My Triple Level Layout - Anthracite Hi-Railers Visit - 1/5/24

@ironman1 posted:

Subway, hmmm. Maybe a subway station can be my next backdrop.

It would be a much more manageable size!

Update #7

Nearly another month since my last update so there’s a few things to add including more changes due to my uncertainty! I’m finding that as I go along, there’s little adjustments and improvements being added to the plans.

First up is I drilled out holes for the feeder wires to drop down. Then I laid all the track and used zip ties to secure it down. This is another trick I picked up off this forum for helping with reducing the sound transmitted into the plywood.

Next up, I cut out the homasote for the inner loop and decided to put down underlayment on top of the plywood that will be under the mountain. This will help with the sound vibrations within the mountain. I added some supports for the inner loop to be elevated, adding more dimension to the layout, and also cut pieces of the underlayment and glued them onto of the supports. I’m hoping in theory that this will help with deadening the sound vibrations traveling downward through the supports. Overkill? Nearly every aspect so far has been overkill so why stop now. Hahaha

Now here is where the uncertainty kicks in and changes begin. I just felt that the inner loop wasn’t elevated enough, plus all that wasted space below it now. I also realized that I can use my 031 track now on the inner loop since I upgraded the outside loop to Menards and to 042. It’s going to be a cliffhanger, but by doing this, it’s adding a small amount of space for more buildings which every little bit matters. With these changes, I added more height to the inner loop supports and tested out the 031.

Since the inner loop has had an elevation change, the top mountain is going to need adjustments. The original layout was 7 1/2 inches high, then it was 12 inches, and now I raised it to 17 inches. Homasote was also added to the top mountain with a larger stream cut out.

Installation of the inner loop roadbed was the next item checked off. Once again, this foam roadbed is really easy to use. I cut more slices for the curves this time and I’m really pleased with the outcome. Zip ties and 4 feeder wires were also added during this stage.

As of now I have 2 separate lines up and running. Mountain line won’t be ready anytime soon. Need to finish up the bottom level “closet extension” next. More updates to come!

Update #8

Yes, two updates in one day!
Picked up six 022 switches and four 031 switches last week. Spent a good portion of the day taking scotchbrite pads to the tracks and cleaning them up, air hosed them off, and whipped them down with some CRC electrical cleaner. They really weren’t bad at all and they work better than the one 022 I already have. Well, all but one of the 022R switches which isn’t powering up at all. Just need to open it up and check it out. Ideas on what to check for anyone??

Also will need some LED bulbs, 4 light housing covers (probably just 2 though since others will be in an underground yard), and I’ll need six controllers unless I opted out and do my own switch board. I do like the Lionel controllers with the lights though but they need the caps as covers. I don’t like the controllers with just bulbs (yes I’m picky). The switches came with three controllers I can rebuild so we will see what I come across at York. The one 031 switch is missing the short straight extension too but that doesn’t matter to me. I’ll have to grab some pins and insulator pins at York also. Less then 3 weeks away! It’ll be my first York!!!

@Richizzle07 posted:

Well, all but one of the 022R switches which isn’t powering up at all. Just need to open it up and check it out.

Solved it! The metal prong next to the fixed voltage plug only needed to be bent back. Switch is throwing amazing now! Definitely a satisfied purchase!

YORK PURCHASE'S UPDATE!

I had a blast for my first York ever! My mom decided to tag along for the traincation so it added to our bonding over trains which was extra pleasant. Talk about a bit overwhelming at first, but we eased into it just fine. The wonderful people at registration helped us with the guest sign ins and it took only minutes!

Day one (Thursday) consisted of me gathering a bunch of building, multiple water towers, and so much more. I had someone bump into me resulting in minor damage to a nicely weathered Lionel water tower but that's an easy fix. It was probably my fault though due to my sheer amazement of the entire event, I was still slightly overwhelmed. We made it to all the halls except for Blue Hall on day one. I planned on my first York to be more of a learning experience which resulted in me running out of money on day one because I wasn't expecting to luck out so much on some excellent deals. However, this did result in me knocking out several items on my list.

