Hidden Pass Junction RR < >

Alex,

I was wondering.  Are they designing an Engine that runs on Static Electricity at the John Galt Research Facility??

Ayn Rand is alive and well on your railroad LOL

Happy Railroading,

Ed

Amazing layout!  Your scenery is looking great!

Roger,

I was able to take a little time since you were here to work on two, rather neglected corners and install two operating accessories. The Esso Gas Station and adjacent parking lot, the Woodsman spot, and an unloading car site. 

Alex,

It goes without saying, you are welcome anytime. I am counting the days to York and to visit you and see your layout then.

Ed,

Most definitely! As a matter of fact, in the rear of the building on the lower section rooftop, there is a Ultra High Speed Friction Drive Static Generator.

Jim,

Thank you as well!

Alex

Really cool---love the night shots

Thx for posting

Joe S  

Joe,

I appreciate your comments. Thx!

I will use this opportunity to post my latest video here in case anyone looks in this forum section for updates. The video shows recently improved areas. Please note that the video is HD, and shows very well in large TV's.

Thank you for watching!

Alex 

Alex,

Really nothing to add that hasn't been already stated.  An excellent layout!  Wish I could bring my UP locos over and run them with your rolling stock.  Well done...sir....well done!

Alex

Your layout has really come a long ways since I saw your pop up access hatches. Your efforts have achieved a WONDERFUL LAYOUT. So many GREAT EXAMPLES of your detailed efforts are reafly sean all over the layout. You have already captured my full attention and admiration of your work BUT, The NIGHT PHOTOS are just absoluteY a WOW FACTOR!!! Congratulations Alex. Bill

Pat, Bill -

Thank you for your comments - very much appreciated.

And one more picture, of a scene that I included in the video (above), and which scene I finished just prior to making the video. The Saw Mill -

It is operational, and the dump car is operational also. I will have push button switches on the edge of the layout for fans to operate the accessories. I have done the same at several other locations, and people really like them. (The red button is almost flush with the edging, below, and operates the Esso Gas Station.)

Thanks!

Alex

Alex,

Amazing layout!  I love your attention to detail and quality of work!  Your model railroad is inspirational!

Marvelous layout Alex.  How big is it?

Ken

Alex it just dawned on me that this is the layout I will be seeing Saturday, looking forward to it.

Ken

Hi Alex,

Beautiful scene's and expert work as always

Thanks, Alex

A.I., Ken, Alex -

Thank you!

I have a five areas yet to finish; i.e., they still have the raw QuietBrace as surface, and I will be working on them soon.

I am also trying to finish all the wiring. This means connect the remaining 23 turnouts (out of 57) to the control panel, because even though all are connected to the AIU's, I like to have both the AIU control and the toggle switches at the control panel.

I also need to wire the remaining 53 sensors for the turnouts. These are sensors for which I have a patent applied, and sense the true/actual position of the points without contact to the points. They do not in anyway use the switch machine or the control signal to the switch machine, are totally independent and accurately sense the points.

All in all, about 6000 feet of wire to go, to make the total around 14,000 feet.

And then computer control . . .

Ken:

As you will see in a couple of days, the layout room is 33' x 38' and the layout occupies about 80%, or 1000 Sq-Ft. Looking forward to your visit.

Alex

WOW... Nice job, keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!

Great work Alex! Its been great to watch your progress.

Very inspirational Alex....makes me want to put in more hours on our layout.

What caught my eye this morning, is the in depth and detail, in the street, landscaping.

Amazing !  (pic #6)

Alex,  You have explained the viaduct, construction, but I have 1 question,?? 

What are the Grey, Supports, and are they approx 6" high !!!

Really , like both yours and Alan's girder/viaduct construction--- I keep making notes

THANKS !

Alex, good afternoon!

I need a big favor from you, I'm riding my town and need to know the size of MTH Corner Building but without the sidewalk (gray) of your photo DSC_1989 A07 med.

Thank you,

Leandro ...

Leandro,

Is this what you want: (Click on picture for full size)

Let me know if you need any other dimensions.

Alex

Alex, Thanks !!

Your drawing was fantastic and exactly what I needed to know!

Thank you!

Alex,

It's been a pleasure following this thread from the beginning. You have done so much in a short time. I look forward to your updates. Keep up the great work. 

