New T-TRAK Module

I've finished basic assembly, track, and electrical work on a new T-TRAK module. This is a half-depth, single-wide module that I intend to be compatible with an earlier half-depth, double wide module that I based loosely on Amtrak's Springfield, MA station, shown below:

Although there's no scenery work yet, I want to base it loosely on the city scene just north of Washington, DC Union Station using the building flats I discussed in this post. Below is a top view of the track:

The upper track in the photo is a dummy track intended to add depth to the scene, but wired to the DCC bus to allow lighted rolling stock to pose on it for photos. The lower two tracks are according to T-TRAK mechanical standards and will interface with any other standard T-TRAK module. The departure, for those familiar with T-TRAK, is the Kato crossover. T-TRAK generally can't handle crossovers between tracks, because the wiring according to standards is opposite: the bottom track connects with the Kato terminal wires as blue-white; the upper track connects with the wires white-blue. Sending a train over the crossover between the tracks will cause a short.

From the time I started with T-TRAK, I intended to use DCC, and I intended to build modules mainly just for personal use, not T-TRAK meets. I built several early modules with DPDT toggles that would allow the wiring to switch from BWBW to BWWB in case I ever wanted to run them at a T-TRAK meet, but it seems less and less likely I will ever do this, so I've stopped including the DPDT feature on recent projects.

The photo below shows my idea about taking advantage of the space under the module deck. I haven't heard of anyone else doing anything like this. Normally the space under a standard T-TRAK module is empty. But doing things this way makes wiring much more accessible than under normal benchwork, among other things. The bottom line is that I can include crossovers on my personal modules and not have a short, but I couldn't use them at a T-TRAK meet. Not likely I will ever take a module to a meet as I get older anyhow.

The 6-position barrier strip at left connects all three tracks above the deck to the DCC bus. They are all wired BWBWBW. Every standard module I've built has a barrier strip like this that takes power off the two main tracks. Thus a bad connection via a dirty or damaged Unijoiner between modules can be bypassed via the Unijoiners connecting the other track to other modules. This also provides a DCC interface with other DCC devices on the individual module, like a switch machine decoder or an NCE Illuminator that powers Woodland Scenics Just Plug LEDs off the DCC bus. Normally there is no other connection to the DCC bus between modules than the Unijoiners that connect the tracks between modules.

The 5-position barrier strip on the right connects a Digitrax DS51K1 switch machine decoder, farthest to trhe right, to the DCC bus, as well as the red and black wires to the Kato crossover. This allows me to throw the crossover from my DCC command station.

The photo below is an initial test to be sure power is reaching all three tracks on the module and gives a basic idea of photo possibilities: