My new Train Room a work in progress, Updated 1/2/17

yes I agree come on that first train running today

me 2

Charlie   I'm still patiently waiting

 

Clem

me as well

You're right; I completely missed the Z.  Great transformer; had one when I had the layout.  I think the gauges directly in front of it distracted.  Wonder if those are 250W or 275W ZW's or a combination.

A good distraction at that.  I'm guessing those gauges are volt meters tied to the "Z".  The "Z" pumps out 24 volts at full throttle...probably not good for todays electronics.

 

Bruce

Charlie Merry Christmas

 

Lets see that first run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Alex

Ask Alex and you shall receive   Merry Christmas!

 

 

Way to go Charlie!

Merry Christmas!

Beautiful and touching video, Charlie.  I'm sure you put a smile on your Dad's face today.

You made it, Charlie, Trains running on Christmas Day. Good for you. Nice recognition for your Dad. My Dad loved trains as well.

Great first run Charlie, many memories already in that basement, many more to be made.

Your boys are growing up quick.

Merry Christmas,

Dan

Congratulations Charlie and Merry Christmas!!

 

Beautiful work and wonderful to see your sons with you as you make the first run.

 

George

Charlie,

Merry Christmas to Toni, You and the entire family.  Excellent tribute.

   Merry Christmas.

.....

Dennis

Excellent!  Merry Christmas.

 

Bruce

Congratulations Charlie 

 

Merry Christmas

 

Clem k

Hi Mr. Charlie,

i just read the thread from the beginning and just wanted to say, Wow, What a Wonderful Train Room. I am sorry about your Family Losses, and send Condolences. Your Layout is looking really great and Your video was Fun to Watch. I look forward to seeing Your Progress Reports and was wondering, with this much room, will you have a Turntable?

Merry Christmas.....Happy Rsilroading

Hey Charlie....I asked before Alex did..!!!.  Great Christmas day for you my Friend...thanks for the video.  Your layout is going to be the best!

 

Alan

Charlie and the family - Merry Christmas - Great video of the first run.  There is something about those air whistles.  I am sure your Dad has a smile on his face.

nice layout I'm sure your dad was watching u running that train hey are going to show more of your train layout tapes??? but anyway u are doing a nice job keep the good work

Great Charlie!!!  Your Dad was standing at your shoulder when that engine started rolling along.  Happy Railroading!  

Charlie,  I thank you very much, what a great first run with your dad's train set.

I'm so sorry about your loss, I'm sure he was right beside you  when you did

the first run. The layout is going to be fantastic when it's done.

 

Thanks

Alex

Merry Christmas Charlie and family. What a great tribute. Lay out looks awesome. 

Great video!

 

Peter

Super, Charlie!

What a great tribute to your dad!  I am glad to see your sons enjoying it too!

Well I hit the milestone of getting all my main lines laid down.  Tomorrow I will wire it in then move on to sidings.

Charlie what great progress you are making. i do have to ask you what do you do in your spare time!!!!

Nice Charlie. It feels good to get the track down and engines running.

Man, you are fast!  I'll have to come down and pay you a visit some time.

 

BTW, we are sold out of all club cars!  Thanks for your help! 

Installed my fascia today.  Ultimately it will be painted and have a curtain beneath the fascia.

 

 

That looks really nice Charlie!

Did you get that at Menards or Home Depot? Gives me an idea for mine in the future.

The masonite came from a local lumber and sheet goods supplier.

Gotcha. Have to check a few big box stores and see what they have. Does it just come in rolls or is it not that flexible?

Lance, this was 4 x 8 sheets ripped to 4 1/2" by 8' strips.  It is flexible, but has it's limits.

Lookin real good!

Cutting kerfs in the back side will add a little more give. 

Charlie has done a fantastic job of getting this layout up and running in a short time span. It will be a "Premier Lay out" as time goes on.  

The fascia board will make a huge difference in the overall appearance once the layout is complete. Nice job.

 

You are doing a superb job, Charlie.

The fascia certainly adds a lot to the layout.

Looking great Charlie

 

 

Alex

Looks awesome Charlie, definitely adds to the layouts overall appearance.

