What did you do on your layout today?

Nothing - absolutely nothing.  Just took the day off from everything I normally do.  Sort of nice.

My 5 year old grandson ran conventional, DCS, and Legacy for his 91 year old Great Grandfather. It was a wonderful Easter for everyone here! 

took a break, went to the PA trolley museum in washington, PA to ride some trolleys! take some sneek peaks at the new projects they are doing, restoration, etc.  a fun time for all. 

Started to wire tracks in the new switch yard, tracks 12, 13 & 14. Also wired the switches that control these sidings.

Ran trains with the kids last night.  Purchased a few buildings for the layout and looking at a good way to make my country road though the town.  

Laid more track on the helix. The helix should be done on Thursday or Friday. Gets a little tedious going up and down the ladder, even if it is only two steps.

RAN my new Lionel Legacy GS2 SP Daylight!  WOW, what an Engine. It is fantastic to say the least! The Colors, Operation and Sound.  A very good Smoker as well!  Even on the LOW Setting

 

Fredstrains

Started to tear apart my Atlas 0-6-0 for a re-paint and re-letter to Michigan and Great Lakes 110.  Going to just have the herald on each side of the tender for this re-paint.  

 

It will also get a Kadee conversion.

 

Will post photos of my progress.  

Well I just ordered $160.00  from brennan's model railroading. I ordered some better ballast. I got some gray and rail yard black. And I ordered 2 bags of  each of there scenic supplys . I know that I'll get every thing I need  it will just take time and warmer weather. I'm just not used to being on a fixed income like I'm on. Plush things have got a little bit harder for me to do since I lost my right leg.So just give me some time and I will get this layout up and running.

 

Good Morning

Yesterday did more ballast and scenery,I do some scenery and ballast at the same time while I'm spraying glue over everything, some places are hard to reach. Today will be more of the same. Still have an industrial area to build and a town expansion. 17 days until Blissfield Railroad Days.

Over the past month, I've finished the bench work for the first level of the Milwaukee Beer Line and put down some track to make sure my track plan actually worked. After a few tweaks, it does. I have two bridges (bascule and lift) that cross the Milwaukee River, but before I could permanently mount and wire them up, I've had to do the river scenery first. I'm pretty much done with that and hope to pour the "water" today and then start on the wiring. With a little bit of luck, I'll have some trains running by the weekend: I've got some thirsty customers. 

Received my Twin Pines Dairy truck today and looked at moving some of the buildings around to accommodate a new Barber Shop building from Alex Mailliae.  

Well, the helix is finally topped out, and the first 3 sections of bookshelf benchwork are in place. Tomorrow I hope to finish the track all the way up, and perhaps put in the bridge over the aisle.

 

Today I cleaned the bedroom that surrounds my "layout."

Nothing, absolutely nothing!!!  A conspiracy between people who actually expect me to do something for my paycheck, and my dentist, kept me from even seeing the train-room today!

Ready to put some track down.

I don't have the end caps and other parts I need for the retorts, so the creosote plant
is on hold.  Yesterday and today I have reverted to working on the previously  started ghost town kit.  I have cut walls for the general store out of milled clapboard, installed
Grandtline windows and some doors, and a bent and sagging ridgepole. With the four walls assembled, I am now starting to install broken rafters where they will show through the holes in the roof.  Have done the porch floor with its holes and sag.  Have been thinking up names to put on the barely hanging sign, and think I will just put in the foundation of the station, with a vestige of a platform that flagged trains can stop at, the building just the pit full of scrap lumber.  A very decrepit saloon and roofless blacksmith shop should complete the scene and indicate that residents have left for the next bonanza.

Worked on my roundhouse for a little while.

The only thing I did was put on Twin Pines Dairy DIVCO truck on the layout to make a ice cream and milk delivery to the ice cream parlor.  

 

I also ran trains!

