What did you do on your layout today?

Can't wait to see it.  this time around I skipped the indoor out door not because I couldn't make it work but with the quiet brace and ballast the track I really quieter. I am really having fun with the layout this time just start up the 2 engines and let tehm run while I work on the layout. I feel like a road crew dodging traffic some times. 

Am almost ready to put this loco back together.  Today was doing some final trim

painting and touch-up.  The running chassis was not touched.  A complete new pilot

with "cowcatcher" was soldered together out of brass and a severly modified O scale

"cowcatcher", but that, and a fabricated pilot truck will screw right into the front

holes for mounting the boiler casting.  Maybe, unless I find more "re-do's", that should

complete this model of GW #60, except for decals.

Next project:  finding the smallest driver diameter chassis I can, hopefully an 0-4-0,

that I can remove the rear driver pair from, and power a steam coach with .

It was suppose to be a rain day but no rain. So I pretended it was raining and got the plaster on. I had to do this in the garage because It have room on the layout. So hopefully the plaster will be dry tomorrow and I can colors the rocks. Some pics.......Paul

did a retaining wall and tested out changing the color of fastrack .

Put the boiler back on the chassis, this was trial and error as wires were moved around.  Tried it on a test track, and...it still ran!  Surprise!  This with the new pilot

truck.  Did a little paint touch-up and started to install decals:  the first a Great

Western white diamond with a black "60" on it under the modified cab window.  More

decals tomorrow, Dull Cote, and then..I have to find a tender, as this loco came

available because I wanted the tender as a "standard" Vanderbilt for one of my home

road's engines.  The Williams 4-6-0's tender looks close, but it is crude with cast on handrails, etc.  The 4-6-0 will be a home road loco so could get a Vanderbilt, if the internal parts would fit.  Guess a search is in order.

Took delivery of two more Bachmann Big Hauler G-gauge trolleys to-day, and tested 'em out on the layout.

I'm probably going to take a leaf from prototype practice and put the working motor truck from the open car into the red trolley, as the open car has clearance issues with its car-length steps smacking into the layout's frame (to be fair, the layout was built with a small mining train in mind, so...).

Other upcoming to-dos: Stain the ties and frame, add ground cover and ballast, and, eventually, operating overhead...

Mitch

(Obligatory O scale content:  An On30 Bachmann car next to its somewhat larger cousin!)

Today, I ran all ten trains (and even the trolley co-operated,) the first time since Christmas. Even my wife came down into the basement trainroom to join me once she heard the whistles howling, esp. the Lionel scale steam Erie locomotive #3315.

I turned one train on at a time, each traversing its separate loop, enjoying the lines and movement of each train individually; then, I enjoyed the collective, wonderful cacophony the whole shebang made, smoke and sounds everywhere, uniting the entire experience. I enjoyed taking note of the various details I had included, here and there, in this creative expression I have allowed myself since 1995. I reveled in the fact and fun of it all. I am 71 and grateful I have been able to let myself play.

I walked around and around the room feeling a great satisfaction at the whole experience of having built and crafted the layout, at possessing it, and of having shared it with so many friends and family.

And I looked forward to the good times ahead.

FrankM.

Exquisite layout!  <3

Mitch

Thanks very much, Mitch!

FrankM.

Nice !!   I couldn't handle 10 at one time !!  5 is an overload for me but, I know what you mean by standing there and watching. I do the same thing and feel myself relaxing.  Cleaned all my track yesterday and redid a curve that had been bothering me. Put in two 054 pieces to ease the curve. If I had to do over again I would have started with much wider curves than I did -031s. Have replaced most all of that now.

John,

The weathered FasTrack looks great!

Frank,

the photos of your layout are great!  You have done a wonderful job!  Thank you for sharing with us and all the encouragement you give us!

Beautiful looking layout.

Well this morning with plaster dry I added the washes. But one of the old sayings is just one more please. So I had pink board left over so I opted to make a small cliff for the fourth corner between upper and lower mainlines. I already had done rock work in front but as an after thought I decided to make up a small piece to go behind it. Pics of the finished cliffs and the new one started. I hope to at least plaster it later this afternoon. So while plaster wrap is drying  I guess I will get the grass cutting out of the way. Here is a few pics......................Paul

If I had not seen the process explained by you, I would have thought I was looking at rockface here (!!!!!) Are you sure you're not a stonemason? It even looks hard to the touch. And heavy ! Wow.

FrankM

Nope not a stonemason Frank but thank you for the compliment. I myself never would of thought I could do this. But if you don't try something new you will never know or learn. It has been fun doing these projects...........Paul

 after seeing this I noticed I need more trees so I ordered a bunch from scenic express

Re-wiring for the 3td time, looks better each time.

Brent

Hi All

Very nice work Paul,  jhainer and Mitch. Oh My 10 trains That's got to be a site.

For several years after Christmas holidays I hunt for all those cheap ridiculous looking trees all the stores want to get rid of.

Here is a few I did today  to try and make them blend in with my more expensive store bought trees.

Believe  it or not they turn out pretty respectable  when you sneak them into the forest. This is the second batch of about 50 this year. I have hundreds of trees on my small layout and I still need many more.

I dip the whole tree into a 50/50 glue water mixture then roll them around in all kinds of different colors. Messy but it works.

After drying for a couple of hours I spray them with a quick coat of scenic cement.

Larry

Still Having fun

Larry that's cool I have a few of them I pull the ceramic base off tho . they look much better the way you did them I didn't do to much made an order with scenic express for 124 trees and a 6 pack of ground cover. then finished up one of the WWII airplane loads painted the car and cradle. then I started the third level on the right side of the layout since my 60 inch bridge should be here soon it was suppose to ship on the 23rd from here in Ga so shipping shouldn't be more than a few days. problem is in this area I have so many switches that i'm not sure how to lay it out with portals.

