My Layout

Great layout and back story. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for enjoying the video.  Been browsing this forum for a little while learning. Going to be pulling some of this up and expanding it. Plus, just got another NW2 that I’m going to rewire the motor so it starts “in reverse” so I can put the two cab to cab. Also going to wire them to both pick up power from the lead locomotive so one doesn’t get out of sequence and while I’m at it wiring them in series.

What a wonderful video. Love your enthusiasm for the layout which is terrific. These trains are created to be fun for the family and you guys epitomize that. Hope you continue to enjoy your trains through the years and continue to post videos. 

Thank you! I will. I’ll add some still photos as well. The other thing about these old o gauge trains is they just smell so darn good! Great to just sit here with a cocktail and just watch them run around and take it all in. Thanks for enjoying with me.......

Well, got the layout all ripped down and rebuilding. Going to have inclines. One is rather steep, it’s a descent and will be hidden in a tunnel.  Main line makes 2 loops around the table with a small yard.  There is an inside loop for the old trains.  We decided to model summer, fall and winter in different sections of the layout and looking forward to the scenery building aspect. 2 mountains with tunnels and a good rock cut as well. The lady is looking forward to rebuilding town and we are eying up some building kits. Putting some of that gray foam roadbed under the track and going to ballast it. Hope to have the road bed down by this weekend. Then going to work on rail power. Going to solder the wire right on the track and figuring every 6 feet or so. I’ll put up some pics tonight

Here’s some pics:

Very nice layout and video! My dentist is an aerobatic pilot as well! He’s the only dentist I’ve ever had that I enjoy going to see because of his great stories! 

Hi Chris,

I enjoyed your family Christmas video. I particularly like the wall your grandfather built. I have a western town my great-grandfather built in the 20s. These family heirlooms are special.

If your NW2 is postwar with an e unit, it should have a lever underneath to disengage the e unit. You wouldn't need to do any rewiring. Just get the train you want as the b unit running in reverse and while it is running hold it and reach under and move the lever. This will disconnect the e unit and keep it in reverse. Do the same thing with the other unit in forward and you will have your lash up.

Hi Will, thanks for the tip but they are newer Williams models. i have already done the wiring and they run and pull great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz7cuMk4H88

@C_Murley posted:

...Going to have inclines. One is rather steep, it’s a descent and will be hidden in a tunnel...

Really enjoy the concept of what you're doing.  

And you've probably already thought of this, but just in case - 'steep descent in a tunnel' - be sure to allow plenty of access.  No matter how well it runs while testing, as soon as it's covered by a tunnel, the gremlins will move in.

Great Layout and wonderful family history.

Thanks for all the comments! Glad you enjoy! Anyways got the roadbed down last night and had to send a train around! Track not fastened down yet.....

Chris,

You Holiday video, and latest clip of the layout rework, were great. Thanks for sharing these and the great story behind the layout and collection.

That pair of NW2's look great on the new track plan.

Mike

So after a kitchen and entranceway project I’m back on the layout. We got all the track wired. Power solder directly to the rail. Now to build the switching control board and then on to mountains, scenery and town. So I love my Williams NW2’s and I have no plan on leaving conventional control so I needed power for the Anthracite Express excursion train. So I picked up a Williams RS3. Man I thought the TBP on the NW2’s was good, this thing sounds fantastic! The DL heads up the valley not far from my house in greenridge, Scranton and I hear those Alcos chugging along every weekend! Anyways, First thing I did was wire the RS3 in series, then lube it and put it to work. The last of my cars arrived today. All atlas O trainman 60’ coaches. Have read mixed reviews but these run great! No issues noted, at all! Enjoy!

im not all set on Pennsylvania locomotives, but I loved me some black and yellow......

Chris, I just saw your topic for the first time.  Welcome to the Forum.  The trains all run great on the new layout!  Thank you for posting.

Chris -

Nice layout.  I like the rise using 2x4s and plywood.  What us the green stuff between the roadbed and plywood?

Thanks guys, the green stuff is contact cememt, 3M 30NF. i use it alot at the shop so i brought some home to glue the road bed down with. its gonna all be ballasted so itll be hidden. 

