paul 2 posted:Bob, good things come to good people.
Lee, first I have to find a mess of older dump trucks.
Johan, I already have said great scene but I looked at it again and you have made the scene look very deep.......good perspective.
Called it quits for tonight but I got the cork and track down on the front bridge. Tomorrow morning I 'll get dow there and screw down all the track. Pics...............Paul
Paul: Thank you. After sanding i like a lot more that area.
Johan
gandydancer1950 posted:BAR GP7 #63 posted:
Very cool!
GANDYDANCER1950: Thanks.
Johan
mike g. posted:Evening all, I hope you all had a great day! It sure looks like a lot of you have been busy today! So lets get things started! LOL
Andy, when I get to that point I will give your idea a try and see if anyone is interested! I also have to learn a lot about op sessions!
Gary, 1 car is better then none, plus if you think about it 1 car down and only 3 more to go! From where I am sitting I thing it turned out looking great!
Paul 2, That there sir is looking just great! Both bridges in and track, you are moving like a man on a mission! I bet you are happy to be getting back to train stuff! LOL LOOKS GREAT!
Dr. Joe, Nice work ! I really enjoyed your layout video and joined your page! What a great looking layout you have!
Lee D. Thanks, it means a lot to me when forum members like what I am doing. Also its because of the forum members that I am where I am today! So thank you again!
Johan, there is not much I can say that others haven't already said, but I just want to say wonderful work and a great project!
John R. I am sorry for all the problems you have been having with your engines! I hope they can get your GP9 fixed and back to you in a short period! Great pictures of the BNSF tank train, first time I have seen a CSX engine behind a BNSF engine. Also thanks for sharing the wonderful picture of your mom! Looks like you both had a fun day! Oh by the way there is a video at the bottom for you!
Bob, all I can say is great score!
ED, the harbor looks perfect, and it is nice to see you had some young helpers there! They did a wonderful job!
So today I spent a fair amount of time prewiring most of my switches! Trying to figure where I can use tortis switch machines and where I have to use stock. I think I have it figured out, with only 2 more wire groups to run, I feel good about todays work. I also shot a little video of my lift bridge in action for John R. so sit back and enjoy!
Mike: Thank you. 🤝
Johan
Aldovar posted:Painted the harbor well... supervised at least.
NOW THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!! Great layout and the wonderful help! How fun! Hats off to you for getting them involved!
Triple Cheers, Dave
mike g. posted:Evening all, I hope you all had a great day! It sure looks like a lot of you have been busy today! So lets get things started! LOL
Andy, when I get to that point I will give your idea a try and see if anyone is interested! I also have to learn a lot about op sessions!
Gary, 1 car is better then none, plus if you think about it 1 car down and only 3 more to go! From where I am sitting I thing it turned out looking great!
Paul 2, That there sir is looking just great! Both bridges in and track, you are moving like a man on a mission! I bet you are happy to be getting back to train stuff! LOL LOOKS GREAT!
Dr. Joe, Nice work ! I really enjoyed your layout video and joined your page! What a great looking layout you have!
Lee D. Thanks, it means a lot to me when forum members like what I am doing. Also its because of the forum members that I am where I am today! So thank you again!
Johan, there is not much I can say that others haven't already said, but I just want to say wonderful work and a great project!
John R. I am sorry for all the problems you have been having with your engines! I hope they can get your GP9 fixed and back to you in a short period! Great pictures of the BNSF tank train, first time I have seen a CSX engine behind a BNSF engine. Also thanks for sharing the wonderful picture of your mom! Looks like you both had a fun day! Oh by the way there is a video at the bottom for you!
Bob, all I can say is great score!
ED, the harbor looks perfect, and it is nice to see you had some young helpers there! They did a wonderful job!
So today I spent a fair amount of time prewiring most of my switches! Trying to figure where I can use tortis switch machines and where I have to use stock. I think I have it figured out, with only 2 more wire groups to run, I feel good about todays work. I also shot a little video of my lift bridge in action for John R. so sit back and enjoy!
