News & Reviews News T-TRAK provides a great way to get started with model railroading

T-TRAK provides a great way to get started with model railroading

By Angela Cotey | February 14, 2018

| Last updated on November 3, 2020

The Northeast T-TRAK Group displayed modules at the Kato USA booth during the Railroad Hobby Show

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Northeast T-TRAK Group members Fay Chin (left) and Julia and Chris Saari-Franks stand with Fay’s eight T-TRAK modules at the Kato USA booth at the Amherst Railway Society 2018 Railroad Hobby Show.
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Chris runs a Kato USA N scale Olympian Hiawatha and a coal train on the T-TRAK modules using a Kato powerpack and Sound Box system.
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This view shows the other side of the T-TRAK modular layout and some of the more complex track arrangements that are possible.
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The 1 x 1 foot modules are designed to be lightweight and fit together without additional clamps or wiring. The eight modules fit together on a standard 8-foot long banquet table.
During the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show, Northeast T-TRAK Group founder Fay Chin (left in the photo on the right) built the eight T-TRAK modules displayed at the Kato USA booth. The show was held at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds in West Springfield, Mass., on January 27-28, 2018.

A lifelong model railroader, Fay also founded the Northeast N-TRAK Club in 1976. For more information on either club visit www.nenscale.org. Pictured with Fay are fellow T-TRAK Group members Julia and Chris Saari-Franks who helped run trains and answer questions.

Julia and Chris only recently got into the hobby. At last year’s show they bought a Kato N scale Unitrack set and some equipment to run, then discovered the T-TRAK group. “T-TRAK provided an easy way to get started,” said Chris, “The club proved a good way to get some guidance.”

Like other modular model railroad systems, T-TRAK (ttrak.org) follows standards to ensure interoperability between modules. T-TRAK is similar to N-TRAK but uses smaller modules and sectional “train set” track. The N scale modules displayed at the show all used Kato Unitrack. There are also T-TRAK standards for other scales using specific brands of sectional track. These include Z scale (Micro Trains track), HO (Kato Unitrack), S (MTH S-Trax), and O gauge (Lionel Fastrack).

With the typical module size of 1 x 1 foot, T-TRAK allows modelers to experiment and learn techniques without having to commit to a large amount of space. At shows or meets the modules are designed to go together without any extra clamps or wiring. “It’s great to see everything come together,” said Julia, “The layout can be different every time.”

In August, Fay and fellow club members plan on displaying modules at the National Model Railroad Association National Convention in Kansas City, Mo. “We look forward to having some Midwestern T-TRAK enthusiasts come and join the fun,” Fay said.

One thought on “T-TRAK provides a great way to get started with model railroading

  1. Dear Sirs:

    Thanks for covering T-TRAK! I would like to point out though that the proper “branding” for the T-TRAK modular system is T-TRAK always in upper case, with a dash, and no “c”. Thanks again for the coverage!

    -Vic

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