What did you do on your layout today?

Patrick, @trumptrain ,      I'm sure your Mom and Dad would be very impressed with your post earthquake renovation.

Steve

I installed 4 buildings. They still need a little shimming but are basically done.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Well, the only easy fix was to remove the offending DZ1000 screw and snug the other one down a little more.  We will see how well it holds up.  I wonder if there is enough plastic that I could countersink the plastic and put in flathead screws.

Hi Mark, yes there is enough plastic to countersink for a flat head screw. You could also simply remove the screw. One screw is enough to hold the switch machine in place. Also mounting the DZ100 on the opposite side allows the use of the other hole by the green LED along with the outside hole over the tie. I’ve done all of theses suggestions with no problems.

@romiller49 posted:

Hi Mark, yes there is enough plastic to countersink for a flat head screw. You could also simply remove the screw. One screw is enough to hold the switch machine in place. Also mounting the DZ100 on the opposite side allows the use of the other hole by the green LED along with the outside hole over the tie. I’ve done all of theses suggestions with no problems.

Rod, for now I have removed the screw and it seems to hold with one like you said.  Thank you for the confirmation that one holds fine.  Any of the other suggestions would mean moving the wires to a new hole, which is okay, but I think the other side of the engine would hit.

Mark, if you move the DZ1000 to the other side of the switch then you would use the two outermost screws.

Mark,  I too have countersunk screws in the DZ1000.   Don't use anything larger than a #4 flat head sheet metal screw.  Decent small local hardware stores will still have them for sale in 3/4 length. 

The saga of the Back Drops continues.  Finally decided in two areas to re-mount them to 1 inch thick pink hardboard insulation.  That will give me a 5 foot wide scale on the sides but make them stand off the main back drops.  I think they look better with the 1 inch insulation on the back, plus I raised most of them around a 1/2 inch so they're not buried in the scenery and ground cover.  Found some brick papers in my scrap box that matches pretty well so the sidewalls that are visible will get "wall papered".... 

Progress is slow when you're a freakin perfectionist... Ugh

Made some more progress on the Union Station deck, installed the 5 LED spot lights on the exterior side, and got the deck girder bridge ready for final priming and painting.   

Still have some work to do in the corner behind "Atlantic Ice & Cold Storage" but the building flats back there definitely filled in the horizon and don't make the corner look so much like a corner.

Getting ready to install the entrance concrete to my roundhouse. I've been jumping around on my scenery and seems like I've got nothing done. Got to change that with with winter projects on schedule.  A lot to do but so fun.

Ok FarmerJohn,  That's pretty awesome.  Haven't seen doors that operate remotely and smooth as silk like that before. 

Rod, I forgot about the other hole on the one side.  That’s a possibility.  
Chris, thank you for the tip on the size flathead screw.

Now I have three options, the other is counting on one screw to hold it.  Thank you, both!!

@farmerjohn posted:

Getting ready to install the entrance concrete to my roundhouse. I've been jumping around on my scenery and seems like I've got nothing done. Got to change that with with winter projects on schedule.  A lot to do but so fun.

Very nice John!

Lots of good stuff going on.

Chris- the backdrops look great. I like the perspective of the fire escapes.

John- that roundhouse is one of the coolest things I've seen on a layout. WOW!

Mark- Small problems always pop up. Moving the switch machine to the other side might do the trick.

Dave- the new buildings look good too.

Nothing much for me. I need to get my rear end in gear and get the trains set up under the tree. My fastrack is getting old so I want to add plywood strips for road bed. Again......need to get moving.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade Scott. The BB looks right at home at the head end. I wonder what Smokey the engineer would have done trying to get a BB across that frozen lake?

I was working from home today but actually had to WORK! To make it worse, my desk is right next to the layout. I did steal a few minutes and painted the inner rails on some of my 027 turnouts to insulate them. I ran my 0-6-0T over them with no issues. I will test with the BEEP next.

Bob

Hi Bob, update on the LionChief Plus 2.0 PE and derailment in Fastrack switches. This little locomotive goes through 036 and 048 Fastrack switches with ease towards the points or with the points, so no issues there. I have four 072 switches between mainline loops and there lies the problem. The PE locomotive WILL NOT go through or out of an 072 switch against the points, period. I've tried everything! One of two things happens: either the front truck climbs over the points or the truck makes it though and the first set of drivers climbs over the points with the same result - CRASH! The PE goes through the 072 switches in the direction of the points without a problem, limiting which direction I can run the PE loco on the mainline. Here's a video of the really sloppy driveline of the PE loco, and it's possible this might be the problem. It came out of the box like this, not sure what I can do about that. Plus, if I want to move the PE from one mainline loop to the other, I have to back it through the switch! LoL I think Lionel needs to replace their tooling for the driveline on this loco. Other than that, this little loco runs and sounds great!

