A ConTrax Railroad starts with a “Connecting Container”. The “Shore” Electrical and other Utilities are connected to the Connecting Container. The Connecting Container has 36″ wide Mandoors welded into both sides (a 40′ Connecting Container has four Mandoors on each side, a 20’ one has two). Also, a Mandoor is welded into the Back Wall of the Container so the Connecting Containers can be placed end to end allowing the Railroad to grow to any size. Access Openings are also welded into the Connecting Container, (1) on each side of each Mandoor (for the Trackwork to pass thru) and (1) above each Mandoor (for the Electrical and other Utilities to pass thru).
“Scene Containers” (with the Doors on the Container open) are placed perpendicular to, and tight against, the side of the of the Connecting Container(s), covering the Mandoors and Access Openings (the Mandoor now allows for people to enter the Scene Containers from the Connecting Container).
The Trackwork usually starts in an “End” Scene Container (usually a Staging/Storage Yard with a Double Track Dog Bone or a Single Track Reverse Loop), then proceeds into the Connecting Container (via an Access Opening), then loops 180 degrees back into the next Scene Container (thru another Access Opening), then proceeds along one side of the Scene Container (40′), then loops 180 degrees around the Back Wall (the Scene Container ID is 88″), then proceeds along the other side of the Container (another 40′), then proceeds out thru another Access Opening back into the Connecting Container, then loops back into and thru the next Scene Container(s) until entering the other “End” Container (usually another Staging/Storage Yard).
HO Standards: Double Track on 2″ CL. 40″ Min Radius on Visible Track, 32″ Min Radius on Hidden Track. Code 83 on Visible Track. CMRI Buss for Data. DigiTrax DCC.
