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Good evening everyone! I have not done much to the layout itself but I was able to run some trains.

The first train is a Legacy Cab Forward pulling 25 cars. The second train I ran is a Legacy FEF pulling a similar train to the Cab Forward. Then finally, the last train is a double header with BB 4014 and the FEF in the excursion configuration. I hope y’all enjoy these short clips and happy railroading!

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Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's out there.

Haven't done much lately, too many other chores to do in the Spring. I used to hate rainy Saturday's but now I wouldn't mind one occasionally. I took one step forward and two backwards yesterday with the yard tracks. I added leads to the three magnets I had for my uncouplers. I forgot to test them until AFTER doing the wiring and it looks like two of the three are dead.   I did get the working one set in place and will have to scrounge a couple more. I may just roll my own and move on.

2021-05-08 19.37.222021-05-08 20.34.20

Ran my new PRR 44 ton loco too!

2021-05-09 08.18.49

2021-05-09 08.19.06

Bob

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@RSJB18 posted:

Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's out there.

Haven't done much lately, too many other chores to do in the Spring. I used to hate rainy Saturday's but now I wouldn't mind one occasionally. I took one step forward and two backwards yesterday with the yard tracks. I added leads to the three magnets I had for my uncouplers. I forgot to test them until AFTER doing the wiring and it looks like two of the three are dead.   I did get the working one set in place and will have to scrounge a couple more. I may just roll my own and move on.

2021-05-08 19.37.222021-05-08 20.34.20

Ran my new PRR 44 ton loco too!

2021-05-09 08.18.49

2021-05-09 08.19.06

Bob

UGH! But hey, we’ve all been there on that. When I first started using LEDs, after picking up a bunch at a train show, I installed about 20 in a few buildings without testing them first. Needless to say,  never buy LEDs from a guy you don’t know at a train show without testing them before an install, LOL!  

Love that Williams 44 tonner. I noticed in another photo/video of the 44 tonner’s inauguration run that you have some nice engines on display on a windowsill behind your layout. Here is another thing I learned the hard way, Bob. Unless the curtain or shade blocks almost all of the sun, the little that bleeds through will eventually fade the paint job on your models.  Learned that the hard way, but fortunately for me, they were engines of little sentimental value and were easily replaced or weathered to hide the damage.

Last edited by Strap Hanger


Love that Williams 44 tonner. I noticed in another photo/video of the 44 tonner’s inauguration run that you have some nice engines on display on a windowsill behind your layout. Here is another thing I learned the hard way, Bob. Unless the curtain or shade blocks almost all of the sun, the little that bleeds through will eventually fade the paint job on your models.  Learned that the hard way, but fortunately for me, they were engines of little sentimental value and were easily replaced or weathered to hide the damage.

That's what I call Alco Alley.

That's a west facing basement window. I would agree that the light could be an issue over time. I will just turn them occasionally to even the fade 😂😂

Thanks for the tip. I will see what I can do. I was thinking about building a shelf unit for the opening. A back on the unit would solve the problem.

Bob

Bob, yes I agree with Strap Hanger.  I am guilty of getting ahead of myself all the time and finding something I installed didn't work in the first place.

Nice job on the physical installation of the uncouplers.  The 44 tonner looks great on the layout.

I replaced a couple short sections of track leading to my lift-up bridges.  Trains run much smoother on and off the bridges now.  I did some experimenting on how many 2-bay hoppers I can haul up my 4% grade.  I have 5 Atlas Western Maryland hoppers that look great, but being die cast are very heavy.  I had to quit just as I got something going to where I wanted to make a first video.  I'll post that once I can get back to that.

I saw Mr. Muffins trains was having a outdoor train swap meet last weekend that they closed the street down for. Haven't been to a train show since Nov 2019 and saw this as a great opportunity to get my 5 yr old  son out of the house, we're only 1.5 hr from there so why not! It was a great time and everyone was so welcoming and helpful. I've been wanting a PRR lighted caboose for a while and found one a vendor was selling in good shape. Also been wanting to get a lighted house for the layout for a while as well. We ran across a MTH one that was similar in color to our actual house, my son agreed we needed to bring it home. The new items look great on the layout.

