New Project: Cumberland One Track Module Group!

[wm3798]

I can't promise that you'll see the kind of rapid fire progress you're used to seeing from me, but I've plotted out the basic form for my next project:  A group of three modules that will follow BanTrak's OneTrack standard and present a close to scale model of the area around the Cumberland Western Maryland Station.



As you may recall, I'd built up my Cumberland Station model for installation on my home layout, which went away due to circumstances beyond our control.  Well, the model has been salvaged, and I want to build something that can travel and be a part of public shows and what not.  I started with a very rough concept sketch based on a Google Maps aerial:



As you can see, the actual route makes a handy inside corner, and the highway bridges will form a perfect mask for the joints.  My goal will be to add two 24" x 24" bits at the ends to bring the line back to single track at either end.

Here's some of the elements that will be included:
Obviously, the station:



The highway bridge next to the station:



The steel beam bridge west of the station:



The concrete flood controls in Wills Creek, and a little slice of downtown Cumberland.  I'll also be including the thru girder plate bridge across the Potomac just east of the station, and the highway bridge behind that:


The ends of the three modules will be 24", with the middle section being 30" from front to back.  The back edges are all 48"  I plan to build them so they can be crated up the way MC Fujiwara transports his FreeMoN modules.  The first step will be translating my pencil sketch into a more accurate scale drawing so I can pull a materials list together for the trackwork.  I'll be using Atlas c55, which is the OneTrack way, which I can salvage from the remains of the old layout.  After that, I'll see about pulling together the stuff I'll need to build the frames.

Looking forward to embarking on a new adventure!  Stay tuned for updates as they happen.
Lee

[eric220]

Staying tuned.  Can't wait to see it come together!

[John]

also should be good for a 24 part series in Nscale

[POVC]

Lee,

Just a comment, but have you considered using something other than a rectangular (trapizoidal) frame?

Since you're doing a 3-module set, and it makes about a 90-degree arc, have you considered doing it as 3-30 degree curved modules?  I think curved modules would look a lot better and make the scene flow better as well.

Just a thought based on my experince with oNeTrak.

Tim

[3DTrains]

Lee,

I understand the scetch is a rough draft, but consider the close proximity of the turnouts to the edges of the center module. IMHO, 6"~1' should be added to the total length of the center portion to give you a safety buffer. Repairing flex that has caught on something is one thing, but replacing a switch can get expensive.

[DKS]

In light of the above comment, I'd consider making the center module longer than what you've sketched. It would help keep switches at a safe distance, and provide more room for stuff.

[Philip H]

And I still say you need to build two sets of legs, so that when we finally bring Freemo to the east coast you can run with the big boys!

[wcfn100]

In light of the above comment, I'd consider making the center module longer than what you've sketched. It would help keep switches at a safe distance, and provide more room for stuff.

Better yet, just add a 4th module. 


Jason

[DKS]

Better yet, just add a 4th module. 

Unless it was asymmetrical, the center joint would run right through the station.

Another thought... since you're kicking around the idea of transition modules, why not make different flavors of them, so you can interface with different module types?

[wcfn100]

Unless it was asymmetrical, the center joint would run right through the station.

Nobody said excellence was easy.

I just seams like Lee is trying to stay at or under 48".  A fourth section would have plenty of room to make the plan work and it will look better than having so much compression.  The station can always be pushed to the edge of one of center modules and the rest of the plan drawn based on that.

Jason

[wm3798]

Well, obviously, one of the major considerations of building a modular scene is portability.  I'm studying how MC crates up his Freemo set, which protects the ends, and provides for more permanent scenery and structure installation.  Toting the scene around crated up and properly packed doesn't bother me... handling the structures over and over again packing them up and unpacking them is far more risky in my experience.
The other consideration, of course, is the crates have to fit in my vehicle, so going much beyond 48" could be a limiting factor.

