The New Newsletter

The New
Newsletter
The NTRAK Modular Railroading Society, Inc.
March / April, 2013
At a recent NMRA PCR convention, this Free Mo N scale layout was presented by a local group of modelers.
In the photo above a visitor is watching an operating session on the 50" high sectional, well scenicked, layout.
Below is a tower overlooking the wye area. See page 5 for more on the layout.
Photos by Tom Knapp.
JIM’S CORNER
As promised, this issue of the
Newsletter is closer than the last one
to being on time. Now, if I can do this
again, we will be back on schedule
again.
As I was putting this issue together,
I realized that there was a “Theme”
showing as a followup of the last
issue. As the 150th Anniversary of
our Civil War approaches there are
more and more products becoming
available for modeling N scale trains
of the late 1800s.
In the Jan/Feb issue there was a
photo on page 18 of the Disneyland
locomotive and on page 19 a beautiful
ventilated box car model made from a
3-D printing process kit. That photo is
The New NTRAK Newsletter
Designed by Lee
Renewals, Orders & Shipping
Inge Trost
1629 University Dr
Richardson, TX 75081
E-mail: [email protected]
repeated on page 16 of this issue. On
page three is some information on the
MicroTrains® cars of the era. Much
more info is on their web site. On
page seven Tom Knapp shows two
freight cars and a passenger car based
on 3-D printing. On page nine there is
a mini review of the Atlas 4-4-0
“American” type loco that is a smooth
and powerful engine for its size. The
photo below is of this engine.
The 1800s cars and engines are
smaller, the trains shorter, and our
NTRAK and T-TRAK modules and
the oNe Track modules are all well
suited for modeling these period
scenes with operating trains.
There are a great many books
dealing with phases of railroad history
in the 1800s that can give ideas for
modeling accuracy. Your local
historical society would be a great
source of photos and stories of that
time period. In that pre automobile
time, the local train depot was a
center of town activity. Businesses
depended on it for supplies.
On NTRAK modules you will have
enough room for loops of tracks or to
have the train go behind the skyboard
and delay returning or have a second
train that goes in the opposite
direction.
For T-TRAK using the inner loop
plus additional tracks in several
places in your part of the layout
would give a nice display.
Since the early railroads were single
tracks with occasional passing
sidings, oNe TRAK modules would
work out very well. If you are not
familiar with oNe TRAK, go to the
NTRAK website and go to
Documents and download (free) the
oNe Track Guide and Manuals. oNe
TRAK layouts become a Branch Line
off one corner of a NTRAK layout.
Pages 2-34 & 2-35 of the NTRAK
How-to Book have the full story of
oNe TRAK.
Jim FitzGerald, President & Editor
For NTRAK questions & sending articles.
NTRAK, Inc., 705 Turtle Creek Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Ph(805) 286-0753
Ed Schultz, Director
20581 Cypress Dr
Farmington, MN 55024
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Master
Bruce Alcock, Director
1030 County St 2930
Tuttle, OK 73089
E-mail; [email protected]
Web site: www.ntrak.org
Dave Porter, Director
7140 Strawn Court
Alexandria, VA 22306
E-mail:[email protected]
Next Issue Deadline April 1st
Deadline for Coming Events & other material is the 1st of the month before publication,
(Feb 1st, Apr 1st, June 1st, Aug 1st, Oct 1st, Dec 1st)
NTRAK Page 2
New From MicroTrains®
This Chicago and Northwestern 50' ribside boxcar
with single sliding doors and yellow and black
lettering with a red/white/black logo is CNW 135393
priced at $29.15 with order number MT025 00 670.
This New York Central 50' double door box car w/o
roofwalk in green with white lettering is Rd# 87572,
MT# 037 00 110 and $21.10.
A Canadian National 60' Gunderson Center
Partition Flatcar, painted yellow with black lettering,
numbered CNA 623052, and priced at $26.20 is MT
053 00 530.
This BNSF 3 bay covered hopper, dark brown with
white lettering, road number 434654 is priced at
$21.55 with a stock number of 099 00 140.
Red bay window Missouri Pacific caboose with
white lettering and saw tooth logo is Rd # 13676,
$29.80 and MT stock number 130 00 110.
Micro-Trains is now producing prototypicallyaccurate N scale models to commemorate the 150th
anniversary of the American Civil War. Three car
styles are initially being released: a standard 26’ box
car, a 26’ nine-stake flat car and a converted box
car/caboose. They feature an all-new truck to
maintain historical accuracy. Common during the
1860s, ridged frame trucks mounting 33” wheel sets
gave the cars their distinctive stubby look. Coupler
options allow the modeler to use the installed
representative Link-and-Pin style couplers or a
standard Magne-Matic® coupler.
NTRAK Page 3
By Tom Knapp
I am writing this from the 69th
Annual Convention of the Pacific
Coast Region of the NMRA, being
held this year in Dublin, California. It
began yesterday (3 April) at noon,
with clinics starting at 1PM. Over the
four days there will be 62 clinics –
three being offered at any one time –
plus layout tours, operating sessions,
museum visits, a tour of Lawrence
Livermore Lab, and speeder rides in
Niles Canyon. I have attended several
clinics so far (second day now) and
given one clinic on my two-module
model of the Pacific Coast Railway’s
facilities in San Luis Obispo.
One very good clinic I attended was
presented by N and Nn3 modelers
Steve Wesolowski and Paul
Ingraham. (NTRAKers will know
Paul from the very first NTRAK
layout at an NMRA national
convention in San Diego in 1974,
when he and I had adjacent NTRAK
modules including Nn3 trackage.)
Their clinic was titled “Rubber
Layouts; Dynamic Layout Design and
Operations”. The focus of the clinic
was on using the same infrastructure
(benchwork, trackwork, electrical
systems) to model different scales,
regions, eras, and mixes of geography
and lineside features through the use
of easily interchangeable modular
features. Several examples were
presented. (Some will recall the Ian
Rice layout planning book which
presents the concept of lift-out scenic
elements, which Steve and Paul both
acknowledge was a significant
influence on their development of the
modular element approach.)
Hmmm…..HOn2 and On12 on my
Nn3 layout? Now I can spend three
times as much money in the same
space!
#1
Looking “south” along the Pacific Coast Railway
mainline in San Luis Obispo, circa 1928.
Below, San Luis Obispo circa 1928 – a set of two fourfoot long ultra-light Nn3 modules.
