General concept: table-top modules designed for single-sided public viewing. Basic modules line the outside of any layout configuration with narrower return loop modules in the background. Below is an example of the general concept arranged as a corner layout. Seven individual modules are shown along with left and right end modules and an outside corner, all of which are fully completed with scenery. The narrower background modules and inside corner are simply covered in black foam. All track is Rokuhan Z-Scale wood ties with roadbed snap track – the standard module is designed specifically for use with the 440 mm length track.
Materials and assembly: The primary materials were acquired from Home Depot. Each module is a wood box design using hobby wood (Poplar) and assembled with wood glue. To assemble, the sides are arranged as shown in the following drawings and with samples of the track foam and pink foam used for spacers, the four leg brace blocks are glued into the corners to adhere the sides together as a box. Once dried, pink foam cut to fill the inside dimensions of the box is inserted from the top and glued into place.
Two pieces of 440 mm track are mounted along the width of the module, closer to the front edge of the module positioned along center lines 3” and 4” from the front edge of the module. To help align the tracks, Rokuhan catenary track spacers are used as can be seen in the module picture at the top of this document. The outside surfaces of the module are painted in a flat satin black. The pink foam is intentionally below the top surface of the module box, the depth determined by the thickness of the HO foam roadbed, as this allows for holding in landscaping material around the edges – obviously, the pink foam can be carved into as need for the landscape design or built up if adding hills. A couple of finished examples are shown in pictures at the end of this document.
For the general module backdrop, art board is cut to 17 1/8” x 8”, painted a light sky blue and mounted to the back of each module using small magnets. The magnets were attached to the back of the module using small screws while the matching magnets are attached to the back of the art board using CA. See pictures below for materials and installation examples.
Dimensions and assembly note for other layout module pieces:
End modules: Wood cut to 25” left and right sides with 13” front and back sides – assembled in the same fashion as the standard module with the 13” sides mounted within the longer 25” sides. As can be seen in the layout sketch, the end modules are asymmetric and thus different for each end of the layout. The radii on the front half of each end module, the half that aligns with the standard modules, are larger than the radii of the back half of the modules. Front half radii are 270 mm and 245 mm respectively and the radii for the back half are one size smaller, i.e. 245 mm and 220 mm respectively. For the back half, additional 25 mm short straight pieces are required at the departing end of each curve.
Basic background loop modules” Wood cut to 17 1/8” front and back sides with 5” left and right sides – assembled in the same fashion as the standard module with the 5” sides mounted within the longer 17 1/8” sides. Top surface is HO scale track bed sheet for an all-black smooth surface.
Outside corner module: Wood cut to 13 1/2" front and back sides with 13” left and right sides – assembled in the same fashion as the standard module with the 13” sides mounted within the longer 13 1/2” sides. Outside track is 270 mm radius, inside track is 245 mm radius.
[NOTE: Larger version of the corner module can be made by adding short pieces of straight track on both ends of the curves – nominally in 25 mm increments. For example, adding roughly 2 inches to both wood dimensions and using two 25 mm lengths onto each end of each curve.]
Inside corner module (minimum radii) as a square box: Wood cut to 10 1/2" front and back sides with 10” left and right sides – assembled in the same fashion as the standard module with the 10” sides mounted within the longer 10 1/2” sides. Outside track is 220 mm radius, inside track is 195 mm radius.
[NOTE 1: Larger version of the corner module can be made using larger radii – preferably 270 mm and 245 mm which would require adding roughly 2 inches to both wood dimensions.]
[NOTE 2: As shown in the layout sketch, the inside corner module can be constructed with a corner of the box removed – this is accomplished by using 5” short sides and fitting in a diagonal piece of word across the “cut line” for the missing corner. A bit of custom fitting is needed to make the pieces fit together smoothly.]
