What did you do on your layout today?

While needing to search for a tender for the kitbashed loco I just finished, I turned to

the Mullet River C&S caboose that I had built from a kit.  One of the instruction

omissions was that nothing was said after you assembled the three parts that made up the roof.  I didn't think those loose parts would stay on in operation, so I glued the

three parts together, and found, as expected, that the rafters across the ceiling would

not all line up with the notches in the walls.  So I trimmed the ends of the rafters so

roof lies flat. Before putting it back on, I painted a casting of a pot bellied stove, made

a pipe to reach the roofs smokejack, and installed it.  The roof now fits tightly, held

on by springy metal ladders I installed rather than building those in the kit.  I also

drilled a hole in one of the Lionel Vanderbilt tender's drawbars, to bring it closer to

the engine, and a wire from tender to drawbar came unsoldered, and was too short

to resolder without soldering an extender on that, which was done.  Had gotten the

tender out to add decals, but no time for that.

I got my last lower corners done. Before I placed the cliffs I added some ground foam and a couple of trees to them before setting them in the corners. Later today I going to plaster in front of them to cover the bare plywood in spots. Here are some pics ..................Paul

This morning I finished decalling the repainted Lionel Vanderbilt tender, with my

ficticious home road's decals, cleaned off the workbench, and set up the light box.

Then I shot comparison photos of my three versions of the entry level Lionel 0-8-0: the switcher with Elesco and flying pumps and a kitbashed Vanderbilt tender, the 2-8-0 Great Western #60 2-8-0 just finished, and an original out of the box Lionel 0-8-0, which may become a Mikado.  (lemme know if you can tell the difference) #60 lacks a tender so am looking for a base to use to create one.

"Finished" the design of my second (small) layout and ordered the track from Nassau Hobbies to take advantage of their "May Sale".  ("finished" as I keep tweaking something on the plan on a weekly basis.)

 

The attached layout will take up the remaining limited space that I have in a room that currently has a completed "full time" Christmas O guage corner layout.

 

I am limited to a 58" x 117" board and with "Moonman's" layout assistance I am beginning to put together an 1950s upstate New York themed Lionel and MTH passenger and freight layout using Lionel Fastrack.

 

'Probably take at least 2 years to get everything up and running as planned.

What have I done for the past week? Not a thing.

I just got back a few hours ago from a cruise through the inside passage from Seattle to Skagway, Alaska and back. My wife and I spent an entire day at the White Pass & Yukon RR and she didn't throw my overboard afterward, so I guess I did something right that day.

I have a wicked case of trying to get my 'land legs' back right now, though. The whole house feels like it's slowly rocking back and forth. I have no idea how pro sailors cope with being on land after being at sea for months.

Will be posting shots once I cull through the 800+ photos the two of us took on the trip...

Maybe the first stop on land is a bar? Similar feeling to me.

Here is what I did today:

 

 

 

 

I set up two tables in the basement, pulled out the 2  very lightweight O42/O54 modules and set them up.

 

Connected up DCS, TMCC/Legacy and Z4K.

 

Time to test some engines for next weeks outing.

 

Two Williams GG1s upgrade with ERR, check! (I have two more needing repairs as well :-(

 

MTH Liberty Liners needed lube job.

 

MTH PRR MP54 also needed lube.

 

MTH starter set 4-6-0 needed lube. (I like taking that engine out because its smoke output is massive!)

 

MTH Dreyfuss Hudson checked out.

 

K-Line K4s good.

 

K-Line Hudson, suffering from stuttering chuff.  May need to go to backup.

 

MTH P5A checked out fine as well.

 

Wanted to check Lionel Y3, but only had O54 circle.

 

Lionel Legacy system was sputtering.  (but thats another thread)

 

At any rate I had a lot of fun just running in the little circle.

 

 

Sounds great, Bill!  Except for the Legacy.

Thanks

Excellent taste in motive power!  Looks like you had fun.