And one more thing, this could also be an issue, too. Because the driveline is so sloppy I just noticed that the PE sort of crabs down the tracks.

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Hi Bob, update on the LionChief Plus 2.0 PE and derailment in Fastrack switches. This little locomotive goes through 036 and 048 Fastrack switches with ease towards the points or with the points, so no issues there. I have four 072 switches between mainline loops and there lies the problem. The PE locomotive WILL NOT go through or out of an 072 switch against the points, period. I've tried everything! One of two things happens: either the front truck climbs over the points or the truck makes it though and the first set of drivers climbs over the points with the same result - CRASH! The PE goes through the 072 switches in the direction of the points without a problem, limiting which direction I can run the PE loco on the mainline. Here's a video of the really sloppy driveline of the PE loco, and it's possible this might be the problem. It came out of the box like this, not sure what I can do about that. Plus, if I want to move the PE from one mainline loop to the other, I have to back it through the switch! LoL I think Lionel needs to replace their tooling for the driveline on this loco. Other than that, this little loco runs and sounds great!

And one more thing, this could also be an issue, too. Because the driveline is so sloppy I just noticed that the PE sort of crabs down the tracks.

That looks extremely sloppy Scott. I'm sure one of the mechanical experts will check it. You may be on to something if it doesn't ride straight on the rails.

Worked on my RIP's CASKET factory. I got it landscaped in and some dstail work on the buildings. Mostly done, I still need to get rid of the Sherwin Williams sign.

@chris a posted:

The saga of the Back Drops continues.  Finally decided in two areas to re-mount them to 1 inch thick pink hardboard insulation.  That will give me a 5 foot wide scale on the sides but make them stand off the main back drops.  I think they look better with the 1 inch insulation on the back, plus I raised most of them around a 1/2 inch so they're not buried in the scenery and ground cover.  Found some brick papers in my scrap box that matches pretty well so the sidewalls that are visible will get "wall papered".... Progress is slow when you're a freakin perfectionist... UghMade some more progress on the Union Station deck, installed the 5 LED spot lights on the exterior side, and got the deck girder bridge ready for final priming and painting.   Still have some work to do in the corner behind "Atlantic Ice & Cold Storage" but the building flats back there definitely filled in the horizon and don't make the corner look so much like a corner.

Chris, Your back drops look great. Staggering them really adds depth and the 1 inch bump out is genius. Overall an incredible job!

Hi guys, I know it's been a while and I am sorry for that. Life has got in the way, and I have not done anything on the layout for a little over a week, first we picked up a used travel trailer and then the snow came so I have been busy with both! LOL

I would really like to comment on everyone's great work, but I had to go back 3 pages to get up to speed on what everyone has been doing and man am I tired from reading all the great things you all are doing! I do want to say a few things about just a couple folks.

@RSJB18, Bob, great job on the lighting! Looks great!

@WesternPacific, Scott, you could try some heat to soften up the leg and try to bend it back into shape! I love the Christmas house!

@Dave Ripp. Wonderful job on the new buildings and I think you're doing an outstanding job on the RIP Casket Co. Who know, maybe Shermin Willams paid them to promote their company on the building!

@chris a Chris, wonderful job on the new arch look it is amazing just the little details make such a big difference! Your backdrops are really coming together and adding a great amount of depth to your layout! Just wonderful!

@farmerjohn, I am with Chirs a, I have never seen remote doors and that is so over the top cool! Makes me want one! LOL

Sorry if I didn't mention you as there is way too much for my little brain to handle! Sometimes I see what you all are doing and just go into a train coma overload! LOL

I don't know when I will get back to the train room as there are a fair amount of older folks that need help with keeping their driveway clear of snow without being charged out the rear, most of them I do it for free with my tractor, you know it's a pay it forward kind of thing!

Either way I will try to get here daily so i don't have to go back 3 pages! LOL

Everyone please be safe and find time to have fun with your layout and trains!

@chris a posted:

Mark,  I too have countersunk screws in the DZ1000.   Don't use anything larger than a #4 flat head sheet metal screw.  Decent small local hardware stores will still have them for sale in 3/4 length.