Photos and modules by Tom Knapp
#2
NTRAK Page 4
My modules are now set up in a
room with the Free-moN N scale
modular layout. This free-form
variation on OneTRAK modules was
set and run by the team of Steve
Willams, M C Fujiwara, Nils Moberg,
Spuds Dowdie, and Eric Eggel. It
features some excellent modeling, as
shown in photos here and on the front
and back covers.
I am not connected up to these or
any other modules, so can only run
trains back and forth, but the module
is generating a lot of interest in Nn3,
and that’s the purpose! (Photos 1 &
2.) Andreas Parks from our Nn3
modular group is here to help in the
arduous task of flipping the direction
switch on the throttle as the lone short
train reached the end of the mainline
at each end of its eight foot (1,280
scale feet) trip. See this exciting
operating session at:
http://youtu.be/DpS5AEm5E3k
#3
Above is a bridge reconstruction wye on one of the Free-MoN modules
with the sho-fly track in the foreground. Below is a vineyard scene with the
“sho-fly” in the background around a bridge repair operation.
This layout features 50” height, coordinated scenery themes and a
variety of shapes and sizes of units. Operations are the key goal and
continuous running is seldom seen on Free-Mo layouts.
http://sv-free-mon.org/
Photos by Tom Knapp
#4
NTRAK Page 5
#5
Jack Burgess’ intricate model of a Fairmont Weed Burner as used on the
Yosemite Valley Railroad. The cab roof is in the foreground.
#6
HOn21 storage battery mining locomotive (on 6.5mm gauge track)
by the author won First Place in Traction and Self Propelled. (The
ore cars are from Roy Steven’s “Ride Trains” Shapeways store.)
The contest room is the strangest
collection of entries I have seen at a
convention – there are more photos
entered than models! I am afraid I let
the side down this time – my lone
model entry is an HO scale (I can
hear the hisses now) 21” gauge model
of a 1915 Jeffrey storage battery
mining locomotive (as used in coal
mines). (Photo 6) I should be
forgiven, though, since it runs on
6.5mm (Nn3) gauge track! Roy
Steven’s Nn3 side-dump ore cars look
perfect with it. Steve Weselowski
carried the Nn3 flag with his 0-6-0
and a caboose, and both won first
prize in their categories.(Photos 7 &
8) Also in the contest room, in the
non-judged category, were a number
of Civil War N-scale models by Eric
Otis, who has a Shapeways shop
under the name of Panamint Models.
These had outstanding detail. The
passenger car was complete with
arms on the seats and a toilet in the
toilet room! He also had a pair of
beautifully detailed Nn3 freight
trucks. (Photos 10-13.)
Best-of-Show was won by Jack
Burgess with his O-scale model of a
Fairmont weed burner as used on the
Yosemite Valley Railroad. Not N
scale, but an intricate model I just had
to mention. (Photo 5)
#8
#7
Steve Weselowski’s First Place Steam Locomotive entry is
of note in that he milled down a Marklin 0-6-0 frame to
accommodate a Nigel Lawton 12V can motor.
NTRAK Page 6
Steve’s scratch-built logging caboose
won first place in its class.
Saturday I presented my oft-revised
clinic on Nn3. Every time I present it I
have to update it to include more new
Nn3 products. One of the things I have
added is the Tenshodo Z-scale C62
Prairie (2-6-2) locomotive (Photo 9)–
a new “donor” for our Nn3 Frankenlocos. I have previously mentioned
this loco, but have recently
disassembled one, and its construction
is quite different from the D51
Mikado. While the D51 Mikado has a
plastic chassis, with a tungsten boiler
insert for weight, the C62 has a diecast split-frame chassis. Otherwise it
is the same construction with the
motor in the tender driving the engine
through a drive shaft. I have already
begun layout work on one of the C62s
for a conversion to a Pacific Coast Ry
ten-wheeler.
Tenshodo Z-scale
C62 Prairie with
die-cast metal
locomotive
chassis.
#9
#10
Passenger car with
detailed interior from
Panamint Models. The
interior is a separate
piece which lifts out, and
includes a toilet in the
toilet compartment!
#11
Spoked wheels and beam
style trucks on an outside
braced Panamint car.
Ore car from Panamint Models.
#12
#13
NTRAK Page 7
Another Civil War era car – note
functional link-and-pin couplers.
#14
#15
Porter 0-4-0 back-head.
Porter 0-4-0 pre-production model. Photos and model by Tom Knapp
My latest project is a Porter 0-4-0.
(Photos 14-17) These locos were one
of the mechanized workhorses of
industry and construction in the 19th
century. They could be seen on large
construction sites, in rock quarries, at
saw mills, and in sugar cane fields.
(You could easily add a small rock
quarry or brick yard to your NTRAK
module!) I have received the first
rapid prototyping prints from
Shapeways, and test fit them to the
PowerMAX chassis which will drive
the loco, and – with a couple of minor
adjustments – it will be ready to go to
the casters shortly. The loco will be
composed of brass castings, etched
nickel-silver rods, and acrylic plastic
cylinders. By leaving off the steam
dome casting (which is inside the cab)
a dexterous modeler will be able to
install a Lenz Silver Mini Plus
decoder in the cab up under the roof.
#16
Preliminary assembly diagram
for Porter 0-4-0
NTRAK Page 8
#17
Porter 0-4-0 on author’s layout.
Photo by Tom Knapp
Atlas 4-4–0 “American”
This is an informal review of the
Atlas 4-4-0 “American” of the mid to
late 1800s. One of our N Steam
authors, Dick Gorman, had just
received one of the engines from a
mail order shop and sent some photos
and opinions to Steam Editor Craig
Barrow. Craig then sent the info on to
me to use in this issue.
Dick says: “The loco really looks
nice for such a small thing. It is
surprisingly heavy considering its
size, too. The Bachmann Americans seem lighter than the new
Atlas engines. The lead drivers of the Atlas 4-4-0 have traction
tires. Like the Bachmann engine the Atlas has a motor in the
tender with power transferred to the loco via a thin shaft almost
unnoticeable as the engine glides by. Two different stack
configurations exist depending on the road.”
To determine pulling power Dick kept adding boxcars and
reefers to the load before he stopped with nine cars plus a
bobber caboose. This is without a doubt more than he will ever
ask it to do normally. It handled all ten cars on his 3.5% grade
on a curve with only slight wheel slip near the top. He was very
impressed!
NTRAK Page 9
An Interview with Ted Brandon
An N Scale Pioneer
By
Max Magliaro
Ted Brandon is a very skilled and
well-known model railroader who has
worked with multiple scales and
railroading themes since the 1960s.
