Morning guys, I hope you all have a great weekend and fun with your layout!

Thanks you everyone for the nice comments about my progress. I didn't get anything done yesterday as I had to go into the big city, man I hate that drive! LOL

FECRailroaddog, Outstanding job on the Halloween box car!

Bob, You did an Amazing job on the track cleaning car! Maybe in your spare time you should think about building them and selling them with the buyers choice of road name! I really need to get one some day. I will get you a photo of mine but you can't laugh! LOL

RichieC, Thanks I think were on the same page, I have been thinking about putting a light cedar stain on it.

Well its now 3:20am and I should get dressed and head out to the train room to get an early start on whatever it is I am going to do today! LOL

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ok guys, It took me a couple hours but I got some ground cover put down and a couple trees planted. When every thing dries I will att the people!

Richie C, I took your advice and stained the walking bridge, Thats what took most of my time this morning!

And Bob,I didn't forget about you, Remember no laughing! Its just a flat car with a Mr. Clean pad rubber banded to it!

You all have a great day and I will check back in later!

Working on 13’ backdrop for layout extension. JohnA

Hello everyone! It is so nice to be back and to see all of these great projects. For myself, I have not been able to do much work on the layout, but I was able to produce a channel update video.  Also, I went a little crazy at a friend's layout, and here is a video of what we did. Thanks for watching, and happy railroading!

Today, because I can't leave anything alone, I added some lighting to my Miss Molly's Diner. Neither of Miss Molly's signs were illuminated, so using WS Nano LED warm white light and two WS spotlights, I illumined the signs. Here's the process and compare before and after.

I removed the interior of the diner to access the front lobby and connector board.

The diner already has an extra connector for the WS Nano LED.

Drilled a 3/8" hole to feed the Nano LED into the lobby and up the wall.

Drilled a 1/16" hole into the roof to feed the Nano LED into and glued with CA.

Connected the LED to the extra connector, reinstalled the interior, and plugged the hole with some sticky weather stripping.

Placed Molly's back onto the layout and plugged it in to a WS Just Plug Hub. Here's before and after.

@mike g. posted:

Ok guys, It took me a couple hours but I got some ground cover put down and a couple trees planted. When every thing dries I will att the people!

And Bob,I didn't forget about you, Remember no laughing! Its just a flat car with a Mr. Clean pad rubber banded to it!

You all have a great day and I will check back in later!

I started with this Mike. I was planning to build a holder for a pad on this old flat car but a good deal on the Northeast Trains car popped up so I went with it.

As long at it keeps your track clean and the trains running.

WP, outstanding job on the light additions! It really stands out!

Bob, looks kinda where I am now!

Nothing new from me today. I hope you all are having a great weekend!

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Today, because I can't leave anything alone, I added some lighting to my Miss Molly's Diner. Neither of Miss Molly's signs were illuminated, so using WS Nano LED warm white light and two WS spotlights, I illumined the signs. Here's the process and compare before and after.

I removed the interior of the diner to access the front lobby and connector board.

Great improvement  WP.

Now that is what a diner shoould look like in the after dark hours. 👍

I certainly won't laugh, Mike!  That is far better than the track cleaning car I DON'T have. 

@mike g. posted:

Ok guys, It took me a couple hours but I got some ground cover put down and a couple trees planted. When every thing dries I will att the people!

Richie C, I took your advice and stained the walking bridge, Thats what took most of my time this morning!

And Bob,I didn't forget about you, Remember no laughing! Its just a flat car with a Mr. Clean pad rubber banded to it!

You all have a great day and I will check back in later!

Liking the random variation in the grass colors Mike. Looks pretty much like my yard. 

The track cleaning car Mike...........KISS solution is well appre ciated and rapid pad replacement method is great. 😉

WP2217

When you added the extra lights to Molly's  dinner you took a nice model and made it super. Man does that accent lighting do the job. I think that lights on the layout Mahe it come to life and  draws  your eye to that feature. You've got it by the horns. Great.

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Today, because I can't leave anything alone, I added some lighting to my Miss Molly's Diner. Neither of Miss Molly's signs were illuminated, so using WS Nano LED warm white light and two WS spotlights, I illumined the signs. Here's the process and compare before and after.

I removed the interior of the diner to access the front lobby and connector board.

The diner already has an extra connector for the WS Nano LED.

Drilled a 3/8" hole to feed the Nano LED into the lobby and up the wall.

Drilled a 1/16" hole into the roof to feed the Nano LED into and glued with CA.

Connected the LED to the extra connector, reinstalled the interior, and plugged the hole with some sticky weather stripping.

Placed Molly's back onto the layout and plugged it in to a WS Just Plug Hub. Here's before and after.

Very nice! It's the little things you did that pop.