Very frustrating day. I worked on two switches to get the controllers to function properly. It did not happen, but after some time, I did narrowed the problem down to the wire that connects the switch to the controller. I hope to fix the issue today so that I can get on to finishing the wiring of the yard and the rest of the switches.

 

It is a good thing that most trains days are better than this one.

Started playing with the box of rocks. 

 

 

Wow.  I think that roundhouse is as big as my entire layout.  What's the story behind the second, and I assume older, picture?

Elliot- With all the great work you're doing on that layout, I'm curious, are you going to finish off the basement with drywall on the last foot of wall and ceiling?

Mike, the missing strip of sheetrock near the ceiling will get filled in, but in the end it won't be visible. Backdrop will cover it.

 

The plan has always been to install a suspended ceiling. I suppose it would have been easier to do it before the benchwork was in, but by standing on the layout, it shouldn't be too hard. I always worried about damaging the ceiling during construction. Unfortunately, back before the benchwork was installed, the duct work hadn't been boxed in yet. Now the portion above the layout is done, but there is still some left to finish in one corner. I've had the materials for years, but when I got sick, all progress stopped.

 

The truth is the room has never been empty. Even during the construction of the house, there was always stuff in the space. It isn't as if there was ever a good time to deal with this. But now that things are moving along again, it will have to be dealt with soon.

 

I'm also thinking of re-doing the lighting.

my Little girl and I ran the trains.  all of them and she put a bunch of action figures into the coal cars so they could take a ride!  so that was pretty fun..........  for the guys! I should charge admission! 

Success with the uncooperative switches. Additionally, I got another six of them operational today. Seven more to go and then it is on to wiring the remaining sidings.

Put down the outer loop and ran some trains over it. Boy, what a difference from the FasTrack I used last time. The O27 tubular is so much quieter. And I'm sure that once I add Flexxbed under the track, it will be a little quieter, still. So nice not to hear anything but the motor of the locomotive and the clickety-clack of the rails.

I'm new to the Forum.  This is a GREAT idea ... sharing with everyone our progress on our respective railroads.  My railroad's name is The Freestate Junction Railroad " a conduit line for all of Maryland's class 1 and short line railroads" during the transition era.

 

This week I wired all the track on the new Mountain Division ( The actual mountain is yet to be completed... and will be in the next few months hopefully ) which hosts a Bollman Truss Bridge.  I tested trains running on the  Mountain division.  All track work is fine.... no problems with derailments.  Two freinds helped wire my lower division mainline and also helped with the progress of my elevated trolly line.

 

Today I did a foam moch up of the mountain... just to get an idea of how it might look.

I put the last two pieces of track in place to complete the elevated trolly line. Still lacking the final screws for piers.... but it all looks good!  I went to Home Depot to buy more pink two inch foam.  Also bought some single roof shingles for making roads ... at $2.02 per shingle I can get lots of mileage out of a single shingle ... and they come in various colors too!

 

I'm looking forward to working on my layout tomorrow.  Actually "working" is not exactly what it is .... it's really creative play. :-)

 

Patrick W

 

Still ballasting track and covering blue board. Changed a crossover today from right turnouts to left, gives me better access to siding. I don't know what happened just didn't  get much done

14 days to open house

clem

Nothing again on the layout, but ran trains the past two days with my grandson.

 

Jeff the b/w picture is outside third rail. I would like to know more about it's history. Thanks don

Jumijo:

 

Tubular track with Johnson roadbed is as quiet as it gets. I have used it since 1996, it has the best sound deadening qualities for tubular track, and it really enhances the look.

Ran some trains this morning

 

Started to design my staging yard that will go though the 2nd wall into a spare bedroom we have.  Since the bedroom sits empty most of the time it shouldnt be an issue but when the inlaws come to stay with us I will design the track to fold up into the wall.  As of right now it will be able to hold 2 trains. 

 

I plan to hit the hobby shop today also to get some more cork roadbed to fix a small section of track that isn't level and causes all kinds of derailments.   