A little update. Gotta wire up the signals then wiring is done. Pressure switches I had won’t work with the foam rail bed so I gotta come up with another idea for that. Got the tunnel structures built with foam board, now to build the mountains around them and on to scenery!  Middle line is for the bump and go trolley. Not on the layout yet but has been tested before building the tunnel!!!  Also gotta make placards for the control panel!

nice great big room

That is an interesting layout and it evolved in just 5 months if I calculated that correctly. Nice work. Thanks for posting your progress.

Nice, really nice!  Your YouTube video put me in the Christmas spirit, and that's still 18 weeks away (but who's counting!)

My only suggestion would be to avoid using cotton balls, especially near the track.  I love snow scenes with trains, and I once built a winter layout myself.  I don't know how you kept that loose cotton of the gears and side rods!  The second year I used a sheet of cotton batting from a craft store.  A few pieces of thin foam under it here and there looked just like snow drifts.  Sprinkle a little of the loose stuff on the roofs of houses, etc., and it looks like a day's worth of melt has occurred.

Really look forward to seeing your progress, especially when it gets decorated.  Thanks for sharing!

Really like the layout and the rapid progress.  Nice use of tubular track, postwar (and similar) trains, and old-school control panel, all in a nice room.  You've provided a lot of ideas for how I can revise my current layout.

In the area at the front of the layout (in the 2nd video) where a lower level track is very close to the risers for the upper level, do you have enough room to add a retaining wall?  The center area looks like a bit of a reach - do you have really long arms, or a topside creeper?  And I really hope those enclosed tunnels work out OK - they're nice, and it looks like you have excellent trackwork, but the universe has a way of focusing on inaccessible areas.

Nice touch having a beverage sitting on the corner.

Nice train room! I can see your KW peeking out in one of the vids. Such a cool transformer (along with the ZW of course). 

Your layout is really taking shape nicely.  I was also wondering about your plans for arm's reach to some areas, or do you plan to climb on the layout.  I gave up on climbing on things a couple years ago.  I think I had to do too much of it in my working years.    I love enclosed tunnels, especially if you have any thoughts of using Go Pro or other on board cameras.  Do you have plans for accessing derailments.

My background was scale HO trains as a child and up until I was about 55.  Over the last 8 or 9 years, I have accumulated a small collection of scale offerings mostly from Lionel and MTH.  I love the details, but once the train is moving at any speed at all, I can't see the details.  Your trains look great!  Sometimes I wonder if I will be selling mine at some point and going with post-war and other less detailed semi-scale trains, as I am more clumsy with breaking detail parts.  I really like what you have done, and agree with others, you did a great job with the tinplate track.  It took me some getting used to the third rail of O gauge, so I am also getting used to seeing tinplate track.  All that to say, I am impressed with what you have done!!! 

@Mark Boyce posted:

Your layout is really taking shape nicely.  I was also wondering about your plans for arm's reach to some areas, or do you plan to climb on the layout.  I gave up on climbing on things a couple years ago.  I think I had to do too much of it in my working years.    I love enclosed tunnels, especially if you have any thoughts of using Go Pro or other on board cameras.  Do you have plans for accessing derailments.

My background was scale HO trains as a child and up until I was about 55.  Over the last 8 or 9 years, I have accumulated a small collection of scale offerings mostly from Lionel and MTH.  I love the details, but once the train is moving at any speed at all, I can't see the details.  Your trains look great!  Sometimes I wonder if I will be selling mine at some point and going with post-war and other less detailed semi-scale trains, as I am more clumsy with breaking detail parts.  I really like what you have done, and agree with others, you did a great job with the tinplate track.  It took me some getting used to the third rail of O gauge, so I am also getting used to seeing tinplate track.  All that to say, I am impressed with what you have done!!! 

Mark, I had HO,N,and O guage. Recent!y I focusing on Postwar. I don't have a huge amount of command engines so I'm keeping those I have but from here on it's going to be postwar.