 

Mitch

 

i got a couple marx m10005 sets on the bay this week.  1 lit up but neither were moving.  i got the lighted engine running and swapped this with another engine in my "keeper" train.  I also got the 2nd 10005 engine going after i replaced the oversize front wheels and bent the tin a little to keep the gear from rubbing against it.  i also fixed the wiring on my marx tower.  

Hi-
The throw rod (throw bar) on our Ross wye switch broke where it connected to one of the switch point rails. I had to take up (remove) the switch to work on it. I used epoxy (we'll see how well it lasts). After 24 hours, I reinstalled the switch yesterday. Today I tested it with a heavy engine (SP cab forward).
It seems fine so far. I controlled the engine with the Z-4000 hand remote in my right hand and took the video with the iPhone in my left hand. Sorry if it's a bit shaky.
John

assembled my Bridge today. wired it with 2 flashing red LEDs very happy with the bridge. I used tubing inside the bridge to hide all the wires. it was hard to get a photo of the lights

Working on "Munchausen Falls" a little today after closing for the day. Added some plaster to the ends surrounding the "Falls" front insert. The insert was in the other room drying after  small coat of plaster cloth. Looks like we're going to re-do the top section out of lighter material so it will be easier to deal with should it have to be removed.

 

I let the plaster dry over night. I just got done applying the first coat of earth color. I'll let that dry a bit then apply a second application. Then later I can add some ground scenery.............Paul 

I planted a few more trees.  And of course, ran some trains.   Love my LC+ steamers, they smoke and sound great.

I'm Laying down track bed currently.  I have enough to do all the main lines and sidings.  Still waiting on Atlas O 054 switches to come back into stock, but progress is progress!

 

 

Jhainer,

The bridge looks great!  I didn't know it came with lights, but I see one very well in the first photo!  Yes, it needs lights on top, don't want a Piper Cub flying down the river to an abrupt stop!  It is a wonderful addition to your layout!

It didn't come with lights I went out and radio shack store was closing so I bought up all the leds they had about 7 packages mainly red and 2 red flashing total bill 2.35 everything was 70% off. so I sat here last night watching a movie soldering up 6 lights something that takes someone else 20 minutes took me over 2 hrs to solder I really dislike soldering then ran the wires inside of aluminum tubes to hide the wires and have them exit the bottom of the bridge and what the plan is to run another tube the length of the bridge to run the wires to the end where they can be hidden under the table first plan was to paint the bridge tehn do salt weathering on it but I kinda like the natural look of it

 

Today I colored the ground plaster and started putting down the ground foam scenery. Took some pics and after looking them over I see I have too much uniformity shrubs on the one cliff. So I'll have to pull some off And maybe add something a bit larger in spots...........Paul

Ran trains ! Lots of trains. Threatened rain all afternoon so it was a good excuse for not working outside, but, truthfully, I don't need no stinkin' excuses.

storming here right now

 

Rain, rain, go away....

Three "engineers" meet and form a weather forecast. Prototypical 1800s railroading?

 

Because of the storms this afternoon, I didn't want to take a chance running trains, and get my recently repaired TIU hit.  So I thought I would try my hand at putting together an AmeriTown general store kit I have had on hand.  The last I tried something like that was early fall, and it was too painful to use a hobby knife.  While I had my hand operations in January and March, it was still a bit painful putting enough pressure to sand the edges and trim flash on the windows.  Fortunately, there is almost no flash on these wonderful kits.  It was still a bit awkward glueing and holding the joints, but I got it done.  What I took for granted when I was younger and scratch building intricate models in N scale, was a major accomplishment for me Today!!  Yay!!

Trying to get all the remotes to work!

 

Had a DCS remote that had really bad contrast on the screen. - Fixed.

 

Had a Legacy cab 2 and base that dont like to talk after the base has been on. - Not fixed!

 

PS my old Cab1 and TMCC base fired right up, no issues. They are keepers :-)

 

 

Paul 2, I am a very big fan of the shelf style levels you have going there.

