Free-mo module turnout control

Among the standards required when constructing a Free-mo module are the following:

S4.10 All turnout frogs shall be powered. Turnouts shall not rely on switch points to power the frog.

S5.2 For a given turnout, turnout controls must be on all sides of the module or module section, excepting any endplates.

RP5.2.1 Turnout controls should be located on the fascia, and not on the horizontal or vertical surfaces of your scenery.

On my first-ever module I violated both S5.2 and RP5.2.1 in that I used Caboose Hobbies ground throws which are typically mounted on the horizontal surface of the module, immediately beside the switch points of the turnout. This approach was simple and works fine.

I have decided that I should follow the standards for all subsequent modules not only because the "hand of God" coming down among the scenery and rolling stock can lead to damage to scenery or derailment of rolling stock but also because it isn't very prototypical.

I decided on BullFrog Manual Turnout Control components from FastTracks. These are easy to assemble and are available with an adapter kit which allows for the turnouts to be operated on both sides of a Free-mo module. In addition, provision is made so the frog can be powered, in compliance with S4.10 above (which is a practice that is highly recommended for more reliable electrical contact, regardless of the standard).

At each end of the control rod, the casing of which is shown in red above, there is mounted a wooden disk that serves as the knob used to push or pull the switch points to the desired position. I designed boxes that could be mounted from behind the Free-mo module fascia, with the outer edge flush with the side. I printed these with my 3D printer using black PLA plastic filament so the box would blend in with the black fascia colour.

These are three of the 3D printed boxes shown just before being mounted from behind the fascia. The two on the left are mounted above one another in the same opening because they operate turnouts located very close to one another.

Here you can see the black boxes mounted on each side of module, with the control cables encased in red leading to the Bullfrogs under the turnouts.

The lighting could have been better when I took this picture, however aside from the round disk knob (pained grey) everything else in the picture is black so it is hard to get good contrast. The knob on the right is pulled out while the one on the left is pushed in.

Railway Museum - Part 2 of 3

In my June 21 post I described my new Free-mo module which depicts a tourist excursion railway. What tourist railway would be complete without a railway museum? My last Covid-19 scratch-building project was my engine house made from wood. I have built a lot of styrene kit models and kit-bashed a number of styrene kits in my time but I have never scratch-built in styrene. Therefore, my most recent scratch-build is a railway museum made from styrene.

I had no prototype building in mind but decided on a modern looking structure which depicts a steel building. To provide additional interest, I decided to make the building so it is completely cut-away at the edge of the module with a fully-detailed interior.

Building materials include:

• styrene sheets (for walls, floors, ceilings and roofs, the reception counter with scale computer monitor/keyboard and the base for a model railroad - yes, this museum which itself is HO scale or 1/87 of prototype size contains a 1/87 scale model railroad)
• styrene strips for corner braces, roof braces and assorted miscellaneous items
• styrene tubing (for high-efficiency furnace inlet and outlet pipes, furnace output ducts and hydraulic elevator piston)
• paper (photo quality paper for signage (building name, exit signs, elevator signs) and ordinary printer paper for floor and wall coverings, all printed in colour using images sourced from the Internet)
• Tichy Trains windows, exterior doors and crates stored in basement and pallets for displays
• Several items 3D designed and printed by me using PLA filament (interior doors, framing for the inside of all exterior doors and windows, toilet tanks and bowls, washroom vanities (including faucets and sinks), elevator doors, elevator car, interior stairs and railings, exterior stairs and wheelchair ramp (including railings), furnace (including return air ducts))
• Glass microscope slides for window glazing and washroom mirror glass
• Walthers fire escape kit
• Numerous scale people
• Rustoleum rattle cans for exterior walls and roof
• Scuptamold and Woodland scenics ground foam for model railroad scenery
• Acrylic paints for various items inside the building as well as the fire escape and the front door steps and wheelchair ramp

The building has a full basement, a main floor and a second floor. The concrete-looking basement contains a high-efficiency forced-air furnace complete with hot/cold air ducts and return air ducts as well as storage of miscellaneous items. The main floor has a reception desk inside the front door with a waiting area as well as mens' and womens' washrooms and some museum artifacts. The second floor has a model railroad, a gallery with artifacts and a selection of Max Jacquiard Canadian railway art. All three floors are accessed by cutaway staircases and, being a wheelchair accessible building, a hydraulic elevator.

The building is 11 inches wide and 3 inches deep (only 3 inches because it is cut away at the edge of the layout). This allows for a relatively large building which doesn't use up much real estate. An observant person will notice several small scenes within the building which I hope will be a crowd-pleaser at train shows. The model railroad, complete with a freight train headed by a consist of two Canadian Pacific locomotives complete with several museum guests is one scene. On the second floor it is apparent that the crowd of people all have their attention focused on the rescue of a person from the elevator which is stuck between floors. The person's feet are sticking out of the elevator car while two employees are climbing ladders in an attempted rescue. The washrooms are built so the back of the toilet tank is facing the edge of the layout. In the men's washroom a man is sitting on the toilet with his back to the viewer with his trousers and underwear around his feet as he reads a newspaper - and an accumulating pile of discarded newspaper on the floor beside him.

