What did you do on your layout today?

Well, technically not "on the layout" but close enough I guess. Mounted a couple of 1x4x6 pine shelves behind the layout. I cut grooves for the wheels with my table saw. Thought it came out OK for a total cost of $11.88. Scares me though. I need to find plexiglass or get some ideas on some sort of wire fencing to keep the loc from falling during a California shaker.

Don't mind the Kittworks track on the wall. I'm not trying to compete with Dale Manquen and his gravity defying layouts!!!

Brought my elevated track out of the basement and tested it. It was downstairs receiving a layer of plywood to prevent twisting and sagging. Worked out well! I carried the approximately 3x5 squiggly oval by myself, one handed to the living room. Starting with a MARX Commodor Vanderbilt pulling m-1000 articulated passenger cars. Then a Virginian rectifier, then a gg-1, and finally ending with double headed chrome mpc "Generals". The extra support of the track screwed to the plywood is great. Even the tin plate was sooth as silk.

edit-I was very tired last night. Words were added to complete sentences.

Finished the LED's on the fantasy airport. The lights and markings are not like a real airport but,  it's colorful. Sorry for the crummy picture.

Larry

Larry now that looks cool I like it

Larry; very nice.

Not today, but yesterday....

We had a whole house 14KW power generator installed.  In order for the electricians to reach the main breaker box to do some re-wiring/cabling in the basement, I had to remove a portion of the layout.  But, that wasn't too much of a problem....I had designed that corner to be removable and each of the four 90-degree curve routes had been built on their own rigid frame.

However....(there's always at least one 'however', isn't there?)

This was the first time I had disassembled the whole corner since it was constructed.  When I laid the cork roadbed on one of the curved routes, I had laid it right across the separation joint at one end!  Fortunately, a few swipes of a sharp box cutter blade took care of that.  That was my 'Daily Duh!' for Tuesday, June 17, 2014.

The whole house generator is a tremendous peace-of-mind purchase.  If you haven't considered it, you might want to.  The major winter storm damage and associated l-o-n-g power outage we had around here last Christmas was the deciding factor.  Of course, as my wife wryly pointed out, now that we have it, we'll probably never need it!!  Isn't that the way it often goes??  About 40 years ago my Dad finally succumbed to the run of winter snows he'd been shoveling through.  The next door neighbor completely gave up and was moving to Florida.  He offered his little Toro snow blower pup(?-by today's standards) to Dad for $20.  Dad bought it, hung it up in the garage.....and for the rest of his life never needed to use it again.  He took credit for the best $20 spent in that part of the country, chasing away the snow!

Yeah, right, Dad.

Today on the layout?....putting the corner back together....about a 10-minute job.

Boy can I relate to that.  In our last house we had a serious flood after a 17" rain in 24hrs and a 12 hour power failure.  So we put in an 8KW generator and it only ran for 30 minutes in the next ten years, but it gave us great peace of mind.  And as the they say that was "priceless".

Art

received my platforms and station today.

Shoreham Yard is almost complete. Just a couple of cut sections and the last switch to do.


There are also a couple of pieces left to finish up the mains, which should go fast.


Each yard track is about 16' long.


Staying right on schedule.

Patrick had to cancel today, I sure hope he can make it Saturday.

station and platforms with lights on worth the wait.

I did nothing on the layout today, however, this past weekend I invited my neighbors and their kids over to see the layout.  I ran my Lionel J class 611 N & W pulling 15 boxcars and a caboose on the main line.  The Mountain Div had a MTH B&O SW9 pulling a couple hoopers and caboose.

I handed the cab 1 remote to the 5 year old, coached him on how to  operate it, and off he went into train hyperfocus running the J class.  He operated it for over an hour and loved every moment!  The expressions on his face as he operated the J were priceless.

I wish now that I would have taken photos to share with you all.  His parents were delighted!  

Its great to share the hobby!!

I haven't posted to this thread before and decided today was a day for some train humor at my expense.

I couldn't sleep so at 3:30AM I started working on a few things. It was time to wire up my AIU for some operating accessories so I got out the instructions, wired everything up, double checked the wiring and instructions, turned the power to the AIU on, did the programming and nothing happened.

After I tried this about 5 times you get a little aggravated. So I redid and rechecked all the wiring and it was all good but still didn't work.

It was about 5AM when I decided it would be a good idea to turn on the transformer to the accessories because I have them powered separately (not just power to the AIU) and everything worked great!

Enjoy! Terry

I assembled the first of several tables for the new layout.  I learned that 8'  1x4's from HD are not all the same length.   Go figure!

Al

That is what I have done.  Just finished laying track on the Avon, CO sub switching layout.  Modeling the Rio Grande in the mid-eighties.  Have enough room to run three locos and switch two industries.  Perfect for my needs.

Terry,

That is something I would do, so I am laughing with you.  One would think that after working 38 years as an electronics technician and engineer, I would be immune to such lapses.  Not so.  At work, I have a massive spreadsheet checklist so I remember everything on all my projects.  It still doesn't help.  