Finally got a chance to get some work done on the rock wall today.

@mike g. posted:

Ok guys, It took me a couple hours but I got some ground cover put down and a couple trees planted. When every thing dries I will att the people!

Richie C, I took your advice and stained the walking bridge, Thats what took most of my time this morning!

And Bob,I didn't forget about you, Remember no laughing! Its just a flat car with a Mr. Clean pad rubber banded to it!

You all have a great day and I will check back in later!

@mike g.

Mike:

You have come a long way on the re-make of your layout. Your scenery is outstanding! Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Morning guys, I hope you all had a great weekend!

jrstengel, Outstanding work on the rock wall! I too would also like to know how you did it!

Randy, Thank you sir! I just try to keep plugging away even if it just a little each day. Some days I get alot done and other days I don't even get to the train room.

I am heading out to the train room this morning to see what I can get done. I might do a little more ballast on tracks that need it, just not sure yet. It all depends on what I feel like when I get out there! LOL

Everyone have a great day and I hope you all find time for your layout, even if its just to run trains! Nothing wrong with that!

Well guys I went out and used up all the rewashed ballast I had and I don't feel like standing out in the rain today washing another batch! LOL

After that I decided to populate the first section of the park and the walking bridge!

I'm done for the day, but will check back in later!

I cleaned up the table, switched the trailer on the corner to a small house I need the trailer in another spot. I made a ramp to access the church parking lot and put in some grass for a future development. I will vacume up the excess tomorrow and add houses and trailers.

@mike g. posted:

Well guys I went out and used up all the rewashed ballast I had and I don't feel like standing out in the rain today washing another batch! LOL

After that I decided to populate the first section of the park and the walking bridge!

I'm done for the day, but will check back in later!

Mike the bridge and grass look great. Your ballasting is also very nice. People and trees definetly help give it the finished look but there's always somthing to add or change.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I cleaned up the table, switched the trailer on the corner to a small house I need the trailer in another spot. I made a ramp to access the church parking lot and put in some grass for a future development. I will vacume up the excess tomorrow and add houses and trailers.

Hi Dave, really coming along nicely! New house looks great. I wish I had the space that you have. Your large grass areas are nice and blotchy like a real grassy field would be. I really enjoy watching the progress on your layout.

Scott

@mike g. posted:

Well guys I went out and used up all the rewashed ballast I had and I don't feel like standing out in the rain today washing another batch! LOL

After that I decided to populate the first section of the park and the walking bridge!

I'm done for the day, but will check back in later!

Mike, the bridge and wooden walkway looks fantastic! Looking good!

Scott

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Hi Dave, really coming along nicely! New house looks great. I wish I had the space that you have. Your large grass areas are nice and blotchy like a real grassy field would be. I really enjoy watching the progress on your layout.

Scott

Thanks Scott, I like to throw in some different shades to make it look like my lawn LOL.

Dave your future development looks great! I like how your planning ahead!

Scott, thanks for the nice comment!

@mike g. posted:

Dave your future development looks great! I like how your planning ahead!

Scott, thanks for the nice comment!

Thanks Mike, I plan as I work 1 to 3 square feet at a time.

Your more then Welcome Dave, I try to keep going on a project till I run out of supplies, then I wait till the CEO says it's ok to buy more! LOL Untill then I switch projects!

THIS is how a workbench should look! 

(Working on some American Flyer for a client)  ;-)

Mitch

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I cleaned up the table, switched the trailer on the corner to a small house I need the trailer in another spot. I made a ramp to access the church parking lot and put in some grass for a future development. I will vacume up the excess tomorrow and add houses and trailers.

Like that grassy area and the different lookof the drive.

Like those two vehicles a lot Dave. A really nice finish on them.👍

That screw laying near the driver side front fender one missing from one of the locomotives ? 🤔

@M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

THIS is how a workbench should look!

(Working on some American Flyer for a client)  ;-)

Mitch

I certainly go along with you on that Mitch...........only......,,,,,mine has more pieces on it that don't seem to have any bearing on what I'm working on !!!  😶😁

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Like that grassy area and the different lookof the drive.

Like those two vehicles a lot Dave. A really nice finish on them.👍

That screw laying near the driver side front fender one missing from one of the locomotives ? 🤔

The screw may have came out of the house it has 2 sections screwed together. I use Testors Dullcote Lacquer 1.75 oz clear matte with a brush to weather older vehicles.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

The screw may have came out of the house it has 2 sections screwed together. I use Testors Dullcote Lacquer 1.75 oz clear matte with a brush to weather older vehicles.

WHEW ....😥.......glad to hear that  !!!

I put together a train of cars to put away. My birthday was at the end of August and my wife's was last Wednesday. I have to make room for all of our stuff!

