Module Construction

Module Construction Overview

All the modules created by the group are based on the FreeM009 standard created by PaulRhB and available online from http://ngrm-online.com/forums.

The baseboards are constructed from 9mm birch ply with 5cm deep sides and internal bracing, glued and screwed for extra strength and standard legs made from 32mm x 32mm pine, fitted with screw adjustable feet. Sizes of modules and linking boards vary but it was agreed that the connecting lines to and from each board would be 10cm from any edge of a board.

All track is mounted on 3mm cork except at the board joins where a short section of Peco set-track is glued to a 3mm thick rectangle of ply, to help protect the track at the board joints. The boards are connected together using G-clamps after the track at the board joints has been aligned by eye and feel. Because there is only one track to align between boards, this is generally not a problem.

Electrical connection is made using red and black banana plug connectors plugged in to sockets mounted on the ends under each board. Circuit breakers have been incorporated into some of the main modules, so that in the event of a short, only that section is affected.

Each group member has employed a selection of DCC controllers for their modules when in use in their individual settings. When the group meets, control is provided by a Roco z21 DCC controller coupled with a wireless router, allowing any android or apple smartphone (or tablet) to be used as a hands-free controller using the Roco z21 app. So far, this setup had proved totally reliable and very flexible.

Points are controlled by a variety of methods ranging from DCC controlled point motors, wire-in-tube, and ‘operator’s finger’. A number of working semaphore signals, both upper and lower quadrant, have been incorporated, all DCC operated.