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@Penn Flyer posted:

I saw Mr. Muffins trains was having a outdoor train swap meet last weekend that they closed the street down for. Haven't been to a train show since Nov 2019 and saw this as a great opportunity to get my 5 yr old  son out of the house, we're only 1.5 hr from there so why not! It was a great time and everyone was so welcoming and helpful. I've been wanting a PRR lighted caboose for a while and found one a vendor was selling in good shape. Also been wanting to get a lighted house for the layout for a while as well. We ran across a MTH one that was similar in color to our actual house, my son agreed we needed to bring it home. The new items look great on the layout.



Tis a wise man that listens to his son's desires.

Rod, your TT area really looks great!

Tstark, Thank you Sir! It's my first attempt painting little people and maybe my last! LOL I am much better at building stuff.

Trainmaster, Wonderful videos! Thanks for sharing.

Bob, Bob, Bob, you would think as an electrician you would have tested them prior to install! LOL But thats ok we have all been in the same place. You get so close to being done you just want to finish and try things out!

Penn Flyer, sounds like a great day spent with your son! And as a side bonus you were ab le to go home with some great looking stuff!

As for me guys, I have been in the train room for a couple days really and it looks like it will be a couple weeks as Tank the inspector had to have eye surgery and I have to watch him like an eagle! They put a caller of shame on him so he would scratch his face, first thing he did when we got home was to break it. He just doesn't like to be told what he has to wear! LOL

Here is how he got his name. Mark B. gave it to him for the forum as he would come inspect the building of the train room. once the sheetrock and carpet were in, he stopped coming in to see me or the trains! LOL

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I hope you all have been having a great weekend!

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@RSJB18 posted:

Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's out there.

Haven't done much lately, too many other chores to do in the Spring. I used to hate rainy Saturday's but now I wouldn't mind one occasionally. I took one step forward and two backwards yesterday with the yard tracks. I added leads to the three magnets I had for my uncouplers. I forgot to test them until AFTER doing the wiring and it looks like two of the three are dead.   I did get the working one set in place and will have to scrounge a couple more. I may just roll my own and move on.

2021-05-08 19.37.22



Bob

Bob;

I hereby award you the honorary Order of Techno-Peasantry... 2nd Class... with Oak Leaf Cluster. Amen. Dismissed!!!

@Apples55 posted:

Bob;

I hereby award you the honorary Order of Techno-Peasantry... 2nd Class... with Oak Leaf Cluster. Amen. Dismissed!!!

OHH Mr. Paul...... Grand High Exalted  Poo Bah....

I do take exception to being a techno-peasant. The difference being that I intend to get these magnets working by hook or by crook..... OK mostly the crook part.

I like you're new avatar BTW! Nice to see a face to connect to the name.

@Strap Hanger- I forgot to mention the layer of protective dust covering the locos on the window sill....

@mike g. I hope Tank makes a speedy recovery. Nobody likes the cone of shame....

@Penn Flyer- Nice to see some real train show related activity. Looks like you had fun!

@Mark Boyce yea- we all jump ahead from time to time.

Bob

I have begun a plaster walled Trains of Texas model of the Gilpin Hotel in Black Hawk, Colo. This kit came to me with a broken front multi-windowed wall and fragments of most of the window and door castings. EpoXy quickly fixed plaster wall, but windows and doors match nothing in Tichy or Grandt Line.  So l have to make them .  First l cleaned flashing off walls, sprayed with rust red, and weathered with a wash of acrylics.  I also did some research on trying to determine if a gold dredge kit had ever been offered, as l had photoed one in its pond in that informaj museum between Va. City and Alder, Montana.  Bob Brown of NG&SL Gazette was aware of none and Google turned up a 1:1 one in a museum near Fairbanks, not exactly a Sunday drive.  Looks like a scratch build.

