What did you do on your layout today?

Today, I received a pair of Lionel Pocahontas cars from a nice forum member, a combo baggage passenger car, and an observation car.   Needless to say, I had to take them for a spin.  They make just the right size train on my 4x8 layout.  Now if MTH would get my new J fixed, I would be all set.  The N&W had to borrow power from the Pennsy for tonight's run.  A LC+ Mike.  Allll Aboaaard!! 

 

 

Set up a RailKing Southern Pacific Cab Forward Locomotive.

The photo shows it on my layout, on the green elevated main line.

Cheers - Gary

   Click on photo to enlarge........

Now that I have my trolley track down I need a trolley barn.  The plan is to use Starbuck's wooden coffee stirrers for wood siding and a corrugated roof. I saved some cardboard six pack boxes from my late cousin's brewery and dampness made the cardboard separate. Inside was a really neat this layer of corrugated cardboard that looks good as a roof or siding. I made a switch tower using some. A nice, cheap source of building material.

Work continues on the modifications to support the new Harry Hieke (larger version) GCT base unit. Had to go to Lowe's to get some lumber. Today is fabrication day.

Rome wasn't built in a day!  That is what I think of your GCT and layout at large!  As glorious as ancient Rome!

I'm working on my first layout -  laying Woodland Scenics roadbed for my first loop and starting work on a custom plate girder bridge for my duck under.

 

 

I bashed this together this morning out of some clutter. The only 'down side' is that it is spoken for so it won't be out there for long.

 

  I assembled two Plasticville kits yesterday.   One kit was the #45606 Diner.  I just had to have a diner on my layout.  I also built the #45608 Cape Cod Houses.  I built them as they came out of the box.  The K-lineville and Plasticville I usually leave in the colors they were molded in, but I like painting and detailing the Ameritowne buildings.  My town should be about finished structure wise.  I've got plenty of vehicles that I've collected over a thirty-year period.  Now, to start painting figures.  I have some unpainted Model Power figures that need to be painted.  I have also a bag of MTH figures to paint.    

Well as promised, hooked up the VL PFE reefers. Love the sounds. Only problem experienced is one of the non-sound cars goes berserk and UN-couples on its own. I guess it will go back to Lionel via a RA. I'm not about to drill rivets, or go the ties or rubber band solutions especially for something right out of the box.
Ray

I'm getting on a roll now. I made more feeder wires and got 4 more sections of track screwed down. I can see the end of track laying from here.

Finished the framing for the new base extension for the Harry Heike larger version of the GCT base unit. In this case it is a base for a base. The new unit I built goes around the current one that holds the GCT. I needed to add to it to hold the much larger footprint of Harry's base. The GCT and Harry's base will be at street level, but my base extension is to support it all from the lower level.

 

If Scenic Express gets the stone wall material that will be glued to the new frame to me on Monday, this will complete this project. Got to finish this project as the GCT Base unit is on the way.

Finished fixing a chum's 2344 diesel horn...

 

Like so many other Lionel diesels of the era, this one had major corrosion issues; indeed, the center contact was so corroded that I couldn't get any current through it! 

 

So, one improvises using a length of wire and a light socket base:

 

Here's the wire in place and assembled:

 

And the chassis assembled, with the horn beeping cheerfully!

 

And a bonus video!

 

 

Mitch

Today was unpacking the roadbed material from the box it has been in for 7 years, making sure I have enough switches and tidying up layout area for the LONG, LONG road of laying track........but it is progress!

I found my original plans, boy has it changed in 7 years, no longer Lionel tubular, having migrated to almost being Fastrack exclusively, to morphing into 80% Gargraves and 20% fastrack, all yards and switches are command fastrack o72, both wye and LH/RH transitioning to Gargraves stainless flex for the loops and sidings.

Today was a day that would qualify as Winnie the Pooh's Blustery Day.  A good day for trains.  I started on two building kits, the first I have tried building anything since my hand surgeries last winter.  One is an AmeriTown country store and the other is a River Leaf Models drug store.  Here they are on the workbench waiting for glue to dry.

 

 

Here they are positioned on the layout.  I'm moving structures around for the best use of space.

 

Then I ran the trains.

 

On my last layout (2006-2007) I used all Fastrack and wired the switches using RJ-11 connectors for the controllers to the switches.  I put a male RJ-11 plug on the wire coming from the switch and on the wire coming from the controller.  I used a female-to-female RJ-11 coupler to connect the 2 male plugs. 

 

I was planning to do something different with my currently in-progress layout.  But, after kicking around a few ideas, today I decided to use the RJ-11 plugs for this layout as well. 

 

All of my 16 switches are O-72.  Half are remote and half are command.  I plan to get several STM2 modules when they come out and I have 2 ASC2 modules to control my 8 remote switches.  I still like to have switch controllers even with command control. 

