Hi,
A few points to ponder regarding modular tracks:
Having a custom made cart to store the system and also to get it to the point
of display is very handy. I built such a cart for the track I used to bring
to DH. It is wise to keep the width of the cart to less that 34". Otherwise
you may not be able to get it through some doorways. I was able to carry the
track in the back of my van and used two pieces of aluminum "U" channel as an
unloading and loading ramp into the van. Using the seat mounts in the floor
of the van made it easy to strap it down and a little modification of
shoulder belt attachments also helped.
I feel it is a good idea to keep the system as light in weight as
possible. After all, there will be no need to design this to handle weights
of more than 10 or 20 pounds per section of framework. It's not like we were
going to have elephant parades on the track! Light weight makes it much
easier to handle and allows the use of womenfolk and youngsters to handle the
sections. I think the fastest the track was ever set up and taken down was at
a Larry Smith meet when four of the Florida ladies did most of the work. (It
is difficult at times to get them to stop their Domino tournament.)
Using rail joiners that have the screws mounted vertically really speeds
up the job. I cut the rail sections to the exact length needed and in the
five or six years it was in use there was never any problem with rail ends
matching up.
When selecting the rail to use, go for robust, strong stuff rather than
trying to be prototypical and use mini rail. Code 332 rail will take more
abuse and allows a wide range of flange depths to use the track. You never
know what will show up at a big meet. Some of the really antique steamers
have wheel flanges that make sparky flanges look anemic.
As far as legs or supports are concerned, you are really making a
structurally stable closed figure so no more than one leg is needed per
location for one to two foot wide sections. The three and four foot wide
sections had one leg centered at each end, and two legs in the middle - each
one being 6" to 10" in from the outer edges. This also helps cut down on the
"tripping" problem when two legs are used with an even wider base that sticks
out beyond the width of the top of the structure.
Using 1" x 1" x 1/8" square tube or 1" x 2" x 1/8" rectangular aluminum
tube proved to be more than adequate for our needs.
Some time this Spring I intend to use "Alucobond" on a set of frames to
make a
40 by 60 portable track for The Naples Depot. I'm estimating that each
section (nominal 8' length) will weigh less than 10 pounds each.
Keep your steam up!
Mr. Lunkenheimer's associate