6E7502D1-86D5-4FBC-BBDB-86C2CBF6C62E629441E2-A05A-44C0-9653-C9947B15183B73108899-E63A-43E5-8594-421CBB5249608A72CDA5-4B11-4B43-8C28-70DA0BDC9572Hello everyone! Looks like everyone has had a nice weekend and are doing well. For myself, I can say the same thing.
This weekend I did not work on my layout but instead worked on friend’s layout. While there we were able to run some trains and I was able to get a few shots. I hope y’all enjoy these clips and happy railroading!

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@Amfleet25124

Kevin:

My son and I have been running DCS for about 10 years and love it. It has many great features including the ability to patch Lionel TMCC or Legacy through the MTH track interface unit (TIU) and run the Lionel engines on the MTH control system with your MTH equipment. As Mike Wolf told me years ago at a York TCA meet, "You will love running trains with DCS." He was right!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Excellent, Kevin!  You should do great with it.

@Amfleet25124

Kevin:

My son and I have been running DCS for about 10 years and love it. It has many great features including the ability to patch Lionel TMCC or Legacy through the MTH track interface unit (TIU) and run the Lionel engines on the MTH control system with your MTH equipment. As Mike Wolf told me years ago at a York TCA meet, "You will love running trains with DCS." He was right!

Thanks.  In case you're wondering how I powered my MTH Tri-Rail set, I only ran it on the club layout where DCS remotes were readily available.  For my ceiling layout at home, I purchased 2 of the DCS Remote Commanders, which I've since sold the past week to two of our fellow OGR forum members, so the remotes are going to homes where they will be taken care of.  I'll be running my DCS via my cell phone for now and later with a tablet. I'm skipping buying the panic priced hand held MTH DCS system remotes plus after much investigation, I believe that I will be better served going the DCS App route.   

For all you night owls out there, got a cab view of the Twin Pines Rail Road done. I can think of a couple of things I would do different next time. Like leaving the station slower and sounding the bell.  I did miss a switch which caused the camera car to derail. Did it again but it re-railed itself on the next turnout.  Its a bit long but it covers all my interconnecting track. Running about 25 scale mph.

Hope you enjoy.  Twin Pines Cab View May 2021

@farmerjohn posted:

Mike g

I have a question for you. When you paint  the figures which look so good do you always spray paint them white before you're final colors. You no doubt  have a steady hand .I love the colors you have used on these people. Super work. Thanks farmerjohn.

Hi John, I tired painting with out the white first and the paint didn't stick very well. I watched a video on YouTube and the guy I watched always primers them first. So I gave it a try and all I had on hand was white primer. The guy in the video used gray primer.

Thanks for your kind words, I hope to get back to paint more when the CEO is done with projects for me!

@ScoutingDad posted:

For all you night owls out there, got a cab view of the Twin Pines Rail Road done. I can think of a couple of things I would do different next time. Like leaving the station slower and sounding the bell.  I did miss a switch which caused the camera car to derail. Did it again but it re-railed itself on the next turnout.  Its a bit long but it covers all my interconnecting track. Running about 25 scale mph.

Hope you enjoy.  Twin Pines Cab View May 2021

Jeff, that's a wonderful video of your layout! Thank you so much for sharing it!

Thanks.  In case you're wondering how I powered my MTH Tri-Rail set, I only ran it on the club layout where DCS remotes were readily available.  For my ceiling layout at home, I purchased 2 of the DCS Remote Commanders, which I've since sold the past week to two of our fellow OGR forum members, so the remotes are going to homes where they will be taken care of.  I'll be running my DCS via my cell phone for now and later with a tablet. I'm skipping buying the panic priced hand held MTH DCS system remotes plus after much investigation, I believe that I will be better served going the DCS App route.   

As one of the aforementioned members- He's right, and I'm looking forward to tinkering with command control

Thanks again Kevin. Good luck with the DCS system.

Bob

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Jay, thanks for the words. I found this forum to be really helpful and at times inspiring.  Some of the detail modeling being done is just outstanding (that goes for the spectrum from life-like to the Traditional Lionel layouts - I find both styles fascinating - you just have to decide which one you want or not - two layouts are always a possibility).  There is so much good stuff in here it is truly hard to find.  I suggest getting comfortable with the advanced search features.