 

So, with this layout, I will need to use RJ-11 splitters to connect my switches to the controllers, ASC2's and eventually the STM2's.  Today I ordered 20 of the RJ-11 splitters on that big auction site for about $5.00.  

Earlier this week I got my layout ready for showing.  One of my colleagues came over with his very young son of 2 and half ( who is train crazy ... like many of us )and wife to see the trains.  His young son seemed to be coming down with a virus, was not feeling well, and still loved the trains and did not want to leave.  This little guy is hooked!!!  I told him he can come over and see my trains whenever he wishes.  

 

Today I drove out to Engine House Hobbies ( O Gauge Mag. advertiser ) in Gaithersburg Md.  I bought 3 freight cars ... a MTH Premier Boston & Maine boxcar, MTH Premier Maryland & Pennsylvania 50 ton hopper, and a Weaver Hooker Chemical tank car.  Talked with Ken, the owner for quite some time as well .... which was a delight!! 

The Girlfriend worked 24 hours Friday, so Saturday morning while she napped, I cleaned up the train room a bit and ran two Strasburg mixed consists around my loop.  #89 and #475 did a fine job.  

 

I stared at my Bethlehem Steel diesel still waiting for me to finish the CCL upgrade.  "Maybe tomorrow" seems to be the motto. I know a poor carpenter blames the hammer, but I just don't feel like I have the right work environment to finish the project.  Need to fabricate some means to mount the boards since the stacked pair is larger than the original conventional one from Lionel.  I have an idea, just need the space and time to try it out.

 

Oh...and I bought a slew of box cars and die-cast trucks from Menard's!  

 

Phone is on life support, so I couldn't get any pictures.  If I decide to pull the plug and go buy a new one today, maybe I'll get some photos. 

I temporarily place two new Miller engineering signs - a rotating Texaco sign and a Lionel billboard sign.

We are making progress on our new modules for the RMD-TCA
The first picture is of the narrow modules the second is of the wide modules,

xferyard

 

How did you cut such smooth curves in the base board.  I need to do that soon

 

Al

Al,

We used radial jig to draw the lines and then cut a template out of 3/4" ply and this was then use to cut 1/4" mdf. The inner loop is 120" diameter and the outer is 128".

 

You when you get see it in person you can all of the little goofs made with the jigsaw. And those are repeated on every base . We learned quite a bit from this phase of construction namely be more patient.

 

I now own a radial jig for my router that make 2' to 16' diameter circles.  

Wiring the crossing signals at Scotts Crossing Road on the C & C; the old signal in the foreground(NJ Int) was my late brothers, the one in the rear is a Right of Way product, used as the NJ Int signals do not have flashers in the back.....there will be more landscaping here, just the bare details now--this is a shelf layout built on shelves....

I added some corn stalks to the farm house area. I also ran my track cleaner; the whole layout had really dirty track. After all done enjoyed my MTH PS-3 centipede. Im runny the pennsy centipede with 2 head end reefer cars and 10 lighted passenger cars. Wow! what a train.

I've been losing power, and net connection like crazy for days, so between waits...

 

 I worked on the trucks for the "new" Marx El Capitan cars with oil, and wire brushes.

A few sessions over the next few months should cure it.

 With most of those cars up and running enough (at least one dark[dim] dome is prototypical)

 

  I replaced two of the pick shoe springs with a Dremel brush spring, cut in half.

  So I got all the lights "working" and realized a tin tab type coupler would mate to the Marx twist couplers!  I though I was going to wait to build a transition car with different couplers on each end, and have to pull them with Lionel lobsters till I got a cast Marx Santa Fe.

 It can wait so I've decided on 4 new wheels on two long axles, and a coupler fabrication for the transition car. I want to leave 2 matching Marx trucks on it.

 

 So I ran them for a few hours behind a Marx SP A-A.

At first, it had trouble with 2 cars alone behind the power unit.

Without time to sit, oil wasn't helping traction.

After more oil, and an hour, 3 cars...another 1/2 hour, I added the dummy A back.

Then swapped in the fourth for the dummy for an hour.

Then finally, it pulled them all & the dummy.

  Another hour later it was smooth and without trace of wheel spin.

With heavier metal to pull, the motor growls like a Pulmore .  

 

 Eventually the cars wheel connections cleaned themselves up by running too. I was oiling, running, repeating, and now the sliders actually produce a steadier connection than most rollers do. They seldom flicker even the slightest bit. You'd think they had capacitors in them.

 I really like my "new" cars.

 

 I added 7 more layout lights with old  motor winding wire you can barely see.

  I put them in a diner I made from a Marx M-10005 car, two mini switch towers, I made a C-channel light fixture for under the el. platform, and I built a c-channel cover to turn the yard spots crossbar plank into a "box".

 

 I want to do a set of flag pole base mini spotlights at the flagman's shack. (I put Old Glory up on a square based chopstick for a flagpole vs cross-bucks)  

 

 Accessories were making the lights dim when #90's get used. So I dug out a generic 12vac transformer for hvac/doorbell use, and began rerouting lights to it.