My second day at York was even bigger and better! Day two (Friday) began with me quickly powerwalking back to several halls that I wrote down items I was interested in. Once again I gathered up even more buildings, my first ever passenger set, a Hershey freight train set, a beautiful Pennsylvania NW2 switcher, a gorgeous Pennsylvania Beep GP Diesel, and many misc. parts. It was more packed Friday compared to Thursday but still didn't seem very clustered in the isles which made slowing the pace better and talking with sellers more enjoyable.

All in all, I had a great first York experience. The sellers and members in general were all very friendly. I knocked out a large portion of my list and another list I wasn't even aware I needed. HAHAHA! Many sellers would see that I was a guest and the friendly conversations would pursue. I was even holding a fragile item I purchased two isles earlier and a separate seller called me over and pulled out bubble wrap and double bagged it for me. Just such an amazing atmosphere with wonderful people and some extremely low prices! I went down for Thursday and Friday but should have taken advantage of the final day on Saturday too. As others have said, York can be a bit overwhelming at first. Once I got the grove after doing two isles, everything started to flow smoothly, including my money! I'm proud to say I'll be joining the TCA without hesitation! I already could hardly wait for October!

THANK YOU to everyone in the EDTCA, volunteers, vendors, sellers, members, etc. that made all of this possible!

Here are some photos of my York haul:

Day 1 purchase’s:

Day 2 purchase’s:

The entire York haul!

You were a very busy boy!   Glad the first York was enjoyable, see you at the next one.

Rich, that is quite a haul from York!  Congratulations!  I wish I could have attended this time.  I was able to go in October 2017 and April 2018.  It was fabulous both times. 

Hi Rich, congrats on moving forward on redoing your layout!  Really like your MPC purchases from York!! It looks like you have relatively low-pile carpet so you may be able to add some shelve on wheels that you can roll away from the layout.

in the picture below, the shelves on the left are hinged to the left leg and are on two wheels that allow for the shelves to be rolled away from the layout to provide access to the storage under the layout. The right side has some shelves and some desk drawers, there is also a slide out tabletop and a light.  That unit is not attached to the layout, so it can be easily moved if needed.   The Lionel boxes all stacked up look nice as well! I the note cards under each car on the shelf are inventory cards.  I have spent tons of hours doing an inventory of my equipment, including the boxes.  I also took pictures of each item.  Its a massive excel worksheet, and even includes the prices I paid.  Over the years, I did get rid of the crappy boxes,  but I did keep the flap with the name and product number. 

The shelve have o gauge track which are wired to allow the passenger cars to be lighted.  I used project boards for the backing. And yes, that is a vintage Topps baseball card set from 1966 in the background (between two modern sets).   

The picture below shows the stuff under the layout.  much of it is on wheels (mostly small dollies from Harbor Freight). 

Below shows the lighted shelves. 

Keep us posted on your progress! Best, Dave

@Former Member those are some great ideas! I really like how you put power to your display shelves! I’m definitely going to keep these ideas in mind. A few more Yorks and I’ll need some shelves and a second Train Room. hahaha!  Thanks for sharing!

@Former Member posted:

It looks like you have relatively low-pile carpet so you may be able to add some shelve on wheels that you can roll away from the layout.

You can also use carpet glides on the bottom of the shelves for any style carpet and be able to move them.

This is my work chair for under the layout, the same technique would work well for shelves you want to move on the carpet.

@Former Member Those are great ideas.  Once my layout is farther along, I want to implement some of them.

NEW PURCHASE UPDATE!

Picked up a Woodland Scenics Windmill this past week from a LHS. Great details that will fit into the farm scene I have planned. As I said in another thread, just a few more buildings from Woodland Scenics and Menards remain on my list, however, that list tends to keep growing!

NEW PURCHASE UPDATE! (From April)

Just realized I didn’t provide a previous purchase update from the beginning of April.

