What did you do on your layout today?

Jon1443 posted:

Mine and my wife’s moms are allergic to cats so we don’t have any but the dog sure does take an interest to things. Unless the train or an accessory is running. Postwar gets loud

In layout news I finally got part of the new control box preassembled. I decided to use heavier wood than the last one, partly because the ZW is heavier, partly because it’s what I had out in the garage. 

Looking good. It's nice to see someone using what they have on hand instead of running to Menards, etc. everyday for another piece of wood.

Elliot, Now I see how you are doing it!  Very good!  The skirting will be recessed in a few inches from the fascia to allow access to the outlets, but supported well by the layout legs!  I like it a lot!  Right now I could use a Patrick!  He is still able to kneel on both knees and lay on his back to work.  Both actions that are a bit beyond me at this time!  

Mark Boyce posted:

Elliot, Now I see how you are doing it!  Very good!  The skirting will be recessed in a few inches from the fascia to allow access to the outlets, but supported well by the layout legs!  I like it a lot!  Right now I could use a Patrick!  He is still able to kneel on both knees and lay on his back to work.  Both actions that are a bit beyond me at this time!  

Mark,

   Sure! Buy me airplane ticket, I’ll come over and work on your layout! 😉

Patrick 

Yeah Mark, that was part of the design. The floor in the aisles is 4' wide, but the layout has a 6" overhang on both sides, so at the fascia level, the aisle is only 3' wide. It works out pretty nicely.

I built a submarine base with a radio tower that reaches above the surface.

Our new kitten, Snowflake, disobeyed orders not to go onto my train table. She promptly got hit by a Santa Fe freight train and then by a Union Pacific train. Later, she returned to the other end of the table, where a German passenger train and Thomas the Tank Engine both ran into her. Hopefully, she will stay off the table.

Elliot and Patrick, Thank you!!!

Vincent, Sounds like the kitten is learning the hard way!  Nice tower!

Lew

Mayor Magoo posted:

Cleaning up wiring under the layout, I tend to be rather sloppy with initial installation.  So to take my mind off houekeeping, ran some trains and took these pics.

great looking photos!

Well, I actually spent a few hours working on the layout today. It started with the trip to Menards to pick up the landscape fabric. It was even on sale, then I used up my rebate checks that had been sitting around for months. Final cost, $7.80, and that should finish the whole project. I think model railroaders are born with the "cheap gene".

I took two of the 4' wide rolls, and cut them in half on the table saw. That worked great, though there is a slight problem, and that is the cut edge melts a little, and it doesn't come off the roll freely. I can live with that.

Next I made this giant "paper towel dispenser" to hold the roll in an easy to hang orientation. I grabbed this piece of wood, which my last Menards delivery was shipped on, and cut half lap joints on the radial arm saw, then drilled a hole for a leftover chunk of conduit as a spindle.

It's not quite perfect, and I'm still getting the hang of it. It would be better if the material wasn't so stiff, but I guess you get what you pay for.

I'm going about 6" then fold back 1" to form the pleat. That seems to be about right.

I've actually built in an opening, because it's hidden in a pleat, it's virtually invisible.

Now that the setup is done, I can spend all afternoon on Saturday going up and down aisle one.

BTW, my knee is feeling better. I have a pad that I can kneel on as I get up and down.

Don't forget to leave enough clearance with the skirting for carpeting...

Elliot, the skirting is looking great!  I'm glad you got a knee pad that works for you!

John, The abutments and piers look great!  I think this will be a wonderful scene on your layout!

Jon, I'm leaving about 3/4". If that isn't enough, it's easy to fix. just pull a couple staples at a time, move it up, and re-staple. Repeat, repeat repeat. The carpet will be a tight loop style of commercial with pad, in a charcoal gray.

You should come for a visit. Lemon bars......

Thanks Mark. I tried that pad a while back, and it hurt. But when I tried it today, it was great. I'm sure I'll be getting up and down a bunch on Saturday. That'll be the real test. Then maybe I'll be in decent shape for Patrick on Tuesday. I have a new problem. I think I had an infiltrate at dialysis on Monday. Feels like somebody punched me in the left arm, really hard! Owwww. It's just starting to feel a little better today.

Sounds great for getting ready for Patrick.  Oh the infiltration doesn’t sound like fun.  I recall my wife mentioning that happening when she worked in the clinic years ago.

