box. There’s also the foam-on-a-slab-of-MDF approach. Both
of these are perfectly valid ways to build modules, but liv-
ing within the spirit of our $500 budget – and the mindset
that these are miniature platforms for experimentation that
we might not want to get too attached to – I’m proposing an
even simpler technique: foam-core. True, it’s not as rigid as ¾”
furniture-grade plywood many use for room-filling layouts, but
for the size of these modules, it’s actually sturdy enough. And
the assembly cost can’t be beat: a dollar-store box-cutter and
a two-dollar sheet of foam core can get you a basic module in
about half an hour. (I don’t, however, recommend dollar-store
foam-board for construction, as that is too flimsy.)
That’s a lot of experimentation potential, using only a small
fraction of our $500 budget. And truth be told, after you’ve
built the first few modules using foam-core, there’s still the
option to try the other construction techniques. Later.
A single 16” x 20” sheet will yield a single standard-size mod-
ule, with leftovers. I bought a name-brand three-sheet package
$500 layout 3rd place - 3
T-Trak
T-Trak has taken off over the years, but the one go-to place
is still
t-trak.org,
run by Lee Monaco-FitzGerald, founder and
staunch advocate of all things T-Trak. Paul E. Musselman also
has a rather extensive “unofficial” T-Trak site, with many great
ideas. And I’ve written a word or two on the subject as well. I
recommend you visit each to get some ideas, and to more fully
appreciate exactly what you can fit into such a small size.
The home of T-Trak:
The “unofficial” T-Trak site:
A word or two from yours truly:
.
for just under $6 from one of those big-box retailers, so count-
ing the few drops of glue you’ll use, figure a basic module will
run you around $2.00 [1].
To put one of these modules together, get out a single sheet
of foam-core, and grab some Unitrack that is 310 mm long.
(Unitrack track comes in multiples of 62 mm, so a single piece
of 186mm track from Kato 20-000 and another 126mm piece
from a 20-040 snapped together make the needed length.)
This track becomes your gold standard measure, since you’ll
1. Shown are the basic materials necessary: some
foam board and glue. A pen helps you mark where you
will cut, a simple retracting knife does the cutting, and
a straight-edge keeps the cut nice and straight.
1
MRH-Oct 2014