Not that long ago my RR was little more than plywood and supports. I ripped up my layout several times as I found out what I liked from what I thought I liked. I fell for the scale aspect of the hobby, but am keeping the traditional aspect for my seasonal 48 under the tree.  This hobby should be fun and not really daunting. Decide on a layout plan, build it, run it, change it, rebuild it, change it again. Your only real constraint is your available space and then the amount of treasure you are willing to spend.

Not disrespecting anyone you've already mentioned - if you haven't found him already look up a modeler "Norm Charbonneau" -  I don't think I'll ever get to his level of modeling - but wow when you add grass to cracks in concrete pads - that is going over the top. Fun to look at.

Jeff, that’s very impressive and it provided a good perspective of all your hard work. When I see what guys like you and Mike, Bob, and Mark, Farmerjohn, GRJ, and Dave, as well as so many others, have accomplished the task before me is daunting. But I’m anxious to get started.

Jay, You are halfway there already!  Once you get started, you will find you want to keep going until a particular task is done.  I have to check myself to not do a shoddy job in the desire to get trains running.  Also, if you find you built something you don't like or isn't working well, stop and evaluate.  It is better to change it or rip something out and start over again.  Working totally by myself, I don't know when I would ever get a big layout running and sceniced.  I guess less is more for me.

Thanks guys. My room is finished with the track lighting, floor and wall outlets, and a mini split HVAC system . The walls painted Sherwin-Williams “cloudless”. I have a semblance of a track plan on paper and I just downloaded AnyRail on Tuesday. I’ve been two weeks in Mark’s neck of the woods and when I get home next week I plan on addressing the backdrop. Then onto the bench work.

Jay, everyone is so right, just take your time as it is no race. I just really got into trains about 5 -6 years ago, built a train room for it on the back of my garage. I have learned so much from the folks here on the forum! There skills are amazing and all are willing to help out! One thing is for sure, do what is right for you. I am thinking about changing up a few things and will be talking to Scouttingdad and Chris cause I want to add some of both there ideas to my layout but want to talk to them first!

So it turns out, to my surprise, that when one is testing accessories, that it is best to have your transformer test leads on the accessory terminals, not track power.

I was fiddling around with the coils last night and realized that I'm an idiot. (something the CEO already knew).

So the good news is I have 3 working uncouplers and can continue on the yard.

Oh Happy Day!

@RSJB18 posted:

So it turns out, to my surprise, that when one is testing accessories, that it is best to have your transformer test leads on the accessory terminals, not track power.

I was fiddling around with the coils last night and realized that I'm an idiot. (something the CEO already knew).

So the good news is I have 3 working uncouplers and can continue on the yard.

Oh Happy Day!

Too funny!  Glad you don't need to acquire uncouplers now.  What made you circle back and re-check?

Jay. You're doing the most important  thing on a layout in my opinion your getting your train room ready.  I spent two winters  getting my train room ready. When I started building bench work it was all from scratch. I used scrap wood from building sites and a good thing I did because I've torn out so much and redone it . My oil refinery  area has been torn out 3 times before I finally got the curves right. That's the fun of a layout you can change it to fit whatever  you want.  Have fun with it . This forum has a great bunch of guys that are very helpful with different ideas .  Have fun . Farmer  John

Jay. I worked on this scene a little today. I thought I was ready for scenery a year ago but didn't fit. I had to many strait lines in it visually and the three mth hump back bridges didn't fit the area. Now I think the line of view is much better. Whatever what I'm saying is don't  be afraid to change you're layout . I seem to never get it right on the first shot but mostly  it works later for the better. 20210516_20282520210516_20281220210516_202756

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Andrew here at the lake house. Tonight, I lubricated/oiled (in railroad terms) a few of my pre-war and post-war steamers from the Lionel and American Flyer loco works (minus my Marx engines), and my two 2-6-4 steamers by Lionel, numbers #2026 and #2018 have this awful grinding noise in their motors.

