TT Scale. The Ideal Scale.

Bill Dixon wrote:So what do we exhibit in March?

If we (or I) got busy and built some more two foot corners we could do a double display; one with the original sharp curves and one with two foot corners. One display would run shorter European equipment, the other North American or longer European equipment.

I have ordered up enough track to build three more two foot corners.

I have found a new way to build these corners. Deserres Graphics (which moved in next door to our store) sells two foot square Birch Ply Boards with Supports. These are actually for painting on. I will add legs to bring them to the right height. I have not yet decided if I am going to add 1" of foam on top. They do make many other sizes (from 6" x 6" to 48" x 48") but few of them work exactly with the bedding track pieces.

Bill Dixon
North Vancouver, BC

Bill Dixon wrote:I have ordered up enough track to build three more two foot corners.

I have found a new way to build these corners. Deserres Graphics (which moved in next door to our store) sells two foot square Birch Ply Boards with Supports. These are actually for painting on. I will add legs to bring them to the right height. I have not yet decided if I am going to add 1" of foam on top. They do make many other sizes (from 6" x 6" to 48" x 48") but few of them work exactly with the bedding track pieces.

The track arrived although I may not have ordered enough flex track. I have three 24" square boards on hand. On one corner I will glue the track directly to the surface. I may put an inch of foam on the other two.

All going well I will get a good start on the project this weekend. Be a good start for TT for the new year.

Bill Dixon
North Vancouver, BC

And keep the pictures coming :)

A Happy new years to everyone.

I started on the new Two foot corners last night (last year) and have continued today.
The bedding boards are nice but I have discovered two small issues: they are a nominal 24" wide (off by about an 1/16 to 1/8") and they are not quite square. Not to worry as there is enough slop in a display to cover up these issues.

On two of the new corners I have glued one inch of foam. I wen to a local builders supply yesterday morning and purchased a 2 foot by eight foot by one inch thick piece of blue insulating foam. I had them cut it into two two foot squares, a two foot by three foot piece for my wife's Z-Scale project and a scrap piece. They did that for free.<G> And the cuts are squarer than i can do with a knife and ruler.

I glued the foam bits to the tops of two modules.

The first corner I am working on is the wood topped corner. It will have three lines of track on it. I am hoping to have a station in the corner if I can find a suitable station model that could stand in for both North American and European use. If this corner is used with both my siding modules then the third line will be a passing siding. If only used with one siding module then it will be a station spur, otherwise it will be a display track for a static train. As you can see I am gluing the cork down now. Hope to be finished this on this module by the end of the long weekend.

Bill Dixon
North Vancouver, BC

A few more comments on the bedding boards. I think that the wood topped one will be very noisy so I will be gluing something soft on the bottom to deaden the noise.

Here are the three I am working on now. On two then I have put a 1" foam layer on top. These may not have feet as they are close to 2 3/4" high. On the third one I put feet under it. They need another 1/8" added.

Bill Dixon
North Vancouver, BC

Bill Dixon wrote: I am hoping to have a station in the corner if I can find a suitable station model that could stand in for both North American and European use.

I've already suggested - Busch 8771 "freight shed" building.
http://www.busch-model.com/online/?rubr ... &spur_tt=1



As European: "...based on an original, built in Braunsdorf, near Chemnitz, Germany."

For comparison:



http://www.piedmontsub.com/Gville.shtml
"The C&O’s freight house in Gordonsville was very near the passenger depot. The station is one of a few former C&O structures still standing in Gordonsville."

If no, try to find some Auhagen's buildings, but I am afraid most of them are specific German-style.
Maybe, "Haltepunkt Polenz" art. 13294?



I think that European and American styles are different, so maybe it would be better to build 2-side layout with European station on one side and American station on the other side.
Or build "European" module and "American" one, and connect them via fictional "Alaska-Siberia" bridge. :)
...But in this case you need also "Russian" module between them.

It is a little bit late but TT-Tracks was One on the 18th.

It was a good first year. From concept to running display in under a year. Not without issues but still a good year.

Now that TT-Tracks has entered its second year we hope to do more. At least two displays in the Vancouver area. Resolve standards issues (that I created <G>) and who knows what else. Maybe there will be a TT-Tracks display in another part of the TT Scale Universe.

Bill Dixon
North Vancouver, BC

Progress on corners.

Been busy the first few weeks of 2012 working on new 24" corners.
Progress was made but not without issues.

All three new corners have track on them.

The weather was good enough today to do a quick setup outside and take a few pictures.

Issues were found.
As I mentioned in a previous posting the bedding boards I built these modules on are a nominal 24" square.
The foam I had cut also turned out to be a nominal 24" square. Add in a standards issue and the result is an alignment problem.
This image shows the alignment problem caused by the size of the corners. With the quick setup in the pictures I was able to fudge things so that they connected OK. A bigger setup with more modules on the sides, will alleviate this issue. The correct solution short of rebuilding the corners is to make a module a bit longer than the standard 3 x BG1 and offset the track on the opposite ends by a half track width.


The third image shows a problem I created. I wrote the standard with a setback of 86mm for the front track center line. Somewhere along the way I built my standard module, that I use as a reference, to a 95mm setback. Oops. Time to rewrite the standard and add 1/4" of foam to the front of the modules before adding fascias.


Oh well still having fun.

Need to add a power connector on one corner. Have the plugs and terminal strip, just need to install them.

When the weather allows or I can find an inside space to spray paint, I will paint the fascias. Working indoors I can add a basic grass covering. The display will be ready to use for Western Rails in March.

More advanced scenery will have to wait until after Western Rails.

I need to make a bunch of coniferous trees.
I have 24 stems to make my own forest canopy trees with. I was also given a plant so I can grow my own.
Need to make a plowed farm field on a side module or two.
I think that half of the AUHAGEN Neustad station would fit in a corner. It is sufficiently nondescript that it could stand in for a North American Station. Across the tracks from that there could be an interchangeable US / European village.

I still want a castle ruin but haven't found one that will do.

Still lots to do and lots more fun to have.

Bill Dixon
North Vancouver, BC

Very nice Bill (errors and all)

Had a lazy weekend full of running around, slacking off and Doctors appointments but still got something done.

Started adding scenery to the new corners. All the modules received their first basic coat of grass. They need a second coat to add depth and texture. The three new modules need ballasting. I have some scenery sheets from Noch and other companies to add a bit of color and texture to the modules.

This is the station corner. The empty space is the location of the station and platform. As the station I want will not be in stock until late March I will make a basic filler block structure as a place holder


Here are the two modules for the right hand side of the display.

The line of track along the front is a temporary track that leads to a staging yard.
The hill is a Woodland Scenics molded hill. It needs work, it came my way damaged for a very good price ($0), but adds a bit of variation to the basic flat modules.

The rear of the rear corner is elevated above ground zero.

I hid the power connections in the scenery on the new power corner.

The top of this low hill will be treed and have a log cabin in the trees. there may not have time to make new trees for the display at Western rails so I may borrow them from the original TT-Tracks power corner.

Here is a 15mm ACW (American Civil War) wargaming log cabin. A bit caricaturey but with painting and weathering I think it will look good among the trees.


Lastly here is a picture of some of the small Woodland Scenics buildings I have. I will make a small village on the rear corner and see how it looks.


Bill Dixon
North Vancouver, BC