Once everyone is on board we can move a lot faster by establishing a thread on this blog. As I said Thursday night I think mini mod-u-trak is a good place to start. That does not mean we must follow everything they have done. On the contrary, we should examine each element to find what suits us best.

Steve has begun this process with his e-mail of the 16th reprinted below:

I like the general size and concept of these (I have an idea for a yard);

I like the idea of scenery that is coordinated and tells a story:

I'm getting older and like the higher modules;

This looks much more portable than N-Trak;

I love to run long trains and this would allow that and I can easily see operations also.

I would like to expand on this by getting more specific. First of all I agree with the overall concept. However, I am not sure why they have settled on a standard module length of 5 feet. It seems to me we could have modules of any length we want as long as we can transport them. I like 6 feet, and 1 foot increments, not necessarily ever sections.

I would also like to see more discussion on the 18 inch width. I am not so sure the extra 6 inches is wasted when it can be available for scenery and sidings.

Like Steve I like the higher layout, but is 53" right for us? Lets get some opinions on this.

Light weight construction is a must in my book.

I do like the double track and 1-1/4" spacing between those tracks. I have used this spacing on my home layout and I think it looks good and works well.

I also believe we should use Micro Engineering code 55 for mainlines and where appropriate code 40 for sidings. Like I was pushing for at SNS I think we should construct our own turnouts.

I am on the fence about spline construction as MMUT executes it. It looks like it is very heavy, not easy to construct on curves, and might present difficulty in wiring. Does anyone have any experience in this?

Of course we should be 100% DCC and fully computer controlled.

I have also been thinking about wiring, if the layout should be prototypical of an area or complete fantasy. Getting something going ASAP would seem to be a priority. To that end I have laid out two potential track plans that I think we could have up and running within a couple of mounts after we say go.

The first is a simple oval seen below. (The red lines indicate module breaks.) I have a new idea for making these modules quick set-up and for reducing the number of legs required.

The second is a dog-bone with a double reverse possibility which should provide more interest and allow us to really do some things with Richard's train controller.

Lets hear what you all have to think about all of this.