I had oiled #2018 in its gears and armature with my Labelle #108 lubrication kit at my mother's house (where my second train layout is) last weekend and brought it here as a test subject for this weekend. (The engine works best on tinplate track, based on a seller's recommendation for my pre-war AF 2-4-4 engine at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market.) But still, they still make that dreaded grinding sound, and it bugs me. Any ideas for this 26-year old toy train railroader in train-ing?

John Great photos, I see how you moved the track more to the right, It will give it a nice sweeping curve into the hill side. Should look great when your done!

Jay, a little hint. No matter how long you look at it and think about it once you get it built there is always going to be something your going to want to change. I am 4-5 years into my build and already want to change things up! LOL

Andrew, sorry your having a problem with your engines, I am sure someone here can help you out as there is tons of great folks here.

Well as for me they are calling for rain for the next couple days so I might be able to get out and paint more of my little people instead of painting the house! LOL

I hope you all have a great week, but most of all I hope you all find time for your layout and to have fun with your trains!

What I did this weekend was to commence a restart of "the layout" build that started many years and houses ago.  The "new" basement had carpet removed, pool table sold/moved (3 teenaged boys and I shoving it up the basement stairs (ouch).  Next is to remove the far - non-load bearing wall & do the usual space prep - which I am getting well-practiced at !  Thks to you all that post actual working layouts to inspire me !   Rich in SDIMG_1756IMG_1828

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I spent time fixing my Lionel operating lumberjacks today.  They went from working to occasionally starting/stopping on their own to completely non-functional.  I extracted the unit from the scenery, opened it up and found the gears all in good order, well-lubed, so I bypassed the internal board and put 3.5v straight to the motor leads, and little lumberjacks sprang to life.  Since I'm operating the lumberjacks off a triggered timer, I just ran the DC 12v line that powers the relay timer to a small buck transformer and adjusted it down to about 3.2v and fed that to the unit.  Internally I hooked power terminal feeds directly to motor and the "sliding log pile" switch feeds. Oh and I labeled the underside of the logger unit indicating terminal polarity and the fact that it's now a 3.5v DC accessory just in case i need to revisit this in the future.  

Side note: I found that if you over-tighten the screws in the base of this unit, the gears start to bind and you get a stuttering of the movement.

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Last edited by ScottV

Winston, what length static grass are you using in the image?  What kind of applicator?

I do not get the effect I see with most applications using the Woodland Scenics applicator and 12 mm grass and 9v battery. The short stuff seems to work way better. I end up doing multiple applications to get the density up to something reasonable. And a fair amount of combing to get the grass to stand up.

RSJB18  Bob - if you ever get a subway set DCS is quite impressive running the trains between stations with auto programmed stops. The rest of loco control with DCS is also great especially when it maintains speed up and down grades. If I interconnect all my loops I can run three trains with a single TIU using the app on an 8 inch pad. Lash-ups are really easy to do as well. I avoided hooking up my DCS until recently (had it about a year) should have done it way sooner.

@RSJB18 posted:

Hooked up my DCS Commander. Very cool! I may need to go all in and buy a WTIU soon.

Yes @Apples55. I've seen the light! 🤪



Bob

Thou hath not achieved true enlightenment until thou knowest the joy of command control switches

Slip sliding away, slip sliding away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip sliding away!!!

Last edited by Apples55
@Bob "O" posted:

I too would like to know all your details. Great job on what looks like the longer lengths of static grass. Mine never stand up like yours. (I use a Woodland Scenics Static King, as Scouting Dad mentioned. I wonder if I should try a higher voltage with the longer grasses.)

Bob

I used a RTS Greenkeeper 55kv, 9v battery. The pics on the layout are 10mm XL from ScenicExpress. I have also tested 12mm static grass and it handles them easily. It comes with four sieves, which includes a conical one that allows you to spot treat an area.  