It looks as though I goofed up on my story line and captions. The roundhouse in the B&W picture, is the same roundhouse and turntable. It was built before 1940, for a 2-rail Club in Milwaukee Wisconsin, known as the Model Railroad Club of Milwaukee. The started at their present location in 1937, and still is active to this day!! I have not done a lot to the structure as I wish to keep it more as an artifact! We spiked down HO rail to act as my center rail. I ran a piece of stiff wire onto the table to do the same thing. When this roundhouse was first used, the layout was running on outside third rail.I originally bought the roundhouse and table back on March 2, 1970 from the Club, and is now finally installed on my new layout I am building, and is now totally operational. The table services a total of 26 tracks.

 

Hope this is found interesting.

 

Jeff

Don: I think I goofed up on my comments/captions, so here it goes. The roundhouse and table in the B&W photo, is an old picture of the same. I have done very little to it, as I wish to keep it more as an artifact from a very old 2-rail O scale Club. The Club is located in Milwaukee Wisconsin, known as the Model Railroad Club of Milwaukee, and they officially opened up in 1937, and they are still an active Club and layout to this day. When the Club first operated, you are right, they ran as outside third rail. My roundhouse still has the "pegs" inside to carry the old third rail. At some point the Club was able to convert to 2-rail operation. Thus, the roundhouse and table were built before 1940, and I know this because of an early (1940) Kalmbach publication showing my structure on the Club layout, within it's pages. I purchased the house and table on March 2, 1970. I have now left Milwaukee, and after many more years, the house and table are finally installed, and operational on the layout I am building. I might also mention that it was this Club, that started to formulate "Standards" model railroading, and after a while, it became what we know as the NMRA. Thus, in 1935, the first NMRA Convention was held on Labor Day in Milwaukee Wiscosnin. All thanks to Club members such as A.C. Kalmbach, Wm. K. Walthers to name a couple. I hope this helps, but ask me more if you need anything at all, I'll try and answer as best as I can.  I would really like to know more myself about the house and table, but that history seems to be lost within the current Club as I still visit about once a year!! Would like more photos of it as well.   Jeff

 

 

Yes, you were lucky. I can't count the number of times I've had materials bump into the rafters over the years. And carpet would have been destroyed by now, and there's still all the scenery left to do. I just spilled glue the other day. Actually, we just finished the last section of raised floor a couple months ago.

 

Funny story about the carpet that is in the trainroom. Back when the house was under construction, there was a dumpster in the driveway. One morning I found that some unscrupulous person had dumped a huge load of crappy used carpet on my lot. Instead of filling my dumpster, I adopted it for the trainroom. It was much better than bare concrete.

 

When life gives you lemons...

I didn't work on the new layout today but it's coming along. I did work on one of my little box cab electrics and almost finished. This is for my mining electric short line. The cab is brass and the running gear and frame are from a K-line S-2 switcher. The cab was a mess when I bought it. I replaced most of the hand rails, added snow plow and many more details. I still have to install windows, windshield wipers, paint the end of the air hoses red, interior cab and a few other details. The pantographs are the Milwaukee type made by Lionel. I will have two more small electrics for this line. Don't think I am going to need all three though. The others are the Westinghouse steeple cab type. The track in this photo is just sitting with no ballast and the overhead wire will be done in this section by next week.

The line in the background is the Milwaukee mainline. This little line will keep dropping down into a canyon to two or three mines. These electrics will pull stings of ore cars up to the mainline. Don

more ballast and scenery, sure hope I have enough ballast?

13 more days till Blissfield Railroad Days

 

Clem

Don:  It kinda looks like one of the BA&P 24M electrics that ran next to, but not on the Milwaukee road.  Is that what it is?

 

Paul Fischer

Paul, good call. I have no idea what it is. To me it looks like one the many electrics that ran on the open pit copper mines. I think we are saying the same thing. Yes, that's how I got the idea for a mining short line. The BA&P was as your know the deciding factor to electrify the Milwaukee.