I’m sure many of you are in the same category as me with those Menards emails luring us in. Well back towards the end of March they sent out an email saying their strip mall was ALMOST GONE and that there was ONLY A FEW LEFT. After seeing this building in person at the Anthracite Hi-Railers modular layout back in January and February, I knew I wanted it since it has 5 businesses squeezed into one which helps with my lack of space. So after waiting about two weeks I finally took the bait and ordered one in April.  I’m definitely pleased that I did and glad that I didn’t let it slip away.

NEW PURCHASE UPDATE!

This item has been on my wish list since the first time seeing it on my LHS shelf back in January. The details on it are excellent! Introducing my new Woodland Scenics Rustic Water Tower.

Yes I know, yet another water tower. The multiple levels on the layout will have them split up. I’m probably even going to add another track side water tank for the top level. Steam engines need water after all.

That water tower really looks great!

@Mark Boyce posted:

That water tower really looks great!

I completely agree Mark. The graffiti really does make it authentic. I think I’ve become addicted to these Woodland Scenics buildings. They all look great and extremely detailed. Their price point is a different story though.  

That is a good looking water tower'... I will look into obtaining one of these'...

NEW PURCHASE UPDATE!

Last week I stopped by Grzyboski’s for my monthly visit ONLY expecting to pick up some short tubular track sections. Needless to say that didn’t go as planned. I found several items to my liking and almost left the store without getting the initial track sections! Ended up leaving with a box of goodie’s and feeling relaxed from some good train therapy.

First up is the Lionel Maintenance Shed. I built  one of these over 20 years ago with my Mother and late Father. I still have it and decided I wanted a second one on my second level of my layout.

Next up is a boxcar that has some meaning behind it. It’s a Lionel Hamm’s Beer boxcar. This was my late brother’s beer of choice so I simply couldn’t set it down. He would have loved seeing this running behind our late Father’s Lionel 2035.

Following that meaningful find, I set eyes on a Lionel PRR ORE car. Introducing my first ever ORE car.

The rest of the items are Plasticville, Mattel, and a few sections of track. The chicken coop and greenhouse will be perfect addition’s to my farm scene. The garage is a 1972 Mattel.

It seems I’m posting new buys almost weekly so I might calm it down for a bit (until that Menards email comes hahaha).

So it’s been awhile since I’ve done any actual work on the layout. Reason being I had to say goodbye to my sweet baby girl Dream back in mid April. She was just a month and a half shy of her 14th birthday. I came across this photo of us running trains under the Christmas tree from 2009.
She was always right next to me during every activity I did and it’s just been difficult falling back into my regular routine. This can also explain the increase in my recent purchase’s. It’s a mixture of retail therapy along with train therapy.

RIP my beautiful Norwegian Elkhound. SweetDreams Dream.

@Richizzle07 posted:

So it’s been awhile since I’ve done any actual work on the layout. Reason being I had to say goodbye to my sweet baby girl Dream back in mid April. She was just a month and a half shy of her 14th birthday. I came across this photo of us running trains under the Christmas tree from 2009.
She was always right next to me during every activity I did and it’s just been difficult falling back into my regular routine. This can also explain the increase in my recent purchase’s. It’s a mixture of retail therapy along with train therapy.

RIP my beautiful Norwegian Elkhound. SweetDreams Dream.

Sorry to hear.  She was beautiful.   It seems that pets are as much of our model railroad hobbies as the trains themselves.  Between the kitties and the dogs that hang out with us while we fiddle and build it's amazing.  My guys spend a lot of time with me in the basement while tinkering.

NEW PURCHASE UPDATE!

So much for cutting back on the purchases! I posted the other week saying I was going to calm down on the train purchase’s. Well a flea market and another unexpected trip to Grzyboski’s sure didn’t help with that.

First up are the couple of items I grabbed at Grzyboski’s. Here is a reefer car I felt I needed to add to my collection. It’s another Hamm’s Beer car. This was my late brother’s beer of choice so I now have the 2 of 3 cars that I’m aware of.