Thanks for all the comments and for enjoying my layout progress! Some of the questions, I can reach just about all theme way through the tunnels. Could also reach the entire layout. If you see the “hole” in the layout by the pole I can pop up through that and reach the middle. That will have a lid of scenery that can be lifted off if I need to get in there. Avoiding cotton on new scenery, only one mountain will be winter scene. But you’re right those darn side rods sure do like to wrap up in it! Built my coal breaker this weekend. Gotta order some corrugated metal for it and making frosted windows out of bead blasted lexan.  Dollar store foam board is fantastic!!!

I like your breaker. Reminds me of the Harry E  , in Swoyersville.  JohnA 

Thanks! I used to drive under that conveyor line going to the model airplane field on back road! A year before they tore it down. Still gotta make the conveyor line......

Harry E Colliery on my layout. Photo on foam core,  balsa for conveyor line. JohnA 

Awesome!!

from our website.......

http://www.undergroundminers.com/harry

12 feet of my layout is my dad’s hometown of Swoyersville, PA.  I will take some pics of whole town tomorrow, and post.  Keep an eye out for it. JohnA 

@C_Murley posted:

Awesome!!

from our website.......

 

http://www.undergroundminers.com/harry

Your layout progress is inspiring. I just discovered your posts and will be watching the continuing development. I hope you model the Harry E. as well......

@John A posted:

12 feet of my layout is my dad’s hometown of Swoyersville, PA.  I will take some pics of whole town tomorrow, and post.  Keep an eye out for it. JohnA 

I look forward to seeing this.......although I currently reside in Maryland I am from Swoyersville.......had to smile when I saw the Harry E. and the Roosevelt theater........great memories........ 

Hi Murleys All,

I loved your original post with the story of the history of the layout.  And it appears that now you have been bitten by the year round layout bug!  I loved the mention of Wheeler Ave and other Scranton area things as I was born just up the street, off of Wheeler at Butler St. in Dunmore.  

I saw your mention of coming up with a method to replace pressure switches. Look into insulated outside rail control for your activation needs. 

Your names and faces are familiar; Boys Scouts, If I recall? 

Let me know if I can be of assistance in any way. You can find my email in my profile. 

Earl Trygar  

Hi Earl, yes, my dad (Don) was scoutmaster for Tunkhannock troop 518 in the 90s when I was in scouts. got eagle in 1997. are you still local?  we have a shop at Skyhaven Airport in Tunkhannock now.........

Haven’t updated this in a little while I see! Now I’m into the fun stuff!!!!

Very nice!

Hey thanks Mark, having alot of fun playing with the scenery now. gotta make a nice perimeter boarder for the edges. thats this weekends plans as well as work in the center. then just a little more plaster cloth on the mountains and i can start adding the scenery to them! 

Thank you for your post. VERY nice layout.

Re: corrugated siding, this is really easy to make if you wish to do your own. Let me know and I can show you the technique I use.

I am an On30 guy, but one thing I really like about big 3-rail is how smoothly they start and stop. I'm afraid my passengers are suffering from whiplash!!!

Thank you for posting this.  I really enjoyed seeing the progression of the scenery. It’s a great looking layout.

This whole thread from the beginning history to this point  is really nice Chris .

Amazing speed and material adaptation and the enthusiasm you show for your vision in  this hobby is inspiring .       What a lot of fun I have had seeing this.

THANK YOU

Well thanks for the kind words Joe, we are having fun with it for sure! glad others are enjoying following along!

Chris

Chris this was fun to watch. Thanks for including us.

Nice progress Chris. Being a miner, I assume you're using real coal in the hoppers?

Looks great, Chris!

Wow this went from bare wood to a really nice looking layout really quickly!

I've been sharing some of your photos with my dad to convince him to allow me to build a few more scenic elements. He's pretty set on Plasticville stuff without much tolerance for "scale model" scenery. Your layout proves that things don't need to be over the top crazy detailed to really add a lot of character and personality to the tracks!

Great job!

@rail posted:

Nice progress Chris. Being a miner, I assume you're using real coal in the hoppers?