The F-3s were a birthday present of mine....kinda. I bought them back in 2013 at a show in Reno when I was on the road with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. They were a bit rough and needed to be rebuilt and painted. After shipping them home my dad rebuilt the motors but we didn't get them repainted right away. Without me knowing (luckily I didn't look for them) my dad sent them off to be repainted. He couldn't wait till Christmas so I got them for my birthday.

I got up early vacumed up excess grass and patched a few spots. Painted the ally and sidewalks, roughly placed the houses and trailers still need more sidewalks, trees, shrubbery, fences, guard rail, parking lines and figures.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I got up early vacumed up excess grass and patched a few spots. Painted the ally and sidewalks, roughly placed the houses and trailers still need more sidewalks, trees, shrubbery, fences, guard rail, parking lines and figures.

Hi Dave, nice neighborhood, it's really coming together! Speaking of vacuuming, here's a suggestion: Make a scale model tornado to swoop in on those tornado magnet mobile homes! And of course the tornado takes out only the mobile homes and doesn't touch the foundation homes across the street. ;-) Isn't that the way it works?!

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Hi Dave, nice neighborhood, it's really coming together! Speaking of vacuuming, here's a suggestion: Make a scale model tornado to swoop in on those tornado magnet mobile homes! And of course the tornado takes out only the mobile homes and doesn't touch the foundation homes across the street. ;-) Isn't that the way it works?!

LOL, I bought those for my last layout and never found a spot for them. I thouhgt the same thing was going to happen but as I layed out the houses yesterday I added the ally and they fit. I don't care for the big house on the end. It was on the farm in my old layout. I think it'll end up 2 more row houses funds permitting.

Dave, what is the approximate foot print that housing area takes up?

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Dave, what is the approximate foot print that housing area takes up?

2 x 6 Feet.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I got up early vacumed up excess grass and patched a few spots. Painted the ally and sidewalks, roughly placed the houses and trailers still need more sidewalks, trees, shrubbery, fences, guard rail, parking lines and figures.

Great scene Dave...we can always use additional housing units...nice job on the lawn area...

@Berkshirelover726 posted:

I put together a train of cars to put away. My birthday was at the end of August and my wife's was last Wednesday. I have to make room for all of our stuff!

The F-3s were a birthday present of mine....kinda. I bought them back in 2013 at a show in Reno when I was on the road with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. They were a bit rough and needed to be rebuilt and painted. After shipping them home my dad rebuilt the motors but we didn't get them repainted right away. Without me knowing (luckily I didn't look for them) my dad sent them off to be repainted. He couldn't wait till Christmas so I got them for my birthday.

GOOD DAD Cody.  Nice F3s.  Happy belated birthday. 🎂

Finally got my river scene installed and now getting ready to start my scenery on unfinished part of my layout

@Dave Ripp

Please share with me your quick  formula and process to attach an spread your scenic grass

Thanks much  in advance 😊

John d.

FarmerJohn, your work is superb! If you dubbed in the sound of rushing water, it would be completely realistic.

I use Elmers white glue. I tape off things I don't want grass on. I put it in a drywall tin and slop it liberaly with a 2 1/2 inch paint brush. I then sprinkle grass over it sometimes 2 or 3 colors. If I see glue working its way to the top I sprinkle more grass. I've found it's easier to pull the tape before it's dry or it can tear the edges. The next day I take my shop vacume and keep it just above the grass to get rid of the extra. If there's any spots I miss I blot with a glue brush and resprinkle and vacume when dry. Here's a couple pictures and thanks for asking,

The photos  certainly assist  for I would never thought we must use so much of the glue as you have displayed.  

Taping is a great idea as well as removing the tape early prior to the drying.

Question- And so it’s a must to apply the grass to the surfaces by shaking and spreading the mixture of grasses.  When possible we must remove the structures off from the areas we are adding grass?

Question. Do we mix our different colors of grasses in a separate container or bowl to reach our colors we wish to achieve?

And do you have a favorite shaker bottle from which you apply the mix?   Or do you apply the grass with your fingers?

Question- this will be my first attempt to apply grasses .  Do you recommend to practice on like a separate flat surface, styrofoam or wooden board?

@Seth Thomas posted:

The photos  certainly assist  for I would never thought we must use so much of the glue as you have displayed.  

Taping is a great idea as well as removing the tape early prior to the drying.

Question- And so it’s a must to apply the grass to the surfaces by shaking and spreading the mixture of grasses.  When possible we must remove the structures off from the areas we are adding grass?

Question. Do we mix our different colors of grasses in a separate container or bowl to reach our colors we wish to achieve?

And do you have a favorite shaker bottle from which you apply the mix?   Or do you apply the grass with your fingers?