He has been a significant contributor
to the advancement of N Scale. His
RioVerde and Western Nn3 layout
was ground-breaking and beautifully
constructed [Ed: See Model
Railroader’s Great Model Railroads
2001], and his most recent conversion
of it to On30 continues in that
tradition. He is well known in the
model railroad publishing world,
having authored approximately 20
articles appearing in Narrow Gauge
& Short Line Gazette, N Scale
Railroading, Model Railroader, On30
Annual, and N Scale Magazine. He is
also the editor and major contributor
to the books, Nn3 Manual: Modeling
Narrow Gauge Railroads in N Scale ,
and Nn3 Handbook: For Modeling
Narrow Gauge in N Scale . In fact,
his early article in the Feb, 1964,
Model Railroader, entitled, “000, the
Smallest of the Small”, introduced the
United States to N Scale in many
respects. Ted’s On30 layout is
featured in the 2013 Great Model
Railroads.
What many people may not realize
is how instrumental Ted was in the
creation of some of the early N Scale
products,
including steam
locomotives introduced by Trix and
Arnold Rapido in the 1960s, as well
as his influence on the standardization
of the Rapido coupler.
It is certainly true that Ted was
responsible for helping to promote the
scale in its infancy and in helping to
get it “off the ground.” I had the great
privilege of sitting down with Ted for
a few hours, to talk with him about
his long and colorful life, and his
work with model railroading.
Ted’s Early Life and Start with
Model Trains
Ted was born in 1926 and grew up
in Manhattan. He got started in the
hobby much earlier than most of us,
with a train set he received on his
third birthday, which he accidentally
found hidden in the house before the
big day.
Max Magliaro: “When did you start
playing with model trains? For me, it
was around age six.”
Ted Brandon: “Well, I’ve got you
beat. I was three! I got a train set for
my birthday. The thing had been
hidden under a couch someplace, and
I had discovered it before my
birthday. You can imagine how
difficult it was for a three-year-old to
make believe that he hadn’t seen his
new toy! I think it was a Lionel. I
don’t recall exactly.”
Ted quips that this little set caused
him to experiment with the first
model point-to-point layout, because
it was missing one curved section of
the oval! This early set did not lead
to much more in the way of model
trains during Ted’s youth. He started
experimenting with models as a teen,
but that was quickly cut short by his
service in World War II.
Teenage Years, War Service,
Working for the Railroad
MM: “As you grew up, were you
building other layouts at home?”
NTRAK Page 10
TB: “No. No. I would play with
the train, and that was pretty much it
for quite a while. I didn’t really get
into it until I got into my teens.”
MM: “I see. When you reached
your teens, what did you start doing?”
TB: “Well, this was right around
the time the war started, in 1941.
That would have made me 15. I had a
Marx or Bing locomotive I had gotten
my hands on. I decided to make a
better-looking steam locomotive. I
built something out of cardboard,
including a cardboard roll from toilet
paper. That was the boiler.”
Meanwhile, at the age of 16, Ted
lived away from his New York City
home, taking a summer job working
for the the Jersey Central Railroad as
an apprentice mechanic in the Jersey
City roundhouse. The following
summer he took a similar job for the
Lehigh Valley Railroad.
TB: “I lived on my own over there.
There was no such thing as
commuting. I couldn’t have afforded
it. I rented a little room somewhere.
We put in a lot of hours. There was a
lot of pressure to keep the railroads
running during WWII. We often
worked 12-hour shifts.”
Soon after that, he volunteered to
serve in WWII, enlisting in the U.S.
Army at age 17. He was underage, so
he needed his widowed mother’s
permission.
railroads as a teenager, went to war,
came home and worked for the
Reading Railroad and went to school
at Temple. How is it that you ended
up in Germany?”
TB: “I was only 17, but I was able
to persuade my mother that I should
go and do my duty.”
MM: “What branch of the army
were you in?”
Figure 2: Sgt. Ted Brandon, US Army,
Late 1945, Yamagata, Japan, at the
throttle of 1-meter gauge Mikado
#D5133.
TB: “I was a paratrooper in the
infantry.”
Ted was the acting “S2”
(intelligence officer). He would
travel to different towns in his
stationed area to conduct inspections.
He made friends with the Japanese
engine crews, and they would
sometimes let him run the
locomotive.
Ted attended Temple University in
Philadelphia for two years, and
worked for the Reading Railroad as a
brakeman in 1947 and 1948.
Figure 1: Private Ted Brandon (US
Army, 1943) took this photo himself
while descending. It is his first jump.
The Brownie camera was destroyed on
landing, but the film survived.
Some people may know that Ted
was stationed in Germany and started
his work with the Trix and Arnold
Rapido companies while he was
there. But that all came much later.
TB: “I went through the war in the
Pacific, ended up in the occupation of
Japan, and got back [to the United
States] in 1946.”
TB: “Again, it was very hard work.
I lost more lives on that job with the
railroad than I did during the war. In
Philadelphia, a bridge crossed the
Erie Avenue yard tracks. I was on top
of a boxcar. There was a lot of steam
from the locomotive in front of me, in
the direction of travel. The next thing
I knew, I got hit over the head with a
bridge, because I hadn’t seen it. They
didn’t have any “tell-tales”. Another
time, again, I was on top of a car, and
somebody yelled at me suddenly,
“Look Out!” All of a sudden, coming
right at me at belly level, came the
1100-volt overhead wire for the Erie
Avenue trolleys. I was fortunate. I
was able to fall backwards before it
hit me.”
Off to Germany, Marriage, and a
Return to the Hobby
MM: “So, you worked for some
NTRAK Page 11
TB: “Well, I realized that I wasn’t
going anywhere, so I decided to go
back into the service. I had been on
continuous duty in the Reserves after
the war, so I had rank and I reenlisted. I ended up in Fort
Campbell, KY with a paratrooper
regiment in 1951. I eventually
received a commission as a second
lieutenant after graduating from
Officer Candidate School. From
there, I was shipped overseas, and
ended up in Berlin, Germany. I met
my wife there, by the way.
MM: “I noticed her first name, and I
wondered if you met her in
Germany.” (Ted’s wife’s name is
“Inge.”)
TB: “Yes, she’s from Berlin. I had
a great time there. This was in 1952.
I was there for two years, and then
came back to the United States. I
invited my “wife to be” (although she
didn’t know it yet!) to visit the United
States. The first time, the U.S.
Government wouldn’t allow it,
because they suspected she would try
to get married over here. But the
second time, they let her come, and
we did get married.”
MM: “Did she speak any English at
the time? How did that work out?”
TB: “Oh, I’m fluent in German. I
had studied it in high school. And
Inge spoke English quite well.”