Here’s the other few items I picked up at the train shop. One is a plasticville house under construction and the other is a Lionel lumber shed. Picked up the remainder of short tubular track sections they had too.

Up next are my two flea market finds. Three packs of Life Like trees I picked up along with a Hershey Tractor Trailer to add to the large assortment of Hershey items I’ve been gathering. It’s not to scale which works with my layout since I use matchbox vehicles due to the limited space.

NEW PURCHASE UPDATE!

Two purchase updates in a week so I’m clearly not calming down on the purchases. 😂

I’ve been wanting this item for my future farm scene for awhile now so I went down to a LHS yesterday and picked up the Woodland Scenics Old Weathered Barn. Amazing details! (I even received the shipping cardboard too! 😂)

I'm glad to see someone is contributing to the economy, Rich!!  Great looking barn.  I wish I had room for a farm, myself!

UPDATE #9

So it’s been nearly 3 months since I’ve done my last layout update. As some of you may know from a previous post, I had to say goodbye to my Norwegian Elkhound Dream back in mid April and it’s just been difficult for me to focus and really get much of anything done in the train room since. I guess you can say I turned to “retail therapy” for a bit since I’ve made quite a few purchases over the past 2 1/2 months, including my first ever York trip. I have recently been able to proceed with my layout progress though.

This past week or so I decided to take the second and third level off, quite the opposite of progress! 😂

Yes I know, more uncertainty! After reading a thread about people getting bored of their layouts, I decided to take care of this potential issue before it was too late. I was able to add two crossover tracks in that empty space on my bottom level which will be under the mountain. This will allow for all types of different operations along with directional changes instead of a simple loop. Yes, by doing this I will have to raise the second and third levels just a little bit more. I then glued down more foam roadbed and installed the 022 switches.

Next up I was able to clear out the closet that wasn’t being used and extended my benchwork into the closet creating my much needed yard extension. I then cut more homasote and screwed it down. I have to say, I’m extremely pleased with doing this extension upgrade.

I just placed an order on more foam roadbed from Sparks00033 on eBay so that will be up next along with making my first attempt at cutting some tubular track. More updates to follow.

Nice revision and addition to your layout. So sorry about your loss.

Steve

Rich,

Soemtimes you have to remove things to make progress.  The yard extension into the closet will be very valuable space.

Thank you @Rescued Trains. @Mark Boyce and there’s a second closet on the opposite end of the layout. I wonder…… 😂

NEW PURCHASE UPDATE!

After seeing a photo of the Woodland Scenics US Post Office with the American Flag on the Fourth of July thread yesterday, I just had to have it so I went to the LHS yet again in a week 😂.

Happy Fourth of July Weekend Everyone! 🇺🇸

@Richizzle07 posted:

Thank you @Rescued Trains. @Mark Boyce and there’s a second closet on the opposite end of the layout. I wonder…… 😂

Sounds promising! 😆

That is a nice post office.  It reminds me of our rural post office across a dirt road from the B&O growing up.

You can never have too much yard space, I'm looking around my layout to see if I can add more yard tracks!   I have 13 yard tracks, and that's not enough.

NEW PURCHASE UPDATE!

I’m back with more new purchases this week! 😂 I ordered 5 more Woodland Scenics buildings from the website Hobbyspeed.com last week and they came safely packaged.

The first two buildings are the Grillin’ & Chillin’ trailer along with the Sunny Days Trailer. I absolutely love the little details on these two pieces! Growing up, I had a summer/weekend trailer at a year round campsite on a farm so I’m going to incorporate these into something similar with my farm scene on the second level.

The next two buildings will also go alongside the farm scene. One being the Old Homestead and the other being the Country Store Expansion. Even more amazing details with these two buildings!

