Ends shall be 1X6 birch (birch plywood works well) or equivalent to provide C-clamping to adjacent modules. Single track ends are to be 24 inches wide, Double track ends are to be 26" wide, Mini-mo ends are to be no smaller then 8" wide. For Mini-mo, however, 12" is prefered for Mini-mo end widthm. Roadbed to be 1/4 cork or equivalent on 1/2 inch plywood or equivalent (Foam tops are acceptable) , braced to prevent sag or flexing. The module (set) shall have at least four legs and stand alone, this does not apply to Mini-mos. Mini-mos must have legs for adjustment but not need to stand alonew. Nominal and Minimum height of railhead from the floor is 50 inches. Maximum height of rail is to be 62 inches. On modules with grades, the elevation of the high end shall be some multiple of 3/4 inch above low end. Legs shall have adjustment of plus or minus 1 inch. The bottoms of the legs shall have rubber tip or equivalent floor protection. Mainline maximum grade is 2.0 percent (1/4 inch per foot) with the track level for 6 inches from each end. Vertical curves shall be appropriate for mainline operation of contemporary long cars. Modules may be used with spectators on either side.

m - 1/14/04 - Added provisions for double track and mini-mo widths
w - 1/14/04 - Added provisions for mini-mo leg configurations

Track

Track shall be code-83 nickel-silver on the mainline, allowance for code-70 on the through route for modules specifically designated as branchline onlyd. Modules may use Flex or handlaid. Minimum radius is 42 inches (preference to 48 inch for minimum radius, modules built with 36 inch radius curves will be used but usually limited to branchline service, this is now official) with at least 12 inches of straight track between reverse curves. Spacing between tracks on curves should allow for long cars to operate without fouling each other, observe NMRA Recommended Practices for curved track spacingi. Mainline turnouts shall be at least #6. At the ends of the single track module, the track shall be centered on the 24 inch width, double track modules shall have the first track located 12 inches from a side on the 26 inch wide end, and the second track 12 inches from the opposit side allowing 2 inches between the two tracks-. Track must be perpendicular to the end, also straight and level for 6 inches from each end of the module. Rail shall be cut off 1 inch away from module end; ties and ballast shall be continued to the module end for good appearance and matching with the adjacent module. Free-mo printed circuit board tie plates are recommended for endsl.

d - 1/14/04 - Added allowance for smaller rail for modules built exclusively as branchline modules
i - 1/14/04 - Added provision for multiple track spacing on curves
- - 1/14/04 - Added double track module track locations
l - 1/14/04 - Modified langauge to make more clear

Wiring

Turnouts shall not rely on points to power frog.

Wire shall be #18 or larger stranded. Feeder wire can be of 24 gauge or heavier. There shall be a 4 (or more) position barrier strip at each end under the module for wire hook-up.

Wiring consists of 4 separate bus wires and 6 conductor DCC Digitrax Loconet bus. All ends have a pair of male and female 2 pin jones plug (Part Number P-302-CCT and S-302-CCT) for the mainline, a single 2 pin trailer plug Radio Shack(PN 270-026) for the accessory power, and a surface mount 6 conductor RJ12 box mounted to inside of module 1X6 end.

Mainline wiring is as follows for jones plugs (must be facing module end for correct perspective):

• Single Track - Male pin 2 right rail, male pin 1 left rail. Female pin 2 left rail, female pin 1 right rail. The same wiring situation would be found for the other end(s).
  
• Double Track - Male pin 2 right rail, right track, male pin 1 left rail, right track. Female pin 2 left rail, left track, female pin 1 right rail, right track. The same wiring situation would be found for the other end(s)].
  

Accessory power is wired straight through. A bridge rectifier and filtering capacitor, may be used to convert AC or DCC signal to DC. Applications that require AC or DCC signal may utilize power directly from the bus.

Each module needs a RJ12 Loconet connection point, one on every end, mounted on the inside of the module, and one dual flush mount 6 conductor RJ12 faceplate mounted on each exposed side of module, for throttles.

All of the Loconet connectors and associated cables need to be connected together straight through (i.e. pin 1 - pin 1, pin 2 - pin 2, pin 3 - pin 3, etc. ...note standard telephone cables are NOT wired straight through).

To connect the DCC bus between modules, a 2 foot RJ12 to RJ12 cable is utilized.

To connect a DCC booster to a module, a 4 foot RJ12 to RJ12 cable is utilized. A 4 foot cable with one female and one male 2 pin Jones plug on one end, plugged between interfacing modules, connected to the output of the booster.

] - 1/14/04 - Added Double track wiring provisions

Control

Digitrax, and/or rather Loconet compliant, DCC and accessories are standard for interoperability among Free-mo clubs. For more information about Technical specifics consult Digitrax website.*

, - 1/14/04 - Added Loconet compliance to support non-Digitrax systems that use the Loconet protocol

Scenery

General module fascia color shall complement scenery and not draw attention from the scenea. Mainline shall be ballasted Woodland Scenics Fine Light Gray or equivalent, and some form of scenery hiding the benchwork. Standard mainline rail color is Floquil/Polly-S Roof Brown or equivalent. Scenery at the Free-mo standard end(s) shall have a flat profile roughly 3/8" below top of mainline rail.

a - 1/14/04 - removed reference to a specific legacy paint color

Recommended Practices

Avoid Dimensional Pine Lumber. It has a tendancy to warp and "cup" throwing off track alignment.

Mini-mo type modules are intended to subset Free-mo and not replace or exclude an equivalent length standard module. Full width modules are generally more stable and should be used wherever possible. Mini-mos are a subset of the branchline minimum radius specifications.