What did you do on your layout today?

My dilemma is that whatever I do, it :

1. Has to look reasonably believable.

2. Has to be easily portable.

3. Has to be easy to maintain.

4. Has to use most  (if not all) of what I already have, since I already have a fortune invested in it.

My next challenge:  I want to change the buildings in the next picture. I may want to re-define the place by switching out the lower building on the right, for a taller one......possibly a 3 story Buildings Unlimited or Woodland Scenics structure.

Thank you for your patience as I ramble on......

Have a great weekend.

Peter

Good morning everyone! I am currently on the way to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, but I have had a layover in Dallas, Texas. Train stuff has been delayed so not much new stuff has been happening. However, I was able to do some minor train operations. I decided to make a simple coal run up and down the mountain. Here is a video of it.

@Putnam Division posted:

My dilemma is that whatever I do, it :

1. Has to look reasonably believable.

2. Has to be easily portable.

3. Has to be easy to maintain.

Thank you for your patience as I ramble on......

Have a great weekend.

Peter

Peter,

You have a lock on #1 no problem there.
As to #2 I have been amazed at the complexity of your modules. The amount of detail and the sheer size of some of the scenery is amazing and then to think that it gets taken apart and transported; I’m in awe.

Disassembled the floor layout and packed everything up in preparation for a layout build in a different room.

Follow my build progress by using the link in my signature.

I hope everyone is having a great labor day weekend!

Wow! I can’t believe the amount and skill level of the work! Well done all.

Bob, nice work on the switches and surrounding area. You certainly made good use of you time.
Bill, tell Paula she does excellent work. The transformation is an article by itself.

Lee, glad to hear everything went well. You have a layout to be proud of for sure.

Mike, the vehicles are ready for the road, we’ll done.

Peter, excellent transformation, wow.

I’m going back to reread the last two pages of this thread…

Andy

@Steamfan77 posted:

Wow! I can’t believe the amount and skill level of the work! Well done all.

Bob, nice work on the switches and surrounding area. You certainly made good use of you time.
Bill, tell Paula she does excellent work. The transformation is an article by itself.

Lee, glad to hear everything went well. You have a layout to be proud of for sure.

Mike, the vehicles are ready for the road, we’ll done.

Peter, excellent transformation, wow.

I’m going back to reread the last two pages of this thread…

Andy

Thanks Andy.

I really don't feel I'm in the league with some of you guys. My humble little layout with 027 track and curves pales in comparison to some of the layouts (yours included), that are showcased here.

That being said, I'm proud of what I've accomplished and will take these skills and apply them to a bigger and better layout one day.

Thanks again

Bob

My daughter took this light hearted video of my layout last week. Grandsons appear near the end.

https://youtu.be/UOFoV0Nx2QA

Sorry Bob, I disagree. Many smaller layouts are very well done (like yours) and it’s what you do with the space you have that counts. You should be proud of your layout. It’s a lot of action in a small package. Can’t wait to see what you do with a larger space.

Andy

@Bob "O" posted:

My daughter took this light hearted video of my layout last week. Grandsons appear near the end.

https://youtu.be/UOFoV0Nx2QA

Bob, I thoroughly enjoyed the video, it was well done. I saw some really nice scenery, it would be nice to see some still shots to be able to study the scenes. The water was very convincing.

I painted the sides of the rails and weathered the Fastrack roadbed on my little oval. Now that it's mostly complete I'm very happy with the look.

One thing I'm not happy with is the Superfund cleanup site in the making over at Whaddle County Fuel. It's not quite clear how those guys get the petroleum products from the railroad cars into the tanks, but however it's done they're a little sloppy about it and oil is literally drenching the track. This is probably the kind of mess that the EPA would be very interested in, except that the EPA won't be signed into law for about another 12 years.

@Bob "O" posted:

My daughter took this light hearted video of my layout last week. Grandsons appear near the end.

https://youtu.be/UOFoV0Nx2QA

Great video Bob. The music frames the scenes on your layout perfectly.