The fifth and final building I purchased wasn’t even on my list. I believe there was an error with the online price listed, so I added it to the cart and went to checkout. I don’t normally mention the prices of something I obtained, but getting the Records and Recruiting building for $52.84 is worth the brag in my opinion! That’s the N scale price for this item! It’s correctly listed now, which I noticed they fixed within minutes of my order being shipped.

Here’s a photo of them all together.

This leaves just one more Woodland Scenics building on my list and then there’s three smaller Menards buildings I’ve been eyeing up. (I think I’m going to need a second train room 😂🤣)

UPDATE #10

I made my first attempt at cutting tubular track and they come out fairly ok. I was getting angled cuts at first using the dremel but figured out the technique. After doing some more reading up on it, I’m going to get the flex shaft dremel tool to help eliminate the angled cuts.

Now that I had my custom fit pieces, I was able to finish the two new crossover sections. I drilled holes and secured the track down with zip ties again. I also added a feeder wire to each section.

When I was down York in April, I picked up lamp covers for the switches along with LED bulbs. I still have to order some of the bulbs for the 031 switches. Here’s the 022 switches lit up along with a bumper in the maintenance shed. (Lights aren’t actually this bright, it’s the photo.)

Another thing I got around to doing was setting out how I’m most likely doing the yard extension. This yard will consist of a Railking double stall engine house on the far left two tracks, an industry or two or three along the right wall using building flats, and a Railking Train Station squeezed in across the mainline from the Fire Dept. and the first side track on the extension. I’m cramming a lot in I know. Let me know what your thoughts are.

Good progress, instead of the wand, you might want to look at the Dremel 90 Degree adapter.

IMO, far more utility will be gained if you put one or two more long tracks in here, you can never have too much yard storage.   FYI, you can move that switch switch stand or even remove it without affecting the function of the switch.

Thanks @gunrunnerjohn! That adapter was mentioned in another thread too so I might as well get both. IMO the best part of working on stuff is having all the necessary tools available when the task arises. The Dremel was a gift this past Christmas so getting the accessories and adapter’s is a priority. I already picked up a nice sized accessory kit for it.
As for the switch stands, some adjustments are possibly in order. If I did try for a third long track, I’d lose out on the space for the station. I’m already eyeing the other closet for a yard storage similar to yours but that closet is somewhat used at the moment but it’s over double the size of this one! Creative thinking though should resolve that. In time, in time 😂.

For what it's worth, I highly prefer the Dremel flex shaft tool over the 90 degree adapter.  The small flex shaft hand piece is much easier to control than trying to hold and guide the fat Dremel tool itself.  I cut all of the track (Gargraves flex and also some Ross) with a flex shaft tool.  The cuts all came out nice and vertical.

I used my chop saw for most of the track cutting on my layout, perfectly aligned cuts and quick.  However, I find the Dremel flex wand more cumbersome than the 90 degree adapter, so there's flavors for everyone, chocolate and vanilla.

Thank you @Bob and @gunrunnerjohn for the insight. I’ll eventually end up getting both. I did debate on pulling out my unopened Dewalt miter saw but I only had three pieces to cut and the effort of digging it out and unpacking it just didn’t seem worth it. Maybe I’ll open it up after the benchwork is finished 😂.

Well, you'd want a fiber cutoff wheel, I bought the Harbor Freight 6" cutoff saw for $30 a few years back, still using the original fiber wheel that came on it.

@gunrunnerjohn Yupp you just sold me on that! I have to go to Harbor Freight anyway for a furniture dolly for my Atv plow. Geez you sure are adding to my list. 😂 just kidding around, it’s all greatly appreciated.

UPDATE #11

With the summer heat hanging steady🥵, the train room has been getting too hot for much of any progress especially being on the second floor. I had a feeling this day would potentially come, and it has. My train room has gone without an air conditioner up until now. Since I really wasn’t fully grasping the entirety of the hobby up until this year, it really wasn’t needed. So yesterday I installed an extra A/C I had sitting around. What a difference! 🥶 Might need an Alaska train to fit the new climate. 😂