 

Darren

Looks really nice Charlie.

.....

Dennis

Keep it up Charlie.  Don't do like me, get trains running and then don't have time to do a lot more.

The layout is coming along great.  The fascia board looks really nice.  I saw the video of your first run.  Sorry to hear about your dad.  Toy trains sure have come along way in 60 years.

 

Thanks for the update.  Looking forward to more updates.

Charlie, Nice work, these small things really make for a complete look.

you have the makings of a real super layout. enjoy the build!1

Steve

More progress today.  I now have a turntable   Thanks Al.

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the threads I always enjoy reading.  Congrats on the TT.  

 

Can't wait to see more of the progress.

it looks good

Looking great!

Looks like a pro install, with a helper. Can't wait to see it progress.

Dan

Right on Charlie! Moving right along!

Looks good, someone else also seems likes he approves  That is still my favorite part of this hobby or any other I have done with my kids, seeing the excitement on their faces.

Some great progress.

Looking good CHARLIE!!!!  I see your using those safety glasses.  Safety first!!!

You never stop moving on your new layout, Charlie. Nice choice with Al's turntable.

Oh yeah, looking great Charlie. moving quick!!!!!!!

 

 

Alex

Today in between trips outside to clear the snow I got going on my control panel enclosures.  Got the pieces assembled and laminated.  Here they are laminated before I took the router to them.

 

Looking good. I like you enclosures!

Very nice Charlie! 

Very nice layout Charlie. Even when it is completed, it looks like you will have a great deal of fun operating it. The CN units in the background suggest you are modeling present day Upper Peninsula railroading. Like many others here, I am looking forward to seeing the layout as you continue to build it.

Charlie now i see why you are making such great progress, the young man in the turntable hole is doing all the work while you are taking pics and on the forum. seriously its great the you have a "big" helper working along side you. that will be memories that are priceless to him. great dad and a great build.

i was wondering if i could borrow him to work on my layout as he appears to be a well trained helper!!!

Great progress in 9 months of work! Have been following the thread keep it up and keep us posted. Thanks for the up date, fine job.

Looking great!

 

Peter

Hi Karl.  Actually my son just likes CN and GT.  I could certainly run them though if I was targeting modern times in the UP.  Transition era is really what I am going for here.  I like steam too much to be modern

I'm so jealous!

 

Looks great, should be a lot of fun.

Charlie,  you're making a lot of progress. Looking great !!!!

 

 

Alex

Now That's A WOW, and I love the Smoothness of your turntable!!! What brand is the table, and which indexing system are you using? It's Nice, Really Nice! Happy Railroading.

 

The turntable is Millhouse River Studio using their indexing.

Looking nice Charlie

Great job on the install.

Very Nice!! You're making some good progress and I am looking forward to more photos and videos.

I'm so jealous!

 That is sweet!

Nice to see a video of the tt in action.  Looking good.

 

Thanks for the update Charlie.

Pretty spiffy!!

 

Gilly

I always like a turntable.  Last 1:1 one I saw operate was at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, but I think I recall they have one in Elkins West Virginia now.

 

You bought a grand one, that is for sure!  

Charlie,

   Very nice job so far, congrats to you and the boys!

 

PCRR/Dave

This is a milestone for you Charlie. Nothing like having the turntable installed and running. And the 1225 to boot! Love that engine.

 

Very nice job. You are building a "first class" layout.

Charlie, Looking great, keep up the good work. How many stall roundhouse are you putting in?

Charlie, layout is coming along nicely. Fantastic job my friend!

John, I will be putting in 5 stalls.

nice unit can't wait to see the whole layout

Looks great!

 

Peter

Tremendous work. Outstanding. I am in the process of designing a new layout myself. Between the information Alex had provided me on incorporating a turntable, seeing yours and the videos posted on Millhouse River Studios website, I need to make changes.

Thank goodness I have RR Tracks software.h

Still wiring

 

 

Hi Charlie

 

Looking good !!!!!

 

Alex

Following along for inspiration.  Great job!

Thanks for the photo, Charlie; and for taking us along on your project.