TB: “After we got married, I got
shipped off to Korea, luckily after the
armistice was signed so there was
very little fighting at that time. I was
there for 13 months. When I came
back, we were here in the U.S. for a
couple years.”
MM: “Were you tinkering with
model trains again at this time?”
marketing U.S. equipment, and I
asked them if they were interested.”
TB: “I was reading about model
trains in the press, but I didn’t have a
chance to build anything because we
had been moving around too much.
Then, in 1963, I got further orders to
go to Germany. Just before we left
the United States to go to Germany, I
read about these little trains that were
coming out by a company called
“Rapido.” There was this outfit on
Fifth Ave in Manhattan, the offices of
“Charles Merzbach and Company.”
They were distributing Rapido trains
in the United States. So I decided to
go over there to take a look at them.
This fellow Merzbach showed me
what he had, which was Arnold. I got
very interested. So when we got over
to Germany, I decided that what I had
seen in the way of products for the
American market hadn’t really
impressed me with their prototypical
accuracy. I thought there was a lot of
room for growth in this scale.”
MM: “I’d like to know more about
this. Did you just look up an address
and send them a letter, “cold”?
MM: “Now, why did you think that?
At the time, N Scale was really still a
novelty. A lot of people thought it
would never amount to much. So
what about it made you think it had a
future?”
TB: “Well, I knew a lot of people
were pressed for space for a layout,
and this offered an opportunity that
was beyond anything that was
possible at the time. And it was
charming in its way, and I thought it
would grow as a scale.
Germany, and Initial Work with
Arnold-Rapido – 1963
TB: “So after I got settled in
Germany, I decided to contact
Arnold. I wrote to them and said I
thought there were possibilities for
TB: “Yes.”
MM: “So you wrote them a letter,
and what happened?”
TB: “Well, they wrote back, and
they said they would like to discuss it,
and they asked me if I would come
down to Nürnberg (Ed: The American
spelling is “Nuremberg”) to talk to
them about it.”
MM: “Just like that? You sent them
a letter, and they invited you to their
plant and wanted to talk to you?
That’s amazing. I imagine that if I
wrote a letter like that to a
manufacturer today, I doubt they
would invite me to their plant to talk
to their engineers or company
leaders.”
TB: “Well, the situation was
different at the time. This was an
evolving scale. There were lots of
directions it could go in. The
company had a 100-year history as a
toy-maker. So it wasn’t as if they
were “Johnny-Come-Lately.” In fact,
they were family-owned, and had an
excellent reputation in the toy field.”
MM: “They were a big company at
the time, even though they were just
getting started with N Scale trains.
When you went to visit them, was it
in a large facility?
TB: “I went to their main
headquarters, which was a rather huge
building, in Nürnberg. They made
some N Scale stuff at that location,
and they had some other factories
elsewhere. Nürnberg was the center
NTRAK Page 12
of all the toy-making in Germany at
the time. They sent me a first-class
railroad ticket, and I went to see
them. They were very formal in
business. There is no such thing as
“Hi Ted, nice to meet you.” It was all
very formal. A lot of them had titles,
such as, “Doctor” in the fields of
business, philosophy, or science. So I
was “Herr Major”, and they were
“Herr Doktor”. They had a beautiful
board room with heavy oak paneled
walls, a big conference table and big
comfortable chairs. There were
display cases all around the room
showing toys they were producing or
planning to produce.”
MM: “Did you bring anything to
this first meeting like drawings or
photographs of some of your ideas?”
TB: “No. That came later. On that
first trip, we just got acquainted.
They asked me what I thought would
be of interest in the United States if
they went into the U.S. market. They
were making a big investment, so it
was important to get it right.
The Arnold-Rapido 4-6-2 Pacific –
1963 - 1967
TB: “I went home, and then we had
another meeting later. I don’t have
dates for when these meetings were,
but it was not long after, sometime in
1963. The next time I went, they
asked me to be more specific, asking
me what particular models I would
start out with. I had given this some
thought. I suggested a Pacific (4-6-2)
steam locomotive because Pacifics
were used in passenger, mixed, and
freight service, so they had broad
appeal. I thought a lot about what
particular engine it might be. My
favorite among the Pacifics was the
Southern PS-4.”
Figure 3: Classic rendering of a
Southern Railway PS-4 4-6-2 Pacific
(Photo by E.G. Baker, colorized by
J.R. Herron, used by permission of J.R.
Herron)
TB: “But I felt, no, that was too
specific, too limited. What we really
wanted was a machine that was in use
throughout the U.S. and was wellknown everywhere, so I chose the
USRA Pacific. Then, we had to
choose between the light and the
heavy version. I opted for the heavy.
I picked the heavy, in part, because it
would leave more room for the
motor.”
they could reuse some elements they
already had. They had come out with
a German version of a Pacific, the
series 01, one of the most famous
German steam locomotives. I saw
preproduction models of that, and I
had a chance to look at some parts
they had made. I said that the best
way to go would be to base the
American engine on the 01 series
chassis. It had huge 78” drivers. The
cylinder size was close. Everything
just seemed to fit, so that’s what they
decided to do.”
qualified as an expert about the
market in the United States. I had
ideas, but I was not an expert. I’m
sure they did some research. They
certainly must have talked to Charles
Merzbach in Manhattan, since he was
the distributor at the time. At one of
these meetings, I brought with me a
copy of the Steam Locomotive
Cyclopedia to show them plans, so
they could copy them. As you know,
in those days, there was no “internet.”
[Ed. note: This is the
Model
Railroader Cyclopedia, vol. 1, ed.
Lynn Westcott, (Milwaukee:
Kalmbach 1960.)
MM: “So they started their design
with the drawings in that Cyclopedia
book?”
TB: “Yes. I had a late edition of
that book at the time, which was
printed in 1960. So that took care of
the Arnold Pacific. They finally came
out with it, and it was very popular.”
MM “So this all developed from a
Figure 5: An early ad for the
Arnold-Rapido 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific in
N Scale
Figure 4: A USRA 4-6-2 Heavy
Pacific as-built for the Erie Railroad
MM: “Were you thinking about that
aspect of it when you were choosing
what engine to build?”
TB: “Oh yes. I don’t know if motor
size would have been a problem, but I
simply decided at the time that it
would be better to be safe than sorry.
The discussions with them were quite
intense. They were wondering if they
would have to start from scratch, or if
series of conversations between you
and the Arnold executives, and they
decided to build their first American
prototype model based on those talks.
Did they try to confirm what they
heard from you with anyone else, or
did they pretty much believe your
opinions about what would do well in
the American market?”