 

I forget if I mentioned it but I got one of the shelves I put wheels on cut down to 30" and rolled it under the layout.

  I think the C-channel guides will work well once in place.

 

In a minute I'm going outside to upright some G-scale the last storm blew off the rails.

Time for a load 

 

It isn't much, but I did lay eight 37" straights. This completes the straights on the outer mainline on the front of the house. Hopefully tomorrow evening, I'll go ahead and get the next curve section laid.

For you "Marxists" there are 3 red & silver articulated passenger cars at an antique store on Main St. in Butler, Pa but no engine. Sort of neat but I have enough Marx tin for now.

Jim,
I have no Marx equipment, but I will take a look if I can get there when they are open.  Thanks.

Have been working on a Harry Hieke switch tower kit. Finally got interior details from various sources, detailed three stories including the two bulbs that Harry sent and 25 LEDs including a 13 LED monitoring board that has 9 green occupancy lights in sequential order. Dave at Evan Designs is a big help and we all know about Harry.

 

Still need to complete, touch up, and weather but getting close.

 

 

Track laying continued today. Here are some photos of the last 4 day's work.

 

This track crossing over the aisle by the back door is the approach to the Amtrak depot in St Paul.

 

The track near the aisle is the through track for the Empire Builder. The track near the wall will be used as a lead for the Minnesota Commercial "A" yard at the other end of the room (above the workbench).

 

This wall is 57' long. You're seeing about half of it in this shot.

 

I'm down to the nitty gritty where the two ends have to meet up. There are a few switches that have to be aligned and secured before I can close the last piece of mainline.

 

This 072 wye is at the top of the small helix. The right leg goes over the aisle and into the depot. The left leg also goes over the aisle, but goes into the "A" yard. There will be a connection along the wall that forms a wye, so engines can be turned. The real railroad's a little different, but this isn't too far off.

 

I'm shooting to have the mainline done by Wednesday, and the "A" yard next week. That will just leave Roseville, which still needs benchwork, and the turntable above the big helix to complete 100% of the track and benchwork.

 

THIS WILL BE THE YEAR!!!

What I did during the power outage.

     Our power has been on and off for the last 48 hours. Had to leave the Train Room / Man Cave. The power was out for about ten hours today. Sunday June, 28th.

    Sat in the backyard and read “O Gauge Railroading”, Run 279 Aug. / Sept 2015 and “The Lion Roars” Vol. 44 No. 5, June 2015, The Boston Convention Issue.

    My favorite article in the OGR was by Richard Rossback, Kitbashes a Skyscraper. Check it out on page 66. He is building a Skyscraper, with Ameri-Towne kits.

  Click on photo to enlarge.....

Elliot do you have champagne, a golden spike, and a full video plan? Looking good and almost there. Vacation is over so you can really get after it.

 

Track and benchwork done by Fall?

 

 

Elliot; It must feel real good to be getting close to the end of the track work.

Just laid down fresh insulation panels on whole side of the U-shape as part of a major redesign to provide more scenery space and better train operation. The major hurdle is still finding a suitable place for the Lionel swing bridge that my wife insists carry train traffic along one of the main lines or be sold. No trickery will be accepted...such as building a spur off the main layout and creating a dock scene. Must be part of the main line and have room to swing, otherwise it gets posted here to forum. It probably wouldn't be as much of an issue with a wide island layout but I'm already committed to this U shape wall hugger design at the moment.

Bill - I actually did a golden spike (brass nail with its head ground down) when I closed a different section of the mainline.

 

In retrospect, that celebration was perhaps a bit premature. This piece of mainline is actually a low traffic alternate route, but it still deserves a celebration. I have just the beverage for the occasion.

 

Spence - On the one hand it does feel really good to almost be done. On the other, I'm kind of going to miss it. I really like track laying. Photos of wiring just aren't very exciting.

 

Spent some time cleaning up in preparation for the next phase of construction, to which there appears to be no end in sight!

Then received the invitation to show ZMystery (car) in the next Concourses, so spent some time outlining what needs to be brought up to snuff for the show.

I guess "layout time" is really "winter time" around these parts ...

I hope this means something from Tammy's stash...

Nope, this is my personal favorite. She hates the stuff because it's raspberry. Even has a cork to pop!

In the Train Room / Man Cave, working on a new You Tube Video

Train Room Gary & his crew is railfanning in Japan.

    The video has the camera in the observation deck, looking forward. We will ride on several subway trains and elevated trains, in Tokyo  Plus ride on a Boeing 747-400, with the camera view, over the wing. 

     Below is the Title Page for the video.

Hope to release this video by July 2nd.

   Click on title page to enlarge.......

I should have figured that it would be some God-offal sweet raspberry crap. Little wonder the cork pops, the bottle wants to purge! I see why she hates it.