The saga of the Back Drops continues.  Finally decided in two areas to re-mount them to 1 inch thick pink hardboard insulation.  That will give me a 5 foot wide scale on the sides but make them stand off the main back drops.  I think they look better with the 1 inch insulation on the back, plus I raised most of them around a 1/2 inch so they're not buried in the scenery and ground cover.  Found some brick papers in my scrap box that matches pretty well so the sidewalls that are visible will get "wall papered"....

Progress is slow when you're a freakin perfectionist... Ugh

Made some more progress on the Union Station deck, installed the 5 LED spot lights on the exterior side, and got the deck girder bridge ready for final priming and painting.   

Still have some work to do in the corner behind "Atlantic Ice & Cold Storage" but the building flats back there definitely filled in the horizon and don't make the corner look so much like a corner.

Chris,

Many times when I see flats on a layout they look just like that, flat. However, you have really "worked" your flats in a way that makes them look like they have always been there. The way the colors blend and your careful placement is clever and effective. As for the perfectionist statement, I like that you may not know what you want at first, but keep working until you get it "right". In some cases it's the journey blah blah blah. Great work!

Dave

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Hi Bob, update on the LionChief Plus 2.0 PE and derailment in Fastrack switches. This little locomotive goes through 036 and 048 Fastrack switches with ease towards the points or with the points, so no issues there. I have four 072 switches between mainline loops and there lies the problem. The PE locomotive WILL NOT go through or out of an 072 switch against the points, period. I've tried everything! One of two things happens: either the front truck climbs over the points or the truck makes it though and the first set of drivers climbs over the points with the same result - CRASH! The PE goes through the 072 switches in the direction of the points without a problem, limiting which direction I can run the PE loco on the mainline. Here's a video of the really sloppy driveline of the PE loco, and it's possible this might be the problem. It came out of the box like this, not sure what I can do about that. Plus, if I want to move the PE from one mainline loop to the other, I have to back it through the switch! LoL I think Lionel needs to replace their tooling for the driveline on this loco. Other than that, this little loco runs and sounds great!

And one more thing, this could also be an issue, too. Because the driveline is so sloppy I just noticed that the PE sort of crabs down the tracks.

Bob' s   ( RSJB18 )  idea is on the mark about the spring.

I took the original spring out and replaced it with a considerably stronger spring.

I also opened up the pivot hole on the pilot especially from side to side .    ( MTH actually has a large opening for their pivot points to help the pilot move around more freely.

I had removed material behind the pilot wheels .....and....tapered the cylinders where the pilot still came up against them.

THE WHOLE IDEA , Scott , was to make sure the pilot really had GOOD PRESSURE on the track .....and .....the ability to have FREE UNOBSTRUCTED MOVEMENT  side to side .🙄

Your video on wheel slop shows pretty much what my PE has.     On tighter areas of the track the 8 drive wheel arraingment caused more problems when the wheels were too rigid on some of my other steamers.

NOW............🤔.INTERESTING 🤔.......that you only have problems n the O72s and not your sharper radius curve switches.       I have two of my six O72 Realtrax switches that occasionally have issues,  but none of my 054 or O31s.

Dave, (Luvindemtrains)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and compliments.  I have definitely come to the conclusion that I get better results if I "rough things in" with props sometimes, then start moving things around, walk away, take some photos & review, even sleep on it overnight.   I am glad I bought the 15 foot "unmounted" roll of building flats, so I had plenty of flexibility to mix, match and move them around

You are right alot is learned during the creative "journey", but it is satisfying when finally done.   

Haven't really worked extensively with back drops until this "my last" layout, it's interesting so far.  My goal is to use them to complement the scenes in front, and hopefully enhance them by creating believable visual depth, but neither dominate, nor detract if you know what I mean.... Ok enough of that !!!

Dave Ripp:   Thanks,  Yes I am very pleased with the difference the 1 inch backing makes.  Will try to get some matching brick sheets glued on Thursday.   

@chris a posted:

Haven't really worked extensively with back drops until this "my last" layout, it's interesting so far.  My goal is to use them to complement the scenes in front, and hopefully enhance them by creating believable visual depth, but neither dominate, nor detract.

Chris, You've done it!  It's hard to believe you'll get it any better but judging by what you've done I'm sure you will. Great job on what looks to be some of the best use of back drops I have seen here on the OGF.

Chris, like so many other craftsmen, your work is very impressive. I’m following your efforts closely as I intend to use flats and I want the depth perspective that you are creating. IMO you should consider submitting an article for publication in OGR. It would provide valuable additional insights for all of us; plus give the opportunity to study the process.

