About MVNS
Our Story
The Mississippi Valley N Scalers LLC model railroad club was founded in April of 1990. It is the oldest exclusive N scale club in the St. Louis Metro area. The club owns both fixed and modular (NTRAK and T-TRAK) layouts. Our members come from both sides of the Mississippi river. They share a common love of model railroading and a sincere interest in sharing their knowledge and expertise with fellow members.
What is "N scale"?
N scale became popular in the late 1960's, and is one of the smallest scales in model railroading. At 160th normal scale -- that's roughly 1/4 the size of the old Lionel trains and 1/2 the size of HO -- an average N scale locomotive may be less than an inch tall. Despite their diminutive size, these trains and the accompanying scenery are amazingly accurate reproductions of the real world.
Club members may spend hours building trains and buildings with the aid of tweezers, magnifying glasses and a good deal of patience. They pride themselves on accuracy right down to the slightest detail... from the tiny flashing "end of train device" on a long freight train, to the real cedar shingles and wood siding on a small town store.
It is this ability to create astonishing detail and beauty in a relatively small area that gives N scale its world wide appeal!
NTRAK modules
NTRAK modules are portable sections of track -- usually 4 feet long by 2 feet deep -- built to strict specifications. These sections are then combined to make large operating layouts that can be displayed at shopping malls and special events.
Because of its modular design, our NTRAK layout can be made to fit virtually any size space and in a variety of shapes. The minimum size of our modular layout is 12' x 16' and the maximum size is limited only by the number and shape of our modules.
Modules allow modelers to concentrate their efforts in a relatively small area. The results are dramatic; cities, towns, farms, factories, rivers, mountains, carnivals, freight yards and more!
The club has over 30 NTRAK modules -- some owned by individuals and some club owned -- and the number continues to grow!
T-TRAK modules
T-TRAK modules are portable sections of track -- starting with 12 inches square called a "Single" -- based on Kato Unitrack secifications. From there you can build a "Double", a "Triple", or a "Quad". These sections are then combined to make large operating layouts that can be displayed at schools, libraries, and event centers.
Because of its modular design, our T-TRAK layout can be made to fit virtually any size space and in a variety of shapes. These modules rest on table tops and snap together. The size of a layout is limited only by the number and shape of our modules and available tables.
Modules allow our members to create unique layout designs with multiple loops and crossover tracks.
The club has a large inventory T-TRAK modules owned by individuals, and the number continues to grow!
You can find out more about T-TRAK and how to build T-TRAK modules from a presentation that the members of MVNS put together. You can find links to the presentation on our Presentations page.