Description

by Bill Rutherford

Rose Industrial Park is my first and only (so far) NTRAK module, and is a basic 24" x 48" straight section.  My intentions when building it were threefold; to get vested in NVNTRAK and to get to know the members; to learn basic trackwork; and to learn basic scenicking techniques.  Back in the "Plywood Plains" days it only had a single siding but, after reading the NTRAK Manual, I fell in love with John Allen's timesaver and decided to add one to Rose.  The park got its name when the CEO of the Rutherford Management Group underwrote the module's track and turnout purchases and authorized additional motive power procurement.

Rose Industrial Park represents a moderately run-down branch line light industry siding during the transition era.  It's located somewhere in the Northeast, likely in Pennsylvania.  Modern service has arrived, though, as witnessed by the new intermodal loading dock!

Benchwork is right out of the NTRAK Module (heavy and solid), as is the wiring.  I used insulated turnouts because this was my first effort -- I wanted to be sure I could do the basics before getting too complex -- and because that's all the timesaver required.  The trackwork is fairly straightforward -- Peco turnouts, Atlas Flex-Track and cork roadbed.  The timesaver's been bent a bit to allow for building and road placement but, with the control switch on the back of the module and the optional power supply, is fully functional (well, it is when Pete cleans the points...).

I added basic ground texture with a layer of celluclay/white glue/spackle glop.   Buildings are mainly LifeLike and Walthers plastic kits that were (or their bases were) permanently attached to the module before further scenicking.  Groundwork was made from a variety of commercially available flocks and ground foam, lots of white glue and wet water.  Roads were made from a ready-mix non-vinyl spackle, smoothed and sanded several times.  Grade crossings were made from spackle-coated balsa.   There are several Micro-Trains® uncoupling magnets around the timesaver for hands-off switching operations.  I shortened several of them, though one or two at grade crossings are still full-length.  The crossing signals and billboards were originally loose and the [metal-trunked] trees were all permanently affixed to the module.   After innumerable broken trees and several lost billboard hunts, I gave up and inset brass tubes on Rose everywhere I wanted a tree, sign or telephone pole.  All of these items now have brass rods embedded in their bases and the trees are now plastic-trunked.  At displays I can plug them into the tubes in the module and don't need to worry about breakage during transport.

Rose Industrial Park is in all ways a work-in-progress.   Basic scenery is completed, but clutter and details are still being added on an ongoing basis.  People and vehicles are slowly being added to the module to give it some life.  In due course, switch machines will be added under-table for the turnouts and the grade crossings will be replaced with something a bit better-looking.  Early on I discovered that as I normally sit behind the module, I liked detailing the back side of things more than the front side so, as a result, more detail and clutter is needed up front.

I tried to keep things simple so I could learn without becoming overwhelmed.   I think I accomplished my three goals.  The benchwork is holding up pretty well and club trains [normally] make it all the way across my module before derailing.   More importantly, building Rose Industrial Park drew me into NVNTRAK to a degree I think wouldn't have been possible otherwise.  Ongoing discussions, suggestions, guidance and comments by and with NVNTRAK members whenever Rose showed up at a meeting or show (and even when it didn't) all contributed to its present state.  Beyond that, though, building the module helped me to get to know the gang of loonies that make up NVNTRAK and to appreciate the wide (wild?) variety of talents, skills and perspectives possessed by the membership that make NVNTRAK the great club that it its!