Maybe it is time for me to think about retiring and making O-Gauge trains my vocation.  

I'll say it was worth the wait.  It is beautiful under the lights.  Classic Santa Fe, to boot!  I can see why you are happy with it.

made sidewalks to go around the station.

this is the plan for that area. those are all ameritown buildings behind the station and roads.

Started putting in the interior details for the RH...

Still need to add the LED welding light kit.

Your roundhouse is looking better and better.  The detail inside really makes it come alive.  Since the doors will be all open most of the time, the interior will really make the RH standout!  Thanks for sharing the photos and description of your construction methods.  It has been fun.

I discovered that it is possible to close-couple my LionChief Plus steamers between the loco and tender.   Easy adjustment with step by step pics on another post.  Before and after.

I finished weathering and painting two Atlas oil well pumps and placed them on the layout with a recently painted and weathered Lionel oil tank.  I am moving them around until I  decide on a final location.  I also made up about 15 Super Trees from Scenic Express to plant on the layout.

Allan O

I did nothing on my layout today. But as this is a summer Sunday, the local steam railway is operating. There is not much better to wake up than to hear the sound of a steam whistle in the distance on a sunny day. 

So, this afternoon I have spent a very happy couple of hours at Beekbergen station, watching the trains and breathing in that wonderful concoction of steam, coal dust and oil fumes. 

I am envious Nicole.  Enjoy!   This morning I worked on relocating four Fastrack switch controllers.

Laidoff sick: the roundhouse is looking spectacular.

Classic Santa Fe but updated that's the one I put a err ac commander in with railsounds I like the engine now but just wish it had more pulling power. it's a lot lighter now with everything removed inside and just electronics put in I have 4 passenger cars and a dummy band a unit and it won't pull the incline it just spins so I am going to have to figure something out. it has magna traction can you add a traction tire to them? or should I just add a lead weight to it.

Larry this looks spectacular!!!!  WOW!!!!

Mark Boyce:  I posted photos of the mill, but not of the side views of the flume, as

those were not good.  Did take others which will post later.  As noted, the flume logs were cut from garden stake bamboo, which is prone to splitting, and a pain, but looks good (to me). 

I have a long list of kits and projects that I can't decide on which to start... another grain elevator box is staring at me (along with other kit boxes), have too many elevators built already....I want to replace all tenders on the locos I plan to use lettered for my free lance road name, with Vanderbilts, equip all of those with smoke box elescos and flying pumps, reletter a  couple of other locos with Great Western decals (decals are in hand, locos are iffy), researching a possible iron furnace scratchbuild, build a couple of Mullet River side door caboose kits, scratchbuild or

have built a FEC/Great Westerm side door caboose, kit bash on Marx chasses a

couple of inspection engines, and.......decisions, decisions.

Larry

Is that Masonite you are using for your roads?

Did some rearranging of equipment for an upcoming group visit to the layout.

Colorado,

I know what you mean about photos not being that good.  My trains are in a temporary location right now that has poor lighting.  That and the only digital camera I have right now is on my iPhone 4, My best photos are the ones I take out on the patio.  Thank you for the consideration.

After adding two new loops a few weeks back, I am now in the process of redoing the landscaping and adding some different buildings. This will keep me going for quite awhile but that's okay because I love working on the railroad!

Jhainer

Yes it is Masonite.

Larry

looks really good that's what I was planning on doing now I know it can look really good

well here's a parking lot using Masonite.

I did some benchwork without Patrick, and let me tell you, it goes much faster and easier with him.

Here's a before and after.





I have reached the end of the line. Time for more fiberboard and backdrop on the next section.


Looking back at a month of track laying.

main st looks like I am running out of room quick.

Made, and placed, 20 "cement blocks"(2x4s), and used them to raise my elevated track up more so the taller cars, and/or raised pantographs, running on the lower level, can pass under "clean".

CO RR:  The CB&Q cabeese that I remember were painted silver, but that might have been in a later era than the one you're modeling.

Paul Fischer

Oh, shay can you shee?.....a K-Line shay floated in yesterday, to power the logging

branch.  Would rather have a smaller Heisler, so this is a make do.  The Willamette

kitbash  languishes as I have gone off on other tangents, so the Shay will stand in.  Horror of horrors, it will probably get my road's relettering.  Beyond that, yesterday, I made some progress on the Q caboose kit build.  Like too many kits, the instructions leave a lot to experience...had to correct one wrong guess on interior formers.   I am working on interiors, a new road to go down for my caboose models.  This kit has clever engineering, a gazillion details,  but only a platform, presumed for standing, in the cupola and no seats. Wonder if that is standard Q practice?  I think all cabooses I have been in have seats.  Was not inside the prototype in N. Freedom, Wis.

Fell back and regrouped today, when I found this caboose series for CB&Q was also

used on its subsidiary, C&S.  Spent most of day trying to identify a correct number

for THIS car in C&S.  No luck.  Found another and different CB&Q side door car  that looks like a simple kitbash from another, different,  kit.  Dunno if IT had a C&S version.