What did you do on your layout today?

@Lou N posted:

Sorry Peter, I couldn't pass this up.......

Physician, heal thyself. 

Lou N

My tetanus is up to date!  

Peter

Peter, maybe use needle nose or side cutter type pliers? I feel your pain…

Andy

@mike g. posted:

Thats what I get for being Cocky! LOL Next time I will keep any eye on what the heck I am doing!

Gomez would be proud of you...

Mitch

Thanks guys I am glad you had fun with my crash! LOL I hope your all doing well!

I have been doing some thinking and with winter coming and a new train inspector I might do some change ups on the layout. I am thinking about making the city on the lower level, so it is easier to see and just making an elevated section that runs around above it.

Then I am scratching my head on how to reincorporate the atlas double bridge back into action and put the walkway back where it was. As always, I am open to all your thoughts!

I love all the track for the trains, but I think it might be more entering with more structures for the trains to run around!

Please give me your thoughts!

I hope your all having a great week so far and having fun with your layout and trains!

@mike g.  Well you asked for opinions - this is mine - as many have said the trains are the actors the layout is the stage. What you have in the layout has to make sense with respect to the trains. There are all sorts of layouts on this forum, some traditional, some scale, some purely fantasy. Done right they all look great and can be appreciated by the owner and visitors (real and virtual).  For me the world is not flat so neither should my layout - yours is not. The actors need to have a purpose, they need to move on and off stage, become the feature and then fade into the background. Your comment on more buildings or structures aligns with this premise - give the actors a purpose. How you accomplish that is up to you. And as I am finding out,  is one of the reasons we rebuild our layouts from time to time. 

@ScoutingDad posted:

@mike g.  Well you asked for opinions - this is mine - as many have said the trains are the actors the layout is the stage. What you have in the layout has to make sense with respect to the trains. There are all sorts of layouts on this forum, some traditional, some scale, some purely fantasy. Done right they all look great and can be appreciated by the owner and visitors (real and virtual).  For me the world is not flat so neither should my layout - yours is not. The actors need to have a purpose, they need to move on and off stage, become the feature and then fade into the background. Your comment on more buildings or structures aligns with this premise - give the actors a purpose. How you accomplish that is up to you. And as I am finding out,  is one of the reasons we rebuild our layouts from time to time.

Thanks Jeff, now all I have to do is get there! I think I am going to just spend some time watching and looking at the layout as it sits now and try and figure out where I think I want to go. I really wish I had some people that lived close to come by and look, but I don't. I might ask some friends for thoughts, but lasty time I did that they all said it looks fine. It's a slippery slope! LOL

Hi Jeff and everyone, else, I thought it would help if I posted a photo of my layout as it is now!

@mike g.  Mike where do you prefer to stand or sit when operating the layout? Do you like eye level views or top down views?  Where do your guests place themselves?

Reason I ask is I could not tolerate being in the center of my layout. I would have to spin like a top to watch the action and I realized that was not going to work out.  Fortunately I had to have an aisleway in the room which allowed me to sit/stand outside the layout and watch 3 trains run.  Of course the grandkids loved to dance in the middle and Ryan could get much closer to the action in the middle - that was his favorite spot.

I would love to have a walk in layout.  Wondering why you decided on the bridges and not a dog bone type of layout.

Mike, why not start a separate post on the progress on your layout? That way the comments and suggestions are kept in one place rather than spread all over the WDYDOYLT topic (this one). I created mine after reading Mark's and others.  When it gets to more detail and discussion I will often go to private messaging or email.

Last question other than your runway - what else would you want to have on your layout if limited to 3 to 5 main areas?  Like making a short list from Must Have / Want to Have / Nice to Have thinking.

This is where the fun begins!  Jeff

Hi Jeff, Thanks for your input! I did some searching on the net and think I found the one I want. It belongs to a gentleman named James Long. I am trying to build a SCARM layout of it from photos of his. It has everything I want.

1) Town or City area.

2)Small industrial area.

3) a mountain area.

4) Last but not least an airfield

Here is a copy of his layout with photos and a nice video.

I hope its ok that I posted a link to his layout.

James Long’s O-Scale Railroad Layout | Train layouts of Big Canoe | smokesignalsnews.com

@mike g.  Holy Cow Mike, that is very similar to your layout. Nice find. 