Well, I see I have 58 emails from posts for this topic that I missed! I have to hand it to Mike for citing each person for all the great projects. And this is only one of his two posts among those 58! I am in total agreement, everyone has done a fantastic job.
Mike, thank you for the great video! I do have a question. What is the grade percentage of the steep track past the bridge? You probably stated it, but I forgot. As you know, I have a steep one in my plan too.
paul 2 posted:Bob, good things come to good people.
Lee, first I have to find a mess of older dump trucks.
Johan, I already have said great scene but I looked at it again and you have made the scene look very deep.......good perspective.
Called it quits for tonight but I got the cork and track down on the front bridge. Tomorrow morning I 'll get dow there and screw down all the track. Pics...............Paul
Paul, Great work on the gorge and those bridges!! Those are Menards if I recall correctly. I have the single track one that will go in the town of Parsons on my layout.
darlander posted:Aldovar posted:Painted the harbor well... supervised at least.
NOW THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!! Great layout and and wonderful help! How fun! Hats off to you for getting them involved!
Triple Cheers, Dave
Dave is so right!!!! Excellent job by the crew!!!
mike g. posted:
Great bridge action Mike!! Good to see you progressing!
Cheers, Dave
Yes Mark, those are the Menards bridges. I'll use the single track bridge in the attic eventually.
Mike g, I just saw your bridge video. Great piece of engineering and very smooth running.
This morning I screwed all the track down. I was going to start working on the plank roadway for the trucks through the bridge but decided to add some scenery to other side of the bridges. Hope to tackle that this afternoon after running errands. Plus tonight is Tuesday night train get together. Tried to shoot a pic of the full gorge under the bridges. Pics...............Paul
Morning everyone! Thank you for all the likes, it really means a lot to me!
Mark, the grade going up or down from the bridge is 3.5% grade or roughly 2 degrees!
Paul, The shot looking under the bridges looks great! It was all well worth the effort!! Have a good Tuesday night meet!
Mike, Thank you! Well unless I make a change Bob suggested, mine will be close to that too.
Decided to build my own Penn Central F3/7 B unit. I wasn't wild about anything that was offered. The Williams PC F3 B unit is poorly done IMHO especially for what they're asking for them. Anyway, this is another "Frankenstein-ed" unit made up of parts from MTH & Williams. MTH F-3B body, mth frame, Williams trucks, couplers, etc.
I based my decal placement on an actual photo of a PC unit. I don't know what Williams went by for the A units.
Now that I've conquered my fear of paint and decals I may redo them in the future. Just enjoying it for now. 
Brief runby video:
They look great Ralph!!
Mike g, glad your back to working on the layout, Mark B, your making progress, and Ralph M, I like those Penn Centrals....Wow...I just ran a train or two, and will go to work on connecting a lot of wires this weekend. It appears there’s been a lot of progress on everyone’s layout. By the way, BAR GP7 #63, your scenic detailing is Fantastic, just like MOONSON says, Wow...Happy Railroading 
Larry, Thank you! As always, lots of great photographs! I'm glad you are getting all that wiring done!
leapinlarry posted:Mike g, glad your back to working on the layout, Mark B, your making progress, and Ralph M, I like those Penn Centrals....Wow...I just ran a train or two, and will go to work on connecting a lot of wires this weekend. It appears there’s been a lot of progress on everyone’s layout. By the way, BAR GP7 #63, your scenic detailing is Fantastic, just like MOONSON says, Wow...Happy Railroading
Larry: Thank you very much.
Johan
Done for the day. glued down ground foam. Tomorrow I can start adding larger ground foam and some trees. Pics....Paul
I, even admitting it myself, over did it a bit when I decided to build what I like to call a bar track around my train room. Bar track in reference to some trains I have seen circling a bar in a restaurant. The track is built to run around the ceiling area of the bar which is usually in the middle of the room. My train room is a remodeled water cistern that resides under my garage. Until I got "city water" piped in from the road near my house, I had to catch rain water or have my water hauled in by a flat bed truck with a water tank and pay for it that way. After city water, the gutters were permanently turned out and no more water was caught.