Hahaha...Does Tammy know that you use her lemon bars as bait? You should be good with that clearance with unpadded tight weave commercial carpet. This project might be a good candidate for commercial carpet tiles. Something happens in a spot and you can swap it out with a new tile. It would also be easier to deal with in tight spaces. In my field, we sewed nearly every window treatment (aka, drapes) with a staple gun and hot melt. If you wish to know a few tricks of the trade, give me a call. 

Mark, Usually an infiltrate comes with a visible bruise, but so far this one hasn't shown up. I think this would be my third in a year and a half. I guess you get one every six months, if you want one or not. My regular tech is gone for six weeks. I like the sub, but I think my arm scares her a little (and it's not the tattoos). My regular tech took almost two months to build up the confidence to stick me.

Jon, she's at the casino tonight, so no, she doesn't know about my offer yet. But that's OK. Every once in a while I have to volunteer her for something. If she bakes them, you will come. I'm not sure about carpet squares. The plan is to finish with all the messy stuff before any carpet goes down. I kind of want to go regular because that way I can have them roll the edges over the sides of the walkway, making it easier on my skin getting in and out from under the layout. I'm tired of donating blood to the layout. Once I make the investment in carpet, I'll also make the investment in good drop cloths, just in case I find a messy project that still needs to be done.

Tammy's lemon bars are outstanding and carry great currency. I doubt that I have had better. I'm not sure I'm okay with you pimping out her baking prowess though...lol. As for her being at the casino, I hope she doesn't double down and loose the layout. 

Lemon bars!  Well why didn’t you say so before!  Now that makes it worth the trip to Minneapolis from Western Pennsylvania!!!  LOL

samparfitt posted:

Read some old 1952 train mags.

While at the last train show, a 'free' table had old magazines so I took a few.

The good ol' days: one could actually see the cover shot.  Personally, I think it would be more popular to leave off all the 'graffiti' and just show the picture; or else, leave off the picture and just show the 'graffiti'!  I always thought the 'table of contents' was for that: must of missed something while in English class!

I can not help thinking of tina turner song."Big wheels keep on turning -.

Mark Boyce posted:

Lemon bars!  Well why didn’t you say so before!  Now that makes it worth the trip to Minneapolis from Western Pennsylvania!!!  LOL

A little closer than Minneapolis for you, Mark, as the lemon bars of which we seek will be found closer in the eastern border city of Stillwater. 

Sadly .. nothing for the past couple of months.  Too many other family, business, etc, etc ... "stuff".

Ready to lock myself in the trainroom, turn up the rock and roll, and totally ignore those loud knockings on the door.

Jon and Mark (and anyone else for that matter), why don't you make the trip for the picnic in July, and I will promise lemon bars. I have no idea what that promise is going to cost me, but it would be worth it in my book.

If she bets the layout and wins, do I get to double its size.

NCoastsideKevin posted:

Making slow but steady progress on my attic layout. Six months ago when I started this project, someone on the forum suggested I get knee pads, which I finally did. What a difference!

Here is how the new sidings are shaping up. Each of the six holds 18-20 cars, which combined with the 5 other sidings on the layout will accommodate my rolling stock and most of my favorite engines. Fortunately, I am not having trouble backing the trains through the 022 switches like I thought I might.

So, that is as far as my room (and knees) will allow for expansion. Now I get to focus on covering all the unsightly insulation and getting my old PW accessories back up and running. Been a really fun project so far. Thanks for everyone’s advice and encouragement!

Kevin

 

Kevin;

“Each of the six holds 18-20 cars, which combined with the 5 other sidings on the layout will accommodate my rolling stock and most of my favorite engines”...

l, and I am sure quite a few others here on the Forum, are green with envy lacking the real estate to have yards like that    Looks great - keep up the good work. And take care of those knees - I’m having my second one replaced in about 2 weeks!!!

samparfitt posted:

Read some old 1952 train mags.

While at the last train show, a 'free' table had old magazines so I took a few.

The good ol' days: one could actually see the cover shot.  Personally, I think it would be more popular to leave off all the 'graffiti' and just show the picture; or else, leave off the picture and just show the 'graffiti'!  I always thought the 'table of contents' was for that: must of missed something while in English class!

It's all about marketing.  There's no sense of decorum today.  

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

If she bets the layout and wins, do I get to double its size.

NO!

JD2035RR posted:

Wow, there has been a lot of great work going on out there. I have to say I always find it inspiring to see everyone’s bits of progress!

I played around with accessory and siding track placement. I finally settled on the last photo. The photos actually helped me compare and decide which arrangement I liked best.  

