Standards

Ok, so the thread on the railwire carried on for pages and pages, and it was time to make a decision.

This being my idea, I did just that.

I've decided to base the standards off of the BANTRAK OneTRAK standards, published here:

http://bantrak.net/?q=node/14.

Use the BANTRAK Onetrak standard for track and electrical.

No grades built into the modules. - They can be added easily by shimming/adjusting the leveling bolts, but can't be "removed" if built into the module. This will prevent many potential operating headaches, while still giving us the ability to go for broke when we have the chance. This is speaking from lots of experience. Building the grades in will be NOTHING but trouble. I can assure this.

Track spacing - Use the BANTRAK spec for the two "far" spaced tracks, and place the close track at a 1" spacing. This won't be perfectly prototypical, but will provide the correct effect AND will allow us interoperability.

Joiner tracks - Use the BANTRAK spec. Removable joiner tracks, while a bit of a pain, are an essential part. The modutrak guys have gotten lucky, but I don't trust luck. These are a good way to make up for unevenness, incorrect setbacks, electrical isolation, etc... as I said, this is years of experience speaking here.

Why NTRAK?

NTRAK has been an established n scale modular standard for over 30 years. This means that in almost every location on the globe, you can find an NTRAK group to participate in. Why is this important?

Well, this is going to have to be group effort, and I know there may be willing participants spread around the world, and it would be a real shame to only be able to use our finely crafted modules when we all get together.

NTRAK's standards allow for three or four tracks, which is perfect for the area we intend to model. NTRAK has also created time tested standards and practices for many of the potential headaches we might run into (module construction, wiring, etc...).

The NTRAK standards do have two notable drawbacks:

1. Track - The NTRAK standards require the use of horrendously ugly code 80 track. This stuff is and looks dated, however, given the grand scale of what we will be building, some time spent properly painting, weathering and ballasting it will hopefully mitigate some of its offensive aesthetics.
2. Track spacing - The NTRAK standard specifies 1.5" centerlines for the mainlines. This is wider than the prototype. There is no real fix for this, except when you consider that the mainline itself was originally 4 tracks wide, and even though most of it has been shrunken down to 3 tracks, the track that was removed was in the middle, meaning that the width of the roadbed will be about right. This makes the track spacing a lot less offensive than if we were building a double track line.

There are some really compelling reasons to be part of the NTRAK fold.

1. Large Events - The time to really pull all of this together for that "wow" moment is at a large show. These events almost always have a large NTRAK presence, and it makes it much easier to gain access to them by being part of the group.
2. Expertise - It's a lot easier to do something that's a variation on an existing theme. NTRAK has largely solved many of the potential problems that we'll encounter, and it's far easier to enlist help when you're part of the group.
3. Audience - There are a huge number of NTRAK members, and it's far easier to enlist their support, pique their interest, and get them involved if you're already part of a group that they are too.

The idea...

Fact: NTRAK modules have three tracks.

Fact: The current NS Pittsburgh Line from Altoona to Johnstown also has three tracks.

Fact: That stretch of railroad is one of the most recognizable, iconic rail lines in the US.

What would make a better group of NTRAK modules than the Pittsburgh line? Nothing I can think of!

So let's come together to build it!