What did you do on your layout today?

Carl Machen posted:

i will now try to do the esso oil farm i just finished last week. 

Well worth the wait Carl. The layout looks great. Keep the photos coming.

Bob

Carl, the pictures were definitely worth waiting for. I hope you remember how you did it so you can post more. Your layout looks fabulous.

Patrick and Gandydancer, excellent pictures of fine layouts.

Progress on my layout:

I somehow injured my right arm and wasn't able to work on the layout for a while. My doctor said it could have happened while sleeping. He prescribed a muscle relaxer and heat and that did the trick. While not quite 100% yet the arm is much better and I did some spackling on the hill. This is how it looks right now. I probably won't be able to make much progress for the rest of the month. Our daughter-in-law and two grandkids are arriving this week and staying through next and then our daughter and two grandkids come right after so I'll be otherwise occupied for the rest of the month.

Got the sides of the fastrack ballasted on the engine yard. Looks much better than the shiny plastic. Still deciding if I want to gravel the rest or make it asphalt. Not sure about buildings or accessories yet either. I've got my eye on a small yard shed from Woodland Scenic on Dabay.

Bob

The ballast looks great, Bob. What ballast did you use? I've been thinking of ballasting my FasTrack and I like the way yours looks.

Added custom street lights 

Country Joe posted:

The ballast looks great, Bob. What ballast did you use? I've been thinking of ballasting my FasTrack and I like the way yours looks.

I did mine I am about to weather the rails 

Country Joe posted:

The ballast looks great, Bob. What ballast did you use? I've been thinking of ballasting my FasTrack and I like the way yours looks.

I found it at Michael's Art and Craft Supplies. Its gravel for silk flower arrangements. Comes in brown and black too.

http://www.michaels.com/stone-...mp;sz=24&start=1

Bob

Joe- Here's my team track area with a mix of both brown and gray gravel. The black track ballast is also planter gravel from Dollar Tree.

Bob

Here is mine still working on it 

I was able to add a few more pieces of track to the table. I had laundry to do so while it was washing I figured kill two birds with one stone.......yes that's right I do the laundry LOL. But it comes with train perks. Anyways a couple of pics. After I get back from lunch maybe I can finish off the track and start sliding it into place...........Paul

fl9turbo2 posted:

Added custom street lights 

Very nice.  Did you custom make them?  If not where did you get them?  Thanks.

paul 2 posted:

I was able to add a few more pieces of track to the table. I had laundry to do so while it was washing I figured kill two birds with one stone.......yes that's right I do the laundry LOL. But it comes with train perks. Anyways a couple of pics. After I get back from lunch maybe I can finish off the track and start sliding it into place...........Paul

Looking good Paul! Don't eat to much at lunch as you might have to squeeze into the small area all so!

Matt, your street lights look great! I really like the little town you have going there!

decoynh posted:

fl9turbo2 posted:

Added custom street lights 

Very nice.  Did you custom make them?  If not where did you get them?  Thanks.

I had NJ international make them for me,  I received several of them not working from Eliot Scher when he sold his old layout , I  always liked them I asked NJ if they could do them and they did now I think they want to start selling them, They are all LED so I am using 4.5 volt dc power supply I will have a total of 40 when they are finshed

fl9turbo2 posted:

That scene looks great, but is it me or does the street simply end on a cliff?

Thanks Bob, I will look for it the next time I'm in Michael's. The ballast really improves the look of FasTrack.

Thanks FL9. Your track, and layout, look fabulous.

p51 posted:

fl9turbo2 posted:

That scene looks great, but is it me or does the street simply end on a cliff?

I have more to come on that end I am in the process of adding the construction crew and machinery on that end I want to make it look like they are building the road or maybe a bridge

p51 posted:

fl9turbo2 posted:

That scene looks great, but is it me or does the street simply end on a cliff?