I reduced available open rail space by about 10".......

@RSJB18 posted:

I reduced available open rail space by about 10".......

Cute little engine, Bob. Maybe it’s just me, but I swear it sounds like a steamer!!!

@farmerjohn posted:

Getting ready to install the entrance concrete to my roundhouse. I've been jumping around on my scenery and seems like I've got nothing done. Got to change that with with winter projects on schedule.  A lot to do but so fun.

Farmer John,

Could you give a brief description on how you did this and possibly post a photo of the mechanism?

Thanks!

@Apples55 posted:

Cute little engine, Bob. Maybe it’s just me, but I swear it sounds like a steamer!!!

Washing machine was more to my thinking. The Williams 44 tonner that I have, has the same sound board.

The ERR upgrade that GRJ did on his with the gas doodlebug sounds works for me.

@farmerjohn posted:

Getting ready to install the entrance concrete to my roundhouse. I've been jumping around on my scenery and seems like I've got nothing done. Got to change that with with winter projects on schedule.  A lot to do but so fun.

You are going waaay toooo far with this hobby John.

Really something else sir........really nice execution of this idea.

Allegheny.  Yes  I'll take some pictures  of how we powered the doors and what it took to make them work . It took a lot of time to figure it out but has worked really good. I'll try to post those pictures and descriptions  of how this works Sat night. Have a family Christmas party Friday  night on my wife's  side of family so I'm tied up until then. Thanks for all the comments guys. Trains are fun especially  at Christmas.  Farmerjohn.

@farmerjohn posted:

Allegheny.  Yes  I'll take some pictures  of how we powered the doors and what it took to make them work . It took a lot of time to figure it out but has worked really good. I'll try to post those pictures and descriptions  of how this works Sat night. Have a family Christmas party Friday  night on my wife's  side of family so I'm tied up until then. Thanks for all the comments guys. Trains are fun especially  at Christmas.  Farmerjohn.

All I can say about your projects and pics Farmerjohn is "U B Da Man!"

Thanks for the inspirations and all that you share.

@farmerjohn posted:

Getting ready to install the entrance concrete to my roundhouse. I've been jumping around on my scenery and seems like I've got nothing done. Got to change that with with winter projects on schedule.  A lot to do but so fun.

farmerjohn,

I got one additional thing to say: "BOING!" (The sound of my eyes popping out after seeing this video)

After working on Plan D of The Blackwater Canyon Line for 2 years, I have declared heavy construction and wiring are done.  I moved a bunch of tools and materials to the garage to make room for scenery and structure building.  Granted, there will be times when I need to drag some of that out to wire lights etc.

I want to build my Carolina Craftsman Thomas West Virginia Station, but need some practice on a couple laser cut kits first.  I also want to get some scenery built as well.

Still hooking up a few accessories. Using isolated track sections on a small 5x10' layout can be tricky on spacing ect. allowing for train lengths. Thinking of toying with a 153IR and seeing if that works better in some areas. For instance my two parallel tracks under my bridge thinking it would span both tracks so close together.

Congratulations on your milestone Mark.

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Congratulations on your milestone Mark.

That's awsome Mark!

@Mark Boyce posted:

After working on Plan D of The Blackwater Canyon Line for 2 years, I have declared heavy construction and wiring are done.  I moved a bunch of tools and materials to the garage to make room for scenery and structure building.  Granted, there will be times when I need to drag some of that out to wire lights etc.

I want to build my Carolina Craftsman Thomas West Virginia Station, but need some practice on a couple laser cut kits first.  I also want to get some scenery built as well.

That's a great milestone Mark. We all know that no layout is ever finished but being able to clear certain milestones along the way is inspiring.

Looking forward to the belts and suspenders now.

Bob

After some discussion on another thread about K-line S-2's, I decided to take a look at one of my MP-15's that wasn't running. I bought it from Trainz several years ago but it's been a shelf queen ever since. The paint job on this one really pops so even though it didn't run I was still happy with the purchase.

I wasn't sure where the problem was so I started investigating.
First off- this model has a K-line feature that none of my others do- a series parallel switch for the motors. I have re-wired all of my engines in series since they are jack rabbits/ road runner's anyway so it is not needed in my world.
It also has a sound board for a horn, a very sick-cow sounding one at that.
When I was testing it, I could occasionally get the motors to run but they were intermittent. I figured a loose wire was the cause but I couldn't make sense of the spaghetti of wiring because of the S/P switching and the sound set up.

So major surgery was in order. Out came the sound board, speaker, S/P switch and board, and main board.