Hey Don!!  for some reason I never replied to this one. sorry, yep all the coal is from "somewhere" in the northern anthracite field. from the clark vein. smashed it and screened it for the cars. they were full, but have since added false bottoms and just topped them after i started acquiring more hoppers.  i know these williams locos can pull alot but i dont want to beat on them that bad haha!  hmm, i see its also time for some update pics. got a bit more to do this weekend then ill get some up. thanks everyone else for the kind words and enjoying the layout!

Chris

Chris, I  use the coal dregs from my coal bucket for my fireplace coal insert.  I liked the effect also after noticing the sparkle when I went into the coal ' room '.  Just that little bit of fine sparkly dust really works out well.  All I did was apply some craft glue and sprinkled the fine coal overtop of the plastic coal load.

Right now I am able to run my modified Railking Triplex through about a dozen O31s in my over and under 16 × 5' double rail main layout  with the caboose and 23 coal cars .

Have a ball Chris.

Chris, I just reviewed this topic for the first time, and very much enjoyed your videos, photos and comments about the development of your fine layout.

Could you tell me about your ballast? What is it? Where did you get it? Did you buy it, find it, or make it yourself?

I think your ballast looks very good with your hi-rail tubular O Gauge track. My layout has the same track and 022 switches, which I have always preferred to the modern track and switches.

Arnold

Thanks guys! Arnold, I was wondering what to use for ballast then I read on here that people have used kitty litter...... then a few days later one of our guys was cleaning up a mess in our hangar with some oil dry and I said.... that’s it!!  So yea, here ya go.......

also Arnold I agree on the track! The modern stuff is really nice, but, running Hirail tubular takes me back to being a kid at my grandparents house. The nostalgia of it ya know! This is a practice layout. We are gonna be moving in about 2 years to the forever home and plan a much larger layout in the basement we of the house we are going to build! But, I will still build it with tubular rail, probably buy it from Menards. Have some of their rail now and it works just fine.

I’m  pretty sure kitty litter is designed the attract and hold moisture.  That may not be a good thing on a train layout.

I go to School parking lots, they have along the sides full of debris that I shovel or scoop levers of dirt into either a Depot or Lowe's Bucket, when home I shift the dirt into a screen then I pour into bottles (juice bottle 32 oz.) two bottle usually I enough to use on layout adhesive white glue and tiny bit of soap. It sticks onto table giving a realistic scenic look....

@Terry Luft posted:

I’m  pretty sure kitty litter is designed the attract and hold moisture.  That may not be a good thing on a train layout.

I think this is a problem more in theory than practicality......

Kitty Litter, and Oil Dry are a clay product. I've never notice it to swell. Diamatex is also a clay product that is used for infields, and is a suitable material if screened, but it is a yellowish tan, so it would need to be colored. I use fine crushed gray stone from a building supply house. It's known by different names: Moon Dust, Screenings and concrete sand. I sift it through a window screen. I don't remove the fines like some do.

Chris and Chuck, I am also a 100% tubular track guy, 1st with 027 track and switches (now in boxes possibly for grandchildren down the road), and currently O Gauge track and 022 switches.

My love for O Gauge track and switches stems from the trains I admired that an older cousin and an uncle of mine had in the 1950s and early 1960s, similar to the trains Chris admired that his grandparents had.

I gathered my ballast in a similar way that Chuck did. On other threads I previously shared the photos below:

Those little pebbles are mainly ground up asphalt I found along local roads during long athletic walks, and filled my pockets with. There is also some kitty litter sprinkled in. I was told that kitty litter absorbs liquid, so I only put it outside of, not in between, the rails.

My ballast didn't cost me anything. It was fun finding and getting in.

The pebbles are way too large, but so are the high rails of the O Gauge track, so I think it works. Arnold

Running some trains

Here are some pics of my Tubular track ballasted with Brennan’s Ballast using 096 curves on 3 main lines with Ross Switches.

Chris, I very much enjoyed watching the videos of your layout, and I especially like those Williams Pennsy engines.Thanks for posting.

Hey Chris , I'm going to continue watching your progress on this great looking layout.

I want to see where Grandfather's amazing brick fence is going to go.  What a beautiful piece of art it is. 😉

Hey Joe! The fence will be around the front soon. A prize item so it goes up last! Got the trolley up and running today! This one is about 20 years and pretty worn out but was good for testing, picking up my Scranton Transit trolly soon!

