T-Trak - 'Rural Platform' Module

[jasona2z]

Hi everyone, This thread is going to be dedicated the build of a T-trak module that is based loosely around a small rural Japanese station. It may not be overly prototypical, but it will be very Japanese. I Also aim to include a steam loco shed and maintenance yard, as well as a fair bit of scenery.

 

Quite a few months ago I was at my local train shop (Austral model craft in Mt Gravatt) and saw the kato rural platform kit and was thinking about how to incorporate that into a layout. I purchased that kit and an extension kit a few weeks ago.   

I originally saw the Ipswich model train club T-trak display at a show last May (photos below) and thought that it was quite cool, and was really interesting from a space perspective - It appealed to me as I don’t have a place to leave a large layout set up all the time, so something modular made sense to me. When I eventually have multiple modules, they can be stored on a shelf, and get setup on some plastic tables when i want to run some trains. I Don't have a space I can leave a layout setup, so this seems like a good fit for me.

 

I started putting together the platforms, but didn't get many photos of it. They were a bit fiddly and getting the correct sides to line up wasn't easy. I spent about 3 hours just cutting the pieces out of the sprue.

 

 

 

More to come, this is just the start, I'm just a little bit behind on the documentation of the process.

Heres a closeup of the inspiration on the box.

 

Edited September 11, 2017 by jasona2z

[tossedman]

Cool. How many modules long are you planning to make this? Nice to see there's an active T-Trak club in your area. Be nice to have one here as well.

[westfalen]

I originally saw the Ipswich model train club T-trak display at a show last May (photos below) and thought that it was quite cool, and was really interesting from a space perspective - It appealed to me as I don’t have a place to leave a large layout set up all the time, so something modular made sense to me. When I eventually have multiple modules, they can be stored on a shelf, and get setup on some plastic tables when i want to run some trains. I Don't have a space I can leave a layout setup, so this seems like a good fit for me.

trainshowmay2016_0002.jpg

trainshowmay2016_0001.jpg

 

Those are my 'Urasai Fumikiri' modules which are in the process of having the Tomytec moving buses, which were giving trouble operating at shows, replaced with an eventually to be automated tram line.

 

[jasona2z]

Cool. How many modules long are you planning to make this? Nice to see there's an active T-Trak club in your area. Be nice to have one here as well.

I think it will be the length of 4 modules, more than likely 2 doubles.

 

Those are my 'Urasai Fumikiri' modules which are in the process of having the Tomytec moving buses, which were giving trouble operating at shows, replaced with an eventually to be automated tram line.

 

IMG_1694.JPG

I like them! Cool to see Japanese stuff at local shows. :)

[jasona2z]

I recently cut out a a piece of ply that represents (as close as I could with a handheld circular saw) a double module.. This is how I decided what modules to get started with,

 

 

I ordered some modules from a guy in Queensland, 1 double module with track, and one without. When they arrived the track seemed to be incorrectly spaced, you can see more about that here: http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/12593-track-question/

 

These are my first modules, so it has been interesting getting accustom to the the size, and seeing how much can fit on a double module. I'm not sure single modules would be big enough for me to make look good, but maybe one day as a challenge. 

 

I have since removed the track from the modules and done some measurements to check the spacing, using a ruler and the blue rerailer tool. I’m currently using them without track attached as a guide for the size of the layout on the modules.

 

 

Here are some photos of the platforms after they were assembled. I have missed out all the photos that would involve me holding plastic platform parts, a screwdriver and a camera all at the same time as putting them together. I haven't done any of the details yet.

 

 

I'm a bit behind on updating this thread & I have lots of photos to add, and maybe a different themed module......More to come soon!
 

[jasona2z]

The station engine shed….

 

 

 

I purchased this single engine shed, for use on the rural station module. I decided on a single shed because of the space limitation, once there is more than the 2 tracks. I intend on adding a turnout to the station, so I think i will be limited for space.

 

I’m not sure on the tomytec stuff, and I feel that it doesn’t really match the kato N scale size all that well. I have purchased some other tomytec items (A bus stop) and don’t know that I like the scale/feel difference.

 

 

I have seen the engine shed in some youtube videos, and some kato steam loco’s, and think it looks good. Will see if it works once I have most components, and might decide to get something else later…

 

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmsomYPPNW8&t=40s

 

 

I started doing some experimenting with weathering. I purchased some paint markers from a shop that makes spray paint called ironlak (http://www.ironlak.com/).

 

 

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions/ advice on this, feel free to share.

 

I'll do an updated post with results once the weathering is completed.

[cteno4]

jason,

 

nice weathering.

 

the tomytec stuff is done to 1/150 like the rest of tomix and Kato structures and ive never felt them to be out of scale with other stuff. some details of course are a bit "thick" as making them full scale would make them very fragile and flimsy to produce and paint. Also with all the paint put on them and the cheaper plastic and clip together nature ends up thickening up some things as well. tomytec bases can be a bit thick/tall as well, but many structure kits have this issue and you need to build up the scenery around them to make them flush in well vertically.

 

to get things down to real scale thicknesses and such you really have to scratch build and get very careful with thin materials as paper is 5/8" scale in thickness and 020 stryene is 3".

 

jeff

[jasona2z]

It is hard to believe that the last post I made in this thread was in April.

I'll try to do a bit of a catch up on how this has progressed, it might be in a few parts....To start with I purchased some more items to add to the module. This started when I got the station building, it took about 3 hours to put together, and I would like to weather it more, but will probably do this once it is all assembled.