TB: “Well, they couldn’t just take
my word for it. I wasn’t really
NTRAK Page 13
The Arnold-Rapido Pacific went
into commercial production in 1967.
MM: “Did they give you any
preproduction samples to get your
feedback on it as they developed it?”
TB: “No. I made fairly regular
visits to Nürnberg to visit them and to
visit Trix, later on. So I saw how
they were coming along with it. The
Arnold Pacific was very heavy. It
was all cast metal. It ran very well.
MM: “I would think that at the time,
it would be hard to make a motor that
small. Motor technology wasn’t up to
where it is now.”
TB: “How right you are. On this
one, Arnold had developed a 3-pole
motor that was surprisingly strong,
durable, had good slow-speed starting
characteristics, and just in general,
considering the state of the art at the
time, it was very well done. It was
relatively large. That’s something we
had to consider when choosing the
Pacific.”
MM: “The tender pickup system in
the Pacific has pickup on both sides,
without wipers.”
TB: “Yes, but it only has pickup on
four wheels. It would have been too
difficult at the time to insulate the
halves on each axle.”
MM: “A couple of years later, they
introduced a Hudson based on the
same engine.”
TB: “That’s right. Somebody at
Arnold decided to stick an extra axle
under the firebox, but I can’t say I
care for it. That happened long after
my time.”
MM: “Do you know anything about
the large flanges that Arnold tends to
use on their engines? Is that
something they did as a design
decision?”
TB: “Yes, they were oversized for
better tracking. That was a result of
being “first” in so many respects. It
was all so small and so touchy, they
never thought in terms of “RP-25”.
Their later models were much better
in this regard.”
Ted’s Work on the Rapido Coupler
TB: “After I had done my work
there at Arnold, then came the
question of the coupler. Up to that
time, I had been dealing with the
Arnold CEO, Max Ernst, Arnold’s
chief engineer, Robert Münzing and a
few assistants. They had come out
with a coupler after they realized that
the tinplate hook-and-loop style
things they had on their early
toys weren’t going to do. At
that time, each manufacturer
had its own coupler, and none
of them worked together. So
Arnold developed a new
coupler that would couple on
the tracks (without lifting cars
off the track), it locked solid; you
could push a train (not just pull it),
and there was a little pin sticking
down that could be used with an
electric uncoupling ramp track, which
they made. One day, during the
development of the 4-6-2, with almost
the entire board present at the
meeting, I took the opportunity to say
that I felt the greatest thing they could
possibly do to assure their own
success in the United States and
anywhere would be to license their
new coupler to all manufacturers.”
MM: “Were they receptive to the
idea at first, or did you have to talk
them into it?”
TB: “Oh no. I was not in a position
to talk them into anything. There was
some discussion and I’m sure there
was more after I left, and they did
decide to do it. As a result, the
Arnold coupler became a world-wide
standard, and continued to be a
standard even well after the MicroTrains coupler came out.”
In addition, Ted informs me that
Arnold asked him to translate
instruction sheets and some of their
first catalogs from German to English.
Trix and the K4
The Trix company introduced the 46-2 Pacific, based on the
NTRAK Page 14
Pennsylvania Railroad K4 prototype,
in the late 1960s. It was so successful
that the company continued selling
them, with minimal changes, up until
1999
Figure 6: The Trix K4 4-6-2 Pacific
(Trix created the name “Minitrix” for
their N Scale line)
.MM: “I’d like to now turn to how
you started talking to Trix about the
K4.”
TB: “As I recall, I met the Trix
people (not “Minitrix”, the company
was called “Trix”) at the 1964
Nürnberg Toy Fair. If you want to go
to a big commercial exhibition,
you’ve got to go to this toy fair. They
had something like 1000 exhibitors. I
went to their stand and here was this
cute-as-a-button little train consisting
of an 0-6-0 tank engine and two
German prototype 2-axle passenger
cars. The locomotive was modeled
on the German T3. The T3 was
somehow etched in German history
and the affection of modelers, a cute
little machine with a side tank and a
tall stack.
Figure 7: The early Trix T3 model
Arnold had tried to model a T3, but
it was oversized; the proportions were
wrong, and you would not really
recognize it for a T3. This little thing
from Trix was a single casting with a
standing motor over the back of the
rear axle. There was only a main rod
(no side rods) and the drivers were
only flat discs. I must have said,
“You really ought to think about
doing something in the American
market.” They said, “We’re already
getting into it.” I got an invitation to
visit, and they wanted to hear my
thoughts. We essentially went
through the same drill I had gone
through with Arnold.”
MM: “So basically, you are talking
to the Trix people at this big train fair,
and they invite you to come and talk
to them some more about potential
American models?”
TB: “Yes, essentially, that’s what
happened.”
MM: “Again, I am impressed by
that. I know things are different now,
but I can’t imagine talking my way
into a meeting like that just by talking
to these guys at trade shows.”
TB: “Yes, well, these people were
embarking on something new. This
“Minitrix” was all new, and they were
thinking forward. And it was a time
when Germany was going through a
tremendous commercial expansion.
They call that period (I’ll try to
translate it) “The Wonder Years”, or
“The Economic Miracle Years.”
They were doing very well. You
have to remember, the war hadn’t
been over all that long. In a manner
of speaking, I was still the “enemy.”
MM: “I take it they had no
animosity toward you because you
were an American. They seem not to
have minded that at all.”
TB: “No. In fact, Americans were
very popular at the time. When I was
in Berlin in the early 50s, I could
walk anywhere in Berlin, and never
gave it any thought. When I drove
my MG through Berlin, the car was
known to every policeman in the city,
and they would stop traffic and let me
through. That’s how well-liked
Americans were in Germany. So
anyway, I visited the Trix people, and
spoke with their chief engineer. The
first question was, “What should we
build?” I found myself in sort of a
bind, because I was working with
Arnold at the same time, here I was
working with their direct competitor.
I should mention that it was clearly
understood by all parties that I would
not ever tell one of them what the
other was doing or planning.”
MM: “So both Arnold and Trix
knew that you were consulting for
both companies?”
TB: “Well, the subject never came
up. Arnold never said, “You be sure
never to tell Trix what we’re doing”.
Nothing like that. There was just no
question about it. They both knew.”
TB: “So when the subject of
locomotives came up, I saw that Trix
was working on their version of the
German 01 series Pacific. It was very
nicely done. There were two different
engineering approaches back then.
Arnold was a bit heavy-handed in
their design. Trix was more graceful.
They were the first ones to make
drivers with individual spokes.”
MM: “Yes, you can see through
them on the K4.”