Finally finished the table(s). Just have to tack down the top tomorrow. Take a day off Saturday then paint. I have been talked into painting the concrete wall, so sky blue it will be, and the table will be some shade of dirt.  Already sketched in the yard area on the 4x4 L off the end.

@ScoutingDad, Thanks Jeff, now all I have to do is get it transfered to SCARM! LOL Working on that now. It's going to take a while but oh well!

@TimMacPA Tim, that looks like a great start! What a huge room!

Mike, I agree with Jeff on several points. The layout should be what you want, whatever your prefer. And you should start your own thread. I find it helpful in ways I didn’t expect. It’s kind of a chronicle of your thinking and execution of your vision. You can also have more in depth discussions regarding certain aspects of your layout. You have a very interesting layout, and I (and I’m sure many others) would stop in frequently to comment.

Tim, you’re off to a great start! Keep it coming.

Andy

@mike g. posted:

@ScoutingDad, Thanks Jeff, now all I have to do is get it transfered to SCARM! LOL Working on that now. It's going to take a while but oh well!

@TimMacPA Tim, that looks like a great start! What a huge room!

I'm with Andy on build thread Mike. Didn't you have one when you built the train room?

Dig it up and pick up where you left off. We will all be happy to arm chair quarterback from 1000's of miles away. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Hi Bob @RSJB18, I agree with you and Jeff and will find my old update thread. I will post my thoughts there and wait for input. I will post the layout drawing when I get it done and go from there!

I would have all day to work on it but between doctor appointment, getting ready for small windstorm, loading up the firewood bin, really doesnt leave me much time! LOL Oh well such is life!

I hope you all have a great weekend and have fun on your layout and trains!
P.S. @ScoutingDad Jeff don't work to hard packing things up!

A  quandary.

im still working on my bait and boat scene. I ordered 2 1/4 scale outboard motors from a 3d shop. I think they are way off. The motor is about 3/4 of an inch so 3 feet long and about a 1 1/2 ft wide. By comparison I also took a picture of a woodland scenic family fishing accessories pack.

.

I just posted this on scenery forum.
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...c/166699604238564480

@pennsyfan posted:

A  quandary.

im still working on my bait and boat scene. I ordered 2 1/4 scale outboard motors from a 3d shop. I think they are way off. The motor is about 3/4 of an inch so 3 feet long and about a 1 1/2 ft wide..

Based on these dimensions it seems OK. It’s most likely based on a motor of high HP.

I made progress on the two-lane concrete grade  crossing in town. I used rails from a straight section of FastTrack to form the guardrail edge for the concrete. Still have to cut rails from an O-36 section for the curved part of the crossing, but I painted the road first out of impatience. Something wasn't right and i realized I forgot Joints in the concrete. (The joints ended up a little too big.)

@mike g. posted:

Hi Bob @RSJB18, I agree with you and Jeff and will find my old update thread. I will post my thoughts there and wait for input. I will post the layout drawing when I get it done and go from there!

I would have all day to work on it but between doctor appointment, getting ready for small windstorm, loading up the firewood bin, really doesnt leave me much time! LOL Oh well such is life!

I hope you all have a great weekend and have fun on your layout and trains!
P.S. @ScoutingDad Jeff don't work to hard packing things up!

I’m for the @mike g. Thread!

not sure if this counts as “on” the layout, but I finally hung shelves long enough for the Acela sets.

This past week I finished the ballast loads needed to complete my Hart hopper expansion project, so today was an operational day on the layout.   It was also a Bump-N-Go trolley day.   We had a great time riding the trolleys through the narrow street of Lisbon, Portugal this October, so I was inspired to get mine moving.   Took some video to document the day!  

Cheers, Dave

@darlander posted:

This past week I finished the ballast loads needed to complete my Hart hopper expansion project, so today was an operational day on the layout.   It was also a Bump-N-Go trolley day.   We had a great time riding the trolleys through the narrow street of Lisbon, Portugal this October, so I was inspired to get mine moving.   Took some video to document the day!  

Cheers, Dave

Very nice, I'd like to be on that scenic trolly ride.

Today I finished putting down a base scenery layer around both main lines and ballasting them.  Or as I call it, 160' of hel1..lol. Yeah, I really dislike ballasting.  Now to do the same for the branch line and sidings.

-Greg

@M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Yup!  Also Sluggo from the "Mr. Bill Show"... 

Mitch

Oh, no!! He's going to be mean to me!