Mark it didn't happen if there's no pictures. I tinkered all day. I started off building my first tree. it's a little anemic but not bad for the first one. then I put a tunnel portal under one edge of the bridge. and painted the retaining wall a little. then cut a piece of mdf for foundations for the city buildings. then I built a sign for ReMax my mother worked for them so I wanted a ReMax real estate office on the layout. all the while I was running trains also wired up the lights on the Lionel wooden bridge.   

 

It is so John!  You give us plenty of pictures, so we know you are doing a ton of work.  Here is a video I just uploaded.  The store is in there unpainted with the roof removable for separate painting.

 

looks good Mark yea I do work on it quite a bit but my kids are off doing there thing most of the time and so I get some good free time to work on it.

And I like the mood only a lighted bridge can set.

 

Are you going to bathe the new one in lights?

 yes sir it already has 2 flashing red led's at the top keeping the piper cub's from hitting it LOL using Marks words. I was just thinking either 4 led's shining down on the track or spot lights shining up at the bridge not sure which

 

With that shape Id be tempted by Color and accent.

That is good!  Only our 24-year old daughter is home now, so she does her own thing.  However, we have several elderly relatives we have to help out, and my wife's health isn't the best.  That's what's important now.

Mark,

It is developing its own personality, as I new it would.

I don't see that stopping

 

No J video  

Today I went through a book on gas electrics, etc.,trying to decide what my next project should be, and I dug out a number of old O scale kits for passenger combines,

that might be kitbashed, such as two Walthers, a 56' platformed one, and a shorty Sierra kit,  an old Rail Chief platformed one by that woman who ran the shop in NYC,

and another.  Then I found one of those Lionel 0-6-0T's, and while checking it, discovered that neither coupler would work, and on one the plastic knuckle cracked and came  off.  This was in the box and I think unrun.  These are different, one having a

longer shank than the other and they have that flat plate for the magnet.  Wonder where I can get these replacements?

 

 

Adriatic,

Thank you!  The J video is on another topic.  PS3 N&J Jerky Movement. It has bee a disappointment since I got it a week ago.  I am calling MTH to send it in for warranty repair.

I started the morning with running all four mainlines as I started to clean up my mess from the work being done. Looking at the third corner where I added three sections of cliffs to make the old saying of it ain't over till the fat lady sings dome to mind. With pink board left over I decided to make up one more cliff to come down the side. Sort of tapering it going from high to low. From that section I'll run my backs of buildings down the rest of the mainline. So with a bag full of garbage from the work in progress it is break time. And with having to do no outside work today I think this afternoon will be a good day to stay in the attic run trains and work on the layout...............Paul

We are building our first layout and have been working on this mountain for several weeks. Today we layed the plaster cloth.

Hi all.

This week I tried to build another display shelf for some steam engines. This one is 30" X 70" with sliding plexiglass doors.

 

First one I ever tried with sliding doors. It's ok , BUT needs some improvement on the sliding part.

 

I should have used the 3/8 plexiglass and not the thinner.

 

The difference is 54 dollars versus 98 dollars. I should have went 98 dollars.

REASON...to much flexibility in the doors.

 

Even old , still learning. And , sorry for the sorry picture. I could not get a decent finished one with the plexiglass reflection.

 

Larry

 

Still having fun.

 

 

Nothing compared to many layouts here but I built an elevated track around the top of my (small, 11' x 11') train room. I wanted it to look good, so of course it took 10x more time and effort than I had intended. I used tube track thinking I'd need to bend and contort to get things to work (plus, most all my locos have magnetraction).

 

Tonight I loaded it up with ~20 postwar cars and the 'big' dual motor magnetraction locos (GG1, Train Master, F3) pulled 'em just fine. Pictured is a 1950 issue 773 and despite a single motor it pulled 'em fine too (albeit it's geared very very low) though current draw is fairly high (~4+ amps) so probably don't want to do it for too long.

