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Elliot,

 

Nothing more to say but "Awesome!"  Just the benchwork and amount of track are amazing, not to mention the rest of the work you have done, i.e. lighting, masonite, etc.  I hope you can continue to work on the layout  because I enjoy seeing the progress, I'm sure you'll meet your goal of 6 months.  The layout looks great now, can't wait to see what it looks like once you have the track completed and trains running.

 

Darren

Well, October has turned into a pumpkin. Time for the month in review.

 

Matt continued to install tortoises and work on locomotive repair. Jon finished the track lighting, helped with some construction, and did some amazing cleaning and organizing in the room next to the train room (a space that has no photos, much like Jon himself). Patrick finished more backdrop and benchwork. Both of those projects are coming to an end, so I need to think of new ways to harness his energy.

The month began with the completion of the curve leading to the hump yard.


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The actual hump will be at the far end.

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Blank canvas... (but not for long)

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I also finished the wye.

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The first sign of a hump, checking how far cars will roll.

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The yard takes shape and the mains continue to advance.

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Jon helped build the back side of the hump.

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We also snapped the center lines for the arrival yard and laid out the switches in their rough configuration.

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When this section is done, the mainline will be complete! There is still more track in a few more sections left to do.

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Almost done with the track on the hump.

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Ready to roll...

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A permanent magnet was installed in the track to open every coupler as they go over the hump.


Patrick closed out the month by adding the last section of benchwork connecting the Amtrak depot on the bookshelves to the rest of the layout.


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My new laptop died and I was forced to go back to my old one until I can get it fixed. I stumbled across an old video that my wife shot back in March of 2013, about 6 weeks after Patrick started working with me.


So, I shot a similar video to compare, so you can really see the progress. Enjoy.

 

I expect to report a lot of milestones reached next month.

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Thank you guys, I really enjoy your reactions each month when you see the progress. They really make it all worthwhile!

In my haste to get the big post done last night I forgot to do the picture of the magnet. I've actually embedded it in the rail and ties. I tried mounting it by just removing the rail and gluing it to the ties, but it was too strong.

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Ray, to answer your question about how I get the cars out: I do it the way the real railroads do it - from the other end.

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Great progress Elliot!!

 

It is really shaping up to be quite a railroad.  Normally I do not travel for work, but I will have to petition my manager to take me along on one of his trips to our newly acquired company in Minnesota, then tell him we need to make a side trip to see your layout.  He has been asking me questions about buying trains for his 3-year old son!  I'll tell him it will be worth his while. 

Originally Posted by Mark Boyce:

Great progress Elliot!!

 

It is really shaping up to be quite a railroad.  Normally I do not travel for work, but I will have to petition my manager to take me along on one of his trips to our newly acquired company in Minnesota, then tell him we need to make a side trip to see your layout.  He has been asking me questions about buying trains for his 3-year old son!  I'll tell him it will be worth his while. 

Well played sir! I like the way you think. Just let me know if your scheme is successful so I can set aside some time for your visit.

Originally Posted by Big_Boy_4005:
Originally Posted by Mark Boyce:

Great progress Elliot!!

 

It is really shaping up to be quite a railroad.  Normally I do not travel for work, but I will have to petition my manager to take me along on one of his trips to our newly acquired company in Minnesota, then tell him we need to make a side trip to see your layout.  He has been asking me questions about buying trains for his 3-year old son!  I'll tell him it will be worth his while. 

Well played sir! I like the way you think. Just let me know if your scheme is successful so I can set aside some time for your visit.

You will be the first to know!!

Sorry to say, not much progress to report on the layout this month. With Patrick and Jon only having one visit each, and Matt MIA, it has been hard to get motivated. I've been in a bit of a funk since returning from Chicago, and haven't felt much like working on the layout. I actually went two whole weeks without posting anything on the forum.

Patrick continued on backdrop duty, completing another 24'.

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The whole room looks a lot more finished now. Still a lot more to do though.

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Jon and I cleared off the last section of the upper deck so Patrick can keep going on the backdrops. Now I just need to get the last of the junk off the lower deck.

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This area was filled with boxed trains.

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Now they are all in the other room.

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I don't normally show pictures of the other rooms in my basement, but thanks to Jon getting the cleanup started, my wife and I have been working steadily to clear 15 years of junk accumulation. This is another reason I haven't been working directly on the layout.

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Eventually, this area will be the crew lounge.

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This is a different room. That whole wall of boxes is full of trains to be liquidated. 

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I'd like to start listing items in the next month or so. 

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Originally Posted by Big_Boy_4005:

I was prepared for that one too.
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I see what you did their they're there.

WOW!!!! My son and I have gotten into Lego......well he has.....always has been since a child....and I have been bitten too. And being almost perfect O scale.....I can justify it!!!!

My Shell service station of my own design....

 

SHELL2

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Last edited by AMCDave

Dave - We're kind of big into Legos in this house. I still have all of mine from when I was a kid, including the first Lego train set (3 C battery power on the blue rails, vintage 1968). What you see in the photo is just the tip of the iceberg. The slat-wall was acquired in a "dumpster dive" when they were remodeling a space at a local strip mall. It was a bit spendy getting the bins for it though, still well worth being organized. I'm sure you know what it's like to look for a specific piece.

