Wooden Canvas Panels for Ttrak Modules

[RS18U]

@cteno4 Jeff, how critical is it to have the 2 3/4" - 4" adjustment range for height?  The frame on my panels are 3/4" deep, so realistically I would have a bit more than 1/2" of adjustment.  The other T-Track group member is setting his at 2 3/4" for height which is easy enough, but I am trying to get away from extra legs to accommodate this 4" height the standard seems to suggest.  I don't want to preclude being able to attach to someone else's module if that ever happens.

 

Will

[Kingmeow]

I have never seen T-Trak modules in use that are even close to 4" in height.  My club does all T-Trak and often times at shows we combine with 2-3 other clubs.  We're doing one next week at the NSE National N-Scale Convention at Bethlehem, PA.  24' x 45' in total.  😎

[cteno4]

@RS18U Track running height is flexible and depending on your modules. You can have one height for home and then longer legs for when you run with others that use taller modules and running heights.
 

I made my first street car 25mm modules at 1” tall and ran on the table if a small loop and all short modules. To run with 2 3/4” modules I made a set of girders out of 1x2 that were spaced about 8” apart with some sections of dowel and 4 leveling inserts on the bottom. These were 4’ long so I could put 4 of the short height modules on them and then level all 4 together to what ever height the rest of the layout is doing. You can see the blonde support girders under the red module bases in this pict.

 

I also made a prototype of a sushi tray style stand to lift up my 1” modules. I just cut 2 pieces of 1x3 (3/4” x 2.5”) that were as long as the width inside of the module framing (my 1” modules were 3/4” thick by 1” tall framing). I drilled 15mm holes in the top 4mm deep and glued 15x2mm magnet into the bottom of it. Then once dry put the other magnet on the first magnet in the hole and a drop of epoxy on top of the second magnet and glued that to the bottom of the module top with then inset like 1.5” in from the ends. Once dry you could pop the little legs off. Ends up like looking like a sushi tray. Let’s you transport without the legs to save space and nicely floats the module. Then each of these cross pieces can have 2 inserts in them for small leveling bolts to take them up to usual 3-4” running height. The only issue is you can fold the legs over sideways with enough pressure to disengage the magnets. It takes a lot I would ever happen, but a thin strip on either side of the legs to make a pocket for the magnet end of the cross piece to sit in would prevent any lateral issues, but didn’t think it needed it. I’ll see if I can dig the test module up. I am planning on adding these for my 1.5” canvas modules to bring them to 2.75” which is our usual run height with modules flat on table and no legs, we can usually shim needed amounts for table wonkyness. I’ll see if I can find the very old experiment I did (we went to 33mm Ttrak so the old 25mm modules sort of were retired). If not I’ll put one together on one of the 2.5” tall wooden canvases with some pictures.

 

The 3/4” tall wooden canvases are a bit thin to use as you only get about 3/4” of play in your leveling bolts. Visually it’s getting a bit on the thin side as well. The 1 1/2” wooden canvases are better compromise.

 

btw you can get away with 3 leveling bolts on a module, two in front corners and one in back center. Much much faster and easier to level than 4 and one less bolt! Level front to height and side to side, then just level single back bolt for front to back level and it does not mess up your front side to side level at all! Also easier to get at a bolt in the back center as opposed to the back corners where reaching blind backwards can be a challenge. Modules are plenty stable enough and fine on 2x modules as well. Of course with the sushi tray legs you have to use 4 bolts.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[cteno4]

12 minutes ago, Kingmeow said:

I have never seen T-Trak modules in use that are even close to 4" in height.  My club does all T-Trak and often times at shows we combine with 2-3 other clubs.  We're doing one next week at the NSE National N-Scale Convention at Bethlehem, PA.  24' x 45' in total.  😎

Most all Ttrak modules are made 2.75” tall and then usually run with track height is 3.5”-4” depending on tables (some places can have a lot of play in table heights thus some like to have more play with leveling bolts). Most folks like having like 3/4” to fiddle with the leveling bolts as it’s easier with the fingers. But too big a gap below the modules and then you see this string of leveling bolts!

 

our club cheats all the time and no bolts and all regular 2.75” modules right on the table top and bolts only for shallower modules. If two tables don’t match up well we just shim the table legs a tiny bit. Doing all the leveling bolts is the most tedious part of a Ttrak setup!

 

jeff

[RS18U]

1 hour ago, cteno4 said:

btw you can get away with 3 leveling bolts on a module, two in front corners and one in back center.

@cteno4 That is my plan as I had read this from you earlier.  And having had to level levels that use 3 points (not 4) I get it.  Tripods work much better than quadpods.

 

I like the other ideas you have here too, especially the sushi tray.  Very neat!

Will

[Cat]

1 hour ago, cteno4 said:

If two tables don’t match up well we just shim the table legs a tiny bit.

Super genius!

[cteno4]

The big club setups over many tables usually can’t get away with shimming tables. We are 1-4 tables so can cheat!

 

jeff

[cteno4]

3 hours ago, RS18U said:

That is my plan as I had read this from you earlier.  And having had to level levels that use 3 points (not 4) I get it.  Tripods work much better than quadpods.

You would be surprised at the pushback the three bolt idea when I first started talking about it, you would have thought I spoke holy heresy! Everyone was saying that’s not standard! It will tip over! Tripods are unstable! None had tried it yet, but were positive it just was a bad idea. Well it works! Most just want to stick to the table idea for some odd reason. Well these are not tables.

 

my design training is to start first with what does it need to day or do before you design and once you define well wha it needs to say or do it sort of designs itself. Also bad to adapt other designs onto your needs, let your needs guide the design.

 

jeff

[Cat]

Another bonus for small table set-ups.