TB: “Yes, that makes all the
difference, I think. So, anyway, I
went to my Cyclopedia again. I
wanted to give them a locomotive that
would be very popular. I knew the
Pennsy was very popular in all parts
of the United States, even other parts
outside this end [Ed. The eastern
states]. ” “And given the chassis they
were working on, it was a natural.
NTRAK Page 15
”MM: “That’s a point I wanted to
ask you about. You yourself were not
especially a “PRR modeler”. You
just thought that the K4 would be
very popular.”
TB: “No. I’ve never been a PRR
“fan” as such. I think it was a
fabulous railroad. They built their
own locomotives. I mean, who else
does that? But no, I was not a
particular Pennsy fan. I just thought
that this would have appeal. Now,
after I left Germany, at least after I
had no more connection with the Trix
people, somebody decided, “Well, we
have a K4 Pacific. Why can’t we
have an I-class Pennsy Decapod and
use the same boiler?” Of course, they
didn’t do it right. The two boilers are
about the same length, but the way
they mounted it with the stack not
lining up with the cylinders, it was
terrible!”
MM: “As they started to produce the
tooling and the test pieces for the K4,
did they ever show you any of that, or
were you pretty much out of it by that
time.”
TB: “I don’t recall going through
that like I did at Arnold. At Arnold, I
did see some progress as it went
along. At Minitrix, I mostly just
recommended what to build, and gave
them the Cyclopedia drawings.”
MM: “It’s interesting that they
didn’t know about the existence of
that book.”
TB: “Well, in those days, there
wasn’t that much of a connection
between manufacturers, especially
between Europe and the United
States. That didn’t develop until
later. The Germans were more
oriented toward Great Britain, for
example. Trix made a number of
models of British prototypes. Their
products didn’t become popular here
until much later. I don’t remember
exactly when the K4 actually went
into production. I thought it was
somehow more graceful. The Trix
motor was completely different. At
the time, they only had one motor,
and they used it in different engines,
some single and some double shaft. It
was smaller, but not as hearty as the
Arnold motor. The windings were
very fine. The commutator pieces
were very small and had a tendency
to come off.”
MM: “Well, that pretty much wraps
up the story of the K4. Tell me, did
you have anything to do with the Trix
B6 that came later?”
TB: “No. I had nothing to do with
the B6 at all, but I think they did a
pretty good job.”
MM: “I wonder if they went down
the PRR path (with the B6) because
the K4 had been so successful.”
TB: “It would make sense for them
to go with something they had
success with. It was logical to make
another PRR engine. I think the B6
had to have been designed after the
K4. I never saw anything being done
on the B6. If they had shown me that
while I was there, I would have said,
“Well, you’re already doing a Pennsy
engine, so for a switching locomotive,
you may as well do Pennsy.” But
anyway, that never happened.”
Wrap-Up
MM: “In general, when you were
talking to these companies, and
working with them, were you aware
that what you were doing was
somehow significant? Did you have
the feeling that you were lucky to get
to talk to them?”
TB: “I suppose. I was making a
contribution to the hobby, and
something was going to happen as a
result. They were very forthcoming,
and very friendly.”
MM: “And of course, you could
speak German, so you had a big
advantage there. Or did they speak
English?
How did you
communicate?”
TB: “Oh, we did it all in German. I
had to learn. While I was at it, there
were expressions I had never heard
1800s Boxcar
At the 2013
Winterfest, Ken
Harstien won “Best
Rolling Stock” in
the model contest
with a 28 foot
ventilated boxcar
made from a 3D
printing process.
Kits are available
from Shapeways
(www.shapeways.co
m) $48 for a 2 pack.
Search site for
“ventilated boxcar”.
Photo by Ken
Harstine.
NTRAK Page 16
before, but that didn’t take long.”
While we were wrapping up our
meeting, Ted mentioned the
following, which I have to confess,
would make any loco kitbasher
jealous! But in all fairness, Ted
certainly earned the right to what he
mentions below, much more than
most of us!
TB: “I remember using those little
brass sleeves from the K4 axles. I
should mention that during the time I
was working with the two companies,
I had access to all the parts I wanted,
really. I could have gone with my
hand into the different parts drawers
and just helped myself. They gave
me whatever I asked for and gave me
whatever I needed. I used those little
brass sleeves on a number of N Scale
locomotives I built from scratch.”
MM: “Your N Scale layouts and
narrow-gauge work are quite famous.
I’m sure you know that!”
TB: “Well, I appreciate that. I enjoy
sharing things. That’s partly what the
hobby is about, isn’t it?”
Ottawa Club T-TRAK Layout
John Allen built the two end return loop modules used in the Ottawa layout. Here it is
set up for against the wall one side viewing. This module theme is home construction.
Text and Photos by John Kabesh
The Ottawa Valley NTrak Club
(OVNT) was formed in 1974. Since
then we have been attending railway
shows in Eastern Ontario, Quebec,
New York State, and farther afield.
Recently we have broadened our
horizons by establishing a T-TRAK
subdivision.
In March 2012 we attended Rail-ORama in Kingston, Ontario. The club
was a regular at this show for many
years until the venue was moved.
Unfortunately the new location is not
large enough to accommodate our
usual layout with its 16’ long yard.
However; last year we were able to
return with a T-TRAK layout.
Two club members displayed a 9’
by 30” oval layout consisting of six
double length modules and two return
modules. The tables at the venue are
8’ long and 2’ wide so we brought
along a hinged plywood base to place
over the table. The resulting 9’ long
and 36” wide area accommodated the
layout and gave us a six inch shelf to
hold our coffee, controllers, etc.
There are two main reasons I chose to
make the base out of three sections of
plywood: (1) so that it will fit into my
car, and (2) I had three pieces of scrap
1/2” plywood. I was concerned that
the 6” overlap in front and back
would make the table unsteady but
this was not the case. We only had
one problem. A lad of about 6 years
old ran full speed into the table and
one train tipped off the tracks. When
one considers that rail cars used to be
blown off the tracks by the wind in
Newfoundland I think we did pretty
well.
Lived in homes are featured on this return loop.
The layout is viewed from the carpeted side.
NTRAK Page 17
Stores and a small industry on a siding by John Allen are on his detailed module.
Each of the straight modules we
took to Rail-O-Rama had a siding and
one had a double crossover
connecting the Red and Yellow lines.
We arranged the modules so that each
loop had a passing siding. The inner
loop also had a facing and a trailing
siding. With 6 turnouts we were able
pack a lot of operation into a small
area. By using a DCC system we
were able to operate easily four trains
simultaneously thereby entertain the
public and ourselves. We use two
Cinch Jones connectors to power the
tracks. On one module I have
installed a switch that routes power to
individual tracks or to both tracks.