 

Spence - The house is an L shaped ranch style with a full in ground basement, footprint 4450 square feet up and down for a total of 8900. The train room is 1900. When I designed the house I started with a 40 x 100 rectangle then added a 15 x 30 bump out to make the L. I want to say it cost about 400 to build, but I was the general contractor and had a ton of sweat equity in it. It isn't filled with fancy finishes or even a lot of rooms. However, the rooms that it does have are rather large. Go big and stay home. Works for me.

 

Brian - Thanks, but if you are referring to the whitewashed oak entertainment center, that's just a store bought set from the late 80's. They don't even make them like that anymore, since the demise of the cathode ray tube. It has truly become a white elephant and I would love nothing more than to be rid of it. Unfortunately, I think it has about as much value as the mountain of boxed MPC trains in the other photo.

Originally Posted by Big_Boy_4005:

Dave - We're kind of big into Legos in this house. I still have all of mine from when I was a kid, including the first Lego train set (3 C battery power on the blue rails, vintage 1968). What you see in the photo is just the tip of the iceberg. The slat-wall was acquired in a "dumpster dive" when they were remodeling a space at a local strip mall. It was a bit spendy getting the bins for it though, still well worth being organized. I'm sure you know what it's like to look for a specific piece.

 

I started with a VERY basic Lego set around 1965. Green base with red and white basic bricks. 3 windows and one door. All that stuff is still in our collection today!!

 

Friday this week we will visit the Lego store AND Lionel store in Concord....they are about a mile apart!!!! Then in Jan I will visit Disneyland and the Lego store there AND ride trains around Disneyland!!! Two great visits coming up.

As I mark the second anniversary of this topic, it has been a fantastic year for the Twin Cities Central. 

 

I would like to thank my crew, Patrick, Matt, and this year's addition Jon, for the hundreds of hours they've spent working with me. Without them, I might have just given up on this crazy project. And then there's the unsung hero in all this, my wife Tammy. She makes dinner for everyone after each work session.

 

And finally, a huge thanks to all of you, my forum friends and loyal readers. I've said this before, but it bears repeating. All of your wonderful comments keep me motivated, and it is my pleasure to share this journey with all of you.

 

Let's start with the December progress report. The month began with a visit from Patrick. We put down 4 sheets of fiberboard and hung 3 sections of backdrop.

 

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There was still a little bit of leftover junk down at the far end.

 

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A few days later, all the junk was gone. The upper deck will be the Ford Plant, the lower, the Hiawatha Milling District. Above the bookshelves the Midway Amtrak Depot.

 

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Jon came over and we completed the last bit of wiring in the hidden yard. All of the trains that once occupied the upper decks in this aisle are now neatly stored underneath.

 

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Jon came over a few days later, and we finished the last section of fiberboard and the last 2 sections of backdrop. Then we drew the track plan for Hiawatha.

 

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This was always one of the first parts I wanted to do, and it's going to be one of the last to get done.

 

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I was so excited, I had to open a set of Railking high voltage towers.

 

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I purchased the Micro Mark car card system, and with the help of my wife, inventoried and filled out the cards for all the cars currently on the layout. Unfortunately, we are only about 35-40% done with the project, but at least we are caught up.

 

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Track laying resumed around the final curve and down the "home stretch" along the south wall.

 

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The final crossover before the far west end of the mainline.

 

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This is where east meets west...

 

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and a golden spike is driven!!! 

 

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Well, actually it's a brass nail with the head ground down, but it's the thought that counts.

 

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Now for a look back at 2014. As I said back at the top of this post, it was a year of great progress. I had set a goal of spending an average of 2 hours per day. I'm pleased to say that I surpassed that slightly with a 2.36 h/d avg.

 

This is what got done:

  • All of the junk was cleared from the train room. 
  • Rolling stock inventory and car cards started.
  • 101 tortoise switch machines were installed.
  • 9 temporary control panels built and installed.
  • Second power supply brought online.
  • Small hidden yard completely built and open.
  • Large hidden yard rewired and security cameras installed.
  • Backdrop 70% complete.
  • Track work 80% complete.
  • Layout lighting 90% complete.
  • Benchwork 98% complete.
  • Mainline 100% complete!

I'm sure there were some other things that I forgot.

 

Let's close out the year with a little before and after. Here are 5 pairs of photos taken of the same locations. Before is last December. After is today.

 

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The main thing to note here is that the top of the bookshelf is clear.

 

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Track, backdrop and lighting is all done here.

 

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Same story here.

 

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One more time, only more dramatic, because of all the junk that still needed to be moved before any of the work could be done.

 

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On the upper deck are stacks of switches, most of which are now part of the layout.

 

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Don't forget to check out the videos by clicking on the Youtube link in my signature.

 

Looking forward to an even greater 2015, which may be a tall order, but I'm going to try!!!!

 

Happy New Year!!!

 

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