Thanks for sharing.

@Steamfan77 posted:

Sorry Bob, I disagree. Many smaller layouts are very well done (like yours) and it’s what you do with the space you have that counts. You should be proud of your layout. It’s a lot of action in a small package. Can’t wait to see what you do with a larger space.

Andy

Thanks Andy. I'm probably my own worst critic. Much appreciated. As to the larger space issue, gonna be a while until I can convince the CEO that we don't need all the baby clothes and toys any more (kids are 24, and 18 now).

@John's Trains posted:

I painted the sides of the rails and weathered the Fastrack roadbed on my little oval. Now that it's mostly complete I'm very happy with the look.

Nice work John. I like the added "turnout" for the elevator.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

...Nice work John. I like the added "turnout" for the elevator.

Bob

Than you, Bob. I'm kinda liking the constraints of a small space. There's no way I could fit a real turnout for that coal elevator and this fake one works for me.

John

@Bob "O" posted:

My daughter took this light hearted video of my layout last week. Grandsons appear near the end.

https://youtu.be/UOFoV0Nx2QA

Thanks for sharing. We go see the Glen Miller Orchestra every year. Nothing like a big band orchestra.

Paul

@Bob "O" posted:

My daughter took this light hearted video of my layout last week. Grandsons appear near the end.

https://youtu.be/UOFoV0Nx2QA

Tell your daughter......WELL DONE!  

I shared it with the 40+ members of my modular group!

Peter

Nice work John, I like the updates you've made, The backstory is funny. Better keep an eye on those guys.

Andy

I have another batch of trees ready for some paint. Tan on the trunks and black on the tops. Next step is to add the flocking. In the last picture I have another batch drying waiting for paint.

Andy

I don't do a whole lot of major stuff to the layout in the summer. Kids are too busy with stuff. I usually do minor things like change out car loads and figures. I've been playing with some engine blocks and things I 3D printed on the Mars 3. I finally got some ratchet strap handles printed that I think work. Not exactly to scale, but the smallest I could print and not destroy while painting or glueing together. Plan to place these on some flatbeds or gondolas

@LT1Poncho posted:

I don't do a whole lot of major stuff to the layout in the summer. Kids are too busy with stuff. I usually do minor things like change out car loads and figures. I've been playing with some engine blocks and things I 3D printed on the Mars 3. I finally got some ratchet strap handles printed that I think work. Not exactly to scale, but the smallest I could print and not destroy while painting or glueing together. Plan to place these on some flatbeds or gondolas

Nicely done!

Not an especially fun week. In the middle of switching  16 yard turnouts from Touch Toggles (don’t work with Legacy) to DCS control.

This involves wiring and adding 2 AIUs (done), 32 relays (20 wired and mounted on board), connecting 32 AIU terminals to the relays (10 done), disconnecting the 16 turnouts from the Tough Toggles and connecting them to  the relays (6 done), programming 16 turnouts into the remote (0 properly), labeling everything, and loading it into the computer so we can locate it a year from now when something breaks.

Everything has to be tested; invariably something is wrong and the problem must be found and corrected (1 to troubleshoot).

Time for a glass of Chardonnay.

@Bill Webb posted:

Not an especially fun week. In the middle of switching  16 yard turnouts from Touch Toggles (don’t work with Legacy) to DCS control.

This involves wiring and adding 2 AIUs (done), 32 relays (20 wired and mounted on board), connecting 32 AIU terminals to the relays (10 done), disconnecting the 16 turnouts from the Tough Toggles and connecting them to  the relays (6 done), programming 16 turnouts into the remote (0 properly), labeling everything, and loading it into the computer so we can locate it a year from now when something breaks.

Everything has to be tested; invariably something is wrong and the problem must be found and corrected (1 to troubleshoot).

Time for a glass of Chardonnay.

So if I look up self-inflicted torture in Webster's, will I find this post?

@Bill Webb posted:

Not an especially fun week. In the middle of switching  16 yard turnouts from Touch Toggles (don’t work with Legacy) to DCS control.

