Page 8 - March April 2000

Supporting 􏰃 Ribs 􏰂
Styrene Foam Scenery
Hinged Kadee 308 􏰃 cord operated
Point operating rods 􏰂
􏰂
River bed
􏰂
Photo 3 (right)
A completed board
Photo 4 (far right)
The underside of a completed board
Table 3
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Track (30 ft) + cork + ballast
Turnouts + Motors
Wiring and controls
Skyboard (6 mm ply)
Timber frame (4 X 1 + 2 X 1)
Composite ply + timber frame
12 mm chipboard top
4 mm ply top with ribs
Standard 2 X 1 legs (3)
Light legs (3)
Total ‘Standard’ (1-4, 5, 7, 9)
Total ‘Lightweight’ (1-4, 6, 8, 10)
2.5
1
1 to 3
6.5
19
12
26
10 (5 to 8 if ‘local to track’)
10.5
4.5
66.5
37.5 (32.5 with local top)
River bed
􏰂
6. Holes do add lightness but I use them mainly for other reasons, to pass wires through, for access to point and uncoupler operating switches (see photo 1), for hanging control panels on, for seeing what is going on in tunnels and they make excellent hand holds. I have made the holes with a hole saw, the cost of these ranges from about £5 to £18; the one I use is from the cheap end of the range and has cut over 150 holes so far. The diameter chosen seems to fit in with the other dimensions fairly well and will accommodate a 13 amp mains plug or a 25 pin D connector. Photo 2 shows a pair of boards under construction, and photos 3 and 4 show both sides of a ‘completed’ board.
7. Several recent articles in various model railroad publications have advocated making ultra-light boards using a sandwich of foam and card. This will obviously produce very light modules but I cannot believe that they will stand up to the abuse that modules get. Therefore they need a timber frame round them which can take the knocks, and we very rapidly get back to a design very similar to this one.
So what is the result of all this?
If we take as an example the typical pair of 4ft X 2 ft boards with four tracks along them and, say, five turnouts with point motors and eight wired sections what difference does it make?
This shows that there is scope for a dramatic reduction in weight (around 50%) and to produce a more stable and durable structure.
I am merely a 150 lb ‘test weight’ but I can hang from the centre of a module with the only sounds of protest coming from me, the board appears quite happy. There is a small increase in cost (13%) but when you consider all the other elements of a module (scenery, buildings, stock, locos etc.) the difference in total is insignificant.
No
1
Item
Weight (lb)
Cost
£25
£50
£4 to £40 (say £7)
£11
£22
£18.50
£6.50
£28 (£18 to £20 if ‘local’)
£12
£11.50
£133.5
£151
American
Railroads
End of lease SALE Everything MUST GO!
Shop Hours:
Monday to Friday: 09.00 - 17.00 Saturday: 09.00 - 13.00
Please send SAE for SALE price list to...
American Loco Dept., Cilfynydd Florist, 43 Richard Street, Cilfynydd, Pontypridd
Mid Glamorgan
CF37 4NP.
Tel: 01443 480926 E-mail: CBIRCH@RAILPICS.CO.UK
8 ROUNDHOUSE