Really good to hear about THE  FENCE going to be included.

You have been making great progress on this layout and it looks like you are doing a great job in getting a solid base  construction .    A lot of different action going on there. 🤓

Great progress Chris. I'd love to see it some time.

any time!  gimme a call! you may like the museum better than the layout!

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum, you've come to the right place.  Great video and your new layout looks to be really awesome.  I've been into trains for as long as I can remember and it started when I was a baby.  I also happen to love airplanes too, had my private pilots license but stopped flying when the gas went nuts  and I couldn't afford to fly but every once in a while.  I love your little bi-plane, I'll bet its a blast to fly.  Thanks for sharing your great video and all of your progress on your new layout.

The loop to point operation of that trolley, combined with going through the tunnel is a really nice setup - I may have to remember that for my own once one day!

thanks guys, for some reason i just noticed these responses. J.Motts, glad to hear you are enjoying my layout and nice to hear from a fellow Pilot. here ya go, ill take you for a little ride...... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...amp;feature=youtu.be

JHZ, yea the trolly operation is fun.  we always had one when i was little, this is our old one. my mom gave it to me for testing. it has the slide plate on the bottom instead of rollers and cries a little going over the switch if its going too slow. its also missing the traction tire so it bobbles around a bit. I also noticed the bumper wasnt fastened down yet in the video and it was making the trolley bounce up in the air hahaha. it doesnt do that any more. when i get a chance to pick up the scranton transit trolley from the gift shop at the electric city trolley museum that one should run better as it has 2 pick up rollers. 

Great layout and videos. I really enjoyed it all. Thanks for sharing it.  The youtube video from the cockpit is AWESOME!

Great progress.  Nice space you have, and you've put it to good use.

Including your dogs in the video reminded me of this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw

Plugging along on scenery. Here’s some progress from the weekend. Should have the middle almost wrapped up this week. Then on to the big mountain and figure out what I want to do to the coal breaker and yard area there, as well as that mountain. Also, scooped up another Conrail nw2 for the coal train. They look great mu-ed together like they did here in anthracite country! They used multiple switcher units cause the track was so poor, or so I’ve been told. Anyways here’s some pics......

chris

That was a great story and a great video. Love the family history.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!!

Chris,

Loved the video.  I flew with a friend in his Piper Cherokee quite a few times out of Forty Fort and once visited Sky Haven (touch and go). We flew  over the length of Susquehanna a number of times. My favorite route was heading west near Berwick and flying along the mountain ranges toward State College. The Finger Lakes are cool too. I'm not licensed but took the yoke many times once in the air and clear of approaches of any air strips.  He has since retired, sold the plane and moved out west. Most of the time we left right after church so I was still in my collar. My friend got a lot of ribbing from other pilots about bringing his priest along when we stopped somewhere for a Hundred Dollar Hamburger. I sure miss those Sunday afternoons.   

I posted my 4x8 home layout here under the 48Club.  Its small, but does the job until our club can  open up again.

Earl   

Plugging along on scenery. Cows are out......

Plugging along. Got the roads in and the center all cleaned up. Just gotta get some trees and then the cover is ready to go down for the hole in the middle. As mentioned in the “buy anything cool lately” thread, I got my Scranton Transit trolley and a MTH SW1 that I’m going to have repainted into PNER 601. Now it’s running on the inner loop for a bit. Anyways, enjoy......

Looking good Chris.

@C_Murley posted:

Plugging along on scenery. Here’s some progress from the weekend. Should have the middle almost wrapped up this week. Then on to the big mountain and figure out what I want to do to the coal breaker and yard area there, as well as that mountain. Also, scooped up another Conrail nw2 for the coal train. They look great mu-ed together like they did here in anthracite country! They used multiple switcher units cause the track was so poor, or so I’ve been told. Anyways here’s some pics......

chris

Magic! I want a tunnel and a side grade like this when I build my permanent layout. I want a crane setting something near the topside of the tunnel too. I’ll post a real life photo in May to better explain this last comment. Thank you for sharing all of this fun!