The body was a old brass shell made in Japan I think in the 50's or 60's. This short line is not part of the Milwaukee Road either. It will just feed ore to the line. There's a story here that will be in OGR later. The road is called the V&M line. Another part of the story. Don

Today I built a siding.  That's about it.  Layout continues to chug along.

All track is down and trains are running. Now assessing track layout, and will tweak as needed. 

Don, that's a really nice electric locomotive. It looks really sharp!

I can't wait to see the steeple cab. I have always liked to see pics of those on a traction line pulling a short string of freight cars. Thanks for sharing.

Cobrabob.

Recently I have been working on the scenery at the right hand end of my layout. I built a tunnel first and plan on building the mountain over it next. I am putting down the ground cover, streets and some trees. I am actually starting to really enjoy this new aspect of model railroading. My first two Lionel layouts were bare plywood.

Cobrabob.

This photo of the tunnel was taken earlier, before the roof was in place. The block of wood was to make sure that I kept the walls a uniform distance apart. The ballast is all in place now and the roof is glued down. And the ground cover is also all set.

Today I ran through a train show...and picked up four Lionel flatcars to use at my

creosote plant, specifically to run into the retorts (which is on hold).  Cars had poles on them, 3, and one was a crane car to unload the others. Also found a power chassis for a planned steam coach or inspection engine (whichever I do first), and other items. 

Yesterday I made progress on the ghost town's crumbling general store...about ready to put trim on, paint it, and then roof it (partially, as there are holes).  I'd be afraid

to walk in that building...the roof looksl like a swaybacked horse...

Finally finished wiring and testing all of the switches. This took the better part of the weekend. Now I am on to wiring all of the new sidings and fitting the track into the available designated yard area. Overall, pretty good day of progress on the renovation work.

Today and yesterday I got started on wiring my new yard tracks and switches.

.....

Dennis

Started dismantling it 

 

 

I have been testing a new product for JT's Megasteam...looks like a winner.

Scott Smith

Working on finishing all of my mainlines for the D3R club meet next Saturday at my house. All 3 loops up and running.  Installed and wired 12 switches with 4 more to wire up.  Hope to have most of the logging switch back working.  And I thought I would have free time when I retired last January.

Dan

worked on resolving a wiring issue.  Issue resolved. Tested some engines on my new mountain division.  Did some organizational work in the train room. 

My Layout is finished!  Ran my Lionel LEGACY "BIGBOY. What a fantastic Engine. Love it!!

 

 

Fredstrains

Lots of maintenance work this weekend.  Pulled out the postwar engines 773, 736 and 2026 and lubed them up, replaced burnt out light bulbs, rewired several light pickups on the 2500 series passenger car trucks, replaced a spring in the 164 log loader and installed two new Yard lights.  As of this moment every engine, bulb, accessory and switch is working properly on the layout.  Three of the grandchildren stopped by and didn't break a thing....  LOL...

 

 

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to that!

Hi Mr. Wood (real name?): Very much like the looks of your layout. I see you've repainted some stuff in less toylike colors, such as the #352 Icing Station, etc. Like your use of the light towers also. Nice to see your layout.

Today, during lunch at work,  I went to the trains shop to get a "how to" dvd.  I also ran my trains for a few minutes.

Bought another sheet of plywood, between rain and wind.  Figured out how to make the switch back "fit".  10 lbs in a 5 lbs bag almost.  Now to get it done operating by Saturday's D3R meet.

Dan

Been lazy/burnt out the last couple days. Finally dragged myself downstairs tonight. The last sections of track on the helix and their wires are prepped. Gonna gather my tools and materials, and first thing tomorrow morning, I'm going in, and I'm not coming out til it's done!

 

Down comes the compass and into retirement it goes.

Good production day. I wired 6 long sidings, got then all leveled and screwed down tight. Five more to go and this part of the renovation project will be done. Many would not think this is time consuming, but it is.