The building is lit with LED strips recessed into each ceiling.

This was a very challenging but interesting project which I hope will provide some interest to visitors to my model railroad at home as well as patrons at train shows.

With this project behind me I will next focus on completing the remaining scenery for this module.

Building shell complete with door & window openings covered, ready for exterior painting

At top is underside of roof, with "steel" rafters; at bottom is interior walls complete with wall coverings and backside of elevator shaft; although openings have already been cut in exterior styrene for doors and windows the paper wall coverings won't be cut out until the exterior has been painted.

In the foreground is the interior frame with top and main floors, elevator shaft, 3D printed elevator doors and elevator car, and 3D printed cutaway stairs and stair railing.

Front of building painted with doors, windows, window glazing, 3D printed entrance steps, 3D printed wheel chair ramp and railings. Note also the inlet and exhaust pipes for the high-efficiency forced-air furnace.

Fire escape

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Note the basement (with furnace and duct work), main floor (with reception counter, toilets, museum exhibits and commotion to rescue patron trapped in stuck elevator car) and second floor (with HO scale model railroad on right and museum exhibits and Max Jacquiard Canadian Railway art on left)

Note the man on the toilet passing the time (and whatever else) while catching up on the news (tapping on a smart phone would not have had the same effect!)

If you look carefully you will notice the feet of the person trapped in the elevator car, the "in case of fire do not take elevator" sign and the "running man" modern exit sign beside the main entrance

Close up of the "steel" roof rafters as well as the somewhat minimal layer of insulation (let's say that the museum is closed during the winter!)

The model railroad was built as a separate styrene insert which, once complete, was glued into place on the second floor of the museum (the backdrop happens to be the same backdrop that I have on my basement model railroad, purchased from Train Junkies)

This is another styrene module which was build stand-alone and cemented to the main floor with reception counter on the left and mens' and womens' washrooms. The toilet bowls and tanks were 3D printed as separate items and then glued together and painted. The vanity, sink and faucet in each washroom was 3D printed as one unit and the doors were also 3D printed. The mirror consists of a portion of a glass microscope slide with the reverse side painted with metallic acrylic paint - when looked at straight on this is not a mirror but from the side, which is the only way the mirror can be seen, the illusion of a proper mirror works very well.

Preferred uncoupling device

Uncoupling of rolling stock is a topic that has consumed a lot of printers ink over the years. Many of us have tried under-the-rails permanent magnets and electromagnets in combination with knuckle couplers equipped with steel trip pins such as the well designed and built Kadee coupler. However, many have gravitated to using a wooden kitchen skewer operated by the 1:1 scale "hand of God" that looms into the 1:160, 1:87, 1:48 or whatever miniature world that we have spent hundreds of hours creating.

I have long subscribed to the premise that I avoid wherever possible "piercing the veil" of my miniature world that I have taken so much effort to create by routinely imposing my 1:1 "hand of God". I have tried the above-mentioned magnet approaches with decidedly mixed results. The under-the-rails permanent magnets work very well but are prone to unwanted uncoupling which quickly becomes very tiresome.

The under-the-rails electromagnets work very well but can only be powered for short bursts before they become over heated and are prone to burning out of even potentially becoming a fire hazard.

At long last Rapido Trains has designed the solution for me in their RailCrew On-Off Remote Uncoupler. 

This clever device can be easily mounted in the trackbed or even retrofitted from under existing rails using a standard hole saw. Of course retrofitting requires some deft handling of the hole saw when it breaks through the subroadbed. It must be mounted with the black line shown running lengthwise between the rails. Inside the grey plastic circular case is an arm upon which is mounted strong permanent magnets on each end. When the uncoupler is in the "off" position it won't uncouple cars because the permanent magnets are aligned underneath the black lines. When 12 volt DC power is applied momentarily (a momentary-on toggle switch is best for this) an electromagnet inside the device causes the arm to swing so the two permanent magnets are perpendicular to the black line. In this position the magnets have the effect of pushing the ferrous metal trip pin on the uncoupler (which are offset from the centre line) to move to the centre, thus uncoupling the cars. The advantage of this is that the uncoupler remains in this position until it is moved back again. However, I have noticed that if I forget to turn the uncoupler off, when the train starts to move the various bits and pieces of ferrous metal including other trip pins will cause the uncoupler to quickly reset on its own, which is handy.

An interesting feature of this device is the bright blue LED mounted in the top of the device at the mid-point of the black line. When the device is turned on (i.e., to uncouple) the blue LED shines up from the rails and illuminates the underside of the couplers, making it easy to see when they are positioned in the correct place. A slight backward movement of the cars will then cause them to uncouple. I also mount the optional blue LED in my control panels so they also light up when an uncoupler is turned on.

Here the uncoupler is in the "on" position and shows the uncoupler before ballast has been added to this piece of track.

The toggle switches operate my uncouplers. The one on the right is lit blue (the picture doesn't do justice to the blue colour - they are blue, believe me)

I strongly recommend the Rapido RailCrew On-Off Remote Uncoupler.