Question- this will be my first attempt to apply grasses .  Do you recommend to practice on like a separate flat surface, styrofoam or wooden board?

You don't have to remove the stuctures but it makes it muh easier.

I keep all my colors seperate but I do mix them I have some running low.

I use alot of glue because I like to do 1 to 3 square feet at a time and want it to stay wet.

In areas like along the tracks I put the light color or dead grass down first.

Then a little bit  of the chunky to simulate weede.

Then I work in different shades over lapping.

Let dry and vacume, try not to let the vacume touch keep a couple inches up.

Woodland Scenics shackers are very easy to use.

I don't think practice is necessary it's hard to mess up.

Appears we blend the colors on the surface rather than in a shaker…

You have instructed as well as inspired…

Thank you so much and a Great Wednesday!

John d.

@Seth Thomas posted:

The photos  certainly assist  for I would never thought we must use so much of the glue as you have displayed.  

Taping is a great idea as well as removing the tape early prior to the drying.

Question- And so it’s a must to apply the grass to the surfaces by shaking and spreading the mixture of grasses.  When possible we must remove the structures off from the areas we are adding grass?

Question. Do we mix our different colors of grasses in a separate container or bowl to reach our colors we wish to achieve?

And do you have a favorite shaker bottle from which you apply the mix?   Or do you apply the grass with your fingers?

Question- this will be my first attempt to apply grasses .  Do you recommend to practice on like a separate flat surface, styrofoam or wooden board?

Dave's methods are spot on. I do the same for large areas. I spread the glue first, sprinkle the grass, and then after it sets up a little, I spray the area with water with a couple drops of dish soap, and then go over the whole area with diluted glue, also with a few drops of soap added. The soap breaks the surface tension of the water and allows it to soak into the material easily.

For shakers I will use the WS products right out of the bottle for large areas. I also have a few empty spice jars with shaker tops for smaller areas. For ballast and gravels I have a bunch of measuring caps from laundry detergent.

Here are the tools of the trade.

farmerjohn,

Just gorgeous. Congratulations and a job well done.

Dave

I appreciate the scenery techniques discussed on the forum. There is some real artwork on display here.

I started the repaint of the Lionel 53 RioGrande snowplow into a yard switcher for the coal company. The window struts were replaced with plastic from a CD case (a little wider than the original) and the body and bumpers shot with gray primer. The plan is to paint the body "engine black" color with yellow decals. I think the side railings will end up safety yellow as well.

Added sidewalks for houses, Gravel drive ways for trailer park, a guard rail on the curve in the ally and about 2 feet of grass between the edge of the table and the tracks. I also removed the farm house it will be replaced with 2 more row houses.

Cody, Outstanding F-3s, what a great gift from your dad! Sorry you have to take it down to make room for other stuff!

Dave, Outstanding job on the grass, ally and sidewalks! I really like the placement of the houses and trailers! I really like your car collection! As for how you do it, that sure is alot of glue! But then again I do it the same way and thats why I buy it in gallon jugs!

FarmerJohn, your river scene is just Amazing! It can only be a preview of what the rest of your layout is going to be like!

Victor, That sure is going to be sharp when your done! I hope you will post photos of the finished product!

Well as for me I started the work on the retaining wall for my road coming down from the town to the park area. I cut 1/8" paneling to shape, wet it down and clamped it into place to let dry so hopefully it will hold it's shape!

After that I did some real exciting stuff like sifting my old ballast I took up with a homemade sifter as I didn't have one the right size.

What didn't go threw the new sifter was washed with soap and water, then rinsed 4-5 times. Then the fun part started, I took all my washed ballast out to the BBQ and commenced to cook till it was done to the right flavor and smell! LOL

With this wonderful project done I have all my used ballast ready to be placed back on the layout, the only problem now is I have to wait till I go to town to pick up some more Elmer's glue in the gallon jugs! LOL

I hope everyone is doing well and is having a good week sofar! I hope you all find time to have fun with your layout and trains!

@mike g. posted:

Cody, Outstanding F-3s, what a great gift from your dad! Sorry you have to take it down to make room for other stuff!

Dave, Outstanding job on the grass, ally and sidewalks! I really like the placement of the houses and trailers! I really like your car collection! As for how you do it, that sure is alot of glue! But then again I do it the same way and thats why I buy it in gallon jugs!

FarmerJohn, your river scene is just Amazing! It can only be a preview of what the rest of your layout is going to be like!

Victor, That sure is going to be sharp when your done! I hope you will post photos of the finished product!

Well as for me I started the work on the retaining wall for my road coming down from the town to the park area. I cut 1/8" paneling to shape, wet it down and clamped it into place to let dry so hopefully it will hold it's shape!

