Another Set of Modules

[D&J RailRoad]

This is the most recent set of modules I started recently.
The last one was a mainline yard module set in HO. It ended up being 64' end to end. What I didn't count on is wood swelling, shrinking and warping over time which made alignment of track a nightmare and a major job to set up at the shows.
With my deteriorating back condition, I just couldn't spend that much time leaning over the modules aligning and joining each track section. 8 tracks across 12 modules, I could barely walk when done with that.
I gave the module set to another member of the club, as he had a 30' foot trailer to haul stuff to the show and also had a son to help him with that.
I decided to build another set of modules, simpler to handle and assemble at shows. The main features will be a double track grade crossing using the Logic Rail Technologies electronics with quality Tomar gates and signals heads. The mainline will have a simple block detection to trigger the change of signal heads. This will be a set of three modules measuring 12' end to end and will be a slight S curve which offsets the mainline run by 18".
In the picture below, the modules are set up where the viewer would be to the right. The middle module will have the grade crossing centered. At the closest end an industrial number 8 turnout and track will run through the middle module just barely into the third module. In the middle module another number 6 turnout will lead track back toward this end to an industry that has two tracks for spotting cars. That industry track will be elevated about 1" above the mainline track.
I'll try to get this finished to take to the Timonium show in February, but that will be close. I'm certain I'll have them in the Boy Scout show in March and definitely in the Timonium show in April.

 

[Bruette]

Professor, I can't offer any advice with the modules. But I do have some experience with back problems. Keeping your back warm and resting as needed is the best preventive medicine. Listen when your back is "talking" to you.

I find heating pads, raising the thermostat a few degrees and blankets are the most effective treatments when my back is bothering me.

Stay healthy so you can keep sharing your work with us, thank you!

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Actually, I have just about every ailment of the back available. Stenosis, fused disc, disc disease, fracture and the occasional sciatica. Other than those, I'm in pretty good shape.

 

[KB02]

A cousin of mine posted on Facebook a while back that he loved the heated seats in his car - not for keeping him warm, but to sooth the back pain.
Gotta admit, I use them for the same reason.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Did some work on the legs but they need more refining. I'll take em over to a friends house tomorrow to use his drill press to drill the threaded rod holes straight. These legs are adjustable while standing instead of getting down on hands and knees to adjust at the floor level. Basically, I drilled a 3/8" hole down through them using eyeball guidance. I inserted a wood nut in the end then threaded a 9" threaded rod, 3/8" X 16 into the upper and lower leg. They're a bit cockeyed which makes the module unstable and hard to adjust to precision.

This is a wood nut insert. Ya use a large flat blade screwdriver to drive it into the drilled hole in the wood.

I laid out the cork road bed to check curve radii and fitment of turnouts. An industrial leg goes off to the left ending in a drill track where a local switcher will be stationed. Another turnout will allow the switcher to spot frieght on one of two tracks at the bottom left.
A grade crossing will go at an angle in the middle module with the highway running up between the mainline and the drill track.
The crossing gates will be built on removable pads for transporting the modules.
I'm still looking for a block detection system to run a simple signal system on the mainline. I don't want to use a computer to run it though.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I took all the legs over to a friend's house yesterday to use his drill press to redrill the holes for the threaded rods.
They are much straighter now. Not perfect, but much, much better.
Now, on to glueing the roadbed down and getting the turnout motors installed.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

All clamped together now. Applied glue then laid down the cork roadbed. I'll let this sit for tonight while I review industrial buildings for a proper fit.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Almost forgot to install the superelevation for the track. This is .030" solid plastic rod. It will support the outside of the ties in the curves and give the train a slight but noticeable lean in the curves.
The roadbed off to the left is a siding.

 

[Rico]

Looking good, cool idea using the plastic rod!