One day I looked to see how much water was in the cistern, just curious, and....it was gone. Soooooooo I had a leak, I guess. Anyway, when the train bug hit me and I needed a room I had a eureka moment and last year on this very day, I began the odyssey of the cistern remodel. In order to keep the garage floor from falling into the cistern, as a precaution more than anything, four concrete block columns were set strategically throughout the area as extra support. When I remodeled, I put some bones around them and skinned them with drywall. Thanks to that I was able to build the track shelves and hang them on the columns.
I built them or had them built using 1/4 inch angle iron. I didn't want them to sag. They don't sag. The just very rigidly hang there being heavy. The problem was adding curves. Four straight shelves were easy, cutting the metal curves proved a bit challenging but we figured it out. Anyway, I spent this weekend clamping the curves in place, marking the holes, and marking where the hangers go. Then, by the way with help from my buddy Hunter who does the welding, I spent yesterday drilling holes and tapping holes and getting my curves ready to paint.
When all is said and done, I will have a full, four curve oval made of heavy metal, "that doesn't sag" and on top of that heavy metal will be thin Styrofoam and fastrack designed for a conventional train run by remote using a DCS system. My remote will become my transformer. It's my grandson's train. I plan to build a wooden covered bridge across one entire straight section using as close to scale as I can, and lots of gorilla glue. Pray for me, I'm not exactly crafty.
I will send pictures when it is done.
Yardmaster96 posted:I, even admitting it myself, over did it a bit when I decided to build what I like to call a bar track around my train room. Bar track in reference to some trains I have seen circling a bar in a restaurant. The track is built to run around the ceiling area of the bar which is usually in the middle of the room. My train room is a remodeled water cistern that resides under my garage. Until I got "city water" piped in from the road near my house, I had to catch rain water or have my water hauled in by a flat bed truck with a water tank and pay for it that way. After city water, the gutters were permanently turned out and no more water was caught.
You Got My Interest! Can't wait for the pictures! Cheers, Dave
Yardmaster96 posted:I, even admitting it myself, over did it a bit when I decided to build what I like to call a bar track around my train room. Bar track in reference to some trains I have seen circling a bar in a restaurant. The track is built to run around the ceiling area of the bar which is usually in the middle of the room. My train room is a remodeled water cistern that resides under my garage. Until I got "city water" piped in from the road near my house, I had to catch rain water or have my water hauled in by a flat bed truck with a water tank and pay for it that way. After city water, the gutters were permanently turned out and no more water was caught.
One day I looked to see how much water was in the cistern, just curious, and....it was gone. Soooooooo I had a leak, I guess. Anyway, when the train bug hit me and I needed a room I had a eureka moment and last year on this very day, I began the odyssey of the cistern remodel. In order to keep the garage floor from falling into the cistern, as a precaution more than anything, four concrete block columns were set strategically throughout the area as extra support. When I remodeled, I put some bones around them and skinned them with drywall. Thanks to that I was able to build the track shelves and hang them on the columns.
I built them or had them built using 1/4 inch angle iron. I didn't want them to sag. They don't sag. The just very rigidly hang there being heavy. The problem was adding curves. Four straight shelves were easy, cutting the metal curves proved a bit challenging but we figured it out. Anyway, I spent this weekend clamping the curves in place, marking the holes, and marking where the hangers go. Then, by the way with help from my buddy Hunter who does the welding, I spent yesterday drilling holes and tapping holes and getting my curves ready to paint.
When all is said and done, I will have a full, four curve oval made of heavy metal, "that doesn't sag" and on top of that heavy metal will be thin Styrofoam and fastrack designed for a conventional train run by remote using a DCS system. My remote will become my transformer. It's my grandson's train. I plan to build a wooden covered bridge across one entire straight section using as close to scale as I can, and lots of gorilla glue. Pray for me, I'm not exactly crafty.
I will send pictures when it is done.
Sounds like a great project. I too will be happy to see photographs!!
Mike, The bridges going up and down are fantastic. The layout is really shaping up. Thanks for the video.
Sincerely, John Rowlen
Vincent Massi posted:BAR GP7 #63 posted:
A pump from an underground storage tank?