Tonight I finished #60 for the Great Western, a Consolidation modified from a Lionel

conventional 0-8-0, by applying the decals.  I thought I could use a tender from an MTH 4-6-0 for it. but it is too tall and wrong shape.  Somewhere around here, could not find tonight, I have an MTH 2-6-0, but that tender may be the same as that for the 4-6-0.  The 0-8-0's, now 2-8-0, tender was a Vanderbilt, and it will go behind something lettered for my fictitious short line, the Denver and Front Range, which has a standard of Vanderbilt tenders and side door cabooses.   (I hope I don't have to scratch built a tender, but I don't remember one from mfrs. with this low profile).  Will search again tomorrow.

I ran trains, all day nearly.  A LOT.  Six locos in five trains with 60 rolling stock distributed among them on three track loops, and on my 'Streets, seven cars, two buses, and three tractor-trailers, and two boats on the lake.  Movement everywhere.  It was splendid, if noisy, and for once, everything worked just as it should and no thing gave me any problems.  

Started early this morning and got the color on the last cliff. Once it has had a chance to dry I'll take them all up to the layout and put them in place. I still have a bit of pink board left so who is to say I don't find another area to add to. For now though I got some mulching to do and then later run some trains as my reward. A couple of pics of the last cliff done.......................Paul

Last night I finished hooking up auxillary power to ten turnouts.  I think all the track wiring is complete.  Next on the wiring list is a couple light towers, two crossing gates with an ITAD and a signal with a ITAD.  After that I will look at building placement.

Bravo, Frank! You have a spectacular layout that, obviously, brings joy to you and all who are fortunate enough to see it. You should be proud of it. I wish you MANY more years of railroading.

Beautiful layout!

(Musing on creating 'passes' for visitors). Fixed a backdrop made up of blue plastic banquet tablecloth that covers fluffy pink insulation on the basement wall and hangs from the ceiling (floor joists). A staple occasionally comes loose or a cat inadvertently (deliberately?) rips it. 

some of what I did today wasn't working on the layout I ordered a new engine an MTH RailKing Evolution Hybrid then I got an e-mail my bridge shipped and yesterday I ordered from scenic express a bunch of stuff so I should have some nice boxes in the next few days. so after all of that I went up and figured I would try to figure out the right corner of the layout it was going to be too many tunnel portals to deal with so how else do I get it to work well I removed 2 switches since I already had another way to travel. the switches were not needed. so here is what I came up with

Ectually, I use the cheap ridiculous trees as is:

Ironically, that IS a Lionel Christmas tree car that I picked up cheap on eBay...

http://www.tandem-associates.c...ns_6826_flat_car.htm

Mitch

My sincere thanks to:

56F100; Mitch; CaliforniaRailFan508; Adriatic; Paul/Matt;

AXP889; rboatertoo; Spence; Bryan in Ohio; Pingman; Paul2; Pat Kn; Larry Sr.; Harry'sTrains; Steamer; trainroomgary; gandydancer1950; Garrett76...

...for the much appreciated "Likes" you sent me about my layout photos posted on this thread concerning my running trains as what I did on my layout recently.

And sincere thanks to:

Mitch; John/WP; Mark Boyce; Spence; gandydancer1950; Randy Harrison...

for your very generous comments about my layout on this thread.

FrankM.

love to see a diagram of your track plan!

I am working on the "shelf" portion of the layout, adding a substation at Scotts Crossing Road that is cobbled together out of Wiseman and DPM offerings. Not yet completed (and it is getting a foundation) but you get the idea...

Moonson - Your layout looks absolutely fabulous!!!!  Thanks for sharing the photos!  Most inspirational!!!   I also loved the way you wrote about today's experience of running trains.  As I read your words they reminded of a symphony orchestra performing Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring ( and it is still spring   which begins with a solo bassoon ( one train running ) and steadily builds into a driving rhythmic explosion of polyphonic energy ( all trains running with whistles and bells, locomotive sounds, et all ).

I too am grateful for being able to express my creativity through the art of model railroading.  I love sharing the hobby with fellow hobbyists  and especially love sharing it with kids.  

I look forward to hearing more about your experiences Moonson and seeing more of your layout photos.  May the years ahead bring you much joy!!!!

A very profound analogy, trump train!  

Its been a while since I've posted any progress of my railroad on this thread.  I've been busy with home improvements and a heavy work schedule .... which has left me little time for trains.

One of my home improvements was to have insulation blown into my attic, brining the attic insulation up to code.  This meant clearing out the entire attic which also meant clearing out all of my train boxes.  ( whew!! lot of boxes !! ) Since the access to the attic is a pull down door in the ceiling of my train room,  I temporarily stored the boxes on top of my layout, where they sat for over a month.   Just last weekend I was able to get the boxes back into their new storage area. Now I can run trains again... which I did!!!  Last Sunday,   the kids next door came over with their dad and we ran trains for quite a while and had BIG FUN!!!  They are totally into trains and I started them with their own layout a few years ago.

I hope to get to some more layout work this weekend.

I'm just happy Moonman & Trumptrain are "up and running".

I finally ordered and quickly received a Sinclair rotating sign and Sinclair HC window sign from Miller Engineering. They look great and are going on the layout this weekend! Terry

Well, just this evening, I was laying more track and had occasion to use my multi-meter (VOM) to check for SHORTS.  Sure enough, on the secondary mainline going across the Hellgate Bridge, there is a nasty short between the center rail and ground.

So tomorrow morning, I have to tear things apart and see what is causing it.  Good thing I have not tried to power up as yet !

KRK

Simplicity is beauty!  I like your layout Escaperocks!

I like the way your trains look on your weathered Fasttrack also!!!!  Great job!!!!!!!