For DC operation we use both plugs.
For DCC operation we can feed both
tracks from one plug.
Several members of our club are
building T-TRAK modules at this time.
We are looking to put together larger TTRAK layouts in the future. For more
photos and information on OVNT
visit www.ottawantrak.com
This John Allen module is opposite the one shown at the top of the page. A small station is on the siding.
NTRAK Page 18
The modules on this page were
all built by John Kabesh. The
cattle pen and loading chute are
part of a ranch theme module.
The bird on the loading chute
seems to be out of place.
Two views of the larger depot
and pedestrian crossover are the
two center photos, which also
have a row of multi-story
business buildings.
The wooden grain elevator is ready
to load a couple of Canadian cars on
John Kabesh’s module.
NTRAK Page 19
John Kabesh’s factory module has two rear CJ
connectors and a switch for either DC or DCC control.
John Kabesh is on the left and
John Allen on the right. Other
club members are building more
T-TRAK modules to expand the
starting club layout.
The Ottawa N-Trak web site is:
www.ottawantrak.com
NTRAK Page 20
T-TRAK is For All Ages
Check T-TRAK Website for full drawings - www.t-trak.org
Profits from the sale of these items go to the T-TRAK Youth Fund,
established by Lee Monaco-FitzGerald to promote modeling by
young people..
T-TRAK Module kits use the original design
by Lee Monaco-FitzGerald, the creator of the TTRAK system for banquet table top modules
running N scale and other scale trains.
Note:Skyboard is not
included with kits.
Precision cut Baltic Birch plywood
frame, corner blocks with “T” nuts
installed. Simple glue together kit.
Full instructions.
T-TRAK cloth embroidered patch.
2-5/8” x 4-1/2” oval, four colors.
T-TRAK lapel pin, 1-1/8” oval, red,
white and blue. (Not available until I
find the storage place.)
Either are $4.00 each, postage pd.
Straight Module
(12-1/8” x 8-1/4”
x 2-3/4” H)
Additional modules
same order, each.
Kit
$14.45
$12.00
Basic corner (Discontinued)
Profit supports the youth program.
Order T-TRAK kits and items from:
www.ntrak.org go to “Country
Store” for Credit Card (Pay Pal)
or by check to:
NTRAK Order Department
1629 University Dr.
Richardson, TX 75081
Corner-33mm track space Kit
(14-3/8” sq.
$24.75
x 2-3/4” H)
Additional module
$19.85
same order, each.
Qty
Kit Cost
_______
____ 2nd Straight
_______
____ 1st Corner
_______
____ 2nd Corner
_______
Total Kit Order
_______
NOTE: Shipping prices for orders to
Canada or Overseas are complex.
Please list items wanted and contact
us for costs and shipping options.
Events
June 26-30 Milwaukee, Wisc.
National N Scale Convention
N Scale Collector Convention, tours, auction, Swap-A-rama,
clinics, special run cars, manufactures and banquet.
N Scale Layouts by Milwaukee-N-SouthEastern, Northwest
NTRAK, Capital City “N”gineers, Milwaukee Area NTRAK,
ModuTrak, Great River Valley System, Kettle Moraine
Valley Ballast Scorchers and West Bend. WI club.
For more information and registration, go to the convention
web site:
www.nationalnscaleconvention.com/
NTRAK Page 21
Item
____ 1st Straight
Available from NTRAK
Steam Loco Book Our book has 1/3 all
new material. It covers N scale steam
locomotives from making them run
better, to detailing, to complex
construction projects. A number of
repowering projects are included. The
144 page soft cover book is
8–1⁄2"x11" and has over 100 photos plus
many drawings. It is the source for
NTRAK Manual. Full specifications for information on N scale steam engines.
NTRAK Modules. 20 pgs. $2.50 ea pp The cost is $20.00 postpaid in the USA,
Canada and overseas surface mail. Please
(Clubs- 5 or more $2 ea)
add $5 for overseas Airmail.
Newsletters for groups. A discount is
available for overseas NTRAK Clubs
“Steam Deal” All 6 Steam addenda plus
when newsletters are sent to one
the N Steam Loco Book, 500 pages of
address. Inquire by letter or email for
info available nowhere else. $84, save $6
specifics.
The NTRAK Module ‘How-to’ Book.
Now 162 pgs of plans, photos, and
‘how-to’ details for building NTRAK
modules. New wiring and connector
information is integrated throughout the
book.Chapters on Design, Carpentry,
Wiring, Track laying and recent
innovations in modules..$16 pp
N Resource Booklets
Three N Resource Booklets are now
available from NTRAK. The Booklets
are made up of articles from past
Newsletters, some from issues no longer
available. The material was brought up
to date and additional material was
added.
NEW! ‘12 N Steam Loco Addendum.
88 pages of all new Information on
current N scale Steam Locomotives,
$18.00 including shipping. See page 4.
2007 Addendum, 44 pgs $9.00 pp
2008 Addendum, 40 pgs $9.00 pp
2009 Addendum, 44 pgs $9.00 pp
2010 Addendum, 60 pgs $11.00 pp
Revised Booklet on Throttles. It now 2011 Addendum, 80 pgs $14.00 pp
includes information on using DCC on
Cinch Jones & Powerpole Connectors
NTRAK layouts and plans for a very
simple throttle. Other subjects include: Both types of connectors are now
available individually and in sets. See
using meters, slowing blocks, power
pricing on next page.
supplies, and an article on how to
operate NTRAK layouts. $4.25 ea pp
Introduction to Nn3 - Basic information
Basic Electronics for N Scalers . Based on modeling N narrow gauge with
on the Electronic Shop articles from past sources for ready to run and kits. 16
issues. The material has been rearranged pages, 8-1/2 x 11, $6.25 ea pp.
and some gaps were filled in. It is a
rather complete primer on electronics for Narrow Gauge Data Book - Over 200
N scale drawings of engines, cars, and
the railroad modeler. $3.50 ea pp
structures. History of most narrow gauge
N Scale Basics. Which engines. Which roads, color lists, and lettering guides. 64
pages 8-1/2 x 11. $9 ea pp.
couplers? Best car weights. Track
laying. Turnout basics and making them
work better. Small layouts. Many tips
and hints for N scalers. $7.00 ea pp
NTRAK Page 22
Track Plan Set for over 100
modules
and special units. Printed on heavy
card stock. Can be cut out and
placed on furnished graph paper to
plan home or club layouts to fit
your space or just to get ideas for
track plans. Full instructions. Set$4.00 ea pp
T-TRAK Kits, please see previous
page.
oNeTRAK Manual A 16 page
Manual just for oNeTRAK
modules. It gives dimensions,
construction ideas, track plans and
wiring schemes for these popular
additions to NTRAK layouts. $3.00
post paid.