Dayton, Ohio train show pictures:

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...7#166558866715881687

@darlander posted:

This past week I finished the ballast loads needed to complete my Hart hopper expansion project, so today was an operational day on the layout.   It was also a Bump-N-Go trolley day.   We had a great time riding the trolleys through the narrow street of Lisbon, Portugal this October, so I was inspired to get mine moving.   Took some video to document the day!  

Cheers, Dave

Great videos Dave. Love the trolley action and the steamer belching smoke coming out of the tunnel under that great mountain is awesome.

Bob

@darlander posted:

This past week I finished the ballast loads needed to complete my Hart hopper expansion project, so today was an operational day on the layout.   It was also a Bump-N-Go trolley day.   We had a great time riding the trolleys through the narrow street of Lisbon, Portugal this October, so I was inspired to get mine moving.

Your layout, trains and that mountain are amazing. Just beautiful.

John

Did a bit of catenary  concept work...

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...9#166699604266569569

Vinny had been looking for a trailer since Vic put together his coffee bar on the adjoining property. All Vinny had was an old wharf. He wanted to set up a bait shop and boat rental. Vinny spoke to Quinn the scrap yard guy. He asked Quinn to be on the lookout for a trailer, a camper or a school bus. When Quinn acquired a trolley that was damaged in a wreck he let Vinny know. Vinny got over to the scrap yard before the trolley was unloaded.

He struck a deal with Quinn to have it transported to his site which is adjacent to Main 1 and Main 1A  leading to Penn station. The only window that Quinn could find was early Sunday morning. The Broadway Limited schedule has it arriving at 2:07 PM. A work train with Vinny’s trolley arrived at 7:03 AM.

The rigging crew immediately set to work preparing to transfer the trolley body from the flatbed to the  wharf. They were finished at 1:15. Just in time to grab a coffee and sandwich at Vic’s. The engineer was eager to get moving. He had 20 minutes to get to a siding and clear the main before the Broadway Limited arrived.

In the coming weeks Vinny will be renovating the trolley and adding floats to the wharf.

@romiller49,

Rod thanks for the comment. Turns out it’s my bad. When I looked again they are listed as 1/32.  I hate that when you put in search criteria and vendors jump in; yeah we have that. Then they offer you something else.

Bob - nice story and video.  Very creative!

-Greg

We have been assembling and landscaping the city of New Haven Connecticut on my layout. Here we are fastening down the building bases after painting them concrete /sidewalk color and then placing the buildings in there final resting places. Then starting to add enhancements like fire hydrants and light poles. My good friend Joe Massara of Binghamton, New York  next applies tape for painting/marking the roads.  (Joe is know for his landscaping work on several local layouts including the Roberson Museum train layout in Binghamton  You can Goggle "Roberson.org" for anyone wanting to see the layout there. The final picture shows the final markings and some masking tape which was on the individual parking space markers which wasn't dry yet.

@Greg Houser posted:

Bob - nice story and video.  Very creative!

-Greg

Thanks Greg! I got much inspiration from this operation on a defunct siding next to my son in laws warehouse. The CNJ Historical Society is trying to get this last Trenton trolley restored.

A few weeks ago they took the wrap off so a contractor could write an estimate.

Wow.  I hope they are successful in their efforts!

-Greg

Hi guys and gals, not much going on here as I have been doing some auto repairs and shoveling snow! LOL

@darlanderDave your layout sure is looking Amazing! I love the trolly and all your outstanding scenery!

@pennsyfan Bob, Vinny sure got lucky to find that trolly! He is also lucky to have such a competent crew to do the transfer! Looks great and thank you for the video of the restoration of the real thing!

@Bill Park Bill you guys are doing a wonderful job on the landscaping and painting! I like the building placement!

I hope your all doing well and finding time to have fun on your layouts and with your trains!

Met someone at church that heard I liked trains.  Told me he had some Lionel trains and he was reducing what he had to simplify.  Next time I saw him he had a box he wanted to give me...

WOW Steve what a great gift!

So guys and gals I along with Dave have been working on a possible new layout. I posted it in track and plans. I hope you all give it a looks and comment as much as you would like!

I sure hope your all doing well and having fun with your trains and layouts!

What did I do on my layout today?

I outlined what I’m working on this year,(this season).

In hopes of keeping me on track, pun intended.

Finished up a project that has taken a few weeks of trial and error - first ever drawer and itʻs for under the layout to hold the electronics.

Measures 24" x 22" x 5-1/4" with 22" extension - happy with the outcome but already wish it was larger!