Ah wiring, something we all have  to do. Looks very organized, Charlie.

Nice work.

Finally I have a completed panel.  This was the easy one.  Two more to tackle now.

 

 

Looks great Charlie! Keep up the good work!

The layout is looking great Charlie.  I have enjoyed following the progress.

Great looking panel.

Nice CHARLIE!!!

Great work Charlie !!!!

 

 

Alex

Hi Charlie,  just got caught up on your last few updates.  You have to be the coolest dad on the street! What a great father and sons activity.  So many skills can be taught building a layout.

Nice work Charlie. Enjoy seeing your progress photos.

Excellent job!

 

 

Peter

Charlie looks great...

I have completed my 5 track passenger car staging yard and I only put in a row of toggles for power and the electric switch throws with a number on each side.

This adds a whole new dimension.Like the graphics. Keep up the good work.

Great looking panel for Marquette! I like the LS&I logos and the photo of the ore dock. 

nice control panels

Nice panels Charlie, thanks for sharing!  

 

What, or who, did you use to make the logos? 

So Charlie, where are you putting the ore dock?    

 

Remember, soon I will have my custom painted LS&I ALCO, so with the two that you have we should be able to handle a pretty long ore train.

 

Brian,

 

willbacker45 here on the forum took my RR Track drawing and did a re-draw of the track work.  I provided the logos.

Thanks Charlie!  Did you make the logos with Power Point, or something similar?

I collected the logos online then sized them with a freeware called Gimp.

 

 

Hi Charlie-

 

That looks fantastic!  You have done a great job and I am so happy to see this take shape...  Room looks fantastic and the layout work too!

 

 

You have a wonderful start there and that was a nice tribute to your Dad...

 

Have Fun!

 

 

I think John has a good question regarding the location of the ore dock. Lets see, the LS&I ore dock is 1200 feet long, 54 feet wide, and 75 feet high. I think you can squeeze it in. 

Charlie,

Actually I think you could do this! That would be stellar...

 

 

Yea John he has plenty of ore cars so it makes sense that he needs an ore dock for then.

Charlie - this is way cool! I am jealous, but happy for you. I hope you enjoy it.

 

JoeG

Charlie has a big house, plenty of room! 

 

Actually Charlie, build it out over the creek in your backyard. 

This panel was an all day project.  Glad this one is behind me.

 

 

You have made a heck of a lot of progress since I visited last October!

Nice work, Charlie.

Very nice work Charlie

 

 

Thanks

Alex

Nicely done, Charlie--and thanks for the update.

Charlie, Awesome work! Do you have a track plan? Iam trying to envision the layout In your room and How big are your curves?

I bet those control panels were spendy?? well keep us up to date

Super work!

 

Peter

Keith, Not so spendy when you do it yourself.

Thanks for the update. Nice work.

Here was tonight's project.  Takes a long time to get all these holes correct, clean them out with the hobby knife and mount the switches and LEDs.  Next will be all the soldering and hook ups.

 

Awesome looking panel!

 

Bob

Charlie,

 

Panel looks great, very nice work

 

 

Alex

Terrific job, Charlie.

Great looking panel.

Very nice!

Peter

Really nice work.

 

Charlie,

 

Good work and progress overall, and excellent control panels!

 

I have my control panel finished already, but it would be beneficial for those who still have yet to build theirs to learn your method, which certainly has produced excellent results.

 

For instance, what type of switches (pushbutton, toggle, etc.) and indicators (LED’s, etc.) have you used?

 

The pictures you have posted are fine, but cannot be enlarged and it is difficult to discern the finer details.

 

Thank you!

 

Alex

Alex, perhaps this link will give you a better look at my pic.  The mini-toggles and LED's were all purchased from Digi-Key.  I have included those parts below.

 

492-1615-ND

PNL MNT W/ WIRE 700NM 2MCD RED

492-1613-ND

PNL MNT W/ WIRE 555NM 10MCD GRN

492-1541-ND

LED ASSY PNL 3MM YLW DIFF 590NM

360-3289-ND

SWITCH TOGGLE SPST 6A 125V

360-2065-ND

SWITCH TOGGLE SPDT 6A 125V

nice looking panels keep us up to date

 

 

You may have set the standard for control panels!