Lapel Pin, 2 color fired enamel
oval Steam or Diesel NTRAK logo
pins. 0.4” x1.1”, $3.75 ea.
Cloth Patch, Light Blue oval (2" x
3-1/2") with the NTRAK “engine
logo”. $2.75 ea pp.
Metal Button, Light Blue oval (1
3/4" x 2-3⁄4") with the NTRAK
“engine logo”. $1.75 ea.
NEW! NTRAK Vinyl “Peel &
Stick” Weather proof (3"x 5–1/2")
“engine logos”. Work well on car
bumpers, train boxes, or Newsletter
binders. Either steam or diesel
logos. $3.00 each postage paid
While they last!!! Remaining stock
of die-cut vinyl steam logo bumper
stickers. Please indicate color
wanted, white, black, or red.$3.00
ea.
Books on the web site.
Note: On our web site,
www.ntrak.org, there are now more
complete descriptions of our books,
including the chapter headings.
Some of our smaller books can be
down loaded at no cost.
Available from NTRAK.
$_______ Renew Membership 1 yr/six issues, $14.00 USA;
$17 Cdn.; $20 overseas by air mail.
$_______ Membership, Electronic Newsletter, Color photos, pdf
download. 1 yr/six issues $5.00 anywhere in the world.
$_______ New Membership. 1yr Newsletter and NTRAK
Manual, $16.00 USA; $19.00 Cdn; $22 0verseas.
$______The NTRAK Module ‘How-to’ Book. Now 162 pgs
Specs & photos of modules. $16 pp
$______ NTRAK Manual. 20 page module specifications.
$2.50 ea pp (Clubs 5 or more, $2 ea)
Powerpole CONNECTORS New Wiring RP Instructions
included with all sets.
[ ] 10 Pairs, does 4 tracks and DC power. Red/Black shells and 2
extra contacts. $12.00 pp.
[ ] 10 Pairs, does 4 tracks and DC power. NTRAK colors (R,Y,B,
G & W) and 2 extra contacts. $12.00 pp
[ ] 8 Pairs, NTRAK color shells(R,Y,B & W) and 2 extra
contacts. $11.00 pp.
[ ] 2 Pairs, any color combination, specify. See color chart in RP.
One extra contact. $3.00 pp.
Cinch Jones CONNECTORS
$______ Throttles for NTRAK & Home, $4.25 ea pp
[ ] “B” Set: 4 male w/cable clamps & 4 female w/cable clamps,
enough for one module $34.00pp
$______ Basic Electronics for N Scale, $3.50 ea pp
$______ N Scale Basics, Revised 40 pgs, $7 ea pp
$______ New! Addendum 2012, 88 pgs $18.00 pp
[ ] “B” Set: 5 male w/cable clamps & 5 female w/cable clamps,
for module w/Mt Div $42.50pp
$______ Addendum 2011, 80 pgs $14.00 pp
[ ] 12 or more “B” pairs, $8.50 per pair
$_______ Addendum, 2010, 60 pgs $11.00 pp
[ ] P-302-CCT, Male plug w/ clamp $3.90 ea[ ] S-302-CCT,
Socket w/cable clamp, $4.95 ea
$_______ Addendum, 2009, 44 pgs $9.00 pp
$_______ Clearance Gauge Check bridges & tunnels for double
stack cars. $6.00 ea pp
$_______ Addendum, 2008, 40 pgs $9.00 pp
$_______ Addendum, 2007, 44 pgs $9.00 pp
$_______ N Steam Loco Info Book, 144 pages $20.00 pp.
$_______ “Deal”-N Steam Loco Bk + all 6 addenda $84, 500 pgs
$______ NTRAK Logo Pins Steam or Diesel oval design. Fired
enamel. (.4" x 1.1") $3.75 ea pp. [ ] Steam [ ] Diesel
$______ Introduction to Nn3, 16pgs, $6.25.pp.
$______ Cloth Patch Light Blue oval (2-3/4" x 3-1/2") w/
NTRAK “engine logo”. $2.75ea pp.
$______ Narrow Gauge Data Book, 66 pages, 8-1/2x11
softbound, $9.00pp.
$______ Metal Button Lt Blue oval (1-3/4" x 2-3/4") w/ NTRAK
“engine logo”. $1.75 ea pp.
$______ Track Plan Set. Track plans for over 100 modules&
special units. Set- $4.00 ea pp
$______ Vinyl Transfer Oval (3" x 5-1/2")
$______ oNeTRAK Manual. 16 pages $3.00 pp
$______“Peel-N-Stick”Steam or diesel NTRAK “engine logo”.
White with black logos.. $3.00 ea pp. [ ] Steam [ ] Diesel
$______ DCC for NTRAK Layouts $1.00pp
$______ Connecting track 6.5" long, 75¢ each, 6 for $4.00 or 24
for $15.00, pp.— Out of Stock, check for details.
Back Issues..NTRAK Newsletter back issues from 2004 through
2010 are available as free downloads on our web site,
www.ntrak.org. A great variety of N Scale information.
$______ 30th Anniv Containers Pair $14.00
Mail to: NTRAK, Order Dept.
1629 University Dr. Richardson, TX 75081
Member # __________ (from mailing
$______ Enter total for T-TRAK items, page 17
For Credit Card orders, www.ntrak.org
Make checks to: NTRAK, Inc. (US$)
$__________TOTAL for items wanted.
label, we can look it up if it isn’t handy)
Name____________________________________________________________________
Street____________________________________________________________________
State Zip/Postal
City___________________________ Prov. __________ Code___________________
Phone (_____) __________________ e-mail address _____________________________
[ ] I have a home N layout. Aprox. size ______ x______ feet.
[ ] I have an NTRAK module(s). Total length _________ feet.
Note: All prices “postage paid” (pp). We pay for USA, Canada & overseas surface mail.Priority/Air extra.
NTRAK Page 23
Presorted Standard
US Postage Paid
Permit 163 Paso Robles, CA
Return to:
NTRAK Order Department
1629 University Dr.
Richardson, TX 75081
Another part of the Free-Mo layout with scenery by M C Fujiwara. The layout
features coordinated scenery from one section to the next. More on page 5.
Photo by Tom Knapp.
NTRAK Page 24