This involves wiring and adding 2 AIUs (done), 32 relays (20 wired and mounted on board), connecting 32 AIU terminals to the relays (10 done), disconnecting the 16 turnouts from the Tough Toggles and connecting them to  the relays (6 done), programming 16 turnouts into the remote (0 properly), labeling everything, and loading it into the computer so we can locate it a year from now when something breaks.

Everything has to be tested; invariably something is wrong and the problem must be found and corrected (1 to troubleshoot).

Time for a glass of Chardonnay.

You mean time for the whole bottle!

Hang in there - it'll be worth it in the long run!

-Greg

WOW after a page and a half I finely got to the end! LOL

You all have been doing such wonderful work, I wish I would have read all this sooner! Well either way here we go, you all know what is about to happen! If you guys don't like it let me know and I will just hand out a lot of likes when I have been off for a few days!

@RSJB18 Bob, outstanding work on the switch getting it all to blend in! The ground cover between the tracks sure is going to be nice when your completed!

@Bill Webb Bill you Paula, and Rich have done such an Amazing job on the station! I have never thought about getting that detail into it, maybe I will have to rethink that! LOL

@p51Lee I am glad you had a good turn out to see your wonderful layout! It would have sucked after what you went threw to get ready and not may people showed up! Let's just say I know! LOL

@Putnam Division Peter You know when you go in for an urban renewal you really go all in! OUTSTABDING!

@Jstewart204 WOW that kind of sucks! I hope the new layout is better for you!

@Bob "O" Great video of a wonderful looking layout with great scenery! Tell your daughter thank you!

@John's Trains John GREAT job on the fast track! I had to look twice! LOL As for the cleanup keep your job and don't tell the EPA! LOL

@Steamfan77 Andy the trees look outstanding! Very nice work, maybe I will give it a try this winter! LOL Then again maybe not!

@LT1Poncho The engine blocks look perfect along with the cargo straps! I wish I have a 3D printer, but then again I would have to learn how to use it! LOL

Well now that I have reached the end of my comment section, I hinted in my comment to LEE P51. I spent a little time last week trying to make sure all my trains ran fine, and everything worked as I was excepting the kids, grandkids, friends from my old work with their kids and grandkids!

The good thing is that when I tested everything it all ran just fine, and it gave me a lot of time in the train room running trains!

The bad thing is nobody showed up to see the trains running! So, it was me and my Coors Light along with the CEO when she was free from what she was doing! Either way we had a good weekend with each other, and the weather was really nice!

I hope you all have great week and find time to have fun with your layout and trains!

Mike, I’m sorry the kids didn’t show up, but glad you had fun running trains.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Mike, I’m sorry the kids didn’t show up, but glad you had fun running trains.

Mike, that's a shame no one showed up. Hopefully they can stop by in the near future.  I'm glad you went ahead and made the best of it!

-Greg

Final assembly of my eight remaining NP NCL passenger cars (one was completed some weeks ago) continues.

Assembly includes the trucks and frames, but these cars have interiors with little people and receive @gunrunnerjohn DIY regulators and LED strip lighting.

The combo car is complete except for windows/glazing.  Next up is the diner.

Just click on the image to view full size image.

Note: I'm out of 3528 LEDs, so I used 5050 size.

@Pingman posted:

Final assembly of my eight remaining NP NCL passenger cars (one was completed some weeks ago) continues.

Assembly includes the trucks and frames, but these cars have interiors with little people and receive @gunrunnerjohn DIY regulators and LED strip lighting.

The combo car is complete except for windows/glazing.  Next up is the diner.

Just click on the image to see full size.

Note: I'm was out of 3528 LEDs, so I used 5050 size.

Carl, the Northern Pacific passenger car looks awesome! Nicely done!

Ran a few trains over the weekend for my grandson. He sure loves trains! I had him work the controls for a bit. He did good for being just over 2 years old but still likes to go heavy on the throttle!

