How I Build My Model Railroad Modules

An interesting concept in the construction of layouts for model railroading has been the advent of the "module".  It started with the simple home layout of 2 or 3 modules, 2'-3' wide and 4'-6' long.  The concept has been stretched to "module railroad clubs" where members construct modules to a set of club standards.  When the members get together, they end up with layouts that are very long. 

Here's a photo of the Dirty 30 On30 Module Gang's setup at the 2020 Amherst Railway Society's "Railroad Hobby Show" in Springfield Massachusetts.  It took us 3-4 hours to put it all up - about 150 feet of individual modules all connected together.  The layout varies from show to show, year to year, and setup to setup (we do a variety of train shows or meets about 6-8 times a year), all because the modules are built to a standard design, height, and connectivity. 

The purpose of these next few pages is to outline the techniques I use in constructing my modules.

Our Objectives
When I first started, it took a lot of trial and error to construct modules.  There were lots of "Oops!", but over time, I've improved.  My objectives with this blog are: 

• To use materials from our building supply store that don't require a lot of sawing, filing, and sanding. 
• We should end up with light, rugged modules that won't warp or give me a hernia when transporting them.
• We're going to use simple cutting and drilling methods that won't require fancy power tools. 
• We shouldn't need 5 pairs of hands, a dozen or so wood clamps, and a large carpenter's square - all at the same time - to assemble the modules. 
• We're going to keep frustrations to a minimum so that we can enjoy the experience.
• And a few other criteria that I've forgotten. 

The Module Concept
Modules are typically 2' wide and 2', 4', or 6' long.  The width will depend on the standard for your MR Club.  The length will depend on the size of the back seat or trunk of your car, the size of your van or truck, and whether you transport your modules to club meets.  Obviously, a 6' module won't fit in the backseat of your sub-compact. 

The module frame is usually constructed of 1"x 4",  or other dimensional lumber {which is usually 3/4" by 3 1/2", 4 1/2" or 5 1/2"} or plywood.  The surface of the module is typically 1½" Styrofoam (extruded polystyrene board that's blue, pink, or green, depending on the brand).

Here's what some of my Temiscouta, Cabano & Peticodiac On30 4-foot modules looked like a few years ago.  

They originally looked something like this.

Over the next few pages, we're going to build a pair of 4-foot modules.  We're going to:

• Cut the lumber (including corner gussets).
• Lay out, drill holes, and install some T-nuts.
• Lay out and drill holes for woodscrews to hold everything together.
• Cut out and recess holes for telephone jacks (we're going to use DCC to run the trains).
• Screw and glue the boards together into a square frame
• Paint the module frame.
• Cut, install, and glue Styrofoam into the module frame.
• Install a track power buss so that we get power from one module to another.
• Install a flat telephone cable (called a DCC or LocoNet buss) along with some telephone jacks or Digitrax UP5 panels (they'll be used to plug in our throttles that control our trains).  
• Fabricate and paint legs so as to get our modules up high.  
• Lay down some cork roadbed that will hold our tracks (including tips on laying roadbed around turnouts).
• Lay down tracks and turnouts.
• Solder and connect track feeds to the track.
• Connect the track feeds to the track power buss.  

At the end of this series of posts, we'll be able to connect our modules to other modules and run trains from module to module!   

Let's get started with some construction.  Building A Module - The Bits And Pieces