What did you do on your layout today?

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Can you tell what's unusual about this 3376?  Not the missing bits; I have replacement parts for all that... 

Mitch

The answer is that the trucks are a tad unusual.  The 3376 usually has AAR trucks with working couplers, whereas the 3386 has archbar trucks with dummy couplers.  This 3376 has archbar trucks with working couplers, which apparently is not unheard of but not something one sees every day. 

This also proves I'm studying gi-raffe cars entirely too much! 

Mitch

Busted up some concrete.. 

 

Also Did some more detailing 

Before and after on the Ensor farmhouse...

The scratch-built house always looked way to clean to me, especially with the train running right behind it. This house would be about 20 years old, give or take, given the time frame of the layout. So, I went perhaps a little too far with weathering, but it definitely looks like it belongs more than it did before.

Before:

After:

I also added mailboxes where the houses are.

I worked on my truss bridge and cleaned the scenic materials I'd been using off of the layout, because my neighbor wanted me to show his two sons (5 and 8 yrs old) the trains. So I cleared supplies and tools off the layout and cleaned the lower level tracks. Here are a couple of short videos of what we did.

Today I got bored and broke out the toy teapot for a rough attempt at seeing how a little fantasy excursion train might turn out..

Being level, skirting, pillars and roof and I'll know better.

The many days before this I've been lazy...except for breaking in the AHM Rivarossi Casey Jones 382 and giggling creepily at the creeping. This thing has some real torque at low volts. I wonder if I can cram smoke into it too?

P51, What did you use to letter the mailboxes?

What happened? Did you erase that thread and take 30 more with it? It been going for coming up on four years running now. I saw our OP lurking in "real trains" the other day 29 to go

Some nice modeling on display on this thread. Nice !!

Erik C Lindgren posted:

Busted up some concrete.. 

I had to look carefully, more than once, to determine if I were looking at real-life. Truly.

There is an Edward Hopper quality to your work here.

frankm

Erik C Lindgren posted:

 

Also Did some more detailing 

Flawless.

Art, actually.

FrankM

p51 posted:

Before and after on the Ensor farmhouse...

The scratch-built house always looked way to clean to me, especially with the train running right behind it. This house would be about 20 years old, give or take, given the time frame of the layout. So, I went perhaps a little too far with weathering, but it definitely looks like it belongs more than it did before.

Before:

After:

I also added mailboxes where the houses are.

Nice touch with the mail box, But the house is still to clean.

More progress........in the past week the top and lower level tracks have been wired, and interior loop plan temporarily adopted (would like to add sidings and accessories later).   Ran 3 trains at once this weekend for the first time! 

Tonight will be installation of track screws, leveling the entrance to a bridge, and general clean up.  Trying to build a shelf under a part of the platform to store locomotives. 

 

Hopefully this weekend will start Christmas village installation. 

 

Adriatic posted:

P51, What did you use to letter the mailboxes?

I used a very small tipped art pen.

I did some weathering one of my locomotives, the one I don't use all that terribly often on the layout. I didn't go completely insane with the weathering, but it's probably more heavily weathered than they allowed the locomotive to actually get back in those days. Still, it looked way better and this photograph tells the difference between the weathered and the factory stock ones.

Hey Lee, Now it looks like its been used! Great work.

Ran some trains this morning for about 10 minutes and enjoyed every moment of it!!  Here's a clip of a B&O mail train running on my layout.

This isn't my layout, but my friend doesn't have an OGR account so oh well. In the background is his scratch built Lehigh Valley South Plainfield passenger station. 

This morning, I got some basic wiring done, and ran the first train on the layout. Met my goal of having trains running for my grandson by Thanksgiving day.

Gi-raffe #18 arrived in the mail today.  Since I make it a policy to have a full set of gi-raffe spare parts on hand, it was a matter of moments to replace the broken actuator arm and missing spring.  Now the gi-raffe is back to factory spec!

Behind the gi-raffe is Big Red's Williams chassis, with a K-line motor transplant underway courtesy of modeltrainsparts here on OGR! 

To the rear is a Corgi PTC Birney in the process of getting a motor truck from a K-Line handcar...

Mitch

Where was your shop super -Norma Bates Kitteh ??  A day off ?

Well, it's only plywood and just temporary supports for now. I've been working on it for weeks and had nothing good to show for it. Today, I got to assemble some of the pre-made sections for my high line.

 I normally would be posting this in the 2 rail section. Because it is 3 rail, I put it here. Sorry about your luck!

It will get a back drop and scenery soon. I didn't want to tear the backdrops or get paint on them. Of course if I had planned it better, somethings might have been done in advance. With winter setting in, I'm just throwing it together as I have waited too long. I think something positive is better than nothing.

 

 

I spit polished the chrome on the twin Generals boilers, and gave them each a mixed load of passengers and freight, cleared the "progmess" off the rails. I then gave the ICRR 382 five lighted celestial roof passenger cars to match the locos roof. Running a K-4, it was the most modern loco to hit the rails , so "I ran in the roaring twenties". One more oldie loco and Ill be "stopping in Willoughby" in  the 1800s.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Helpful Hint Of The Day:

If you're replacing cracked GG-1 sideframes (top) on K-Line trucks, Lionel sideframes (left) will fit nicely after a bit of machining, whereas Williams by Bachmann sideframes (right) are a drop-in replacement.  Presumably, RMT sideframes, being produced from K-Line tooling, would also drop in.  