 

Nice work, really like it.

Nice work. would love to see some sort of drawing and measurements on your panel.

I made all my panels 8 1/2 x 11 with the exception of this one.  This one will sit in an enclosure that is 8 1/2 x 17.  Reason being is a 6 inch section that will sit next to the panel that contains the Millhouse River indexing touch pad.  I will take a pic of that when I get this soldered up and mounted in the enclosure.  All of the lexan backers are 3/16" and the graphics were sent to Fedex/Kinkos for printing and laminated by them.  I attached the laminated graphic to the lexan with CA.

Very nice work!

Here she is all soldered together.  I think it's time I took a break and ran some trains

 

 

That's a lot of soldering!

 

Great stuff, can't wait to see more progress!

Very nice! I like the DT&I logo; probably the the most attractive logo I'm familiar with.

Don

Don we have been trying to get a NYC oval on there, but so far Charlie is standing firm.

I am amazed at the quality of your work. It's beautiful Charlie.

.....

Dennis

Charlie,

 

Is there a way to contact you via email? I have a few question that I would like to ask and rather than clog up the thread I figure it might be easier.

 

I saw one in your profile, is that the one to use?

Yes the email in my profile can be used.  I'm happy to answer your questions.

Charlie, based on your work to date, your layout is sure going to be a beauty.

Charlie, you're doing terrific work; the attention to detail is top shelf; and, oh man that looks like a heckuva project--so many wires in a small space.  Thanks for the update and photos.

I just gotta get a NYC oval on that layout somehow.

Charlies hanging tough though.

 

Happy Easter everyone.

Wow, Charlie, your control panels are beautiful...very professional looking.  Awesome stuff!

Track Plan? How big is this layout?

Thanks

keep up the good work on the layout

Charlie, 

 

Thank you. Will be reaching out shortly.

 

K

Maybe he'll go for Michigan Central!  

 

Been a while since I posted anything...  Work has slowed with the nicer weather but not stopped.  A friend and master modeler took on the task of building my roundhouse kit.  I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out.

 

What manufacturer did you use for the round house?

 

It is an Altoona Model Works kit.

That is what I thought. I am going to be buying one very shortly. Looks great. I am going for the 4 bay House with one extended stall.

DO you have a track plan you can share?

One of the nicest roundhouses I have ever seen. The doors and windows are spectacular. Certainly will be a focal point for your new layout, Charlie. 

Very nice roundhouse.

It looks fantastic.  Can't wait to see more layout progress!

Charlie,

 

Simply outstanding!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

 

Thanks,

Alex

keep us up to date on your layout

Round house looks great!

 

Thanks for the update.

Lousy weather brought me to the basement today. It has been a beautiful summer but I'm feeling the need to get back to work on my layout.  Today's project was fitting the tracks between the turntable and the roundhouse.  Precision measurement is important here.

 

 

 

Hi Charlie,

 

Very nice work, glad to see you're  back to work on the layout

 

Thanks,

Alex

Lookin good!

Thumbs up Charlie. One step at a time will get you there.

Go Charlie...go!!  What will the roundhouse look like?

 

Alan

Pictures soon Alan

Here's the roundhouse!     Hey Charlie, how about posing all your LS&I power for us.  

NICE !!!!  CHARLIE, CHARLIE, CHARLIE!!!!!!

Really making good progress. Looks great.

Nice work Charlie!

Nicely done

wow nice looking building

Very nice work, Charlie.

.....

Dennis

Congrats!

Looking great.

Got to work on the drops for the whisker tracks today.  Soldered all the drops and extended the power from the control panel to the barrier strips.  Tested and working to the barrier strips.  Now I just have to connect all the drops.

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Charlie,

 

   Very nice work, you're making good progress !!!

 

   Charlie i would love to see an overall picture of the layout if possible

 

Thanks,

Alex

Alex, I'll be taking lots of pics from all angles next weekend.  Promise to get them posted.