Working on my layout.

Wayne, the roadbed looks great!  Do you have a track plan to post too?

@Mark Boyce posted:

Wayne, the roadbed looks great!  Do you have a track plan to post too?

No sir. It is freehand.  

@Southern4501 posted:

No sir. It is freehand.  

That’s quite alright!  I will see more and more as you build!  I like freehand, having been a draftsman long ago before anyone had CAD. 👍🏻

@Mark Boyce posted:

That’s quite alright!  I will see more and more as you build!  I like freehand, having been a draftsman long ago before anyone had CAD. 👍🏻

I am learning as i go from my friend Chris. I will have to get some pictures of his layout.  It is built the same way.  Get the tracks up and running then fill in the scenery.  

Picked up a few things today and met some friends at the TCA show in Acworth, Ga.  The building is made by Frank Hubbs. It is beautiful. He had a bunch of different buildings.  
I bought a hooker for $25 🤓.  It is a weaver. I also stopped by and bought more gargraves track for the layout and a legacy 4141 George Bush engine. Just don’t tell the wife about the 4141. Its a secret.  It was a great show and the next one is Dec 1-2.  

I am able to run a train back and forth on the lower level. Power drop every 4th connection and rubber roadbed under the track on half of the loop.

Looks great!  Congratulations!

I am working on the other end of the dogbone.  We took Dad to Mo. to visit my mom’s grave.  I was able to go shopping at a couple of Menards. Still need to add some frame work. Its temporary blocks so we can get to the clouds.  

Looks great!

I was able to get further along today.  Dad hung out with me while i worked.  I am really close to closing the loop but i dont like the curve. Just curious what everyone uses to cut gargraves track? I figure i need to shorten the straight and make a half curve of 096.  

I am not able to control the Dremel tool with the cutoff wheel, so I reverted to the old standby, a hobby saw.  I started clamping the section of track to be cut at both ends with a piece of old pine, so the clamp doesn’t crush the rail.  Then I use old fashioned elbow grease to make my cut.  Then I use a small file to smooth off the burrs.  It’s not a big deal if you only have a few cuts to make.

I've used both the dremel with the larger diameter cut off wheel and the hobby saw. If I am cutting the ends off track then the dremel works fine, but in the middle of a section, it gets clamped down on both sides (as Mark suggests) and work your way through with the 6 inch hobby saw. Benefit here is there is a much smaller kerf and potentially a vertical cut. I find the dremel tends to wander a bit so the cut can get angled. Using a mini chop saw would be a really convenient way if you are working off the layout.

The body of the dremel tends to get in the way for a 90 degree positioning of the cutoff wheel. A brand new cutoff wheel works but abrades away quickly meaning you will move the dremel to finish the cut. A work around is to cut at an angle and then square it up

A fine tooth blade in an old hack saw worked for me.

Charlie

@ScoutingDad posted:

I've used both the dremel with the larger diameter cut off wheel and the hobby saw. If I am cutting the ends off track then the dremel works fine, but in the middle of a section, it gets clamped down on both sides (as Mark suggests) and work your way through with the 6 inch hobby saw. Benefit here is there is a much smaller kerf and potentially a vertical cut. I find the dremel tends to wander a bit so the cut can get angled. Using a mini chop saw would be a really convenient way if you are working off the layout.

The body of the dremel tends to get in the way for a 90 degree positioning of the cutoff wheel. A brand new cutoff wheel works but abrades away quickly meaning you will move the dremel to finish the cut. A work around is to cut at an angle and then square it up

I had to cut a lot of track this is what I used, worked great! I was cutting Atlas solid rail, not sure how it would work on hollow rail.

@ScoutingDad posted:

I find the dremel tends to wander a bit so the cut can get angled.

The body of the dremel tends to get in the way for a 90 degree positioning of the cutoff wheel. A brand new cutoff wheel works but abrades away quickly meaning you will move the dremel to finish the cut. A work around is to cut at an angle and then square it up

Get yourself a Dremel Flex Shaft attachment and you can easily get vertical, controllable cuts.

https://www.dremel.com/gn/en/p...ble-shaft-26150225ab

It's available from lots of sellers.  I use 1.25" fiberglass reinforced cutting discs with the flex shaft.  I've made hundreds and hundreds of clean (after some quick cleanup of burrs with a small half-round file) cuts in Ross and Gargraves track over the past 40 years.  Nearly all cuts were made in place on the layout, so the cuts went exactly where I wanted them.

Thanks everyone.  

I ended up buying a $6 mini hacksaw from lowes and it worked out great.  Here is the complete loop running.  Thanks again for everyones input.

Looks good.  I take it you are like me, and don’t have a lot of cuts to make.  I have a few hand power tools, but none except the drill get a lot of use.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Looks good.  I take it you are like me, and don’t have a lot of cuts to make.  I have a few hand power tools, but none except the drill get a lot of use.

Yes sir. Only one cut so far.  It ended up being a weird shape dogbone but i like it. Nothing is ever supposed to be straight anyways. My work gets thin recycled rubber mats and we can take them home.  That is what i am putting under the track. We are going to start the inner loop in about 8 hours.  I cant wait to see where it goes. I am going fastrack for it because of all the switches i have and i want a yard for my Mi-Jack. I guess i will have a duck-under. I haven't figured out where to put the double pratt bridge yet also.  

