What did you do on your layout today?

mike g. posted:

Mark, thank you sir! We will see what the contractors say and the amount, I have a friend that came over and he has a plan, but I want to see what the other guys say!

Frank, good luck on your postwar layout! I hope you will post photos down the road!

Johan, what a wonderful scene! The background looks so real!

Vincent, way cool! I bet the family and neighbors are just going to love it!

Mitch, great job on the restoration!

Well I went out later today after the HOA meeting and did a little more work. The wall is still wet with paint so I will let that sit over night, the mud for the RR crossing shrunk so I added a little more mud to that, and I added traffic for my tunnel coming from the HWY bridge. Here is a photo for Lew so he knows it really happened! I also added a little mound that will be between the track and future road. Tomorrow I will get out there and work on the crossing, and paint the mound and add some rock and dirt, and some ground cover!

That’s a tight fit 

Well very productive weekend.   Came really close to finishing this last 90 degree curve with the 2 main lines on a 1.5% grade, with a hinged lift gate to access the interior.   

Got all the cork roadbed installed, both switches with holes for Tortoise switch machines, the gargraves curves are bent to the required curvatures, and all the cutting is done except 1 joint on the lift out gate, took all the cut/bent track out to the garage and weathered it with Rustoleum Camo Dk. Brown paint.

Hoping to run the entire mainline late tomorrow, finally !

chris a posted:

Mike G:   Nice work, glad I could be of some help.   I don't think the retaining walls are a failure.  I think you need to weather them, and consider replacing the top cap with a "concrete" or "slab stone" cap.    I am attaching a word document to this post that contains all my notes from when I weathered a long concrete retaining wall, and my Pennsy Stone Block walls which are very similar to your casting.  There are some photos attached below, which were done with the technique and colors described in the MS Word document.   I learned in the last 2 years that I needed to write down what I was doing if I was ever going to have a prayer of duplicating the same effect again.  

The first block wall photo was taken before the final diluted acrylic wash was applied. 

Chris love the 3rd pic 

franktrain posted:

Doing some rethinking on my layout, removing the Fastrack and some of the buildings and refocusing on a postwar style layout. Will be trying Super O and see how I like it. Will not have any turnouts so I can run my Marx loco's which have been sitting to long. Also going to reduce size to make it easier to get layout pulled out to work on opposite side. Great post to get ideas from, Thanks to everyone.

Frank

  

Great idea Frank! I’m doing the same in our old dining room trying to keep it all post war era. Keep us posted on your progress 

Chris, the layout looks awesome! I especially like the photo with the tunnel entrance along the retaining wall, great scene. By the way what brand signal is that?

Thank you,

John

Sorry I’ve been gone this weekend been very busy. I bought this off Sleezbay last week the seller said it was tested and ran great yeah right when I got it the light came on and no movement I knew it was probably the E unit so after a hour or two trying to get it unstuck out of neutral it it ran then I smelled something like wires burning and I noticed the smoke unit was going out so I guess I’ll have to fix it next the wife was wanting it to put underneath the Christmas tree so I guess I’ll run it and then fix it after Christmas if it survives that long. At this point I really don’t care

Guys

please beware of the scalpers right now out on eBay this time of year brings out the biggest crooks who sell on eBay so please be careful ask lots of questions but still you may get ripped off like me. 

Chris, thanks for the encouraging word! Also thank you for all the information you share. Your work on your layout is Amazing and should be inspiration to the rest of us! Thanks again, and I saved your doc you added!

John, Thank you and  Great Scene. Sometimes its worth getting busted!~! LOL

Lew, Thank you very much!

Lee D, Tight yes but I can always make it bigger! LOL I am sorry you got sent something you have to fix right out of the box! The good thing is you know how to fix them, unlike me I get scared just thinking about taking the cover off an engine! LOL Thanks for the heads up and warning!

jgtrh62 posted:

Chris, the layout looks awesome! I especially like the photo with the tunnel entrance along the retaining wall, great scene. By the way what brand signal is that?

Thank you,

John

Hello John,   thanks.   That is a MTH Railking 3 over 3 signal.  I weathered it.   I will probably put some of these up for sale as I purchased a bunch of NJI Brass B & O style  CPL signals from another forum member.    Once I finish this last section of track so I can run trains continuously, I will start taking signal inventory and figure out what is going to be replaced with the new CPL signals.  

Lee,  thanks for the comment on the retaining wall photo above.  I have to go back and build about another 6 feet of that style wall, so I am glad I wrote down my painting and weathering notes.  