That's where the local youth play chicken with stolen cars. I think I see James Dean eyeing one of the cars.

paul 2 posted:

I was able to add a few more pieces of track to the table. I had laundry to do so while it was washing I figured kill two birds with one stone.......yes that's right I do the laundry LOL. But it comes with train perks. Anyways a couple of pics. After I get back from lunch maybe I can finish off the track and start sliding it into place...........Paul

Looking great Paul !!! Do you have dish pan hands too ?    LOL

Another ballast possibility for Lionel Fastrack:

I used Brennan's Better Ballast, Original Gray, from Brennan's Model Railroading.  One 5 pound bag was more than enough to complete my current 5 foot x 10 foot layout with 72 feet of track.

That looks great HMORGAN ! The three trail track has always bothered me but what you and others have done to enhance it, makes it so much more tollerable.

Thanks;

Mike

paul 2 posted:

I was able to add a few more pieces of track to the table. I had laundry to do so while it was washing I figured kill two birds with one stone.......yes that's right I do the laundry LOL. But it comes with train perks. Anyways a couple of pics. After I get back from lunch maybe I can finish off the track and start sliding it into place...........Paul

No shame in doing laundry Paul, I do my own and then some too. At least you will be able to run trains while waiting for a load of whites to finish

Carl Machen posted:

thanks to all the good replys. now all I need to do is remember what I did. I'm getting to old for this stuff

Carl,

Well worth the wait!  Yes, I often forget what I did to get something to work on the computer  

Country Joe posted:

Carl, the pictures were definitely worth waiting for. I hope you remember how you did it so you can post more. Your layout looks fabulous.

Patrick and Gandydancer, excellent pictures of fine layouts.

Progress on my layout:

I somehow injured my right arm and wasn't able to work on the layout for a while. My doctor said it could have happened while sleeping. He prescribed a muscle relaxer and heat and that did the trick. While not quite 100% yet the arm is much better and I did some spackling on the hill. This is how it looks right now. I probably won't be able to make much progress for the rest of the month. Our daughter-in-law and two grandkids are arriving this week and staying through next and then our daughter and two grandkids come right after so I'll be otherwise occupied for the rest of the month.

Joe,

I hope the arm feels better soon!  I have to take a muscle relaxer all the time.  Seems odd, but it helps.  Have a great time with the children!!

RSJB18 posted:

Got the sides of the fastrack ballasted on the engine yard. Looks much better than the shiny plastic. Still deciding if I want to gravel the rest or make it asphalt. Not sure about buildings or accessories yet either. I've got my eye on a small yard shed from Woodland Scenic on Dabay.

Bob

 

Looks great, Bob!!!

I got three trains running trying to get ready for this Saturday when the club comes to see my layout for the first time. i'm so nervise for thing to go right. cleaned the heck out all the track. I have a friend coming over to operate the trains while I minger around. I got my tools together so I can go over to a friends house and wire up some miller  engineering signs for him. this should be good with the blind leading the blind. either way i will have fun.

Carl Machen posted:

I got three trains running trying to get ready for this Saturday when the club comes to see my layout for the first time. i'm so nervise for thing to go right. cleaned the heck out all the track. I have a friend coming over to operate the trains while I minger around. I got my tools together so I can go over to a friends house and wire up some miller  engineering signs for him. this should be good with the blind leading the blind. either way i will have fun.

Carl, being prepared is what you are doing for Saturday. You'll have a great time having your friends look at your layout. You'll blow 'em up 

Mark Boyce posted:

Country Joe posted:

Carl, the pictures were definitely worth waiting for. I hope you remember how you did it so you can post more. Your layout looks fabulous.

Patrick and Gandydancer, excellent pictures of fine layouts.

Progress on my layout:

I somehow injured my right arm and wasn't able to work on the layout for a while. My doctor said it could have happened while sleeping. He prescribed a muscle relaxer and heat and that did the trick. While not quite 100% yet the arm is much better and I did some spackling on the hill. This is how it looks right now. I probably won't be able to make much progress for the rest of the month. Our daughter-in-law and two grandkids are arriving this week and staying through next and then our daughter and two grandkids come right after so I'll be otherwise occupied for the rest of the month.

