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First Run on the Ceiling Central Railroad

This is Charlie Farquharson with an up to the minute KORN news flash!!

Yes, this is the day we have waited three long years for; the first run of the Ceiling Central. Construction started in January 2013 of a proposed single track line, dubbed the Ceiling Central Railroad on the top of South Mountain, Butler, Pennsylvania!! Half the line was graded by the end of the 2013 construction season, and hopes were high for completion in 2014. Over the summer it was decided traffic would be so heavy that a double track would be better.

Alas, as construction started in 2014, it was discovered that the double Carpal Tunnels that would be used were caving in, and construction was halted. It took a whole year, until January 2015 when the left hand Carpal Tunnel was re-bored at Butler Memorial, the right hand was done in March of that same year.

Construction was resumed in January 2016 with cleaned out Carpal Tunnels. Things moved fairly quickly even though arch nemesis and all round bad guy, Arthur Itis, tried to slow construction!   Management pushed crews on and the first run took place today.   

Joking aside, The train is running on the loop closest to the wall is 048. There is also an 027 loop in front of it that is about 2/3 built. Hopefully it won't be long until both loops are operational and I dress up the shelving a bit. I dipped the camera on purpose at one point so as to not blind the viewer with the poorly positioned overhead light.
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Mark- I have always been a CCRR fan. I had to take ours down 2 years ago, and am making plans on rebuilding it already. Mine was in our downstairs, and I had a wireless video camera on a flat that I picked up from the 'bay for a couple bucks. I put the receiver upstairs, and all the wives would laugh upstairs at the downstairs activities, mainly their husbands rotten pool table shots! I would also put the camera on the front, and people loved the "riding the rails" aspect.

Steamer posted:

looks great Mark.

and I loved Charlie's bits.

DonHarron-600x340-720x340

leavingtracks posted:

I really enjoyed this Mark.  I admire anyone (and there quite a few here on the forum) that have built one of these ceiling layouts...can't be very easy!!  Hope you don't mind but I pasted it here...

Thanks,

Alan

Thank you one and all!!!

Thanks Dave for the photo of the most famous news anchor in history!!

Thank you Alan for embedding the video.  I have done it before on the new format, but forgot how, and didn't have time to look up the instructions. 

As to the carpal tunnels, yes I had both hands done in 1995 and they reared their ugly heads, so I had them done again in 2015.  At the time I started the CCRR, both daughters were still at home, and my wife suggested the CCRR.  It is trickier than I thought it would be, so I guess all that is why I was pleased with the results and had to post a separate topic.

Thank you again!!

Jim,
I have worn a hard hat plenty in my time, though I sometimes think my head is harder than the hats, I do need to try to prevent mishaps.   If one does fall on my head, I'll have to have my wife let you know so you can visit me at Butler Hospital, since you are just down the road. 
 
Roger,
I would like to get a camera on the train some day.  Those are always cool videos.
 
RTR12,
Actually, for 2 years, and especially when I had the Christmas trains out, the shelves to nowhere served as a rolling stock parking lot, especially for my postwar items.  I do have space even when the 2 tracks are in service to park some extra rolling stock, and as I get some nicer buildings, my old Plasticville and other less detailed buildings will find a place up there too.
 
Some additional information for those who I haven't bored. 
Yes, it is an odd room. It is a downstairs family room with 3 walls paneled with the wood ply paneling not Masonite. The 4th wall is brick. The first year, I started with the paneled walls and the below shelf brackets seemed the thing to use. However, I had 3 doors to contend with, so the hangers from above came in handy. As the ductwork bulkhead divides the room in two, my wife's idea was to put the train in the back half. The CCRR was her idea in fact. The hangers from above, with the shelf resting on top worked again. I had left the brick wall go to decide how to mount the shelves later. It was for the second year that I decided on the hangers from the ceiling, an idea I had decided not to do when first considering how to build.

Also, an endorsement that this writer is not paid for.   
I might add, if I was to do it all over again in this room, I would have to consider ceiling hangers the whole way around. It was Jeff McCormick's son from C.T. McCormick's Hardware in Zelienople, PA who showed me how slick the lag bolts with couplers connecting all-thread could work. McCormick's Hardware is a Lionel and MTH supplier, and has been for decades. They have a has a great online store. http://www.cttrains.com/ Jeff can get just about anything, offers competitive pricing, and is a really nice guy to talk to. His wife and son are great too. Most of my track and some of my rolling stock have come from C.T. McCormick's. They have a small advertisement in OGR magazine each month.  The store is just up the street from the senior center my elderly aunt lives, so I stop in often as I visit her about every other week. I'm her power of attorney and closest relative.

My wife also wanted the shelves to somewhat match the wall color, so that meant three shelf colors. One of the things besides adding some more shelf in the corners is to paint the rest of the hardware. I never was a good carpenter, and with limited tools and my physical limitations, I wish it looked a little more professional, but she is happy with it; and that is what is most important!! Kim has been a great wife for going on 32 years now!
Last edited by Mark Boyce
pittsburghrailfan posted:

Very nice job Mark! I had no idea you had a Youtube channel. Nice to see that your layouts are "moving up." 

Dan,

Yes, I have started a YouTube channel.  You might say an old telecom engineer is "moving up" in technology as well.    I always enjoy your videos, and all the more so since I was your guest at the D.A.R.E. club last summer!

Last edited by Mark Boyce
pennsynut posted:

Looks good from here. I think I saw a passenger car in part of the video. What road and type of car is it?

Ah yes, I have an MTH Imperial N&W 611 with 2 Lionel N&W Pocahontas cars, the combo passenger/baggage car and you saw the observation car.  I would like more cars, but these were available at a good price, and since my regular height layout is only 4x8, that train looks good on it. 

2015-11-22 19.47.082015-11-22 19.47.22

I also have a B&O E8 A-B-A set with 7 passenger cars.  If I added the Pocahontas cars to that train, the nose of the engine would almost touch the tail of the observation on the 4x8 layout.   Good thing our last daughter at home is engaged, and will be leaving home this year.  I will get her whole art studio for my new layout! 

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