 

 

 

The overhead layout looks very nice.  What did you use for the corner shelf portions?  You say you used tube track.  What diameter curves are in the corners?  I ask, because I have one partially built in a room about the same dimensions, but I haven't finished the corners to my satisfaction.  Also, I have GarGraves track just laying up there now, not fastened down.  I forget what curves I have, I think 054, at least they are fairly broad.  I may change and use tubular because I have a magnetraction engine I will want to run there.

Thank you!!

I used O72. For the corners I used a single triangle - two equilateral straight legs and then the O72 curve. Connecting the four corners are ~4.5' straight pieces. I used 3/8" plywood to get maximum vertical space for o gauge. It's a bit flimsy and even more challenging, not very flat. If I had to do it over again I'd shoehorn in 1/2" plywood as it is typically much flatter. I have decently heavy stuff, including a kit-bashed, brass-laden ~10 pound postwar GG1, and with enough supports and brackets it works fine.

 

The challenge I had is trim above the window and closet. I had to get a bit creative with the joints and cutouts to make the pieces fit. In the picture above, not visible, are small metal angle brackets on the top side that screw into the window trim. It's actually a fairly clean look. I had to redo some pieces and each piece had a lot of trial-n-error to get it to fit.

 

 

 

Clearance for the door:

 

 

 

Lastly, I live in the sorta earthquake-prone Seattle area so I installed a ~4" x 4' acrylic fence. I "park" the locomotive here when done.

 

 

SAL9000,

Thank you very much for the aditional information and photos!  I think you solved the problems very well.  Everything looks very nice.  I have the same problem in a small downstairs family room with low ceilings.  I used metal brackets, brown like the masonite wall paneling, but had to use brackets above the door frames like you did.  I used pre cut and finished shelving from Lowes, but need something different for the corners.  I just have the shelving temporarily in place up to the corners.  I did not get to work on it at all last winter due to two surgeries, so I hope to finish it this coming winter.

 

Here are a couple of photos, but remember, mine is still a work in progress.

 

 

Yesterday I got the plaster wrap on. Today I got to plaster on. So either later or tomorrow I'll apply the washes. Pics of the last cliff. From the lower part of the cliff I am going to use backs of building to run down part of the yard and mainlines.....Paul

Looks good. I thought about going deeper as you have in order to have more than just track but I'm still just getting into the hobby - there's always next time (hopefully)!

I have been in the hobby for years, but only 3 years in O gauge.  I started this overhead at my wife's suggestion, because at the time, I literally had no spase for an O gauge layout. my idea was to make it wide enough to have 2 tracks, or 1 track with some room for buildings.  As I was sidetracked from the project needing surgery, one of our two daughters got married and moved out.  My wife gave me room for a 4x8 in our daughter's old room along with her old furniture, some sewing stuff and storage.  I worked on a simple layout there this past winter, as I wasn't up to finishing the ceiling layout.  Now that I have some space for a traditional layout, and when our other daughter moves out, I'll gain a whole room, I may just go with the double track and no buildings.  I could run my lighter weight post waar trains in two directions there and run the heavier modern steam era trains on the traditional layout.  As with you, only time will tell how it will all work out.  It really doesn't matter, I can have fun with trains no matter where, except I have given up on crawling on the floor as too painful.  ;-)

Reference to SAL9000 and  maybe a consideration to others: I utilized OSB (7/16") for underlayment for my tubular O gauge layout (12' X 24'); it is surprisingly strong (some spans are 30"); I get up and walk eveyrywhere safely on it. "Homesote" on top makes it very quiet. 

Had a problem with my MTH Milwaukee Road Box-cabs.  I have all four units, all in black and together they make a very impressive looking locomotive.  But when we tried to add the fourth unit, a dummy with a 2-B-B wheel arrangement, it just wouldn't connect.  We tried to plug the MU connector from the B-B dummy unit in it, but it just wouldn't go.  Finally I removed the whole unit and brought it to the workbench to try to figure out the problem, and it became apparent that we had bigger problems.

