Milestone today — laid the first rail on module 4 (a big curve around one of those Woodson/Greenwood county hills). Only one rail so far, so couldn’t put any equipment on it. But, just looking at it from the back side shows a big hump where one of the vertical curves should be. Doing the sanding of the Homabed surface didn’t reveal the presence of this hump. Even better, the other side of the track doesn’t show as much evidence of humping so I might have a nice roll there of cars moving from side to side.

I know how it got there — going around the hill, I raised the elevation by a foot or so by shimming the subroadbed. Obviously didn’t transition that end as well as I thought.

I might have a saw blade for my Dremel — maybe I could saw partway through the Homabed and force it down. I’ve already put that lightweight plaster stuff in next to the roadbed to make ditches, though. Maybe I’ll drive shims under the tie strip next to it to make the profile smoother.

At least there are no turnouts in this module or the one next to it, so tracklaying should go pretty fast except for that pesky bridge.

(Author’s note follows)

During the several months between the last post and this one, I researched the Free-Mo standards and adopted the basic principles, with major variations. Rail height above the floor varies all over the place, but in the vicinity of 42 to 46 inch. Modules are baltic birch sides and ends, 24″ nominal width with 3/4″ end plates and 1/2″ sides, which may or may not be straight — some have one or two changes of direction. Sides are almost always perpendicular to the ends, up to 6″ or so back from each end, and the track is normally tangent at the ends but not always. Modules where the track isn’t tangent at the ends are really part of a double module. Power wiring under the railroad is 14 gauge green and white, with jumpers in 16 gauge. Three-conductor walkaround throttle is yellow, orange and green. There are thus five Anderson Powerpole connectors at each end.

Ron Merrick