After that I did some real exciting stuff like sifting my old ballast I took up with a homemade sifter as I didn't have one the right size.

What didn't go threw the new sifter was washed with soap and water, then rinsed 4-5 times. Then the fun part started, I took all my washed ballast out to the BBQ and commenced to cook till it was done to the right flavor and smell! LOL

With this wonderful project done I have all my used ballast ready to be placed back on the layout, the only problem now is I have to wait till I go to town to pick up some more Elmer's glue in the gallon jugs! LOL

I hope everyone is doing well and is having a good week sofar! I hope you all find time to have fun with your layout and trains!

Nice work mike. I always wanted to try the wood bending. I also buy glue by the gallon. I work fast and sloppy but I wear a shop appron other wise I'd be covered in paint and scenery.  I have a 5 gallon bucket of used gray ballast + a bunch of new left from my last layout. If any one wants any used it's available free + priority mail shipping cost.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Nice work mike. I always wanted to try the wood bending. I also buy glue by the gallon. I work fast and sloppy but I wear a shop appron other wise I'd be covered in paint and scenery.  I have a 5 gallon bucket of used gray ballast + a bunch of new left from my last layout. If any one wants any used it's available free + priority mail shipping cost.

Thanks Dave, I just keep alot of wet paper towels around to try and keep my hands clean, but do happen to wipe them on my pants. It really gets to the wife when she finds dried glue on my jeans! LOL

I weathered my track cleaning car.

Think it's ready for clearcoat but I will wait for the jury report.

Bob

Looks like a pretty well maintained piece of MOW equipment!! Nice job.

That really turned out nice Bob. Great detail and it’s nicely enhanced by the weathering. Congratulations, great job.

Thanks Guys.

RSJB18, Bob, wow, now that’s a uniquely cool track cleaning car, looks heavy, great color, neat piping. MOW, should do the job. Keep the pictures coming. Happy Railroading Everyone

@RSJB18 posted:

I

Really nice work, Bob. Don't forget to mildly rust up and weather the trucks to match the rest of the car.

@leapinlarry posted:

RSJB18, Bob, wow, now that’s a uniquely cool track cleaning car, looks heavy, great color, neat piping. MOW, should do the job. Keep the pictures coming. Happy Railroading Everyone

Thanks Larry- It's been a fun project. I achieved lot's of "firsts" on this one.

@Strap Hanger posted:

Really nice work, Bob. Don't forget to mildly rust up and weather the trucks to match the rest of the car.

I will. I wanted to get the car body done first. I will hit the wheels next.  Thanks

Bob

Well Bob, it all came together and it looks fantastic !  Job well done..     JP

I worked on the other end of my table today. I have a small back and fourt switching area but my turnaround was to short only allowing a switcher and 1 short car. I pulled everything off and flipped the design. To simulated access the far end by the background buildings will be against a mirror as well as the short run off the 90. I may make minor changes but it's close. I still have to run a seperate power feed and wire the switches.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I worked on the other end of my table today. I have a small back and fourt switching area but my turnaround was to short only allowing a switcher and 1 short car. I pulled everything off and flipped the design. To simulated access the far end by the background buildings will be against a mirror as well as the short run off the 90. I may make minor changes but it's close. I still have to run a seperate power feed and wire the switches.

Like that track configuration Dave. Quite an interesting look.  You'll have nice space for scenery and buildings.

What are the dimensions of the layout and what material do you have layed down as the base ?

I was wondering if you had rubber backing on the bottom of the track for noise suppression.       

@Ralph M posted:

"What did you do above your layout today? Lost several overhead fluorescent lights in the basement ceiling. Of course they're above the layout and they went up before the layout did. Somebody didn't think about how he would ever reach them if they needed servicing! Boy, do I regret it now. They all need their ballasts replaced so it's not as simple as switching tubes. The first one took me about an hour. Although accessible, it required a lot of stretching, bending, reaching to accomplish. I think I may have invented some new yoga positions along the way.

For the next one, I'll have get up onto the layout just to reach it. I built the layout strong enough to hold me but there's a lot of scenery and "stuff" that needs to move out of the way and then be put back hopefully, just like it was. I've already decided it will easier (and that's a relative term) to take the fixture down, service it and then put it back up.

If your just building your train room/layout, don't make this same mistake. It's quite painful.

-RM

Don't see how your layout is situated in you room Ralph .🤔

Possibly forgetting about the fluorescent lights and if you have room maybe some directional lighting with warm LED spots or floods just in front of the layout.

I only have overhead lighting mostly and I would rather have more light facing the engines and rolling stock so as to bring out more detail.

Don't do so much stretching, bending and reaching that you can't make it down to the layout room. 🤕

Bob, if you ask me I think it looks great! IMO it's ready for clearcoat!