 

Sometime or another, this extra dummy unit must have taken an unscheduled trip to the floor.  Not only was the female MU plug bent on one side and also had some bent connectors, but two of the wheel sets, one axle with the large drive wheels and one axle with the small pilot wheels had bent axles.

 

I never recall dropping this (or any other) engine so I suspect that while this unit was sitting on a lower shelf, idle, while the other three units were operating on the layout itself, someone, like maybe the grandkids, knocked the unit off the shelf.  No accusations here, just a mystery.

 

Well, I'm please to say that I was able to straighten out the MU plug by rebuilding the outside case and also straightening three of the contact pins, inside.  Then I removed the trucks from the frame, made a jig for the vise to protect and align the wheels, and pressed the wheels back into a straight position.  Then bent the axle of the pilot truck until those wheels were straight, too.

 

Probably took about three hours to accomplish all of this, including examination and testing, but it was a good feeling to get it done.  My eyes aren't what they used to be and I had to use lots of close up bright lights as well as my Magni-Focuser eye shade in order to even see what damage had been done.  But now, the huge, four unit locomotive has been returned to full service and I can look for the next project.

 

Paul Fischer

Now that I have caught up on the chores after returning from Florida  I decided toward on the tinplate layout before getting back to the new layout construction.  On one loop the train would slow down at a particular area of the track.  I got out my voltmeter and was surprised to see a constant voltage all around the 12 x 28 loop.  A puzzlement.  Spent a 1/2 hour with no breakthrough.  The I took off my postwar 2360 GG1 and put on my new LionChief Plus engine.  Problem fixed!  Why?  I have not a clue.  checked the rest of the layout and everything worked fine except for the siding holding the cattle car and milk.  I found no cause and vowed to come back the next day to get everything ready for my 3.5 year old grandson - a true train nut.

.  

Al, You might have a weak connection. The voltage should be read under load really. A meter wont pull a load, and a load is needed to know if the connection can pass the amperage used.  You may not be able to pass the amps the PW GG1 needs. An LC+ uses much less amperage. I bet a "pin squeeze" is over due.

 

Mark, I had to put a hold on my shelf layout for a few years from health issues too.

That's how I ended up with two tables, plus  the ceiling layout.

The ceiling started with shelves from large die cast VW bugs and buses, & toys.

One day I set my childhood train up there to display it 

Soon after, I realized I was one wall away from a ceiling layout.

The rest is history. And so is the Bug collection

 

 I also added small angle brackets to the topside after I figured the weight of a die cast engine, and die cast cars, was a moving twenty pounds on and off each shelf with every loop it made. And I have two lines.

 

I was moving some of my elderly aunt's things she couldn't take with her to the assisted living apartment.  I put some of the things under the train table.  One was a CD changer/player-tape player she had me pick out for her a few years ago.  I hooked it up, and checked to see if there were any CDs in it.  The first was Glenn Miller, so I started playing it. I fired up the NYC Hudson pulling some heavyweights, and the B&O Atlntic pulling a string of steam era freight cars.  Thinking of Nick's Ready to be Thunderstruck topic earlier this week, I thought how fitting, Steam and Glenn Miller.  Just then the second song came on; Chatanooga Choo Choo!  I ran the trains a while with the music playing, and thought maybe I'll make a video with music playing.  It won't be done very well, just trains with the CD playing in the background.

 

Heritage Units = AC/DC

Steam era = Glenn Miller

My 3.5 year old grandson was over today.  I showed him the Lion Chief Plus engine and he had a great time using the remote, blowing the whistle, ringing the bell.  The cattle car milk car siding that was not working yesterday was suddenly working perfectly today.  The cattle car worked better than ever.  One problem my 3461 log car did not work in front of the 164 log loader but the 3469 coal car did so we put logs in the coal car and played on. Strangely the 3461 worked fine with the 364 lumber loader on a different track.