 

Hi Mr. Wood (real name?): Very much like the looks of your layout. I see you've repainted some stuff in less toylike colors, such as the #352 Icing Station, etc. Like your use of the light towers also. Nice to see your layout.

 

Thank you Virginian65....  I am not a long term member of this forum and I am amazed at the level of involvement and quality of information provided here.  I am trying to post some of my own efforts and am thankful for your feedback.  Yes, my given name is "Wood". 

While I am a car and train nut, with almost no interest in spectator sports, I did some

graduate work at last night's NCAA Champion U of L, so actually watched Petino hoist

the trophy, after applauding Michigan's previous win, because of a recent tour of the

Upper Peninsula.  And I did get paint on, and half the roof shingled (except for the holes) as miniscule progress on the ghost town store. 

 

Just getting on the work clothes to climb back on top of the engine servicing facility homaboard to finish filling the "dips" in the crack filler.

 

Last step before painting with "ash grey" latex.

Fine tuning, cutting, fitting track. Trains are running very nicely through 60-70 year old 1024 switches. Time to order some roadbed.

54 days and the helix is done!

Now that is impressive...great work.

 

Chris

Finally finished the wiring project for the relocated rail yard. Now it is on to the fun stuff of creating a new business district, a Caterpillar Sales, Rental & Service lot, and a new train station complex that will include a very large new station.

 

Thanks Chris. It works as a great "marble run". I took an MTH Superliner car and turned it loose at the top. It flew down, but stayed on the track.

I made a rutted mud road into my trash trailer park!

Thanks Chad, nobody has ever asked about that before. That is a technique that I came up with many years ago, for use in areas that will be hidden. It serves as a bending form for Gargraves, and also provides for perfect and consistent spacing of multiple tracks. It is made up of two layers of Luan plywood and locks the track in place without screws. It is a little labor intensive to do all that kerf cutting for the curves, but the material isn't that expensive.

The ghost town store is done, and I am pleased...the fallen porch, swaybacked roof,

and general decline came out better than hoped.  This from a box of sticks kit for

which I substituted milled clapboard walls and used just modified plans and some stripwood. Think the complex will also get a saloon, hotel, or blacksmith shop, and station ruins, and hope to get photos up on here when done.

I did more benchwork.  And more of a "for my layout" vs "to my layout" I went to a large train show in Springfield OH. Approx 350 vendor tables. (they claim, i didn't count) I bought my first three cars. The New Haven to join other New Havens I have. The other two just because I like them. They are MTH Premier.

Finished relocating all the barrier strips for DCS/TMCC power.

Today planning to wire it up to the point I can again run  trains (without power to turnouts) for the first time since panel relocation started in November 2012!

Kerrigan,

I recently added a small extension the front of my layout and had to do some panel work and move my ZW and CW80.  Panel re-work sucks.  I also moved terminal strips and had to move my 4 bricks.  not fun

Started turning run-of-the-mill O27 track into something much more realistic.

Cleaned all the track today so I can test run tonight, started hanging skirting around the perimeter, all the ballast is done and 90% of the scenery. Still have to add to my town and build a temporary small village up on the mountain and temporary industrial area.....only 8 more days to go before Blissfield Railroad Days and open house.

clem

Finally was ready to start placing structures in the new business district. We designated the location of 11 pieces and now I have to wire them for lighting.

 

Also extended the waterway to accommodate the new grain mill. The Alex M. creation will look sensational in it's new home.

 

Installed the Flat Iron Building in my City area of the layout.

 

Finally did a drawing for the new pipeline that will run from the refinery to the loading station.

 

Pretty good day considering most of it I was away visiting client sites.

