alt ways to skin the cat

Moxie, the fluffy cat, is not impressed.

And because every post should have a picture:

Of Shims & Bullfrogs

Sorry, Moxie.
Definitely didn't mean to offend our feline friends, especially one who's a caboose fan.

Here's a short "How To" video on how to improve the Atlas C55 turnouts by adding shims to the throwbar:

//www.youtube.com/embed/CA87ZvHJQd8?wmode=opaque

I'll do another one on how I replace the throwbar with a PC board tie later (probably this weekend).

I've also started installing the Bullfrog turnout controls to the module.
As there's no 2" pink foam, I added a spacer made out of 2" chunks of 1"x2"s.
Here's with the control knob pushed in:



And pulled out:



Notice that I built the turnouts without the rod support option: the Bullfrogs in the center don't need the Tadpoles as the red control rod sheathes are stiff enough when short enough.
When I install one on the side of the module I might need a Tadpole for the far side.
We'll see!

The travel distance is about 1 1/8".
Not thrilled with the distance (or the bright yellow of the rod), but I really dig the Bullfrogs themselves: keeps the points firmly secured and easy to power the frogs.

To protect the knobs and have something useful on the yard module I built some small shelves 4" high that stick out about 2":





[Haven't installed them yet: will drill all the holes for the Bullfrog knobs first]
But not only to they protect the knobs, but will give us a surface other than the layout to place our Powercab and iPhone throttle, as well as any car cards / paperwork when we get to that point.

The mainline turnout knobs are centered equidistant between the bottom of module and bottom of shelf, while I'm going to offset the yard track turnout knobs: 1/2" higher for far side and 1/2" lower for near side.
Also will carve a slight notch top or bottom to indicate direction of diverging route so operators can feel it rather than lean back to double check all the time.

Two Bullfrogs down & only 18 more to go!

Thanks for looking.   

More Bull, Less Frog

So the two mainline turnouts of one section are now Bullfrogged:



I'll hook up the wires after I install all the Bullfrogs.
They work pretty awesome (though I did cut the red sheath a little short on the left one).

Also installed the shelves on the handle side:





I used woodglue and screw on the first but then I realised that the paint might prevent a great bond (will the wood still emulsify if there's a layer of paint? wouldn't think so), so I tried... that's right: Gorilla Glue! on the second.

Both seem equally firm and steady, so we'll see over time.

I'm not going to install the shelves on the other side until I install 10 Bullfrogs on this section (much easier to work propped up and clamped on workbench like in photo above)

So I've been installing more spacers on which to mount the Bullfrogs, and came upon a new issue:



Originally, the bolts would stick out to the left.

While I was smart enough to plan ahead with the cross-braces to place them not under a hole for turnout actuating rods, I was not smart enough to think about the bolts for the legs and how they stick out into the Bullfrog.

So I've reversed the direction of the bolts so the leg plate goes on the "right" (outer) side and... that's right: Gorilla Glue!
The bolt and washer on the inner side (where the Bullfrog will go) are now rocksolid attached to the crossbeam.
If you look at the first photo in the post, you'll see I have room to slip the leg frame over the bolts, but I think I'm going to cut channels in the leg frame panels and make it a "slip-on" rather than "bolt-hole only" because I really don't want to whack the Bullfrog too much.
Plus, slip-on is soooooo much easier & quicker.
Just hope it doesn't over-weaken the 1/2" ply panel on the legs too much.

Alrighty, back to building more Bullfrogs!

Thanks for looking.   

true weight?

A Pound of Flesh...

...and Brain... and many Pounds converted from British currency...

But seriously: just weighted them at your prompting, and found the one pictured above with a couple Bullfrogs and 1/2 the shelves is exactly 20 lbs / 9.08 kg (give or take a beer).

I'm estimating about 25-30 lbs. / 11.3-13.6 kg for each 4' section when it's all done with hardware, shelves, groundcover, and structures.

No problem for these gorilla arms 

[I did use 1/2" ply for the top for this module.  If I was going to make one with 2" foam, then I'd probably use only 1/8" under the foam on 3 7/8"" sides (rather than 5 1/2"), which might affect the weight a bit]

To me these are a little heavy, but yery easy to carry, due to the handle I installed.
And the heft of construction is worth it, given that they'll be used and loved for so long.
What do your modules / sections weigh, comparably?