Today I reviewed what I could use to power a Walthers' gas electric kit.  I had an

RMT RDC and an Industrial Rail trolley apart, and decided the trucks look better on

the trolley, and that it would be an easier modification, since the chasses need to

be stretched on either, even with the shorty kit  (Walthers made these kits in two

lengths, scale and "tinplate").  No work on it or anything else accomplished.

Mark - I say go for it!  Make that video with all the great music playing!!!  Can't wait to see it!!

Your ceiling shelf layout looks great!!!

FWIW, here's a Walthers coach that someone converted into a SP/PE "Blimp" that I picked up on eBay a few years back:

Note the Lionel switcher trucks and how they're mounted...

 

The toggle switch above will operate the E-unit when I get around to installing one. 

 

Hope this helps! 

 

Mitch

Mark, I thought the pre-war and mpc eras gave us a few trains that were DC

 All the rest were AC/DC, and Miller made signs. 

 

 

 

 

 

Adriatic,

I love your humor!!  You would fit in well with my wife's family!!

 

You may like this:  When I first went to type Glenn Miller, I typed in Steve Miller instead!  

My friend Tom's modular layout in my work shop.    Track power wiring.

 

 

. 

Mike CT,

you and Tom are doing a great job on that module.  I like the neat, coded wiring.  Tying off at each wire nut to prevent stress and keeping them from getting snagged, I suppose, is a good idea.

Looks great, Mike.  But that is what we have come to expect from you.  Nice job!

 

Art

Its been awhile nothing big, so here goes.

 

Not pictured 90% of rolling stock now converted to Kadees 

 

Experimenting with backdrops from esqueddesigns  Create a Scene. Didn't cost much so why not. At least I not looking at a bare wall.

 

 

 Replaced the 3R pilots on my 3rd Rail CB&Q and GN FTs with 2R pilots

  

 

 Started purchasing track for my new layout

 

 

 

 

 

 Installed a rock wall around SC House and experimenting with street light placement 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzukovich,

The backdrop looks very nice and compliments your 3D scenery very well!  I also like the new pilots and couplers on the FTs.

I attacked and started cutting up the Industrial Rail trolley, removing the bump/return

mechanism, cutting off part of the front of the frame so the Walthers gas electric

sides would be in the correct location with regard to the trucks per the Walthers

instructions, cut the frame in two to extend it, and then had to go out for some thin

wire to extend all the wiring to bridge the increased length. Using the shorty Walthers

sides for a shorter car, but it is still maybe double the length of the trolley.  Thought about cutting the Walthers sides down, taking out sections,  and resoldering (have done that before) for an Edwards car, but decided against it, as I didn't want to give up the RPO section (although I could take out a few passenger windows, instead). 

Edwards cars are very clean and simplistic, without the radiators and all sorts of

other appliances on the roofs, or front ends, as many gas electrics,  so I might give another thought to that.

Hi Everybody--  I decided to bring out a handful of Traction equipment and put it on display!  "Mitch" will probably get excited too.  The orange interurbans are CSS&SB and the red interurbans are Pacific Electric "Blimps".  Boy these four cars are LONG !

There are about another dozen trolleys yet to make an appearance!

 

A Greyhound and a Trailways bus are waiting for passengers at the local Bus Depot. Eventually I want to also get a "Peerless Stages" bus.

 

Sunday the 7th-- I drive over to "House of Trains" in Hoodsport, WA.  'Ray' is going to give me personal training on repairing O-gauge switches.  022 and 072.  Should be really interesting !

 

Enjoy the photos !

 

KRK

Ken,

The layout is taking shape nicely!  You sure do have a nice collection of traction equipment!  I'll say the Pacific Electric units are long.  Do you have any PCC cars.  That is what I am familiar seeing in Pittsburgh.  That will be good if you can repair your own switches.

