Cowcatcher Round Up

Published for the Cowcatcher Division of the Lone Star Region/National Model Railroad Association

Vol. 3, No. 1 January/February 2006

The North Texas T-Trak Club is fast becoming a fixture at area and regional train shows. The one-year-old club will be on display Jan. 14-15 at the Dallas Area Train Show in Plano.— Tim Blackwell/CRU

North Texas T-Trak Club grows

modeling with compact focus

By TIM BLACKWELL Cowcatcher Round Up

Standing shoulder to shoulder, members of the North Texas T-Trak Modular Railroad Club can surround more than half of the N-scale display that they've toted throughout Texas and Oklahoma in recent weeks.

Members — big and small, male and female tower over their one-year-old layout, a series of uniformly square modules neatly scenicked with both scratch-built and ready-built structures.

Signs at the corners of the layout read, "NO Touching. Violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again." Don't be intimidated by the stern warnings and size of the club. There are only about a dozen active members, and the layout stands a mere 3 feet tall.

But NTT is packing a mighty punch in its short existence while embracing onlookers at area train shows. The club, which features novice and veteran N-scale modelers from Greenville to Lewisville, will roll out its largest modular layout Jan. 14-15 at the Dallas Area Train Show in Plano.

"Everywhere we have been on display, we seem to be well-received, by the general public as well as other experienced model railroaders," club leader Mike Moore said. Large crowds gathered at NTT's layout composed of 18 modules on two 30-inch x 96-inch tables at December's Oklahoma City Train Show. Members sat in chairs operating trains that traversed a deck bridge and passed a nearby waterfall spilling into a river flanked by a scratch-built rendition of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's classic architectural designs. The showing was NTT's second in Oklahoma City.

"Kids like it because it's at eye level," said member Chad Johnson, who has been in the hobby about a year. "Parents come up, and they've been holding their kids all day. They can put their kids down so they can look at the modules."

T-Trak is one of the hobby's newest ideas, featuring space-friendly tabletop modules designed for portability, easy operation and quick layout building for all skill levels, especially beginner. Standard modules measure 8¼ inches x 12 1/8 inches x 2 3/8 inches and can be assembled in minutes into a coffee table-sized layout or larger.

The modular concept, a smaller variation of the popular N-Trak, began in Japan in early 2000 and was developed in the U.S. by Lee Monaco-FitzGerald, who named T-Trak after trams, trolleys and trains running on tabletops.

Layouts utilize a locking track system like those manufactured by Kato and Bachmann. The modules can be stored in closets or bookcases, and an entire layout can be transported in a Volkswagen.

The basic low-cost layout consists of four corner sections and two straight modules measuring 2'/2 feet x 3'/2 feet. There are two track standards (25mm and 33mm track centers) based on double-track operation. Yards and sidings are possible with compatible turnouts using 33mm track centers, which NTT employs. Modules measuring 14 inches x 14 inches allow for 45-degree curves.

"The same effort that's spent to build and detail any other layout, no matter what the scale, applies to T-Trak," said Moore, a former N-Trak member from Michigan. "Only it's easier to get a smaller scene more complete in a shorter time."

Because the modules are lightweight, snap together easily and can be set up or torn down in minutes, T-Trak is a more appealing option at shows than N-Trak, Moore said. On the final day of the Oklahoma City show, the club completely reduced the layout to 12 modules in about 20 minutes.

"When the show closed at 5 p.m., we were on the road by 5:30 p.m.," he added.

With only a few materials involved, T-Trak is perfect for no-fuss model railroading on a budget, and a great way to introduce modelers to the hobby, Moore said. Also, T-Trak can be a desirable choice for Boy Scouts seeking a merit badge in model railroading.

"T-Trak has a number of advantages," said Paul E. Musselman, who hosts The Unofficial T-Trak Handbook web site (http: //home.insightbb.com/.T-Trak.Cincy/TTOC/TTOCtheStuff.html). "It's a great way for someone just starting out in the hobby. It's a great standard for trying things out and practicing skills it's small, inexpensive and not a major loss if an idea doesn't work out."

ShapeMaster (www.shapemaster.com) manufactures prefabricated plastic boxes, and prefab wooden boxes are available at some retailers. Both box types have leveling bolts to speed tabletop setup.

It was at the Dallas Area Train Show two years ago that the seeds were planted for NTT. Moore discovered T-Trak in 2003, and after a chance meeting with Johnson at the show he began formulating NTT. Through the Internet, Randy Martin and the father-son team of Tom and Trey Asel were recruited.

In fall 2004, Moore shepherded NTT's modest debut at Fort Worth's Great American Train Show with a very basic layout of four corners, four straights and two doubles sparsely scenicked on one 30-inch x 96-inch table.

A year later and after joining the North Texas Council of Model Railroad Clubs, NTT expanded to five tables sporting 27 modules in a 10-foot x 20-foot space at November's Fort Worth Area Train Show. The display was the largest ever in Fort Worth for a T-Trak layout, according to show officials.

The club plans a larger showing at the Dallas Area Train Show at the Plano Convention Centre. NTT will display 32 of its 45 modules in inventory on six to seven tables in the same 10-foot x 20-foot space.

Not bad for a club that is still cutting its teeth.

"Learning on the fly is how we've progressed so far," Moore said. "I am very pleased with many of the modules that have been produced. Several of the models are truly unique."