 

[D&J RailRoad]

The plastic rod is thin enough that there isn't a need for easement into the lean. The track itself will provide that over a few inches as long as I don't press it down into the flexible glue I'll use for the track.
Another thing with glueing the track down. I found that it I only put a bead of glue down at the outer edge of the ties, it will be easier to salvage the track at a later date if I need too. When I dismantled some of the mainline yard modules, I had spread the glue across the cork roadbed. This made it quite a bit more work getting a blade under the ties.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

With and without super elevation.
The loco on the left is sitting on super elevated track. The one on the right is flat.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I want to use a #10 turnout from the mainline to the industrial siding. The only #10 that I have is code 83. The rest of the track is code 100 per club standards.
I need a transition from code 100 to 83. Yeah, there are transition tracks available but it's just as easy to make my own.
Using a glass surface to ensure the railhead is level, the code 83 turnout is on the right. A short code 100 track on the left. I include a short piece of wire on the outside of each rail for added strength. The clamps ensure the rail heads are flat on the glass.
Now, just a little filing to clean up the solder spots. Ya gotta do the soldering quick to the ties don't loosen up.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I am absolutely stunned.
When I laid the cork roadbed, I carefully measured both centerlines of the cork so they were EXACTLY 5" and 7" set back from the front of the module. I laid the cork over the marks and so the outer edge of the cork would lay right along the pencil lines of the outer edge of where the track would lay.
Today, I started to lay the second mainline track, 7" back from the front edge. Put down a small bead of flexible caulk, then thought I would measure the track centers. Both the 5" and 7" center of tracks are 5 1/2" and 7 1/2" now. Pencil marks are still there, directly under the center of the track. The 3/4" multi layer plywood expanded 1/2" in just two weeks.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Moving on to the main attraction of the module setup. The grade crossing.

I want to install the gates so they can be removed when the module is transported. As you can see in the picture, these Tomar gates can probably be broken pretty easily. Looking closer at them, they appear to be sitting on a cut out base. Well, they are.

The gate is mounted to a 3/4" thick plywood base with the servo motor installed on the bottom side. All the wires will be bundled and run through a mini plug that connects to the boards on the bottom side of the module.

The Logic Rails Technology boards are mounted on the bottom side of the module to control the crossing gate lights and the servo motors that raise and lower the gates. The two holes in the wood are where the crossing gates will set.

 

[bigfoot13]

What glue do you use for the cork roadbed and track? Going back over my layout and adding cork since I've finally settled on my design.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I use the Liquid nails for the cork to roadbed and a plyable caulk for the track.
When I do the track, I only put a small bead under outer edge of the tie. That makes it easier to cut the track loose later on if I need to.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

It's been a hassle getting the signal triggers to work. I'm installing them on the modules outboard of the center module where the grade crossing is. That puts them almost 6 feet away to give the gates time to come down before the train arrives. The problem has been how to get reliable connections from the center module out to the distant sensors. There are two items in each track so that makes 8 wires to make connections. I settled on using Cat 6 cable for the jump from the center module. I found some Cat 6 breakout boards with screw posts to connect the wires to. I built a mount for the breakout board to be mounted on which will make it easier to get my finger under to depress the little plastic clip when I need to unplug the jumper.

This is the underside of the center 4' module. The Logic Rail Technologies boards (orange) sense track one and track two.
The black board is the power regulator.
The rest of the wiring is the track power to each mainline and then the siding.
A power strip is mounted on the module as well.
The legs are high pressure PVC piping with a 5/8" X 9" threaded rod installed near the top so I don't have to get down on the floor to adjust the height of the modules.

this is the CAT 6 breakout board with the CAT 6 cable attached. Four wires to each track.

This is the two modules while working on them.
We use the Ford trailer connector for the mainlines and a two-conductor connector for the auxiliary power line.
I can take this near module down now and set the other module up on the other end of the center module to make the connections there.
Once all these electronics are completed, I can stand them up on their legs and start the scenery detailing and ballasting the tracks.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

finished the east end module this morning and all sensors work properly.
Now I can move on to the scenery part of the job.