Andy

Marshel

Alex is a real craftsman and as you can see has done a WONDERFUL JOB on his layout details.

Andy, Marshel, Bill -

I haven't looked at my own (this) thread in a while, and missed your nice comments.

Thank you!

I am working on finishing the scenery in a few areas, but primarily I have been concentrating on automating the operating accessories. I am making the accessories such that at the single push of a switch, the accessory will run for a complete cycle. The pushbutton switches are located on the edge of the layout, and also are connected in parallel with switches on the main control panel.

Visitors can easily run the accessories and I don’t have to worry about the operation being stopped in the middle of a log or drum load, or a dump car stopped before it returns to the ’home’ position. A few accessories, such as the MTH Filling Station, will run automatically once the cycle is started with the switch, but most other accessories require that a switch be held to complete the operation.

Now I can detect and keep track of drums available to load, cut lumber ‘in-stock’ for the Lionel Sawmill to run, dump car in position before it can dump and the dump cycle complete, and so on.

Alex

Alex, great to talk with you this weekend. Sounds like we need to come up there and do an "inspection" of all of these new electronics. I have seen the drum you fixed up and now I would really like to see your sawmill in action.

Hope you and Judy have a great week.

Alex, Hi I have recently finished reading about your layout over a month long period. Your work is fantastic! Before reading your thread I could not begin to think of such a fabulous layout, although the reason I started to read it was the fact that I am in the early stages of planning my own new layout.

In my first thoughts of a new layout I was planning to go with Atlas track, but somewhere along the line I heard that there was a problem with electrical continuity when using the Atlas track. I read the post where you showed how you drilled and then screwed your power supply right to the rail. I'm guessing that method completely removed any such electrical problems. Please advise If my assumptions are incorrect.

Following my doubt with the Atlas track I was pretty sure I would be using Ross switches with Gargraves track, but then, lo and behold, you ran into a problem with your Ross switches, but not the Atlas ones. I don't recall seeing how you overcame your problems with the ross switches, or whether or not you did at all.

The layout I am planning will not be on as  grand a scale as you have there, more likely it will be about a third of the size or less; just the same I would like your input on these items before I go and purchase a bunch of track and switches.

By the way thanks for a bunch of good reading, I hope that I can retain enough of your lessons to help with my new endeavor when it finally gets off the ground.

Rich 

Thanks for the feedback Alex, it will sure come in handy, and once again that is one fantastic layout you have created. Rich

Roger,

I had meant to let you know that in a couple of days I will post (YouTube) a short video of the sawmill in operation together with the preceding operations. 

Rich -

You are very welcome.

Alex

Alex, what can I say but WOW!! Love the detail, love the trains.

One of the very best layouts I have seen. It makes me want to

work on my layout. Again Alex it is GREAT Layout. Thanks

That is a very nice compliment, and I hope you do!

Thank you!

Alex

Thanks Alex, looking forward to seeing this accessory in action.

Alex, I cant wait to see your new video. That must be really frusturating with Youtube, I hope that you dont have to redo the entire video.

What camera are you using? Your June video was amazing. I cant wait to see what you have accomplished since.

Thank you Roger and Zett! I really appreciate your comments.

I just posted the video in the "Hi Raill O27 . . ." forum, here:

New Video

Believe it or not, that video (5th attempt) still is 'in process' according to YouTube!

Alex

Really cool video Alex, been watching since the beginning, great layout, can't wait for your next post always seem to get better.

Jack 

Alex

Well Done IS the Shay Lionel, or MTh???

Steve

Nice job Alex , left message at other post also. !!  Thanks for sharing

Great video Alex! Your continued progress has been fantastic! 

Jack, Steve, Alex, Louis -

Thanks!

Steve, that is a Lionel TMCC 3-Truck Shay (6-11157), which I run with the Legacy remote.

Alex

Shortly after the first of the year (2014) I started adding a few structures, weathering, and ground cover for the Steam Park in the HPJ-RR, as well as weathering the grain elevators. I would like to share a few pictures of the results. The last picture - the track layout - shows where the grain elevators and the Steam Park are located.

 Click on the pictures (or thumbnails, below) for clearer details.

Thank you for looking!

Alex

As always, wonderful job Alex.