I got the last cliff in. After setting in place I decided to take my longest cars. A scale Hy-cube and an  auto rack and run them past the new cliffs. Well auto scraped and stopped the train. So in one of the pics is a white area I had to carve out. Also I'll have to fill in the gap between the two cliffs and blend in the colors. So that was it for today on the layout. I spent time getting tickets for the 765 going from Buffalo to Corning........Paul

This is a waterfall test I recently made, just playing around with some scenery I had left over. I just used a few different woodland scenics water products. It's not realistic- the water isn't coming from anywhere. But I'm still gonna use it on my layout. And because I'm going to use it on my layout, I'll have to cover up the cardboard base with other scenery...

Keith,

 There are plenty of spots in the mountains where the water comes out from rock formation just like yours. No "openings", it seeps out of the cracks, and crevices.

 

 Pull on your parents sleeves and ask for a vacation to the Appalachian or even the Alleghany mountains.(and blame me for your bugging them)

  I know t sounds boring now, but you will remember it for the rest of your life. Pictures don't do it justice You have to see it to understand.

Especially the Blue Ridge.

 

Mark....& Miller

Gonna buy me one.

     

Cru-u-uise up and down this railroad.

 

Mitch, Ken

 I have a love hate thing for any like "Bud Cars".

I love the concept, but hate how plain they look.

Bright, solid color paints and "real" roofs have shifted the balance.

The pantographs didn't hurt either. 

This may be the first time ever I choose paint over raw shiny metal.   

I actually pass the Alleghenies when I go on vacation every year, so I could probably convince them to stop for a bit. 

 

The rocks were made to look wet, so I guess the "water" could be "seeping" out from the rocks. But I did over-exaggerate the water. It looks like it's flowing pretty fast, so it would be difficult to flow that fast from cracks in the rock. Sorry this picture is a bit blurry; I was rushing, so it didn't focus well. And I'm still working on it, so I could always easily modify it...

Moses struck a rock and water came out.  So I have been told.

 

It looks fine! That little gap there is plenty, I swear.

Another interesting thing, they are so big it is common for it to be raining on the mountain above you (above & to the side really, remember the hill slope).

Those little streams can be dry, or at a trickle, then suddenly start gushing water like someone opened a valve. Even though everything is dry and sunny around you.

 You also might have to stop driving if you run into a low cloud. No joke.

Sometimes you can watch low clouds crash into the hillsides and see them split, go over, or just hang there awhile.

 

 

 

Again I have fallen behind. Since York, I have been working on my street rod. sorry. Have lots of trees to plant when it gets too warm to work in the garage.

Thanks. Yah, I'll defiantly try to see the Alleghenies; it sounds really cool!

Since the time period I am modeling is the late 1950's, I had to change my MTH crossing gates from red and white to black and white. 

No reason you can't combine the two! 

 

 

Mitch

Ran a couple of trains today. While they were running I took up plaster I had down as ground cover to start bringing the track from the mainline to the industrial area. I'll lay out the track and switches to see what I can do and  how much I can get into the area without jamming too much track. Once I do that I can glue down the cork........Paul

finally got some more lights for the dungeon.this did several things.I need a couple more, and also need to replace the bulbs in the original lights.

 

 

Ran recently purchased pennsy fleet of modernism passengers with centipede. I'm running a Pennsylvania railroad centipede with 9 lighted passenger cars. Now that's a train  ! !

I extended the frame on this Industrial Rail streetcar, and added bracing down the sides, styrene beams.  And then I went into no man's land, soldering again.  I had two

gas electric bodies out of a junkbox, one scratched and one a kitbashed American

Standard, that I considered restoring and using for a gas electric body on this IR frame, but decided to use the sides out of a shorty Walthers doodlebug kit.  To shorten the sides, I took out 3 5/8", one RPO window and 3 windows out of the passenger compartment, leaving a one window RPO and four window pass. compartments.

I tinsnipped the sides, and then soldered them together, and soldered in the baggage

door.  It took a while, but I got 'er done.  I've done this before with other Walthers

car sides, to rearrange doors and windows or change the length of cars, but it is nothing I am good at.

