The Caboose - Random ramblings about my "TT- Tracks^©" Modules

As this page was getting a bit long it has been split into pages by years.

• 2023
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• 2020 - 21 Page
• 2019 Page
• 2018 Page
• 2017 Page
• 2016 Page
• 2015 Page
• 2014 Page
• 2013 Page
• 2012 Page
• 2011 Page

January 18, 2013 Happy Birthday TT-Tracks is two years old today. Being sicker than a dog with the crud I can't do much more than note the passing of another mile stone.

February 10 and 11, 2013 After along hiatus activity has resumed on my TT-Tracks display. Western Rails is a few (5) short weeks away and the projected display needs another module. The four corners and five of the six straight modules are ready. The sixth straight module, the dark green one need to be made. Happily I do have a spare straight module carcass on hand. One of the nice things about TT-Tacks is how fast you can make a module if you have the bits on hand. It took one evening to glue the track down. Today the first coat of scenery was applied. It is still very rough. I will give it a few days to dry and then add a second layer.

February 11, 2013 One question is what to do with my old small corners. I have four outside and five inside corners all with the smaller radius curves (BR21 and BR11) that the Tillig track makes. Use has shown that the curves, especially the BR11, are too sharp for North American equipment. They can be scavenged for their scenery and track but that seems wasteful. One possibility is to use three of them as the basis of a reversing loop. They will need some minor work as experience has shown that a reverse curve created by two of the modules will derail most equipment. With the addition straight section (BG1) three of the corners can be used as a serviceable low speed reverse loop. Each of the two lines of track will need their own auto reverse module. And why is this second image the mirror image of the first? Thinking about where a reverse loop might be used on the current planned display, the only place for it is at the end of the staging yard.

February 12, 2013 Further thought brings up the idea of an internal reverse loop. This would be more than enough to transport and setup. Every light green module exists. One is under construction and will be finished shortly. The dark green module would need to be rebuilt. The Easter Purple module is under slow construction. The light violet modules need to be built. A goal to aim for.

March 17, 2013 Despite issues the Western Rails setup went OK. See image in "Pictures". Forgot to bring my good DCC locomotive so ended up running a DC Possum Valley conversion all day. Ran very well. DCC system would not come up properly - dead battery, removed and carried on. Forgot new batteries for throttles, spare cable for radio receiver, new table coverings, etc. However despite all that the display ran well and the locomotive ran seven + hours. The show saw the debut of the almost finished Ribbed-Side and offset-side two-bay coal hoppers. One Vendor, Bob Mitchell had older TT for sale. Terry Baker had a Triang TT layout running. Attendance, both TT-Nuts and public was light. It was too nice a day for a train show, the first sunny weekend all year. Still was fun. Will do it again next year.

March 25, 2013 As mentioned in the last posting the Coal Hopers made their debut at Western Rails 2013. I now have five finished cars (except for weathering), four ribbed-side cars; Central of New Jersey, Nicola Valley Railway, Chesapeake & Ohio and Pere Marquette, and one offset-side car, Canadian Pacific. This is the start of my hopper car fleet. One other project was a kit bash of two Bachmann N-Scale gondolas into one TT-Scale low side gondola. Seen here to the left of my Canadian Pacific Railway offset-side hopper car and one of my RailTT 40' flat cars. The result is interesting if a bit of a bodge because I rushed the conversion. If more N-Scale gondolas come my way I may do one or two more.

July 7, 2013 After a few quiet months, vacation arrived with an opportunity to work on modules. Good progress is being made. The first large corner I made way back in September 2011, has gone from this to this The next module beside it, the original module I built back in 2011 was updated to match this module. Next to that the Two-to-Three Track RH Crossover module was updated with crops in the field, a fence along the right of way in front, and space for a small barn in the back (in the mail). All turnouts now have power jumpers. A start has been made on a station platform for the passenger station on the station corner module. And planning has started on a wye. Lots of progress in the first week of vacation.

October 20, 2013 The Chilliwack show. We had a small oval with staging yard display at Chilliwack.

December 30, 2013 Been busy on many other things but progress did not stop on the TT-tracks display. Three new resin car models were released: a 40' Wood Reefer, a 36' Modernized Dominion Box car and a 36' Modernized Dominion Stock Car . The MTD SW1200 arrived. It is every bit as good as we had hoped. The staging yard was obtained from dilleTTand. Basic scenery was added to it. The wye junction was completed and brought into service. A third line leading from the back around to the station corner was completed. Now where will it go? Two successful displays were held in the Fall. One at Chilliwack in October and one at Trains 2013 in November. And more.