An underground pipe to a water tower would give consistent pressure, great flow, and allow a more efficient filling of the tank with smaller pumps since it can be done over a longer period of time. Not to mention a possible need to average flow so a city's water system could easily handle it without open sink taps suddenly trickling dry nearby.
Guys. Thanks for the complements and likes
Ralph the PC looks great!
Mike. Keep working on that layout
Paul. Nice progress don’t over do it you been hitting it hard lately
I got home from work today and had to make a milk run. It was moooving you guys are rubbing off on me
Yardmaster96 posted:I, even admitting it myself, over did it a bit when I decided to build what I like to call a bar track around my train room. Bar track in reference to some trains I have seen circling a bar in a restaurant. The track is built to run around the ceiling area of the bar which is usually in the middle of the room. My train room is a remodeled water cistern that resides under my garage. Until I got "city water" piped in from the road near my house, I had to catch rain water or have my water hauled in by a flat bed truck with a water tank and pay for it that way. After city water, the gutters were permanently turned out and no more water was caught.
One day I looked to see how much water was in the cistern, just curious, and....it was gone. Soooooooo I had a leak, I guess. Anyway, when the train bug hit me and I needed a room I had a eureka moment and last year on this very day, I began the odyssey of the cistern remodel. In order to keep the garage floor from falling into the cistern, as a precaution more than anything, four concrete block columns were set strategically throughout the area as extra support. When I remodeled, I put some bones around them and skinned them with drywall. Thanks to that I was able to build the track shelves and hang them on the columns.
I built them or had them built using 1/4 inch angle iron. I didn't want them to sag. They don't sag. The just very rigidly hang there being heavy. The problem was adding curves. Four straight shelves were easy, cutting the metal curves proved a bit challenging but we figured it out. Anyway, I spent this weekend clamping the curves in place, marking the holes, and marking where the hangers go. Then, by the way with help from my buddy Hunter who does the welding, I spent yesterday drilling holes and tapping holes and getting my curves ready to paint.
When all is said and done, I will have a full, four curve oval made of heavy metal, "that doesn't sag" and on top of that heavy metal will be thin Styrofoam and fastrack designed for a conventional train run by remote using a DCS system. My remote will become my transformer. It's my grandson's train. I plan to build a wooden covered bridge across one entire straight section using as close to scale as I can, and lots of gorilla glue. Pray for me, I'm not exactly crafty.
I will send pictures when it is done.
So, if u live in the Bluegrass let me knowing sometime if you would like.
I live in Grayson. Msueagle75@yahoo.com
John d.
Evening everyone! Another wonderful day outside! I hope everyone had a chance to have fun today!
Ralph, the F3/7 set up looks great!
Larry, Thank you Sir! WOW what a great looking layout you have! You must be very proud of it and how it looks! I love how you started out with the Santa Fe Engine! Very nice!
Paul 2, Looks GREAT! The next thing you know you will be running trains threw that area! I cant wait to see your first run across the bridges!
Yardmaster, I have to agree with everyone else. You sure have peaked a lot of interest here!
John R. Thank you , I am glad you like how they turned out!
Lee D. My work is never done! LOL Very nice looking train!
So I got home from work tonight and here sitting on the counter is the 3 #4 switches I have been waiting for my cross over. I hope to have time tomorrow before work to see if I can get them into place!
Disappointing three hours tonight fighting with a new Samsung Tab A 10.1 Tablet with 32 Gig Card that was difficult to get to respond. I think the touch screen is malfunctioning, It took over 12 tries to get the Tablet to accept my WiFi password. Another two hours later, I had only finished two screens with agreement acceptance and starting to add my email.
I have better things to do, like sleep, paint, landscape. Amazon just issued a return for the Tablet. I may forget about my CSX and UP Theater cars and my five Camera Cabooses. At $95.00 a caboose, I bought them for the road names.
Sincerely, John Rowlen
Finished a new downtown deco building and added it my seedy part of town.
