What did you do on your layout today?

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

RSJB18 posted:

These guys will take care of everything. No worries!

I'm not sure about Superman, but Bats has run into...technical difficulties...

mike g. posted:

Mitch, man do I love your work! It take a great mind to come up with what you do, but I am starting to wonder if that great mind of yours might have missed a switch somewhere!

Oh, I'm a firm believer in Donald O'Connor's philosophy...

Mitch

I have noticed one thing since the google giraffes have shown up The cat has been MIA

suzukovich posted:

I have noticed one thing since the google giraffes have shown up The cat has been MIA

 

Oh, she's around...

Mitch

Sweet !!  Norma Bates  Kitteh.

jim pastorius posted:

Sweet !!  Norma Bates  Kitteh.

She takes no guff from gi-raffes!  ;-)

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

L-R: "One Horn" Gi-raffe, conductor; 

 

One Horn? You have a Unicorn Gi-raffe?     Is it magic?    

Nice Kitty!! She looks like she could take out the whole army!

Pat Kn posted:

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

L-R: "One Horn" Gi-raffe, conductor; 

 

One Horn? You have a Unicorn Gi-raffe?     Is it magic?    

Could very well be! 

mike g. posted:

Nice Kitty!! She looks like she could take out the whole army!

Plus, she does a wonderful Chessie impression!

Mitch

Mitch is at it again.....

http://wjactv.com/news/offbeat...birth-streaming-live

This week I've been making a custom built gondola from scrap pieces of wood. Hopefully will make some more progress this weekend.

Yesterday a few from the Tuesday night crew came over to see the layout. We ran trains in the afternoon and I got to show the progress of work on the two layouts. Nothing like having trains running with friends around. Today I got down to Menards to pick up the cars I bought. Even took them out of their box put them on the track that basically goes to nowhere yet LOL. Pics of them and I think they look pretty good together..........Paul

You didn't run into Bob while you were there did you?

Paul, I'm glad the train day at your house went well.  The cars look good.

RSJB18 posted:

These guys will take care of everything. No worries!

I was never big Lego fan and never really ‘got’ the whole fan thing for a very long time. When I was growing up Legos weren’t as complicated as they are now but they were always expense. I didn’t know anyone who had them when I was a kid. I had the cheaper knockoff bricks, as did any other kid I knew. I think I was in my 20s before I met anyone who’d had them as a kid.

That said, I LOVED the Lego movie when it came out (saw it on a plane flight and bought the DVD as soon as it came out) even though I’m sure there were lots of Lego jokes I never got. One thing I simply had to have was a Lego Emmet figure (which is probably the least expensive movie collectible I’ve ever bought). I already had a crazy glue tube lying around with exactly the same cap as the “Piece of Resistance” from the film, so Emmet is standing at the edge of the bookcase overlooking my layout, leaning on the cap. He’s never set foot on the layout, but someday I might take a photo of him there, just for the heck of it.

Here he is, posed on a neutral background in my layout room...

I also really want to see the Lego Batman movie, but my wife, of course, says we can wait until it comes out on video…

The last car for the Alaska set came today. So it is complete.

Lee- I had Legos growing up but nothing like the sets today. I used to build stuff take it apart and start over. When we started to buy them for my son we realised that everything is a set with instructions and a pre-determined outcome. Everything got built and put on a shelf. The old stuff alowed for more creativity and imagination.

Bob

RSJB18 posted:

Lee- I had Legos growing up but nothing like the sets today. I used to build stuff take it apart and start over. When we started to buy them for my son we realised that everything is a set with instructions and a pre-determined outcome. Everything got built and put on a shelf. The old stuff alowed for more creativity and imagination.

Bob

That's pretty much what I imagined.

I never could figure out what the attraction  was for Legos so my kids never had any. when I was a kid we had wooden blocks and orange crates.

Tonight I put my Polar Express engine back on its track!  Just got it back from Lionel warranty in excellent time (see my post of good news.. LIONEL WARRANTY .. 131 views one reply)   Opened up the Coca Cola cars I got from National and put them between the tender and mail car on the PE train.   Now to figure out how to record "THIS IS THE POLAR EXPRESS!  Brought to you tonight by our fine sponsor Coca Cola! That's right!  Have a Coke and a smile!".    1225 is running fine!  And did some slow rolling tonight that would make a Vision Line engine jealous!  I can't imagine how great a Lion Chief Plus engine is going to run!  But I'm going to find out! : )

I put all of my detail parts I just received on my module to take a pic. This is enough to finish the fuel tank. Lot more to gather 

jim pastorius posted:

I never could figure out what the attraction  was for Legos so my kids never had any. when I was a kid we had wooden blocks and orange crates.