Further, my internal transitions involve not only trackwork, but what I think will be fairly complex scenery.  The concrete flood controls along Wills Creek are crucial to the scene, and I have to make sure I make the transitions clean and as authentic looking as possible.  Using the highway bridges, which can be removable, to mask those transitions, or at least give the eye something else to look at, will be a useful trick.

Plus, since I'm a lighting nerd, the buildings will need to be either permanently moored and wired, or have some sort of modular wiring system that enables me to dismount the structures.  I'm willing to learn from installations like the notorious warehouse fire module on the BanTrak rig.

I'm not opposed to using backdrops, and I agree, they help make photography more practical.  In my case, Cumberland is a town surrounded by mountains, and there are large buildings in downtown that would be apparent behind the station.  So I would want to have something to more or less set the scene, and make the view all the more recognizable.  At the very least, I would think a plain white or neutral light blue backer would be desirable so that there's clean outlines for dropping in photo-shopped backgrounds.  There's nothing worse than trying to photograph a brilliantly done module and have a bunch of a$$-clowns wandering around in the background...



I like the trapezoidal option because I can make the two ends symmetrical so they can be crated up together.  For the center portion, I would probably come up with some sort of rig that takes into account the two transition modules as a unit that can be mounted to crate up over the station.

As for the trackwork, I plan to use the flush cut method at the interior joints, and only worry about transition tracks where the group will marry into other modules.  I had a lot of moveable objects on my home layout, with lift outs, swing gates, and drop leaves, and had no problem with this method.  By transporting them as closed crates, the ends will be plenty secure from getting hung up on anything with the exception being at set up and tear down.  I've had good success with yellow carpenters glue as an adhesive for track, which would keep it quite secure, but still allow me to wet it down and pull it up in the event of a major catastrophe.

I'll probably be working out the woodworking aspect before I do any final track planning.  It just seems imperative for the platforms to work both as train modules AND crates before I get too far along in planning the scenes.

First things first, though.  This weekend, I'm cleaning the garage to make room for the work bench.  Wish me luck!!

Lee

[pwnj]

Can't wait to see this one come together.  Makes me want to take a road trip to see the prototype. So, is it done yet?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I am quite excited by this development.

I would argue against making it all a curve, so that the center piece can be used without the ends if the ace for the larger segment isn't available.

[wm3798]

I thought about that, Ed, but considering that I won't be able to make EVERY show, and the fact that as a full 90 over three modules and it can be configured as either an inside or an outside, I don't think I'll need to worry about the single module option.  Plus, I'd like to have the station scene supported by its natural habitat to each side... not your Barney-themed Birthday Party module.

Lee

[M.C. Fujiwara]

What are you using for turnout control?
If it's anything underneath than you need space for the machine / Bullfrog away from the endplate.
Just looking at your drawing there's a turnout near Baltimore St. with the throwbar practically on the joint.
Not sure how the oNeTrakers join modules, but you'll need space near the joints for the joining hardware.
I just had to use a slide switch instead of a Bullfrog because the throwbar was positioned (unavoidably) directly over where the legs go:



And on this small 45 deg module, the Bullfrog is very close to the endplate, so I had to X-out a "No-Clamping Zone":



I probably should have gone with slide switches on those modules, and maybe I'll change them later.

The good news about making the whole module in non-standard sections (except for the far endplates) is you can use those butt-joints to look better and you'll need only three sets of legs: one for the center of each section.
As soon as you clamp two sections together it'll be self-standing.
And that frees up more room near the ends.

I'd probably do something like this:


[Those are 6" squares]

Have four sections so you can bundle them up as two pairs with endplates.
This would also give you more space for the station tracks (about 4 1/2').
If you wanted the nearside bank of the river, you could push everything "up" a bit by starting the curves closer to the joints.
If you don't want it so angular you can always curve the module sides as well and still have matched pairs, like our Devil Mt. return loop:



Pairing, flipping, and endplating is essential to preserve scenery and takes up a lot less room than having a storage box / cover for each one.

Very much looking forward to what module magic you muster!