Dave, Nice change up, but I am a little confused on how you get from the main loop to the storage sidings?

Ralph M, One whise man told me that everything you do on your layout is a learning experience! This one is one I would really not want to be confronted with! Sorry about you having to learn yoga and inventing more moves! You might think about replacing them with LED's!

Well today I went out and ballasted more track with my freshly cooked ballast. No photos as I know how exciting that is! LOL I also worked on the retaining wall for my road going down to the park. I was able to remove the clamps and everything stayed in place I put in a few small screws to make sure it stayed!

I hope everyone is having a great day!

@mike g. posted:

I hope everyone is having a great day!

The mult layered construction really is impressive Mike.  This is going to be something special with the scenery. 🤓

@Dallas Joseph posted:

The mult layered construction really is impressive Mike.  This is going to be something special with the scenery. 🤓

Thank you sir! Tomorrow I will do more ballasting, and today I am going to look on the internet for something I can print out for my retaining walls!

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Like that track configuration Dave. Quite an interesting look.  You'll have nice space for scenery and buildings.

What are the dimensions of the layout and what material do you have layed down as the base ?

I was wondering if you had rubber backing on the bottom of the track for noise suppression.       

Dallas, The layout is 5 feet 9 inches wide by 20 feet 2 inches long. The large oval is 054 with a 12 feet 6 inches of straight in between.  There was a loop with 042 but I removed it in favor of scenery. The bump out on the end is 27 by 28 with a 45 degree piece added. The bass is 2 x 4 foot ceiling tiles on top of 5/8 plywood. I went a little crazy worrying about continuity so every track has wire soldered under it with silicone holding it. This does deaden the noise but the track is not screwed down so it's actually quiet. I went with the MTH older solid rail because I hate ballasting and I had fast track in the past that rusted and lost continuity.

Mike, The switching portion of the layout is seperate from the loop on purpose. In past layouts I conected the sometimes with mutiple switches which were never used. I like a train running the loop despite others thinking it's boring. I also like switching so I can move cars navigating the crossing while the other train goes around. I also envy your ballest work I've done it twice and never again.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Dallas, The layout is 5 feet 9 inches wide by 20 feet 2 inches long. The large oval is 054 with a 12 feet 6 inches of straight in between.  There was a loop with 042 but I removed it in favor of scenery. The bump out on the end is 27 by 28 with a 45 degree piece added. The bass is 2 x 4 foot ceiling tiles on top of 5/8 plywood. I went a little crazy worrying about continuity so every track has wire soldered under it with silicone holding it. This does deaden the noise but the track is not screwed down so it's actually quiet. I went with the MTH older solid rail because I hate ballasting and I had fast track in the past that rusted and lost continuity.

Mike, The switching portion of the layout is seperate from the loop on purpose. In past layouts I conected the sometimes with mutiple switches which were never used. I like a train running the loop despite others thinking it's boring. I also like switching so I can move cars navigating the crossing while the other train goes around. I also envy your ballest work I've done it twice and never again.

Dave, thanks for the explanation! I, agree with you about Ballasting I dont know if I will ever do it again when I am done with this one! LOL

Definitely a nice size Dave. You should have a good time with that size..

Was a wire soldered to each individual piece of track Dave ?   🤤    is the silicone glue holding the wire ammonia free ?     I'm not sure but does the ammonia in some glues cause oxidation ?? 🤔

I like the idea of the ceiling tiles to help with the sound deadening.            My layout is simply on carpet and the base is 30 inch × 8 foot tables made of some type of plastic .   The main run is 5×16 feet with a yard thats 30 inch×6 feet.  I don't have any issues with noise except a small amount in a small area were the big Imperial Railking Allegheny makes itself known.

Not every piece of my MTH track is solid but in 5 years I haven't seen any corrosion .   The only extensive wiring I've done is to have the two outside rails wired together on each piece of track.

  I haven't done any ballast to the track.   Actually if the manufacturing process made the plastic ' ballast ' partially cover the ties a little , it would look better.  Some of the scenery could mask the rest.      Not for the purist but but it would work for me.

The only thing I wanted to do so far is try to use some kind of material to use on the sides of the elevated sections.  I've seen what looks like iron sides on various layout but I don't know what is being used for the look.

Have fun....... be safe 😷

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Was a wire soldered to each individual piece of track Dave ?   🤤    is the silicone glue holding the wire ammonia free ?     I'm not sure but does the ammonia in some glues cause oxidation ?? 🤔

Dallas yes on the solde every piece is soldered  underneath.