I remember having Tinkertoys about the time I got my tonsils out...5 years old. I just about wore out a set of Lincoln Logs. We got my youngest some Legos, and she loved them, so we got her a tub of them. Her and I were always building something with them.

Here's my setup for the NW Arkansas Train Show, which will be starting Saturday morning at 9:00 AM.  Plenty of gi-raffes on hand, natch: 

The missing sections of FastTrack are my brakeman contacts; while they worked OK, they weren't 100%, so I brought them home and put longer contacts on.  That should enhance reliability. 

Mitch

Steamer posted:

Mitch is at it again.....

 

http://wjactv.com/news/offbeat...birth-streaming-live

Well, gi-raffes gotta come from SOMEWHERE, after all! 

Overnight workshop activity:  Put longer contacts on my FastTrack brakeman actuators, and rebuilt one of my Amtrak Alcos from front wheel to rear wheel drive.  When ya get torque steer with a locomotive, you wind up with derailments... 

Mitch

Been doing lots of odd jobs around the layout, trying to finish off various projects, like bumpers and uncouplers. I finished all of the relay modules from my last update.

I'm almost done with another project too. I had decided to add a third track to the BNSF Midway intermodal facility. Also an engine pocket there and one over at Shoreham.

This is a pretty extreme version of "cutting in" a switch. The connecting track is very short, and the pins need to be bent to get them started.

Ready to press down and seat the switch.

Screw it down, and done!

As if the layout wasn't large enough, I added another square foot over at the edge near the entrance.

This was totally cosmetic, and done so the edge of the upper lined up with the edge of Red Wing below.

It was kind of fun cutting and fitting that piece of fascia around the curve and under the duck under.

Elliot, just wondering, now that you added another switch, is that some kind of mode or method to get Matt back over to install the throw bar to? I see the way you guys work, it wouldn't take any time to put one in. Then you and Matt could run trains while Matt's blond puppy snuggles down on the floor. It would seam like good times with good friends!

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Here's my setup for the NW Arkansas Train Show, which will be starting Saturday morning at 9:00 AM.  Plenty of gi-raffes on hand, natch: 

The missing sections of FastTrack are my brakeman contacts; while they worked OK, they weren't 100%, so I brought them home and put longer contacts on.  That should enhance reliability. 

Mitch

How did you escape from the Chibas?

I've got to get busy again.  I have let too many things interrupt my goal of getting something done on the layout every day.  I wanted to at least get a little done every day rather than having marathon sessions as much as I could.  I have found it is far to easy for me to "take the day off" and accept excuses.

Art

Art,

Everybody needs a day off here and there as not to get burned out. Your work shows that your not slacker, so in my eyes take the days off when you can!

Art, I hear you. I am sort of in a lull myself. Trying to figure out a way to jump start working on the layouts again. So maybe if I wear short sleeves that would by pass rolling them up to work getting me there faster so I do not talk myself out of it again.....Paul

But Paul, you can't work on your layout. Your to busy building shelf's for all your new Menards rolling stock! Atleast your not like Bob who has to build shelf's for shoes also!

p51 posted:

RSJB18 posted:

These guys will take care of everything. No worries!

I was never big Lego fan and never really ‘got’ the whole fan thing for a very long time. When I was growing up Legos weren’t as complicated as they are now but they were always expense. I didn’t know anyone who had them when I was a kid. I had the cheaper knockoff bricks, as did any other kid I knew. I think I was in my 20s before I met anyone who’d had them as a kid.

That said, I LOVED the Lego movie when it came out (saw it on a plane flight and bought the DVD as soon as it came out) even though I’m sure there were lots of Lego jokes I never got. One thing I simply had to have was a Lego Emmet figure (which is probably the least expensive movie collectible I’ve ever bought). I already had a crazy glue tube lying around with exactly the same cap as the “Piece of Resistance” from the film, so Emmet is standing at the edge of the bookcase overlooking my layout, leaning on the cap with a scared look on his face. He’s never set foot on the layout, but someday I might take a photo of him there, just for the heck of it.

I also really want to see the Lego Batman movie, but my wife, of course, says we can wait until it comes out on video…

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Steamer posted:

Mitch is at it again.....

 

http://wjactv.com/news/offbeat...birth-streaming-live

Well, gi-raffes gotta come from SOMEWHERE, after all! 