You could almost call it a crime scene when I was done.

Pretty sloppy splice and solder work on the power wiring. I pulled about a yard of electrical tape off of them.

Next stop was to test the motors with an old HO power pack. Both run fine other than needing to grease the gears.

I then hooked each motor to the board and tested. Same issue of intermittent power so I knew the problem was on the board. Nothing looked burned out so a close inspection of the rear of the board yielded the answer.

One leg of one of the triacs was not soldered to the board. It was a quick repair and the power flows consistently now.

I still need to reassemble everything but I'm happy I was able to fix the problem. A shout out to @brianel_k-lineguy who provided some advice also.

Bob

Mark, that is great news! Congratulation! Now you can limit the amount of time under the layout and have fun letting your imagination run wild with scenery!

@RSJB18 posted:

After some discussion on another thread about K-line S-2's, I decided to take a look at one of my MP-15's that wasn't running. I bought it from Trainz several years ago but it's been a shelf queen ever since. The paint job on this one really pops so even though it didn't run I was still happy with the purchase.

I wasn't sure where the problem was so I started investigating.
First off- this model has a K-line feature that none of my others do- a series parallel switch for the motors. I have re-wired all of my engines in series since they are jack rabbits/ road runner's anyway so it is not needed in my world.
It also has a sound board for a horn, a very sick-cow sounding one at that.
When I was testing it, I could occasionally get the motors to run but they were intermittent. I figured a loose wire was the cause but I couldn't make sense of the spaghetti of wiring because of the S/P switching and the sound set up.

So major surgery was in order. Out came the sound board, speaker, S/P switch and board, and main board.

You could almost call it a crime scene when I was done.

Pretty sloppy splice and solder work on the power wiring. I pulled about a yard of electrical tape off of them.

Next stop was to test the motors with an old HO power pack. Both run fine other than needing to grease the gears.

I then hooked each motor to the board and tested. Same issue of intermittent power so I knew the problem was on the board. Nothing looked burned out so a close inspection of the rear of the board yielded the answer.

One leg of one of the triacs was not soldered to the board. It was a quick repair and the power flows consistently now.

I still need to reassemble everything but I'm happy I was able to fix the problem. A shout out to @brianel_k-lineguy who provided some advice also.

Bob

Bob,  I sure am glad you were able to figure things out, now you can run it on your layout and sit there with a nice cold one with a big smile on your face knowing that you are the man that made it run! Congrats!

Thank you, Jay, Dave, Bob, Mike!  Yes Mike, I’m tired of that one spot where all the wires come through the side of the double sided control board.  Even though that was a pain, I still think it was the best placement of things.  Good thing there aren’t any wire connections there, just a wire pull point.  I’ll be posting an update on my Blackwater Canyon Line topic soon.

Bob, excellent troubleshooting on the MP15!!!

Mark,  Another congratulations on reaching that major milepost marker !   

Bob,  Great write up on the K Line S-2.   That is a really sharp looking paint scheme on that engine.

Jay Francis:  Thanks for your comments and kind words.  No guarantees on that article in the near future, but if you have some specific questions, send me an email and I'll be happy to share what I learned. 

I have had two great days here.   My ZW-C set up has had a "gremlin" for quite a while, dropping power intermittently, 99% of the time on Power District 4,  (Track 4), and every once in a blue moon on Track 3, also.  Anyway, a week ago, I purchased the entire ZW-C set up that BlueLine was selling here on the forum, for the NJ Hi-Railers, and after some trouble shooting yesterday, changing out 180 Watt Bricks, one at a time, to no avail, I went ahead and pulled the main ZW controller out and put in the replacement.  Everything is running perfectly.  Words don't describe how happy I am about this, I was dreading the possibility that some how, some where I had made a wiring error that was causing the intermittent issues.   

Today we had another one of those 60 degree days here south of Boston 9 days before Christmas ????  So out came all the supplies:  Made 10 large "puff ball trees" which will become 20 once I slit them in 1/2, clear coated 8 large Sage Brush Trees that I brought back from Arizona when I was there with my sister back in September.  I plan to use two of these large Sage Brush tree armatures in the transition area shown below.   Finally came up with a plan to create a "scenic transition" that was required before I could go much further with finalizing the large back drop buildings behind the Union Station.  Then to top it off I took out the 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive, and mounted the very last flat to it's 1 inch backing and bricked up 4 small side walls (on the back drop buildings), so I don't have to look at the pink insulation.   

Finally getting the newest addition placed