And the silicone I use does not cause corrosion. I've used it for years as it holds great but can be removed with a little effort.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Wow 😨 Dave ......every track piece gets juice......what dedication to the task at hand. 🙄

........and the silicone you have does not cause corrosion.....EXCELLENT  👍

I put a base under my gas station touched up the road and added a little grass.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Wow 😨 Dave ......every track piece gets juice......what dedication to the task at hand. 🙄

........and the silicone you have does not cause corrosion.....EXCELLENT  👍

Actually every peice has wire soldered from one to another with 4 feeds soldered to the bottom and 4 soldered to the top in case 1 of the bottoms have an issue. Overkill and redundancy.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Actually every peice has wire soldered from one to another with 4 feeds soldered to the bottom and 4 soldered to the top in case 1 of the bottoms have an issue. Overkill and redundancy.

You are my kind of railroad guy  👍...........next time I put up another layout I'll have to refer back to your post. 

Dave, Outstanding looking gas station! With your road work and grass, it looks like maybe a new development might be going in!

I did some more ballasting and started work on some wood rails to go along my lower loop. here is what I have so far!

@mike g. posted:

Dave, Outstanding looking gas station! With your road work and grass, it looks like maybe a new development might be going in!

I did some more ballasting and started work on some wood rails to go along my lower loop. here is what I have so far!

Thank you! Very messy area to ballast. Did you use a drop cloth, shop vac or both? Looks great so far.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Thank you! Very messy area to ballast. Did you use a drop cloth, shop vac or both? Looks great so far.

Hi Dave, Thank You! I use a dixie cup to sprinkle the ballast out, then a small paint brush to get it into place. Wet it down with a small mist of wetwater and then the small bottle of 50/50 water and glue. No shop vac, or drop cloths. I go back the next day and use a paint brush to sweep up all lose ballast to use later that day.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I put a base under my gas station touched up the road and added a little grass.

Hi Dave, I recognize the concrete tiles as I had some on my layout. I'm guessing good old Lemax or Department 56. ;-) I used Lemax concrete tiles for my train station, but wanted something a little more rustic and replaced them with real wooden decks. Thanks for sharing another great scene for us OGR folks to enjoy, thanks!

Dave. You said you made a base for you're gas station. It looks really good. May I ask what you made it out of.  Farmerjohn

I decided to make stalls for my engine storage, this area of my layout is inside a storage closet..

@farmerjohn posted:

Dave. You said you made a base for you're gas station. It looks really good. May I ask what you made it out of.  Farmerjohn

Thanks John, I used Lemax sidewalks " 2003 Lemax Village 34982A 20 piece plazza system sidewalk paver sections. I bunch of these quite a long time ago and finally found a use for them. I also cut them in half with an exacto saw for sidewalks surounding my housing area. I could have cut them down 2 more squares if I was trying to be perfect. They cut on the lines very easy but the ones under the station are not cut. I removed the origanal base this was Menards gas station. The ramps are MTH Realtrax crossovers cut in half longways.

@FECRailroaddog posted:

I decided to make stalls for my engine storage, this area of my layout is inside a storage closet..

That looks great. Nice switch ladder entry you really used the space nicely.

@FECRailroaddog posted:

I decided to make stalls for my engine storage, this area of my layout is inside a storage closet..

This is clever.

Dave

@FECRailroaddog posted:

I decided to make stalls for my engine storage, this area of my layout is inside a storage closet..

Nice take on an engine facility.

I hope those guys don't hit the throttle to hard coming out of the engine bays. Looks like it a long way to the floor.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

You are moving right along Dave. How's the back holding up?

Bob

@FECRailroaddog posted:

I decided to make stalls for my engine storage, this area of my layout is inside a storage closet..

Most interesting and looks great FECRailroaddog

Are the walls printed paper? What is on the other side of those walls?

I also made good use of closet space - check it out here:

www.warrenvillerailroad.com

@RSJB18 posted:

Nice take on an engine facility.

I hope those guys don't hit the throttle to hard coming out of the engine bays. Looks like it a long way to the floor.

You are moving right along Dave. How's the back holding up?

Bob, I'm still weak but no pain. I'm good for a few hours then I start feeling it. 16 More PT visets and back to work at the end of November.

FECRailroaddog, What a wonderful idea and really great looking! Must be one huge closet! LOL

Dave, I think Bob was asking about your body back! Just a thought! LOL

I hope everyone has a great weekend, I will be doing some more ballasting and working on my wood trim for the lower loop bridge.

@mike g. posted:

FECRailroaddog, What a wonderful idea and really great looking! Must be one huge closet! LOL

Dave, I think Bob was asking about your body back! Just a thought! LOL

I hope everyone has a great weekend, I will be doing some more ballasting and working on my wood trim for the lower loop bridge.

Thanks Mike, I corrected my reply.