Looks better everytime Chris.

Really nice size to get all this action going on and still have a great amount of room for open space scenery. 

The kind of stuff my dreams are made of.

PS.  can't wait to see that GREAT BRICK WALL on that layout. 😉

Made some progress on the big mountain. Once this locks up, trees..... The lady wanted a cabin on a snow capped mountain. She gets what she wants......

Had a sip or rum and ran some trains!!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RnhLCqRbCR8

@C_Murley posted:

Had a sip or rum and ran some trains!!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RnhLCqRbCR8

Nice 👍

I'm missing that beautiful brick wall though 🤐

haha, nice! getting there, hopefully in the next few months!!!

One step closer! Got the perimeter installed and painted around 75% of the layout and then got to finish up blast and some scenic work! Now on to the coal breaker, the yard, and the mountain in that area of the layout. Then finally install the finishing touch of The Fence!

my new to me geep has about an hour of run time on it now. Doesn’t quite have the tractive effort as my RS3..... go figure ;-) DL guys would be proud haha! Anyways putting it through some trials before sending it out for repaint. More on that later.....

Looks good! I think I was just watching a youtube video of your layout not more than an hour ago haha

C Murley - I thought you were a switcher guy - that doesn't look much like a switcher. Next thing you know you are going to grab one of the big engines that needs 072 minimum and then major surgery on the layout - just like what happened to me.  Fell in love with the big scale engines - no going back. No regrets either - or is it regerts?  ; )

Haha! Switcher guy all the way! Especially local switchers! The Geep I guess is a road switcher and will be sent out for repaint into a locomotive I had seen running around the valley when I was younger. How do you pick locomotives? I’ve decided to pick ones that mean something to me. So, I’m modeling Pocono Northeast and Reading and Northern on my layout.  Not a “normal” roster but it’s a good thing we got people that love to repaint locomotives! So, keep an eye out here for some 1980’s NEPA switchers!

The layout looks great!

Thanks Mark, we're having fun!

A little more action! Got the “plug” made for the middle of the layout. That’s where the north East PA WARM radio station lives. Still have to assemble the antenna. Anyways happy with how it turned out and it’s fit. For maintenance, for the most part it can just lift out. Also, I picked up a new car last week. Was gonna put it in the “buy anything cool” thread but will stick it here. It’s just a simple Erie Lackawanna Lumber Car, but means a lot to me. One cause the EL ran through these parts, and two the labeling. I know it’s a MTH car and mikes last name is wolf but that’s also my business. My main job is building custom wooden wing sets for aerobatic aircraft. My company is wolf aircraft products. So this is a shipment of raw spruce stock headed my way 😎

Nice looking layout have fun take a sip of Rum 4 me!!

Had to get them all going......

a little update!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JES1oAf9H28&pp=sAQA

Hi C Murely,

I like! Everything is beginning to look lush. You may have your work cut out for you in tree installation. That will be another transformation in itself.

Dave

You've done a great job!!! You are doing what I thought I could do in a year or so....still working 5 years later!!!

CONGRATS

@C_Murley - Really enjoying your progress and the updates. Thanks for sharing it.

I particularly like the "updated postwar" look that you've achieved.  I think you mentioned using plaster cloth - what did you use to support them, and do you have any in-progress photos of building the hills and mountains?

Can you post a track plan (even just a rough sketch)?

Coal Breaker is finished! UGM anthracite is our contract anthracite mining company. It was a fun project! Also the dock and laser cut building was a lot of fun to build and Rebekah enjoyed painting and weathering them! Not bad for a first try! I see more of those kits in our future! Also preparing the fence for installation! Dad and I are putting that up after the great turkey feast next week! Anyways, enjoy!

Nice progress Chris. The coal loads look good too.

And.......... Done!  Rebekah installed the skirt around the layout last night, and we rewired and installed the great fence after the feast tonight. Happy Thanksgiving all.........

Chris, The layout and trains look great!  I really like the brick wall fascia!  I don't recall ever seeing anything quite like it.  Then it is topped off with a light on every pedestal!    Is that your son and his wife or girlfriend?  Great photographs!