 

 

Another part of the module was to add an overhead walkway between the platforms. I built one fully and then modified a second to have the steps on both sides.

As seen in one of the above photos I had originally thought that I would just have one platform on each side of the standard spaced tracks.... I then had some different ideas as you can see below. I came up with the idea of using 2 double modules, with one turn out on each module to a turnout track. I then came up with a way to have a 4th track that would fit alongside the main station building. I also had the idea of having the engine shed in the corner.

Thats it for now, hopefully another post in a few days...

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2017 by jasona2z
extra photos/

[cteno4]

That's going to be a very nice set of modules!

 

jeff

[jasona2z]

Also, if any admin are reading this, Can it be moved to the T-trak sub forum? Thanks. 

[cteno4]

Jason,

 

done!

 

jeff

[serotta1972]

On 9/9/2017 at 5:12 AM, jasona2z said:

It is hard to believe that the last post I made in this thread was in April.

I'll try to do a bit of a catch up on how this has progressed, it might be in a few parts....To start with I purchased some more items to add to the module. This started when I got the station building, it took about 3 hours to put together, and I would like to weather it more, but will probably do this once it is all assembled.

 

 

Another part of the module was to add an overhead walkway between the platforms. I built one fully and then modified a second to have the steps on both sides.

As seen in one of the above photos I had originally thought that I would just have one platform on each side of the standard spaced tracks.... I then had some different ideas as you can see below. I came up with the idea of using 2 double modules, with one turn out on each module to a turnout track. I then came up with a way to have a 4th track that would fit alongside the main station building. I also had the idea of having the engine shed in the corner.

Thats it for now, hopefully another post in a few days...

 

 

 

 

Hi Jason, was looking through the T-Trak threads and found this one.  Would love to see the final product.  It looks great and it's something I'm trying to do as well with the rural station and platform. 

 

-Junior

[jasona2z]

Time for another update. Today, things look like this.

 

This module has changed considerably, but still isn't actually finished as you can see. I eventually decided to scrap the idea of having the shed on the same module as the platform, as you'll be able see in the images below. One idea for this is to have a single with the shed extended onto that module with the tracks lining up. (there are some sneaky mockups of that pictured too...) More about that over here:

 

 

 

I decided to go with a deep red/brown ballast for this module. It is modelled to try and feel like a middle of nowhere station in Hokkaido area. The ballast I saw in Sapporo and Hakodate is really similar in colour (like the photo below, taken from the overpass at Naebo station, in Sapporo). The rock they use seems to be quite different, not grey like other places, but also stained lots, the ties also seemed stained in that region. 

I used a brown paint to cover the grey of the unitrack and am still deciding if a light weathering powder is needed.

 

 

 

On to the platform! A whole bunch of factors influenced the change to making this module a double, the main one being space. My interest in t-trak certainly comes about due to the lack of my own space to have a permanent layout, and my desire to have multiple modules with various styles of theming/scenery. 

 

Eventually I settled on not having turnouts on the module, I have not yet settled on a plan for control. I am currently using one of the tomix wireless controllers.

I am also trying to stay away from triple modules, as i am certain things will get out of hand. That is partially the reason that this module ended up being a double track module, with another double track down the middle of the module. the spacing is nothing fancy, it's just hard up against the platform.

 

As you can see from some of the above/top down images, I hacked a second kato overhead walkway, to something that isn't super realistic, but can pass for now. 

 

 

The platforms are as per the rural platform kit, including the concrete style fences. These haven't been glued in yet, but i would like to make them seem a little more life like before gluing them in, and the same of the platforms. I am hoping to make the concrete look really worn and weathered.

 

 

The Station itself actually isn't glued down even though the other platform pieces are. It needs to have the front edge trimmed off to make it flush with the back edge of the module. I think some hedges or plants would be fun at the front of the station here, maybe a sign and some benches? 

 

 

The bus stop for this module is a bit of a kitbash situation. The pavement floor is from some of the unitram street pieces, from the station forecourt part if i remember correctly. The lamp came with a tomytec building of some sort. the Shelter itself is from the kato rural set. I have started the weathering process, but still has a little way to be useable. The vending machines pop up a bit around my modules, but aren't super detailed.

 

For now I'm using some road that doesn't look great, its the foam stick on type, but I'm not sold on it. A bus will be sitting outside the bus stop, but there will be other traffic on the road. I have thought about having a carpark, but might instead do a dirt style road (like the BCR/Luke Towan ones I often see on youtube) with random trees in the carpark (maybe sakura if it doesn't feel over done) and some older N scale cars. This layout is probably one of the few chances I will have to use/display some of the older style rolling stock that i have like the Kiha 40's, steam (I have a few of those...), coal and lime cars as well as a few other less modern trains, as well as older style cars and I'd rather not ruin that with a new style, fresh, crisp road.

 

I added track power to tracks 3&4 , which I haven't previously done to a module before. I am not certain on the method that I will be using to power these in the future, But have now decided to add in feeders on all of the modules that i put together. It is a low cost, future time saver and a much more tidy solution than ripping things up later. 

 

More on the road, scenery, tress, painting and such next update. It shouldn't be as long, as I am hoping to have this module finished before the start of May. 

I think I just spent more time on making this update than I have spent on the module... 

Edited March 26, 2019 by jasona2z

[Kiha66]

Looks great Jason!  A good reminder that I need to finish some of my own modules.

[socalttrak]

Very nice work!

 

So Cal T Trak Group