Wow!  Those rubber matts sound like a great material for under the track!

Free is free. Yep they are awesome.  Super thin and easy to cut with a sharp blade.  They quieted the fastrack noticeably.  We started working on the inner bottom loop which is 072 today.  We got almost half of it done.  I will finish it up and take the track back off and put the rubber mat down and wire it up for power.  I am using my fastrack since i already have switches and track and didnt want to take a huge loss in money. The over pass is tall enough to clear the new lionel husky stacks.  

Just goofing off.

Its been a minute since i was able to get some work done.  Here are a few update photos. I was able to get a reverse loop and siding figured out on the north pole end.  The other end will have a yard and a reverse loop.  

The concept i am going after for the northern lights. I have to figure out the placement of the light to cut down the shadow of buildings and the tree when the lights are completely off. They stand out like a sore thumb.

I had a space between the table end and the wall. I shot the light effect (similar to that one) up the wall. I know your table or track bed is attached to the wall. Perhaps you could hide the light behind a building. You only need the end wall lit up with the effect.

It works for the effect. it doesn't have to be ultra-realistic. A theatrical lamp to do that costs thousands.

@Southern4501 posted:

The concept i am going after for the northern lights. I have to figure out the placement of the light to cut down the shadow of buildings and the tree when the lights are completely off. They stand out like a sore thumb.

I would move the light further back and or reposition the buildings so that the shadow is eliminated. The fixture could be hidden behind some scenery. Moving the light back will also lengthen the image projection and cover the wall better.

Looks good so far.

Bob

@Moonman posted:

I had a space between the table end and the wall. I shot the light effect (similar to that one) up the wall. I know your table or track bed is attached to the wall. Perhaps you could hide the light behind a building. You only need the end wall lit up with the effect.

It works for the effect. it doesn't have to be ultra-realistic. A theatrical lamp to do that costs thousands.

Yeah i tried behind the track and straight up the wall first. I know it will have to move.  There will be the brick viaduct before the village and mountains under so it might get hidden there.  I like yours. I couldnt find one with the green colors.  

@RSJB18 posted:

I would move the light further back and or reposition the buildings so that the shadow is eliminated. The fixture could be hidden behind some scenery. Moving the light back will also lengthen the image projection and cover the wall better.

Looks good so far.

Bob

I think i am going to hide it in the scenery from the bottom up facing the back wall. This was just a trial to get the idea going.  

Looks great,, but I’m sure will be better with some adjustments

Been goofing off for a couple of weeks. Actually working overtime so i really havent had the energy to work on the layout.  I worked on it some today.  I love the Menards billboard.  It really looks nice.  They give you 26 different billboards.  I might end up buying another one. I put a sinclair sign on the other side.  

I am going to add the red baron and snoopy fighting behind the tallest building.  I just have to find snoopy in the boxes.  

The town looks great!

I got a couple additions for the layout today from family.

@Southern4501 posted:

Been goofing off for a couple of weeks. Actually working overtime so i really havent had the energy to work on the layout.  I worked on it some today. I love the Menards billboard.  It really looks nice.  They give you 26 different billboards.  I might end up buying another one. I put a sinclair sign on the other side.  

Well done!

Peter

@Southern4501 posted:

I got a couple additions for the layout today from family.

Very nice additions.  I have both, although my station is the Quaker State version.  I live not far from Oil City Pennsylvania, original home of Quaker State, and worked in OC when the old headquarters building was on the north side of the Allegheny River!  The walking beam oil well is a staple for the area, though I’m going to have to remove Cripple Creek name on mine. 😉

@Mark Boyce posted:

Very nice additions.  I have both, although my station is the Quaker State version.  I live not far from Oil City Pennsylvania, original home of Quaker State, and worked in OC when the old headquarters building was on the north side of the Allegheny River!  The walking beam oil well is a staple for the area, though I’m going to have to remove Cripple Creek name on mine. 😉

That is cool. We grew up using Quaker State oil. I used to have some qrts laying around. Still have the old funnel too.  
Funny thing about the oil rig, our shooting range is called Cripple Creek because all 3 of us are always limping or hurting. We built it and named it that about 5 years ago.  

@Southern4501 posted:

That is cool. We grew up using Quaker State oil. I used to have some qrts laying around. Still have the old funnel too.  
Funny thing about the oil rig, our shooting range is called Cripple Creek because all 3 of us are always limping or hurting. We built it and named it that about 5 years ago.  

Cripple Creek is fitting then!  😄

@Putnam Division posted:

Well done!

Peter

Thanks, Peter. I am a novice. This is my first time building anything other then a flat layout.  

I received some more additions to the layout from my family.  Conex containers, tank car, the navy boxcar, and the memphis belle boxcar.  I also got more elves and caribou.

My wife got some of the ice fastrack for me also.   it also comes with a backdrop that looks like the frozen ice.  I cut it to fit on the curved areas.  Also loop 3 is connected but just basic structure for now.  I need to stud it up for support. There is also a reversing loop slid in there as well.