The gi-raffe (coupler at far right) was unavailable for comment. 

Happy Turkey Day, all!

Mitch

I dusted off the layout and ran trains for the first time since April/May.  I don't know if I am losing interest or just very busy at this point in my life, but it was nice to fire everything up and "let off some steam".  Maybe I will post some pics in Weekend Photo Fun this week running trains for the Thanksgiving guests.  I hope everyone has a great today with friends and family.  Happy Thanksgiving.

I added a great accessory to my layout it's the Broadway Limited lighting and thunder sound system, I saw it at York and pre ordered it then I received it yesterday and wow what sound, If you are looking to add something different to your layout I would add this 

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Helpful Hint Of The Day:

If you're replacing cracked GG-1 sideframes (top) on K-Line trucks, Lionel sideframes (left) will fit nicely after a bit of machining, whereas Williams by Bachmann sideframes (right) are a drop-in replacement.  Presumably, RMT sideframes, being produced from K-Line tooling, would also drop in.  

The gi-raffe (coupler at far right) was unavailable for comment. 

Happy Turkey Day, all!

Mitch

Slick tip, Mitch.

The gi-raffe (coupler at far right) was unavailable for comment. 

Wow!  He sounds like a politician! 

Happy Thanksgiving, Mitch!!

Working with the 1st and 2nd generation LCS

^^^ This coo!! But it might be a bit over my head

Mark Boyce posted:

Slick tip, Mitch.

The gi-raffe (coupler at far right) was unavailable for comment. 

Wow!  He sounds like a politician! 

Happy Thanksgiving, Mitch!!

(grin) Thankee!  And the same to you! 

fl9turbo2 posted:

Working with the 1st and 2nd generation LCS

I'm minded of the old cartoon in Model Railroader from the 70s with an oval of track being run by a mainframe computer... 

Anyhoo, with the boid in the oven and Shop Supervisors Norma and Sylvia playing in the yard, I've gotten the trucks wired and mounted to the Williams chassis! 

A test run with a DC powerpack shows that the motors are running fine and in the same direction!  Woot!

Note the rectifier (not bolted in yet).  I'm not horribly fond of electronic reverse units, so we're going brute force on this one.  Rectifier, small capacitor 'borrowed' from the K-Line reverser and a DPDT switch wired as a reverser.

The red and black wires are for directional LED headlights.  I'll keep the wiring in place for possible future use, but I figure I'm just gonna wire the two light bulbs directly to track power for now and keep things old school...

Mitch

I got the interior done inside St. Francis Catholic Church.

Alan Rogers posted:

I got the interior done inside St. Francis Catholic Church.

Very nice! You wouldn't happen to be a carpet layer are you?

Alan Rogers, I showed my wife your St. Francis Church interior, and we both cheered right out loud for your skills, results, and success! WOW! And WOW!

frankM

Wired up a Marx banjo signal and a short circuit signal.  Spent some time running trains for a change.  It's nice to be operating and not crawling around underneath the layout for a change.

Moonson posted:

Alan Rogers, I showed my wife your St. Francis Church interior, and we both cheered right out loud for your skills, results, and success! WOW! And WOW!

frankM

Thank you , Frank!!!

The pews, lectern and altar are from 

http://www.outbackmodels.com/

I have a  kit for the church available on Ebay.

Happy holidays!!!

 

mike g. posted:

Alan Rogers posted:

I got the interior done inside St. Francis Catholic Church.

Very nice! You wouldn't happen to be a carpet layer are you?

Looks like the parishioners might trip at the front door over the ribbon "carpet."

No, I'd better stick to my day job!!!!

10,000 th reply wow!

I am planning to convince my mom to clear out the patio to build a s gauge and hi rail layout while she is in a Turkey Comma

SDIV Tim posted:

10,000 th reply wow!

I am planning to convince my mom to clear out the patio to build a s gauge and hi rail layout while she is in a Turkey Comma

Congrats!  And good luck with that...

Mitch

I have about another 4 1/2-feet to go to complete my elevated trolley line.  Bought some more trolleys at a recent show--  Hey Mitch:  We're up to TWENTY trolleys now !!    Can't get enough of them !!

I started this large layout in my Living Room--  with the General Manager's permission (You know Who !) ,     I was allowed to start expanding into the Dining Room.

My wife fell in love  (at the Great Train Show) with a   K-Line "Great Northern"  Empire Builder A-B-A, six car set.  15-inch cars.   Full lighting,  full Sound and electronics, all diesels smoke,  SIX motors..  etc, etc.

Expensive--but NOW in my place of Abode.  Haven't unpacked as yet !!    The Seller stated:  "I hope you'll have enough power to run it "  !!   (grin)

Will take more photos when I get a chance !!   Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families !!

Cheers.     KRK

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Rogers posted:

Moonson posted:

Alan Rogers, I showed my wife your St. Francis Church interior, and we both cheered right out loud for your skills, results, and success! WOW! And WOW!

frankM

Thank you , Frank!!!

The pews, lectern and altar are from 

http://www.outbackmodels.com/

I have a  kit for the church available on Ebay.

Happy holidays!!!

 

Alan,

Your church interior is great.  I want to scratch build the church we were married in, but it will probably wait until I retire in a few years , because I have a new layout to build.