I ran my Lionel scale J N&W 611 pulling 8 scale passenger cars.  Very nice sight!!  Also ran my MA & PA SW1 and new MTH MA & PA caboose  up on the Mountain Division of the Free State Junction Railway.  

 

While the trains were running I cleared some space in the center of the layout so I can get working again.  Not much progress, however, moving in the right direction.

 

 

I have been working on lighting buildings. today I saw at the lhs woodland scenic just plug system for lights. have to admit very simple can run off of a wall wart or track power I used track power for ease of running wires around the layout I also ran power to the Menards engine house.

Well, Norma Kitteh likes my buddy's Lionel F unit (in for horn repairs)...

 

Mitch

I am packing for tomorrows 1 day display.

The improved lighting sure makes your trains show up well!  Nice job.

After a deal was done and we shot the $hart for an hour or two a Craig's List buyer saw my G scale and commented about having a few Lionels from his childhood.

 The grand tour was in order.

He'll be back for more of his stuff(not train) and spend to some run time at test and tuning here.

I may have lit his Og fuse.

Bit of an oddity here...

 

I was noodling about with an old 3-car train of K-Line RDCs (to be painted for the P-R Seashore Lines at some point) and, when I hit the horn button on my modified RW transformer (longtime readers will recall my article on installing a Zener diode into same), I got a garbled sort of buzz from the motor car.  I shrugged, said "Tch!  Bad sound speaker" and popped the top off: 

 

Now I dunno about you, but I see nothing there indicating a sound system of any sort.  And, indeed, my Atlas transformer generated no response on either the whistle or bell buttons. 

 

So, what was making the sound?

 

Signed,

 

Confused In The Ozarks

I am no expert...just some theories...I assume those are plate weights?  What's under the red cover on the right side of the picture above the truck with two white wires going to it?

a) Yes.

 

b) E-unit on/off switch.

 

 

Mitch

 A speaker as we know it, isn't always needed, just something that vibrates.

and/or

I think you either had mini-relay(s) chattering and moaning, or you built a radio without trying.

 

If you have any old fillings, try sucking on a wire to see if reception improves

Obviously spoken from first hand experience.

WJR if I was in bed on my back head to the NE. 

did my first bit of scratch building I have a Bachmann coaling tower that was missing the steps and landings so I made some today for it I figured it would be a good candidate for learning on. here's the results

I finally got 6153 back on the rails today, looking like proper FEF.

Looks really good!!!  Congratulations !!

I had two brief and enjoyable running sessions today

I spent the entire evening, for the second day in a row, soldering together doodlebug

sides, that have been rearranged and shortened, to make a gas electric body for this

Industrial Rail trolley.  In addition three doors per side had to be soldered in.  I only

burned myself once, and the job is done, they match, and look good.  Now to start

assembling a complete body onto the trolley chassis.

Long day of RR fun. In the AM I went shopping and acquired a nice #60 Lionel trolley that I could afford plus an LW transformer that looked like new out-of-the-box. Too good to pass up. After that I spent the rest of the day photographing dirty, back & white NS engines with an occasional UP yellow thrown in. Did see an interesting sight near Rochester,Pa. The lead engine had an extra passenger in front of the conductor and it was a young(9 yrs old??) lady getting a cab ride. Snapped a picture but not a good one. She was wearing a hard hat and safety vest so must have been OK. Sorry I didn't get a better picture but I was caught by surprise. Spent the time with 2 other guys, both photographers and modelers, nice guys.

After a bit of oiling and maintenance, my 3-car train of B&O RDCs goes thundering down the mainline, taking commuters to work... 

 

Incidentally, does anyone have a good source for those 3-chime horns up top?  The rear RDC is missing its horns. 

 

I checked Brasseur, but at 3 bucks a pop plus shipping, that's just a wee bit dear for my tastes...   ;-) 

 

Mitch

I got this box-baggage car to the point where I am waiting on a decal sheet.