I picked up 2 more row houses and sidewalks to replace the big house at the end of my house-trailer area. I also added another access drive and a little more grass. I also added a guard rail and repainted the parking area down by the church.

Dave - it looks great !  Now comes the fun part to add and personalize each property like a BBQ, a garden, Pop and son playing catch, a dog house w/muffy,  that's just a start of all you can do.  Have fun and don't forget to post updates !!!!!!    JP

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I picked up 2 more row houses and sidewalks to replace the big house at the end of my house-trailer area. I also added another access drive and a little more grass. I also added a guard rail and repainted the parking area down by the church.

You are moving along really well Dave.👍

( I thought this was supposed to be a winter project....................don't you have grass to cut or a car to wash 😂😄😆   😉).

@Dallas Joseph posted:

You are moving along really well Dave.👍

( I thought this was supposed to be a winter project....................don't you have grass to cut or a car to wash 😂😄😆   😉).

I washed both cars this morning LOL. Of course it's rainning now.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I washed both cars this morning LOL. Of course it's rainning now.

Where are you at Dave 🤔

I have a large area of new grass........and trying to get it to grow ................only had 2 days of decent rain in September  

BOTH  CARS..........you are an animal 😂😅🙄

@Bill Sherry posted:

Dave - it looks great !  Now comes the fun part to add and personalize each property like a BBQ, a garden, Pop and son playing catch, a dog house w/muffy,  that's just a start of all you can do.  Have fun and don't forget to post updates !!!!!!    JP

I wish, I'm a ways off from figures and dedicated scenes. still working on the basics. I have about 12 square feet of town and industry to figure out.I've got to get some fenceing up to. Hopefully I can get some at the DuPage train show. I plan as I go. I try to do something everyday so I can update.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I washed both cars this morning LOL. Of course it's rainning now.

Dave, great scene above!  I have a couple of the WS trailers like your's...great additions to the layout.  I swear, if you want it to rain, just wash the cars...it happens to me all the time  It's certainly works better than doing a "rain dance!"

@Dave Ripp. Yes, I was asking about your recovery from surgery. Glad to hear you are on the mend.

Nothing much for me today. Had to take care of a small project for my In-laws. I did manage to get a coat of matte on the track cleaning car. I had a small heart attack as I was bringing it back into the garage....I almost dropped the car 🤯🤯🤯

Fortunately it rolled toward my body and i was able to catch it. No harm no foul. The car is drying on my bench.

An open question on weathering the wheels. I dont want to clear coat them since the spray will foul the wheels. What is one to do? The weathering powder wipes off if I handle it.

Bob

Hey guys thanks for the feedback, yes the walls are printed paper from clevermodels, I print them on vinyl paper I get from Hobby Lobby and stick them on to either cardboard or foamboard.

Yep it is a long way down to the floor, I always stand in front of the engine when I pull them out. I also always put them in short end in, just in case if they do take off they will hit a bumper inside the bays.

Thanks again!

PS Lionelski, I will check your site out!!

@RSJB18 posted:

I weathered my track cleaning car.

Think it's ready for clearcoat but I will wait for the jury report.

Bob

Amazing job you did on this!! wow

@Dave Ripp. posted:

I picked up 2 more row houses and sidewalks to replace the big house at the end of my house-trailer area. I also added another access drive and a little more grass. I also added a guard rail and repainted the parking area down by the church.

This is so cool..I love it!!

PS..the owners of the houses have got to be ****ed at the City Manager for allowing them put a trailer park across the street, property value just plummeted..LOL..

@FECRailroaddog posted:

This is so cool..I love it!!

PS..the owners of the houses have got to be ****ed at the City Manager for allowing them put a trailer park across the street, property value just plummeted..LOL..

Thank you, I wanted the trailers on the otherside of the tracks but they didn't fit. I actually had no plans to put the there till I was seeing what fit.

Dave, sure looks great! You sure have been busy. Like JP said, don't forget they guy working on his car and the wife hanging laundry on the cloths line in the back yard!

Bob, I am glad you were able to save the track cleaning car! That would have really sucked to have to start over!

FECRailroaddog, Your sounding like one of the rich folks in town! Who knows maybe the trailers were there way before the houses were built and now they don't like the look across the street! LOL

Well guys I was able to get some work done in the train room. I got the side rails made for my lower loop bridge, but still have to print up some side rails.

Then as you can see in this photo right next to the clamp I was able to get one of the most important item installed, well as far as the wife and grandkids think! LOL

I would have got more done, but the wife came out and told me we had company coming over and wanted me to make sure the trains were running well. So I spent a good amount of time running the my mow crew train with the track cleaning car. Then I ran trains on the lower and upper loop for a good hour just to make sure everything was working correctly!

It was a good day cause after dinner I was able to show my train room off and run trains for another half hour!