Lee, it's hard to "like" that response. I had a recent similar experience with a well-known eBay merchant. They skirted the TCA C8 classification. Once burned twice shy.

Well I didn’t work on my layout today but I did go see this today in Longview Texas.

Experimented a bit with track layouts. I’m just waiting for some new-to-me track I bought from eBay to arrive, then I can fit a reversing loop. 

I’m definitely getting to the limits of what can be achieved in 6’6” x 3’ (the largest standard size door I can find). 8’ x 4’ would give a lot more scope, or possibly 13’ x 3’ (two doors, end to end... must look at the available space.. )

Lionelski posted:

I wonder if an amber colored bulb would give the same effect in a caboose?

Didn't have an amber bulb handy. so I sprayed one with light yellow, followed by a coat of orange:  

Works after a fashion,  I suppose...  

Mitch 

briansilvermustang posted:

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

                         

         

 

Thank you Brian.  Best of Veterans' Day to all my Veteran & Active Duty Brothers & Sisters!  Again this year our church is doing a Veterans clothing & food drive for Liberty House in Manchester NH.  Liberty House is a non-profit set up to house , feed and clothe Veterans in need.  Please keep homeless Vets in your prayers today.  God bless you all!

Need to go downstairs and run the SD-60 Veterans train today!

One of my favorites!

Happy Veterans Day to all who served.

Keith, very cool, lucky you!

Rockershovel, looks like a good start for a small area, just think what you could do with an added door for the 13 x 3 you were talking about if you have the room!

Mitch, Looks good and I like the price! LOL

Brian, Great photo's for a day when those who have served finely get recognized ! Thank you Sir! Thank you to all my Brothers and Sisters who have served and those serving on active duty now!

Matt, Its so nice what you and your church are doing for the Veterans in need! Thank you so much! I also like that engine and one day I will be able to afford one, but for now I will enjoy the photos you and Brian put up for the rest of us to enjoy! Side question where did you get the old style flag with the round stars?

Bob, very nice and Thank you !

Thank you to all my Brothers and Sisters that have served! Its a tough choice that not everyone makes and for those who have make out world safer for the rest of us! I just get sad sometimes that it takes one special day a year for some folks to honor our men and women in service and those who have served! God Bless you all!

For me today is just a repeat of yesterday, Christmas lights, some train time and 2 contractors to tell me how much money they would like from me! LOL

I hope everyone has a great day and please find some time to have fun with your trains and Layout. Also is you run into one Thank a Veteran!

Happy Veterans Day From Finland.

Happy Veterans Day

Thank you all who have served to keep this Beautiful Country I live in free! 

Well the Veterans ran the SD60 Hospital train with the Trackman 2000 to clean the mainline.

Cleaned the track after a summer and fall of no activity.  On a better note a friend brought me her late husbands train set to look at.  It has been stored in their attic for at least 25 years.  This is a picture I lifted off of the internet of what she has.  Looks to be from the 1956 catalog which I no longer have. The GG1 works, the cars are in hardly used condition.  The boxes although rough are all there, so far the only missing piece is one insulator for the pantograph on the gg1 which I was able to pick up at Allentown on Saturday.  I have no idea what she wants to do with it yet.  In the meantime I get to lube the loco and run it a bit.  

lee drennen posted:

Happy Veterans Day

Thank you all who have served to keep this Beautiful Country I live in free! 

Thank you, Lee!!

Johan, great pics. I like your engines.

Matt, enjoyed your videos and your layout is looking good.

Today I worked on the backdrop arranging the different ones I had. After getting as far as I did I think I have to rethink the rest of what I am going to use to complete the backdrop to the panel box. The last one on the bottom is from Angie's trackside flats. I am leaning toward ordering more of them to finish off the bottom row. I basically have enough flats to finish the top portion. Tomorrow, weather permiting, I have a TCA lunch and after that a visit to the Ice House to see their two rail layout. Weatherman or person is calling for 1 to 3 inches tonight and 1 to 3 inches tomorrow morning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are wrong so I can go. Pics..............Paul 2

Johan, thank you Sir! The scenery you post is just amazing!

Lee D, Thank you also Sir!

Matt great picture and video! But I do have 2 questions, 1) where did you get your track cleaning car and 2) Where did you get the hospital car?

Paul 2, wow the back drops are looking great! But man you sure have a lot of track left to lay! LOL I sure hope your weather person is wrong! Its to early in the year for inches! LOL

Nothing new for me today, but I hope you all had a great day!

Did more scenic detail on the Polo Grounds. Will post same in Scenery and Structures Forum under Scrounger's Baseball Field in a little while. Arnold

I bought a few trees from the Boeing model train swap meet near Seattle on Saturday and 'planted' them last night...