I like what I can see of your layout !   Can you post some photos of more of it ?

Mill City posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

Lemon bars!  Well why didn’t you say so before!  Now that makes it worth the trip to Minneapolis from Western Pennsylvania!!!  LOL

A little closer than Minneapolis for you, Mark, as the lemon bars of which we seek will be found closer in the eastern border city of Stillwater. 

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

Jon and Mark (and anyone else for that matter), why don't you make the trip for the picnic in July, and I will promise lemon bars. I have no idea what that promise is going to cost me, but it would be worth it in my book.

If she bets the layout and wins, do I get to double its size.

Oh Stillwater then!  That makes all the difference in the world!  LOL

Thats a great offer, Elliot!!

Mill City posted:

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

If she bets the layout and wins, do I get to double its size.

NO!

I agree. Now if she could win me another lifetime or just make me 20 years younger, that would be a different story.

Mark Boyce posted:

Mill City posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

Lemon bars!  Well why didn’t you say so before!  Now that makes it worth the trip to Minneapolis from Western Pennsylvania!!!  LOL

A little closer than Minneapolis for you, Mark, as the lemon bars of which we seek will be found closer in the eastern border city of Stillwater. 

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

Jon and Mark (and anyone else for that matter), why don't you make the trip for the picnic in July, and I will promise lemon bars. I have no idea what that promise is going to cost me, but it would be worth it in my book.

If she bets the layout and wins, do I get to double its size.

Oh Stillwater then!  That makes all the difference in the world!  LOL

Thats a great offer, Elliot!!

Save yourself 30 miles. You could always carpool with Paul.

Oh Stillwater then!  That makes all the difference in the world!  LOL

Thats a great offer, Elliot!!

Indeed it does, as it makes your quest for Tammy's lemon bars 45 minutes sooner...or is it quicker...closer? Whatever. 

Elliot, you are right, Paul is not far from I-80 about an hour and a half into the trip!  

Mark, you could have quite the train trip. Stop off and visit Chugman on the way out or back. Lot's of other guys along the way too. Then you get the Menards show, and the picnic at the end of the line, with lemon bars. It's sounding better all the time.

Ahhh...lemon bars....

You can probably get them sooner than July Jon. If you play your cards right, maybe even twice.

July Jon? I'll be there in 45, and there better be lemon bars when I get there...

Elliot, I will visit soon, lemon bars not withstanding. Miss you both.

Morning everyone, from the looks of it my last post was 3 days ago. I was going to post Wednesday night after work, but Tank had a melt down cause I wasn't spending time with him. Then yesterday I got busy installing a HDTV Antenna so we could cut the cable bill. Got it up and still no channels yet! LOL Just my luck. So I will get started catching up!

FL9TURBO2, Sweet looking and sounding engine! Background building look great also!

Lew, the tank farm looks great in its new place! Nice job on the new trucks!

Vincent, nice little kitty, but no cats are allowed in the train room, just Tank the inspector! I guess after being hit by the train a few times she will learn!

Kevin, wow with all those sidings I would have to buy more rolling stock! Looks great!

Elliot, looks like you and Patrick are really getting back in the flow of things again! Things are really looking great and nice work on the pleats! The landscape fabric is a nice cheap idea! I LIKE CHEAP! LOL

John, the abutments turned out amazing looking! Nice work!

So yesterday after fooling around with that HDTV antenna for most of the day I turned to the train room for a little rest and relaxation. I worked on my control panel and got all the toggle switches installed for the regular MTH Switch machines. I still have to wire up the toggles for the tortious machines. but I have a few switches that are acting up, so I plan on working on them today before work. Here is a picture of the new control panel!

The skirts look good Elliot. Does Tammy pack lemon bars for shipment? Minnesota is a bit far to go for lemon bars (well...throw in the picnic and a layout tour and it's getting better)

I agree with you on the carpet. We use carpet tile here on our campus and it has its place, but it way to stiff to roll around the edges.

Bob

RSJB18 posted:

The skirts look good Elliot. Does Tammy pack lemon bars for shipment? Minnesota is a bit far to go for lemon bars (well...throw in the picnic and a layout tour and it's getting better)

I agree with you on the carpet. We use carpet tile here on our campus and it has its place, but it way to stiff to roll around the edges.

Bob

Bob, I think the lemon bars are an enticement to get us to travel so far to see this tiny layout Elliot is building!!  A bit far??  Say it ain't so, Joe!!!