Overnight workshop activity:  Put longer contacts on my FastTrack brakeman actuators, and rebuilt one of my Amtrak Alcos from front wheel to rear wheel drive.  When ya get torque steer with a locomotive, you wind up with derailments... 

Mitch

Especially unicorn Giraffes. 

Elliot you just never stop amazing me. All the work you have done and still adding track. sooner or later your going to run out of room and will need to build an addition to your basement.   But still I enjoy watching the build until you get to the wiring part and then my eyes and brain hurts.

Art, Been following your thread and pretty impressed with the work you have done. Deversions, I think we all have been there and some times a brain dump is what we all need at one time or another.

On the subject of Legos. Tinker toys, Lincoln Logs, and Legos, as a kid in the sixties they required more imagination and ingenuity the build things. At the same time what is available now we could only dream about as kids back then. Lee, sorry you had a deprived childhood.

On the subject of Giraffes. We need people like Mitch who dedicates his time to saving the giraffes and  their exploits. His two left feet, Monty Python diversions and of course his builds. That's what makes this thread great and makes us laugh at the kid in ourselves.. 

Well its been a fun week for me. Was going good and thought my truck was finally coming out of the shop today until I got that dreaded call of good news bad news last night. While road testing  the engine blew a rear main seal  What's another 400.00 right? Anyway decided to run trains last night and this morning still disgusted about the truck put together a video to divert my attention.  

So here it is life in a northern town.

Doug, Nice video and wonderful choice of tunes! Takes you back in time! Something everyone needs now and then!

Sorry to hear about your truck! Seams like the good news bad news week, I was spose to have concrete poured Thursday but do to snow, no go! LOL

Chugman posted:

I've got to get busy again.  I have let too many things interrupt my goal of getting something done on the layout every day.  I wanted to at least get a little done every day rather than having marathon sessions as much as I could.  I have found it is far to easy for me to "take the day off" and accept excuses.

Art

Art, I know the feeling. Last Wednesday, I had a doctor appointment at 11 AM. By the time I got home and had lunch, it was 2 PM. In my mind, the day was shot! Thursday I made myself get back down there, and it was a little difficult to restart, but once I started looking at my project list, I picked an easy one and got the ball rolling again. MOMENTUM!

Your layout ain't going to build itself.

Mike, sadly Matt and I are done. Irreconcilable differences.  I'll be doing these 4 switches all by myself. I can do them, it just takes me a little longer, and it also takes time away from other things I could be doing.

Doug, the basement is actually more than twice the size of the train room, but the walls are sacred. There will be no expansion beyond the "line of death". I was perfectly happy with the layout, and then I started reading the NMRA achievement program specs, and got to thinking about operations, and suddenly decided one yard needed a third track and two yards needed "engine pockets". I swear, after this, I'm done with track (except for the roundhouse on top of the big helix). Beside, my stash of switches is almost depleted.

These are the latest buildings for my layout 

Finally got some house updating accomplished but it then evolved into spring cleaning. These activities although often necessary and sometimes gratifying are distractions from real fun, grand babies and trains. Got some foliage on some pine tree branches and planted 22 in problem corner.

A winter snow storm forced me to stay home and spend some time on the layout.  Unfortunately, I spent much of yesterday under the layout wiring additional lights, YUK!   I had some long wire runs since I wanted the yard lights to all be controlled by the same on/off switch.  I added two Lionel #6-14092 flood light towers and three #65 yard lights.  Doesn’t sound like much but at my age, anytime under a layout feels like an eternity.  I had to modify the tower bases to fit between yard tracks that are 4” on center.   I removed ballast and cork to lower the tower bases to the layout subfloor in order to provide adequate clearance.

I also modified a flatbed trailer by adding sides and an end panel.  The new trailer receives scrap metal off loaded from a gondola using a magnetic gantry crane. Now it needs to be painted.

Finished the day running a couple of ore trains.  I was also able to ignore the pink and blue styrofoam mountain calling me from the far end - FINISH ME!

Dave

Looks great Dave, I already forgot you got dumped on yesterday. We barely got a trace here. See the snow comes in handy.

Darlander:  I really like what you did with those Lionel light towers.  I have two of them for my freight yards and was having a heck of a time trying to place one at one end.   They aren't worth a lot since Lionel made millions of them, but they're nice, show an adequate amount of light and look kind of realistic, so I elected to use them.  Fitting them in by cutting down the bases to fit between close tracks is gonna work just fine.  Night scenes will improve.

Paul Fischer