Joe,

I hope the arm feels better soon!  I have to take a muscle relaxer all the time.  Seems odd, but it helps.  Have a great time with the children!!

Thanks Mark. The arm is much better. The muscle relaxer and heat did the trick.

Mark Boyce posted:

RSJB18 posted:

Got the sides of the fastrack ballasted on the engine yard. Looks much better than the shiny plastic. Still deciding if I want to gravel the rest or make it asphalt. Not sure about buildings or accessories yet either. I've got my eye on a small yard shed from Woodland Scenic on Dabay.

Bob

 

Looks great, Bob!!!

Thanks Mark. Funny how I used to hate winter (well I still hate the cold and snow),  but now I am looking forward to having no outdoor chores and more time to work on the layout.

Bob

some more cleaning up in train room....

layout area's are almost totally cleared off, except for the diorama area....

and under the layout is almost cleaned up also...getting there finally....

now time to clean off the slot car track and get them running....

time to repaint the door from the ol' car days.....

might save it and stud this wall in and reuse this door on the new car garage.....

kinda like it, memories of the car room.....

on the upper level area....

 started mocking up the track for the yard area.....

Brian,

The layout room looks neat as a pin!  You have a lot of great space to work with.  I have some 1/24 scale cars I built back in the late 70s-early 80s (all classics from the 50s and earlier) that are in plastic cases in a couple cupboards for safe keeping.  Looking forward to seeing what you do with your space!

Full speed ahead Brian!

thanks guys, a couple more good days of cleaning up, do not want anything in this room but trains.....then cut in the new doorway to the tool room, then i should be able to concentrate on the layout and start getting some track work going on.....

Brian,

I love the blank slate room. Must be amazing to stand there, pondering all the impressive stuff you're going to eventually get in there, isn't it?

Finished the last snow pile/berm/whatever. Turned out ok I guess. Still wish I had a water tower or something more interesting. Someday maybe. Cut and stained some ties to scatter inbetween the tracks. Course I made the rookie mistake of gluing them first.  Stooopid as my kid would say.  (Glued parts don't take the stain)  Oh well, on to the next project. 

PONDERING.....yes, sometimes fun, confusing, and even flustrating all at the same time. spent a lot of time sitting "pondering" what i am going to do and how to make it happen, made many changes along the way....still all fun...

it will be a 2 track main line, point to point, with yards and return loops at each end for continuous running.....

there will be anther level in between these two levels.....trying to keep approx. 24" between levels.....giving me 3 main levels....

still need to get all that wood out of that corner, so i can get the platform finished in that area...

how to get from the bottom to the top level.....the layout will be multi-leveled,  basically a 24' x40' helix around the room @ 1-2% grades, plus i have the 8'x30' room that i will incorporate into the layout, i also am planning another  8'x30' room addition off the back of building, been getting the yard ready, hopefully will start on that addition this spring...

I keep thinking about what I am going to do when I am able to do whenever I can get the basement all to my train layout, minus a couple of areas, so I am always thinking of what I could do in the future, not really sure what I am going to do on my current layout.

Things are looking very nice there Brian! Keep up the good and all your post!

Today I got the rest of the track down on the table. I never end track at the table edge I always stop short so that way I do not have any track joints on the seam of the two tables.  I was going to start sliding it into place but then decided as an after thought to put a painted Masonite panel on the back. It wasn't that I was worried about cars falling off the back it was more in the line of blocking the view to the basement wall. So with an early start tomorrow morning I'll start setting the table in place and at the same time keeping my fingers crossed that I made it the right size. Pics......Paul

Looks great Paul! Don't you hate it when the little piece on the outside of the track with wooden tie's breaks off? I use to keep a small box of them just to glue back in place!

I sure do Mike. I try my best to keep from breaking a lot of them. I usually just take some black paint I use for sidings and dab it on with a Q-tip...............Paul