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Re: (erielack) Free-Mo modules
Thanks Josh, for this excellent summary. I have admired the Sipping &
Switching Society from a distance for some time now; very nicely done. Does
Curtis Pope still have his Paulins Kill viaduct?
I have been studying the Free-mo.org standards and am quite impressed with
what they have come up with so far. By far the most appealing thing to me is
that any Free-mo modeler can take his module to any Free-mo event and "plug
in". May sound better in theory than in practice, but the attempt is being
made.
We already have 10 members of the EL Free-mo group; I think this is a very
exciting idea and would like to encourage anyone else that may be interested
to join in. It's at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elfreemo/ .
Jim Harr, already daydreaming of all the scenes that would make great
modules!
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:07:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Josh Blevins <stillbre_@_yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: (erielack) Free-Mo modules
Mark,
Free-Mo has been around for many years. I believe it started in the late
80s. When I first got into the hobby as a teenager in the 90s there was
already Free-Mo groups around. Seems to be most the Free-Mo groups are out
west. SoCal, NorCal, and Southwest are some of the larger groups. There's
a large group in the St Louis area as well and I believe there's another
group up in the northeast or Ohio somewhere. All you really need to get
started is just a group of people willing to build modules with you.
There's also a Yahoo list dedicated to Free-Mo.
Free-Mo is a lot more widespread than the Sipping & Switching Society. Each
group has its own advantages and disadvantages. The S&SS has set very rigid
standards for its modules. This has enabled us to still run modules that
were built in the 70s. Free-Mo has until recent years been a little more
lax with their standards. As a result they have some modules that are
already starting to suffer sags and warpages. Free-Mo tries to run a
prototype operating session when they set up but from what I've observed it
tends to be more of a free-for-all once things start. We're more of a
free-for-all run but could run an operating session since most the members
are prototypical operators. The S&SS was designed as more of a showcase
layout with a seperate branch line for switching. This doesn't make the
modules very flexible operations wise but it all depends on what you want to
do with it. Because we have a double mainline at the front and a single
track "branch" in the rear, the modules can only face one direction whereas
Free-Mo can be set up in either direction. In recent years we've started
doing 15" wide branch line modules to create more flexibility. Free-Mo is
also much more prototype-based in their scenes. The S&SS is a lot more
freelanced but there's a couple of us that are building prototypical scenes.
We even have a Schykill(sp?) viaduct. I think the biggest advantage the
S&SS has over Free-Mo is set-up time. We can have a layout covering a gym
floor set up in a matter of an hour or so. That same layout will take
Free-Mo several hours to set up by the time they install bridge plates, tote
everything around, and clamp in together. The S&SS runs track right to the
frontier eliminating the need for bridge plates. Electrical connections are
made via trailer plugs. A majority of the modules are built on casters
easing they're ability to be moved around. Also, Free-Mo has to use Code 83
track to work. While 83 is by far the most popular out there, the S&SS can
use anything from Code 40 to Code 100. We have it all, except for Code 100.
The Sipping & Switching Society has a Yahoo group as well. We also have a
couple satelite groups starting in southern Ohio as well as active members
in MI and VA. Feel free to visit our website:
http://www.mindspring.com/~gugliotta/ Also join both Yahoo groups and talk
to the people who actually build the modules.
I encourage everyone to research both groups before deciding on which route
to take.
Josh Blevins
Charlotte NC
http://www.pbase.com/stillbre
http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=2240
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