Bryan, nice job on the pawn shop. I better make sure mine is still on my layout. After all you were just here this past Sunday and I forgot to check around. Too busy guarding my York badges LOL. See you Saturday in Parma......Paul
paul 2 posted:Bryan, nice job on the pawn shop. I better make sure mine is still on my layout. After all you were just here this past Sunday and I forgot to check around. Too busy guarding my York badges LOL. See you Saturday in Parma......Paul
Pawn shop? Where? I gotta' check it for bargains!
Added some more ground foam today and on the other side of the front bridge I added some grass turfs on both side of the road When that dries I can add trees. Pics.........Paul
Even though the extent of my scenery building experience is a couple small chicken wire-based mountains and sprinkling of WS fine turf, everyone's fantastic layouts have inspired me to branch out, and up
Bryan, the building looks good!
Paul, a little bit each day makes it look great!
Brian, Do you have one of every engine ever made? 
They all look good!
Mike, I'm glad you got the switches.
Jon, yes seeing what others are doing is a big encouragement to do something ourselves!
Bryan, the Pawn shop looks great! I think it will fit right in that part of town!
Paul 2, Looking good! Your about to the finish line on this project! Nice work!
Jon, stick around there is so much to learn from the wonderful people! I know I have been learning from day one of joining this forum!
Well guys this morning I got up nice and early around 3:30 AM went to the train room so I could work on my cross over switch's. Well I got them all in and put power to the track and then realized that I was a fool! I forgot to isolate the 2 tracks LOL so here I was taking them back apart to fix that. got that all done and my bridge would not go down so I could test the track, took me 30 minutes to figure out that one of the wires from the limit switch had come off. Fixed that got the bridge down now I have no power to one section to my outer loop. What a morning I think I know where the problem is and will try and fix it tomorrow, I deleted a power drop when I did me redo so I am going to add one back in that block section! I will let you know how it turns out tomorrow!
Mike, I have had a day or two like yours. I ran power every three or four feet on my double mainline. If I approached an isolated rail section, I would break the isolated rail into two pieces to insert outside rail power to both sides in the middle. My Atlas O track does not pass power between the outside rails, like my old Lionel Super O track.
I woke up at 11:30 P.M. and finished painting a few more seated people. I went to bed right after dinner because I put mulch in several of the gardens after raking out three garbage cans of leaves. The oak trees dropped their leaves late last fall, missing yard waste collection for the fall.
Mom showed up for her 1:30 A.M. Orange Juice snack with peanut butter on mini pretzels. I had some too. It tasted OK. Back to bed.
Sincerely, John Rowlen
John, seams like the seated people painting is good relaxation for you! I am glad cause after 3 cans of leaves you would need it! The yard looks great! I hope you don't have to work so hard today!
Brian, you sure know how to make someone's morning bright! Now I know I am going to have a good day! Thanks for the pick me up! I hope you also have a wonderful day!
I woke up late so nothing in the train room as of yet. If I get the power problem figured out I plan on mounting some tortoise switch machines today.
have a GREAT day Mike !!!
Mike, Your experiences are why I hate wiring! Yes, I get ahead of myself and forget to isolate tracks as well. Then when I have a problem I realize I knew better than to not check what turned out to be the problem earlier. I guess some of that is why I have not liked working 43 years in electronics. Oh well!
Brian, You sure did post photographs to cheer Mike up!! I thought that as soon as I saw the first orange engine!
John, Yes I have been slowly cleaning up leaves from last year. Most here are maples that fell last fall but blew in from parts unknown over the winter. A few oak leaves are among those, and I know they came a distance. I had some left over from last fall, that I would have gotten if my back hadn't started bothering me. At 62, I do get tired quicker than in the past even though I do have an exercise regimen I have been following. I agree with Mike, the painting of passengers is probably therapeutic, unlike wiring!
After putting it off for five weeks, I got out the rubbing alcohol and cleaned all my tracks. I was surprised to find that one rail section on my HO Roco brand ICE (Inter City Express) train was improperly connected, yet the train had run fine.
After fixing it, the train runs so fast that I have to keep it throttled down. This illustrates why I stopped buying Bachman HO trains--they do not run anywhere near as well as the more expensive brands.
The ICE train looks nice! I don't miss the inconsistent running of my HO Bachmann trains either. All my HO trains have moved on to other homes.
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