Today was planning and sketching...the nice thing about freelancing is that you can go

where your imagination takes you...deciding what buildings to go with...to complement

the completed ghost town country store...think hotel is out..too much real estate demanded for a credible building...blacksmith is out, as an abandoned gas station is appealing (and I have seen a few of those), and the theme is immediate Post-Depression.  But have started on the saloon...looking at milled siding,....clapboard on the store...so board and bat on the saloon?  Tarpaper rolls on the store roof, so rusty

corrugated metal on saloon?  Will have to use real metal to get it to look rolled up and

stripped by the wind.....Inselbrick was roofing shingle material stamped with mortar lines, colored red with white lines,  to look? like brick when put on the sides of buildings in the 1930's...(not found in the upscale parts of town)  Don't think any

of the brick papers or roofing shingles will accurately convey that effect.....Don't want

it to look like brick..want it to look like Inselbrick...which preceded aluminum siding

which preceded vinyl siding...

 

Today, I tore out and completely rebuilt the eastbound grade up and out of my lower level staging yard. It now has larger curves, better vertical transitions and a more even rise over the total run.

 

I learned a lot on the first attempt and decided that it would totally be worth the time to apply what I learned on a rebuild.

 

It's a vital part of the layout's operation and now it works brilliantly!

- RICH

Charlie will be happy to know the switchback is operational, not pretty but operational.  Just need to lay a little more track and do a little electrical and then clean clean and clean.  Will be ready one way or another for the meet at my house Saturday night.  17 have RSVP'd and a few more will probably come.

Dan

Only put in an hour and a half today, but in that time, I managed to cut in that switch I mentioned a couple days ago. This was a long dreaded project, but once I got into it, it was rather fun and easy. Also got the two legs of the wye bent and ready to install.

 

Patrick is coming over tomorrow. I think we'll be working on bracing a couple sections of the upper deck, finishing the top of the bookshelf, and hanging more backdrop. I'll get back to trackwork on Saturday.

Changed wheelsets on 3 cars, couplers on one car and finished wheel load in gondola.

As of today April 11th, completed projects on the layout every day except 1 this year!

 

ncng

I´ll made a new video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLuUe166lU

Back under the layout for another wiring session.

Hope to get power back to at least the two main lines today so I can finally run something!

Layout has been down since November for the dreaded turnout control panel relocation from the engine servicing facility expansion work.

And that has totally sucked; not being able to "play!"

Always a busy day when Patrick comes over. Today we finished 32' of bookshelf, and 8' of backdrop. After he left, I finished the wye.

 

Had a busy day friday, wired in the last of the switches then ran trains for a couple of hours to make sure everything is good. Today is clean up the wiring and extend the town.

7 days to go before open house. I'm running to close to the clock.

clem

Last night, I installed pink flamingos, overturned ruined washers and dryers, and trash around my trailer park.  I measured the next ten feet of my country road.  I worked on a balky remote turnout. 

Did some work in the relocated refinery area today. What an improvement this will be when all of the new components are in place.

Geeze am I getting tired of wiring and re-wiring and wiring some more ....

Back under the layout today to find out where the uncoupler wires for the yard ended up .... the seem to have gone "missing ...."

Cleaned the layout room under the direct supervision of the Bride. I can now rent the room out for open heart surgery!

I have been working on this for 3 weeks off and on this is for a lift out for a logging line that will allow me to walk into my layout no more duck under for this old boy.

 

my first attempt at making anything like this may not be dimensionally accurate but looks pretty good to me for my first attempt.

 

$oo

 

 

 

I'm laying my first track in a section of the layout and installing overhead wire in the same area for the mainline and a short line. 

I also want to thank jdevleerjr for a great idea of a thread. I enjoy it very much. Don

I changed the minimum curve on my outer loop from O-31 to O-42. I added some trees to one of the corners and added a realtrax operating track section to my outer loop. 

Absolutely nothing, and not by choice! I had my knee surgery three days ago and I have not been downstairs to my trainroom yet.   My knee is feeling somewhat better, so I may try to venture down tonight to atleast watch some trains run!!

Cobrabob.