transportation or set up (e.g., the mod- ule is no longer square or has a broken piece). Temperature, humidity, dry con- ditions in storage may shrink, expand or distort the modules. (In one case rain leaked into the trailer storing some modules.) During assembly at a show, the modules may not be fastened to- gether correctly, leaving a gap between modules. So, from time to time when we set up our modular empire the last module may not fit the layout as planned. For exam- ple, we have a 48″ module, but the open- ing is 53″, or the module fits, but the tracks don’t line up. This means more work and time to adjust the other mod- ules to make the last module fit. At our most recent show, the opening for the last module was 47¾″ long and the track was about an inch out of alignment. This is where the flexible module fits right in. The design of the frame is the key to the module’s flexibility. Instead of a rigid 48″×24″ frame, the module uses strap hinges, slide bars and built-in clamps to change its size and shape. The sizes and number of wood pieces needed are described in Table 1.


Construction All told, there are 50 pieces of wood that go into making the flexible mod-


All of the wood pieces (except the top blocks) plus the binder clips and hook and eye fasteners can be seen in this picture of the underside of the module.


Fig. 2 I Hook and eye fastener D K


Fig.1: Exploded construction view


E


H C A B G G A


F J Binder clips D


RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN


49


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