New header for our modules' standard

Happy New Year everybody!!! This is my first post of 2017

We are ready to publish the revision 3 of our modular norms. Remember in the top horizontal menu, under "Modules" option, you will find always all the posts and the last version of the norms once approved.

A big change in this new version refers to the header construction and shape. Our adopted header was the same from the EuroN norm:

EuroN header (ClubNCaldes v.1)

Everybody told us that the squared hole (the one on the right side) was never used. In the original EuroN norms that hole is to pass two hidden tracks to cross under the modules. But if even having the tracks in sight sometimes is difficult to adjust them, having them hidden looks like it can cause many headaches and train derailments in a zone that you cannot see and has difficult accessibility. So we decided to get rid of it and center and enlarge the existing rounded hole that we use to pass the wires and connect one module to the other, and as a handle to move the module.

At the same time one of the club members had the idea to make a reversible module, so you can flip it and interchange North and South sides with no problems. Another friend wanted to make a staging yard of 6 tracks, but having a kind of norm or guide for it and to place the tracks. In this way any staging yard module (with 6 tracks) can be joined to the one from any other club member as everything has been constructed under the same norm.

These are the reasons to design a new header, fully compatible with EuroN and our previous header norm, but having the holes to place the metallic gauge in three different positions. The two outside positions allow to place 4 tracks so that the module is symmetric and North and Sound sides are interchangeable. A center position of the gauge allows to place two extra tracks centered in the module.

ClubNCaldes header v.3 (compatible EuroN)

I will upload the last norm version soon, as it contains more detailed information and step-by-step instructions to build the different Loconet modules using Arduino.

Track laying finished!!!!

Dear all, today will be a date for me to always remember. Track laying works have finished and now all tracks for the complete routes are in place. Finally I can see trains continuously moving, and not just going and coming back.

All this started exactly 5 years ago. Yes, I'm not the fastest railroad modeler, but everything has an explanation.

First year went away just reading posts from different forums, magazines, catalogs, ... I also bought some books, one of them was a track plans book from Minitrix. That was one of the best investments I did as it gave me many ideas to plan my layout.

I also asked and searched information about how to build a solid structure, software to make the drawings, I found there are different "codes" in same gauge (code 55 and code 80), and I compared many manufacturers to decide the type and geometry of rails to use. I was just posting questions in forums, and I was unable to answer or help anybody.

During all this time I made many versions of the track plans, and in the last versions I moved from Minitrix to Peco code 55 geometry:

And finally all ended up in this track plan:

About the structure, "open frame" seemed the most comfortable method to build, but I decided to print and cut ribs to make it really adjusted to the plans, so I went for the difficult option:

And suddenly, when building the structure during the second year, I discovered the Digital world in trains!!!! Another stop, I should check again how to lay the tracks, how does it work, are there different systems, which is the best one?..... yes, I'm a little bit obsessed, I cannot just pick one of the options and go, I must convince myself first that I'm taking the right path. A lot of time after I realized not all my decisions where correct, but at least you must be convinced of that to begin.

I bought an Intellibox basic, one retrosignaling module, one outputs module, and in a small board I mounted a small oval with two switches and a two aspects signal. And started to learn how digital systems work, tried several software.....

And another decision was made: Rocrail and Loconet bus. It was not the best software (on those ages), but the concept of freeware and share your work (remember this is a hobby, not a business) attracted me. That's why I have a blog, and not a hobby shop in internet. Loconet bus was a property of Digitrax, but many manufacturers where using it and also self made boards were possible. I felt it was starting to be a quite open standard.

It was time to continue, and the first rails where fixed to the board over the structure. I made my vacations to Japan (I'm a fan of japan, its culture, language, ...), and I discovered they are absolutely crazy about trains!!! And they share our N gauge, but at a different scale (1:150). So, I reconsidered again all my layout to make my little Japan at home.

Layout at the Railway Museum in Saitama

In the last two years I had to move my layout to the basement, it was too large for the room and became too difficult to access the rear part. I was also not convinced about Uhlenbrock Loconet Modules, and I found Peter Giling boards. High quality boards, low price, professional and smart design, and the widest range of modules and digital solutions for your layout. Moreover, it is possible to buy just the boards and solder the components by yourself.

And a friend, who masters electronics, was guilty for the last interruption: he showed me an Arduino and explained me it was an open source platform, it had infinite possibilities, there was a page explaining how to connect it to Loconet... so I spent another year more or less playing with Arduino, making a station announcer with it, controlling lighting and sound, building your own controller ... and having a lot of fun with it.

And yesterday, the last section of track was fixed and the oval closed. Now time for decoration, illumination, and many other works start!!!!

THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO SHARED THEIR WORKS AND KNOWLEDGE, AND HELPED AND ANSWERED ANY OF MY QUESTIONS!!! THANK YOU.

My layout plans

Hello, I would like to share my layout plans. They changed a little bit during the process of construction, not much, but I simplified some parts for a cleaner and more practical sketch. I removed one of the tracks of the main station and simplified a lot the internal part of the second and main level. Third level has very narrow curves, so I had to sacrifice the double track and go back again to a single track route. On the other hand, I added a dead track on the right of the main station.

Let's start with the zero level, mainly hidden and with a feedle yard, with no changes:

This is the most visible part of the layout, with a main station, two tracks for container platforms with a crane in the right part of the station, an industrial area (on top of container area) and a rural goods platform at the end of the internal track:

And the top and third level of the layout, accessing a small station to access the shrine and bath houses:

This is the complete layout, planning where to put the electronic devices, boards and controllers:

Final Design

I fixed the final design for the layout thanks to some good recommendations from some JNSF members:

I sacrificed two staging tracks on le left and used them to ascend to the mountain, instead of installing switches in the main line like the previous design. This allows to run trains from the main station to the mountain independently of what's running in the main line. The only doubt still in my head is if I ascend with a double track or just one track allowing double sense of travel. In this second option I could keep one of the staging track....... will continue thinking about it.......

Here there is a render for those with lack of imagination like me:

Diseño de vias

Este es el plano de vías proyectado para la primera maqueta del Club. Es un hueso de perro de doble vía replegado, haciendo que los trenes que salen por un lado de la maqueta vuelvan a entrar por el mismo lado pero en sentido contrario. Uno de los lados del hueso dispone de un desvío para circular las pequeñas composiciones por la montaña con curvas cerradas.

La parte interior de la maqueta es una zona para realizar maniobras con los trenes y tránsito de mercancías.

También dispone de una pequeña estación oculta pensada para albergar trenes de poco mas de 1 metro de largo, igual que los andenes de la estación.

La idea de la explotación es poder tener largas composiciones de viajeros circulando en modo automático que se irán intercambiando en la estación oculta, algún tren pequeño para el recorrido de montaña y varios mercancías para divertirse haciendo maniobras en la parte interior.

La esquina se deja libre para la proyección de una ciudad.