I need to do a few small adjustments and the inner loop will be up and running again.

No work currently being done and it might be a while before work is done. More on that later.

@Bill Webb posted:

Not an especially fun week. In the middle of switching  16 yard turnouts from Touch Toggles (don’t work with Legacy) to DCS control.

This involves wiring and adding 2 AIUs (done), 32 relays (20 wired and mounted on board), connecting 32 AIU terminals to the relays (10 done), disconnecting the 16 turnouts from the Tough Toggles and connecting them to  the relays (6 done), programming 16 turnouts into the remote (0 properly), labeling everything, and loading it into the computer so we can locate it a year from now when something breaks.

Everything has to be tested; invariably something is wrong and the problem must be found and corrected (1 to troubleshoot).

Time for a glass of Chardonnay.

Bill,

So here we go. I'm new to all this. I took up trains after I retired. I had my first mini layout at Christmas. We inherited a Lionel set from the 1930s, but I didn't want to run it too much as it had sat in an attic for the better part of 40 years. When we were sure that the grandkids would be able to make it here this year, I was allowed to use the dining room, so I set up 2 4x8s and started collecting. It wasn't much, but the kids loved it.

Now that the kids are gone, so is my train room. I cleared the basement and opened up a large area with electricity and internet. Now I have to decide exactly what I want to do. A couple of things. It has to stay simple, I want to get it done and run trains. I have no artistic talent, none, zero. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. Also, not great at carpentry, like measure 4 times and still cut wrong. I so envy the work I see folks doing here and on Youtube.

Hopefully, I can come up with something that will be within my means and look good.

@mike g.- Thanks for the compliment. It's a never ending process.

Sorry no one showed to see the trains but look on the bright side, everything ran flawlessly, you had a few cold one's, and relaxed with the CEO.

@Pingman- The cars look great Carl.

@Bill Webb- As much as I like a good wiring challenge, sounds like you are up to your eyeballs in it. Personally, I'd be into the single-malt by now.

No train time for me this past weekend- I was "assigned" a project by the CEO to patch and paint a wall in the in-law's house. I did manage to snag this at HD while picking up a gallon of paint. They were running a free battery sale for Labor Day.
The 2-drill kit was $229. The battery alone was another $89.00 so a good deal for sure. I have a Milwaukee mini sawzall with the same battery already.

@TimMacPA posted:

So here we go. I'm new to all this. I took up trains after I retired. I had my first mini layout at Christmas. We inherited a Lionel set from the 1930s, but I didn't want to run it too much as it had sat in an attic for the better part of 40 years. When we were sure that the grandkids would be able to make it here this year, I was allowed to use the dining room, so I set up 2 4x8s and started collecting. It wasn't much, but the kids loved it.

Now that the kids are gone, so is my train room. I cleared the basement and opened up a large area with electricity and internet. Now I have to decide exactly what I want to do. A couple of things. It has to stay simple, I want to get it done and run trains. I have no artistic talent, none, zero. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. Also, not great at carpentry, like measure 4 times and still cut wrong. I so envy the work I see folks doing here and on Youtube.

Hopefully, I can come up with something that will be within my means and look good.

You’ve started, that’s step 1. And it looks like there is plenty of room to expand. 😜
Is that base board heat that I see? I read that you want to go simple; but some things are easier to do before the table. Are you going to rock the wall? Are going to put a drop ceiling; or rock it? Don’t let me scare you away! If you would rather not do that; maybe put casters on the table legs for future use.
Final—It’s your layout and it must please you!

@pennsyfan posted:

You’ve started, that’s step 1. And it looks like there is plenty of room to expand. 😜
Is that base board heat that I see? I read that you want to go simple; but some things are easier to do before the table. Are you going to rock the wall? Are going to put a drop ceiling; or rock it? Don’t let me scare you away! If you would rather not do that; maybe put casters on the table legs for future use.
Final—It’s your layout and it must please you!

