My 2 cents on the difference between modular and dominoe. I understand the "dominoe theory" to be used in simplifying benchwork construction. Except for your corner pieces and the few odd shaped places each train room has that are unique to the size and shape of a room, all pieces are built the same. So to ease construction you can cut most of your frame work all at one time because each dominoe needs 2 four foot long pieces and depending on your preference for cross braces 3-5 cross members. So if your planning to build say 6 dominoes you'll need 12 four foot sections (2 pieces X 6 dominoes = 12 pieces.) Same simple math for your cross braces. Like mentioned above build the tops at your workbench or wherever, add the legs and voila basic benchwork that just needs the few details of leveling,fascia etc. Modular to me , always had top dp more with the track laying. Modular pieces sometimes are dominoe shaped or a standard dictated by whatever your club or group decides.Sometimes they are wahtever shape yu like them to be. But on all the pieces your track work had to be a certain distance from the edge. I thnik N scale modules used to require 4 inches. Double tracks or passing sidings had a certain set of requirements as well. So long as everyone used the same track spacing the modules could then be fit together to form "the layout". Scenery often did not match from one module to the next. and rarely did the layout get setup the same way twice.Because of the track being the same at each end of a module they could be layed out like Module A Module B Module C OR Module B Module C Module A This was the drawing power of Modules because you only needed to complete as much as you liked to be part of a huge layout.Some folks made many that were very basic some spent many hours making just one very detailed one. The Drawbacks were Like Rick mentioned, unless the whole group could get together youy onlly had a four foot long or so layout,so you couldn't do a whole lot without a group meeting. The other big drawback was most of ours main problem.Space.Unless space could be found art a train show or borrowed for a weekend from a generous employer with a little extra warehouse space,most homes were not large enough to have a space to setup more than just a couple of modules which in turn led to less operating and simple, short point to point. I for one would love to get in a group to build a few modules if they met regulary.The only group I could find in the Austin area a few years back said they were lucky if they got space more than 2 or 3 times a year.That was in N scale. There was an HO modular club for awhile that had space "permanently" at one of the local malls.But that didn't last once the mall found a tennant and I haven't heard anything about that group for a couple of years now. Well my 2 cents has turned into at least a nickels worth now so I'll run but thats my take on the difference. Later gents.
I would say that unless you have been model railroading a l-o-n-g time, or are V-E-R-Y observant of railroad operations, do NOT try to design your first layout. I have seen layouts in the major model magazines that have most unprototypical track arrangements built by what purport to be experienced modelers. The most common example is a branch with no place to run the locomotive around the train at the end of the line. Until the era of push-pull passenger trains, running a train with the locomotive at the rear was frowned upon, and still is for freight, where there is no cab in the first car!
The Domino Principal is a way to build your layout one section at a time. You are probably familiar with N-track modules? The dominoes are almost the same. With N-track, you build individual modules based on a national N-track standard, usually 2' x 4' sections, with three main lines, and the tracks have to be at an exact position on the module. These standards guarantee that your module, and mine, will mate together well at some convention. The dominoes are similar, let's say you begin with the common 2' x 4' size, but you can have any number of tracks, anywhere on the section, as your pieces will mate only to the following piece you build. So let's say, you start with an engine service facility/yard on two sections. Then you can add pieces on either end, and build outward from there... It allows you to concentrate your efforts on small pieces, rather than designing an entire layout all at once. Then, years from now, you may decide that the yardneeds to move somewhere else, or become something else, then you can remove those two sections only, and replace them with your newest idea. Robert
David Barrow is the fella who came up with the domino theory of model railroading- Linda Sand ran with the theory a little farther. Barrow, an architect in Austin, TX, has rebuilt his Cat Mountain & Santa Fe using dominos, and from what I've heard, he's rebuilding it again. He also designed & built a nice little switching layout depicting the area around Lubbock, TX. His lumber of choice is birch plywood (cabinet grade, rather pricey), but I've stayed with good ol' faashioned pine plywood & 1by4s for the framing. I've built the new O&NE using the domino theory, and it's working well for me.
Bob, Since you have had more experience at it than I, do you feel it is a good sytem for a newer person to get themselves involved in. I have thought it a great system for some one new in the hobby to have a more "sophisticated" layout than they could otherwise come up. I also consider it emminsely superior to the traditional 4 by 8 starter layout. What are your thoughts on this matter?
I don't know about the experience part, but what I've done works for me- I've moved a bit the past 5 years. Since the benchwork is standardized, switching the pieces around is pretty easy. You could either build a point-to-point or loop, according to the number of dominoes you have built. Staying with Code 100 track & cork roadbed is great for newbies, and if the cost of birch plywood scares you, go with regular plywood & white pine 1x4s. Some of mine are built with flakeboard, which seems to be used an awful lot out here. The beauty of the "domino theory" is you can have an around-the-walls layout, making it possible to build layouts in rooms you may not necessarily find space in otherwise. The newbie can tinker with each domino as he or she gets more proficient in the hobby. I don't know how well it would work with mountain-type railroads, as it's mostly geared towards flatlanders, but on modular RRs, building scenery alongside the tracks, or lowering the benchwork to put in trestles, work rather well.
