Model Railroading Outside the Basement: NTRAK

I have been involved with model railroading since grade school, building my first HO layout with my dad in 1982. I stuck with it all through grade school, junior high and yes, in one form or another through the sports, cars, and girls phase of my high school years. HO scale was (and still is) king in my hometown and I soon joined the local club, The Concord Model Railroad Club. As a young college student, I did not have room for a layout, so the club afforded me the ability to run the trains I had collected. I was always envious of that smaller scale, N or 1/160^th the size of the prototype. I read Trains magazine, I dreamed of replicating the Burlington Northern coal trains that roamed the west, all in N scale. I took the plunge and jumped into N scale in 1995 and while I continued in HO, I choose N as my primary modeling scale. In those early years I simply built small layouts that could easily move under a bed when not in use. 

 Flash forward to the present day, my current home has room for my 6-foot wide, 14-inch deep switching layout depicting Manchester NH in the 1970s. The layout, however, is a switching layout. That means there is no continuous running of long trains, just local movements to local customers. Of course, I still want those long coal and Trailer on Flat Car trains I dreamed up in my head as a youth. Space of course was still a premium so building a larger layout was not feasible at this time, so it was time to build an NTRAK module and connect with fellow modelers. 

 The granddaddy of N scale modular railroading is NTRAK. NTRAK started back in 1973 with a simple concept: 2-foot-deep modules that could be built with a triple mainline and form a simple or complex loop with at least three trains always running. The concept was to get model railroading out of the basement and into the forefront of everyday life. NTRAK clubs would assemble continuous running layouts at malls and train shows. If you like building large coal or unit trains, consider NTRAK. The most basic module is 2-foot by 4-foot that most beginners can build as their first module.  

 I was introduced to the concept of NTRAK in late 1998 and quickly joined a local club. Although I enjoyed helping set up, operate, monitor, and tear down layouts, I never built a module of my own. After several moves, I drifted away from the club, but by 2022 I was ready to build a module and run trains with a like-minded group. 

Starting an NTRAK Module

I set out to build my first module, the standard 2-foot x 4-foot straight module, as it is as simple as you can get and a wonderful way to get started quickly and easily in NTRAK. To keep it light, I built mine out of ½-inch plywood with a ¼-inch plywood top. The plans are available in the NTRAK Module How-to Book available online at www.nrail.org. I laid cork roadbed and Atlas code-80 track according to NTRAK standards. The use of an alignment tool, seen on the extreme right of the module, aids in getting the flex track nice and straight. 

Painting and Keeping Within NTRAK Standards

As I paint the module, note the tape on the ends of each stretch of track. NTRAK standards use standard 5-inch sectional connecting tracks to connect to other modules, so it is important to leave this section free of ballast for a smooth transition.

The skyboard, made of ¼-inch hardboard has been painted and mounted. Some NTRAK clubs use a standard shade of blue for their skyboards so check with your fellow members for the preferred formula as it can easily be mixed at your local hardware store. The basic scenery is down and the fascia, which is made from ¼-inch furniture grade plywood, has been applied. A nice Colonial colored stain with four coats of polyurethane applied makes for a neat yet durable fascia suitable for a module that will be transported.

Transporting Your NTRAK

No minivan needed for NTRAK! Although it certainly would not hurt. Here my module is loaded in my 2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ with only the rear seat removed. Off to its first show after a full day of chasing trains on the Chillicothe subdivision and Galesburg. The beauty of NTRAK is you do not have to invest in a large vehicle if you do not want to. Many modelers focus on one four-foot module and transport to and from the show in a standard sized vehicle while others build complete scenes with multiply modules and transport them with a truck and trailer, so the options are up to you.

Here is a hint, if you want to be popular with your new NTRAK club, build a corner module. There are never enough corner modules.  

NTRAK Galesburg Railroad Days

My module with the stained front fascia can be seen at the extreme right along with other modules from members of the Heritage NTRAK group. This was my module’s first show as well as hanging out with the guys from Heritage. We had a great weekend running trains and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow modelers. Invest in knee pads, you will thank me later! 

What I like about NTRAK is its adaptability. While the standard is Atlas code 80, I never liked the non-prototypical look of the tie spacing, so in 2024, I replaced it with Micro Engineering code 70 which will work fine with Atlas code 80. I have made special connector tracks to connect my module with Micro Engineering to another module with Atlas code 80 for a smooth transition. Big thanks to Rob from the Heritage group for showing me that Micro Engineering with its prototypical look is an option!

NTRAK Distribution Center

With trackwork out of the way and a new deadline looming, the developers got involved. My distribution center is a kit bash of two Micro Engineering Murphy Manufacturing buildings. At the truck doors are a pair of custom painted trailers I did back in the early 2000s, a 40-foot Rock Island and a 45-foot Kankakee Beaverville and Southern. Assorted cars and food truck complete the scene of a prosperous company. 

A Burlington Northern NW2 switcher is shoving an Athearn Frisco reefer to bay two of the distribution center. Scenes like this can easily be modeled at a minimum of time without risk of losing ambition. 

NTRAK Club

The Heritage group is not a club, but a group that follows the NTRAK practice, with modelers located all over the state of Illinois. As such, we do not have meetings or dues, one only needs to build a module and help set up at the next show. Since the demise of the Galesburg show, the Heritage group has found other shows in which to participate either as a stand-alone group or with other NTRAK clubs and groups. 

While I do love point-to-point prototype operations on N scale, there is still something special watching your coal train with a brace of four six-axle locomotives running through multiple scenes. With today’s wireless DCC, running multiple trains on the same lines can be fun and challenging. Even if you do have a home layout, I encourage you to try NTRAK or any of the many modular standards as it will only make you a better modeler. In the process, you will develop new skills, find new friends, and introduce a person to the world of model railroading, outside the basement. 

 For more information on NTRAK and joining a local club, check out www.nrail.org .