I also put the bat signal out among the local guys for an op session on the 17th. Not one taker. I'm going to remind them of this when the very same guys again as when I'll have my next op session, as this is the third time I've cancelled for no takers...

Lee, the Trees look great! 

Sorry about your op session, wish I lived closer! I hope one of them get a hint! LOL

Thanks, Mike.

Happy Veterans day!

Paul. Back drop and wall looks great

Lee. Nice trees they blend well 

Woodson. Your welcome 

Mike. Your welcome 

So I’m rebuilding my layout and here is the maiden voyage of my Conrail Lionmaster Legacy SD80MAC engines heading through the bridge.

Rick

Rick:

That is a real good video of a layout-in-the-making that has superb potential. Is your outside track 2-rail O scale?

jgtrh62 posted:

Happy Sunday all!

Mike your model RR is really starting to come together, great work!

Me I had a long list of honeydoo's this weekend so could only day dream about working on the layout, maybe next weekend. I did manage to sneak down stairs to run some trains for a while... until I got busted. 

John

Hey John,

That's ultimately the goal is to be able to run trains and am happy you were able to  at least do that. This scene looks great. Can't wait to see that GP20 on your roster.

Dave

Thanks, Randy.  Actually that’s 8 foot diameter Aristo stainless G Scale track on the outer loop.  The Fastrack loop is O-72 and I’m going to now build up with multiple levels of O Scale, combining Fastrack, Atlas-O, and some Gargraves.  Stay tuned.

Rick

I carefully packed my O27 switches and track to send to an OGR advertiser.  I will be getting more O gauge to upgrade my layout.  A third level is in on paper.

"Say goodnight Gracie"

mike g. posted:

Johan, thank you Sir! The scenery you post is just amazing!

Lee D, Thank you also Sir!

Matt great picture and video! But I do have 2 questions, 1) where did you get your track cleaning car and 2) Where did you get the hospital car?

Paul 2, wow the back drops are looking great! But man you sure have a lot of track left to lay! LOL I sure hope your weather person is wrong! Its to early in the year for inches! LOL

Nothing new for me today, but I hope you all had a great day!

 

The track cleaning car is a Trackman 2000. I bought it used for a good price at a train show. I also make my own TC cars.  Short wheelbase cars, like cabooses, are best for tighter radius curves, but most any car can be used. Scotch Brite is the key ingredient. I try to run one of my home made cars on every consist. The Trackman 2000 is very heavy. I detailed how to do it several times here on OGR. 
The hospital car is an Atlas that I bought new at Model Train Stuff. It’s ok, but I wish that it was an MTH. I like the way that MTH cars run on tubular track. 

Rick, for rebuilding you have a great start! Nice little video. Just wondering the G scale track, it it going to be going outside?

Bill, just wondering , was there something wrong with your switches and track? Cant wait to see your new loop!

As for me no train stuff as its that time of the week I spend all day at the store!

I hope you all have a great day and find time to have fun with your trains and layouts!

decoynh posted:

mike g. posted:

Johan, thank you Sir! The scenery you post is just amazing!

Lee D, Thank you also Sir!

Matt great picture and video! But I do have 2 questions, 1) where did you get your track cleaning car and 2) Where did you get the hospital car?

Paul 2, wow the back drops are looking great! But man you sure have a lot of track left to lay! LOL I sure hope your weather person is wrong! Its to early in the year for inches! LOL

Nothing new for me today, but I hope you all had a great day!

 

The track cleaning car is a Trackman 2000. I bought it used for a good price at a train show. I also make my own TC cars.  Short wheelbase cars, like cabooses, are best for tighter radius curves, but most any car can be used. Scotch Brite is the key ingredient. I try to run one of my home made cars on every consist. The Trackman 2000 is very heavy. I detailed how to do it several times here on OGR. 
The hospital car is an Atlas that I bought new at Model Train Stuff. It’s ok, but I wish that it was an MTH. I like the way that MTH cars run on tubular track. 

Matt, Thank you for all the information. I have been thinking about building my own TC, just still tossing around the idea, Was thinking about using a flat car with adjustable set screws for down pressure! I will do a search for your post on building your own TC car!

Thanks again!

I took some time to run some of my trains I just acquired some for the first time 

                  BRRRR.... winter arrived here last night 

FL9TURBO2, Very cool video's of some very nice trains on a great looking layout! One question who built the track side switching office?

Brian, how much snow did you get last night? One thing is for sure , you have the correct engine to get you out!