On the floor, that's a french drain. Heat is overhead. I'm not doing anymore to the basement.I want to get the table up so I can run trains, that's it.

@TimMacPA posted:

So here we go. I'm new to all this. I took up trains after I retired. I had my first mini layout at Christmas. We inherited a Lionel set from the 1930s, but I didn't want to run it too much as it had sat in an attic for the better part of 40 years. When we were sure that the grandkids would be able to make it here this year, I was allowed to use the dining room, so I set up 2 4x8s and started collecting. It wasn't much, but the kids loved it.

Now that the kids are gone, so is my train room. I cleared the basement and opened up a large area with electricity and internet. Now I have to decide exactly what I want to do. A couple of things. It has to stay simple, I want to get it done and run trains. I have no artistic talent, none, zero. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. Also, not great at carpentry, like measure 4 times and still cut wrong. I so envy the work I see folks doing here and on Youtube.

Hopefully, I can come up with something that will be within my means and look good.

Hi Tim- I'm jealous of your space. A couple comments.
1- If you don't want to build benches from scratch- check out Mianne Benchwork (a sponsor). They can build and ship you a modular system that will suit your needs. Just add tops and you would be ready for track.
2- If you aren't adding a ceiling, then at least cover the insulation with plastic. It will contain the dust and fibers that will continually rain down on the layout.

What kind of track plan do you have in mind?

Bob

@TimMacPA posted:

On the floor, that's a french drain. Heat is overhead. I'm not doing anymore to the basement.I want to get the table up so I can run trains, that's it.

Tim, that’s a nice large space!  Yes, I see the French drain.  My mother-in-law had to get one put in her last house, then promptly bought a house near us.

Yes, I can see the urge to get trains running, and why not.  It looks like you have some table started.  You could build something not complex like you did at Christmas, then do something different as you gain some knowledge and skills.  I hear you about measure 4 times and still cut wrong.  I still do it, and my carpentry is rough.  It will be covered with scenery…someday.  Yes there are a lot of folks here with great skill and better tools than I have, but my guess is guys like you and me outnumber them.

I'm retired too, almost 3 years now.  It took a while to get trains running, and now I’m making a change, so the continuous mainline is broken again.  I said that just to say you can change things around as you go.

What kind of track did you use on the Christmas layout and what did you use to control the train(s)?  Do you want to stay with that or make an upgrade?  Do you have any buildings and are you interested in building kits?  

Finally for now, Welcome aboard!  This is a great hobby and don’t let anything you see on the Forum intimidate you.  Ask plenty of questions.  I had HO trains for years and it was these Forum members who helped my learning curve moving to 3-rail O gauge and modern trains.

Not on my layout; but on my workbench. My buddy called that his Bascule bridge was humming but not moving. I went over there and tried to turn the spring shaft as he applied power. It moved. I decided to take it with me. I took the house off and applied power. I noticed the armature plate moved. There was a screw missing at the bottom of the plate. When I held the plate in position it ran. I installed a new screw and it’s all good. I applied the NY Telephone test requirements and ran it for 25 cycles before I gave it back.

I have never been happy with my city of New Haven along with an old Bowser 20" turntable. So we ripped it all out and I am now putting down a hardboard sub base over plywood to help smooth out the multiple pieces of wood. Also doing some landscaping around that area as well.  Everything is pretty well scattered.

TimMacPa, congratulations on getting started and that is a good sized space. Please recognize that the majority of us don’t have the artistic and construction skills. However, we do possess imagination and that is what inspires our efforts. I might suggest that you do some research on the forum, review back issues of OGR and read other materials. Train shows are also good sources. Many can probably attest to this that we see something and the imagination is ignited.
Jay

Wired one of my Fastrack uncouplers to the auxiliary on my transformer. Know I can uncouple cars without highballing out of the siding to generate enough voltage to activate it.

This came today.......great service from Trainz......ordered mid-day on Monday.

Look for it to replace on the one story brick building with the red trim on the modular layout.... maybe as early as tomorrow....

Have a great evening, folks!

Peter