Build a Cradle to Support Interchangeable Modules – by Dirk Reynolds
f you’ve been a regular attendee at train shows you may have noticed many of the modular layouts seem to be the same year after year. Sometimes it seems their builders created them, then rested.
ing a module apart and rebuilding it as a new one, what if I could create a new scene while still keeping the old one? Why spend money and time on carpentry for the frame and legs of another module when I could create a new scene? Interchangeable frames (which I call “cradles”) and scenes which sit on top of them were the answer. I can lift the current scene out of a cradle and drop in a new one.
I had the same issue with my modules until I figured out a way to make changing them easy. Instead of tear-
The key was how to securely connect scenes to the cradles. I used rims made of 6” trim (base) boards along
Reader Feedback (click here)
I
Figure 1: Using a cradle – an assembly of legs, sides, and ends – to support interchangeable “scenic” components allows Dirk to easily change which modules he’s displaying at a meet without having to build each module from the ground up.
Figure 2: All the wood joints are glued and screwed for strength.
Figure 2
Figure 1 Page 92 • Feb 2012 MRH Build a module cradle, page 1
Tell a friend ...
Contents
Index