First part of first module done

The first part of my first module, the actual module assembly part, is done.  If the rest is this easy, I'll have my 1:160th empire reaching all over the house in no time...

The kit didn't come with written instructions, just some verbal directions from the manufacturer as he handed it to me.  Thanks to Mr Bell, my year 9-10 woodwork teacher, I think I still managed to do an OK job.

Step one, put the frame together.  Make sure it's square.  The top piece came with some handy guidelines, and each piece was numbered to show which side it belonged on.

It's good material - marine ply - nice and light, but also considerably more environmentally rugged than MDF and some of the cheap stuff you find lying around.  Each corner is glued and nailed, and the glue is what holds it in place long term.  The nails are just there to provide clamping while the glue dries.

Step two, pin the top on the frame.  Again, a bead of glue around the mating surface of the frame, and clamp in place while pinning.  It's child's play.

My apprentice hard at work

Step three, put in the riser blocks.  These wouldn't be necessary for a standalone module, but one of the specifications for T-Trak modules is that they have adjustable height.  Most people use slotted bolts, but the kits from Modular Train Tables use a 6 mm grub screw.  The Allen key drive won't slip like a slotted coach bolt can, and it's more discrete.  The finished module looks like this:

All this was done over a couple of days, mostly to give enough drying time for each stage of assembly before adding new parts.  Actual hands-on time was about an hour.  Now on to stage two...