For me, there are three main reasons to build modules instead a home layout: Space, flexibility and they are achievable. Modules take up less space Looking at 10 m of straight N-Scale track. Modules are flexible There are two aspects to this: The layout itself and the focus of your modelling interest. Schuppen Eins in Bremen in 2017 Schuppen Eins in Bremen in 2020: Same room, different layout If you like this flexibility, building modules and joining a club might be a thing for you.

Cascade, Idaho. Is consists of eight segments and has a total length of about six meters. It has three industry tracks with a total of about 14 spots, a three meter long passing siding and a wye to connect a to a branch or turn trains. The prototype Photo: RICHARD STEINHEIMER, 1960s, private collection Photo: LEE RUSSELL, 1941, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS The Module Trackplan for the Cascade module (dark) with two extensions.

Close to the deadline set by our participation at the US Model Railroad Convention 2019 in Rodgau, I ran out of time and kits. I had the kit for a small diner at hand but I had seen this structure on at least two modules in our group and wanted to create a different version of it. So I had to improvise a solution to fill some spaces on my module.

Northeastern Scale Models offers a nice Structure “One Story Section House” in its Small Trackside Structures (STS) Series. I got three of these. I used them to kit bash two neighbouring houses, that look very different. The long one The kit contains parts for square house with a veranda at one end and the entry to the basement on the other end. I used two of the kits to create a longer version.

Due to the selected level of compression, the lots are smaller – most of all shorter – than in the prototype. But even in the prototype some of the lots are quite narrow and accommodate a small house and a garage. I wanted to capture this look and feel and found some kits, that would help me to achieve that. The smallish house with the garage is Kit No. 698 “Company House” by American Model Builders.

Opposite of the Cascade Depot there are multiple lots with either small business or private structures. The houses in Cascade near the railroad tracks are an interesting mix. Most of the houses are quite unique and do not repeat along the street. A few years ago I bought a few laser kits for different houses. Some of the kits either contained two or three samples of the same house or I simply bought multiples of them.

The Hallack & Howard Lumber Company Sawmill is the main industry in Cascade and on my module. It has two tracks and generates about 6 to 9 cars incoming and outgoing traffic every day. Let me show you, how it was built. Hallack & Howard Lumber Company >   <>   < Hallack & Howard Lumber Company, Images LOC & Idaho State Historic SocietyThe sawmill was torn down, but in the 1960s it was quite busy and is the main industry on my module.

With only a few weeks to the exhibition in Rodgau, I wanted to give the flooded quarry pits a nice prototypical look: Turquoise. >   < In the last step multiple coats of glossy varnish are added. The varnish does not have to be too smooth as there surface of the water might show some ripples.When I sprayed the bottom of the pit I did not cover the walls and that resulted in an overspray.

When I studied the satellite imagery of the area, I noticed that there is a ramp near the track on the lot of Wisconsin Building Supply. I was surprised. I had not noticed it before. But I like the idea. This makes a great spot for a second car that can be delivered there. To build the ramp, I took measurements in Google Earth. The ramp seems to be built of concrete.

The module has been used at a few meetings in 2017. This month I found the time to continue my work on the landscape. I wanted to mimic the look of an active lime stone quarry, where some rubble has been dumped. But I started with ballasting the track. Track is ballasted, let the scenery grow! Non-quarry areas covered with dirt. It takes a night to dry before I can add the green stuff and rubble.

After laying the track I started to create the base of the scenery. As a visual key feature this module should contain flooded quarry pits on two of the segments. A ramp leads from one segment into the first pit on the next segment. >   <>   <>   <>   <>   < Basic scenery for the quarry.The foam is covered using beige plaster and the bottom of the pits is painted in a color that is not too far away from the prototype.

After the successful test of this module I continued on building the scenery. I used static grass and fine turf in various shades to create an interesting structure. >  >   <>   <>   <>   <>   < Cascade used in Vögelsen and Waldenburg in 2017.Some areas are still kept free for the structures I intend to add. The key structures have been built as paper mock ups to add a third dimension and give an impression of the future look.

After completing the woodwork, I installed the track on the segments for my new module. For an easy setup I installed positioning dowels between all segments before laying the track. While the glue for the track dries, I work on the scenery of another module. When laying track over a module connection I use a 1 mm sheet of styrene as spacer between the segments. My cut might go slightly wrong and this spacer gives me enough safety distance to make cuts between the modules without leaving an unwanted gap.

Just line modules, he said. Last weekend we had a construction meeting. Dirk was so kind to let us occupy is garage and workshop. A few days before I brought my workbench and some power tools and Dirk prepared all the parts we would need. Dirk hand built a jig to build curved modules and we used it to build curves with a track radius of 160 cm and an angle of 30 °.

For a long time, I had the idea to build a module with a quarry. Sometimes I just draw a track plan and later look for a matching prototype. This has proven to be very inefficient. The proper way seems to be finding a prototype and creating a concept and track plan to create it as a model. That’s what I did for this module. The Prototype The quarry Reproducing this prototype to scale would result in a quarry scene that is about 5 meters long and straight.

After woodworking it was time time to add ballast to the track and cover the plywood pacific with something that does a better job in imitating nature. First I painted the surface in colors to match the later usage (brown for dirt and grass, gray for gravel and roads). The next layer is sprinkled over most areas with colored, flexible gap filling putty (like Lugato Universal-Fuge-Flexibel). You can get it in different sized bags and multiple colors which can be mixed to create an interesting and varied surface cover.

The whole module required 8 segments. Four straight modules of 90 x 40 cm, two straight 60 x 40 and two curved modules with a track radius of 160 cm at 30 ° each. The total length is about six meters. The segments are built from 12 mm multiplex birch plywood. The heavy stuff with 6 mm pine plywood on top. I would not use this material for a complete module anymore.