This evening I modified a PW F-3 Pullmor single-motor chassis from my NP North Coast Limited train to become a dummy unit for that train by inserting a plug secured with tiny screws in the frame where the motor used to sit.  The donor plug came from a modern F-3 A chassis purchased from LIONEL and intended for this NP NCL dummy unit.  It was only when I went to paint the new chassis that I discovered that LIONEL used the power chassis with plugs secured with screws to make the dummy chassis.

To do this task, I used a tap (which was on hand for some long forgotten and undone project) for the first time.  And, major luck factor, the donor plug used two tiny screws which were the same 2-56 thread as my tap!  Re-using the previously powered chassis spared myself the task of painting the new dummy chassis.

So what started as a simple paint project using a new dummy chassis turned into a new modeling experience  and saving the task of painting another frame.

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@Bob "O" posted:

What did you purchase this applicator?

Bob

I have been using grass mats, but didn’t like the look especially for close up areas at the front of my layout. For me,  Static grass with the applicator is a better look. Google,YouTube, and reviews ended with getting a Greenkeeper.  Tech data says up to 55kv. Instructions says to hold power button for 6-10sec, then release and start flocking for up to one minute. This interval technique saves battery life.

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Rich, Great start with the new train room!

Scott, great job! Looks wonderful!

Bob, verynice, welcome to the modern world!

WinstonB, Outstanding work, You should do a how to video!

Mike Wyatt, wonderful trees! I can see another how to video needed!

As for me I have been painting the house and working on Scarm trying to redo my layout already! I see all the layouts with the nice curves and not just a circle that goes around the room! To be honest I am getting tired getting up on the layout and Chris from RBP Trains is trying to help me out as I really dig his layout. The thing is I want to keep the lower level and upper level connected. I will post something when I think we have it figured out!

I've seen tube reviews of various static grass applicators. The Greenkeeper builds a much higher static charge than any of the others which makes it ideal for the 12 mil grass. Of course it is about 3x more expensive than any other on the market. Just depends on where you want to spend your pennies. I so far have only found EU vendors.  When I spoke with the WS people they suggested using the 12 V adapter which delivers a higher static charge than the 9v battery. 

I got the other two yard tracks installed last night. I soldered drops onto the track and got the two magnets ready to go. When I went to install the magnets I drilled the hole for track 2 and hit the support beam underneath. After a few attempts to drill an angled hole to get out of the beam I decided to call it for the night. The board needs a good clean up before I continue.

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@Apples55- changing the switches????? I might as well rip the whole layout down and start over. Not likely in the near future. Thanks for the nudge tho...

Bob

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@ScoutingDad posted:

I've seen tube reviews of various static grass applicators. The Greenkeeper builds a much higher static charge than any of the others which makes it ideal for the 12 mil grass. Of course it is about 3x more expensive than any other on the market. Just depends on where you want to spend your pennies. I so far have only found EU vendors.  When I spoke with the WS people they suggested using the 12 V adapter which delivers a higher static charge than the 9v battery.

I know nothing regarding these units - I think they are powered by negative ion generators. If the WS Static King puts our a higher static voltage with the 12V DC input compared to the 9V battery, I wonder what the upper limit would be for input voltage. Could one apply, say, 15 or18 V input, in the hopes of a higher output static charge? At what point would you risk damaging the Static King?

I note that the RTS Greenkeeper puts our 55 KV with a 9V battery input. So it must be in the electronic guts of the device. I wish I could modify my WS unit to get better static output. I bet some of the electronics wizards on the forum would have insight into this. (For comparison, the electronic bug zapper rackets that are used for home-made applicators, are in the range of 3-4 KV.)

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

I got the other two yard tracks installed last night. I soldered drops onto the track and got the two magnets ready to go. When I went to install the magnets I drilled the hole for track 2 and hit the support beam underneath. After a few attempts to drill an angled hole to get out of the beam I decided to call it for the night. The board needs a good clean up before I continue.

2021-05-20 07.18.042021-05-20 07.18.14

@Apples55- changing the switches????? I might as well rip the whole layout down and start over. Not likely in the near future. Thanks for the nudge tho...

Bob

Bob, why does that always happen??  Slow but sure wins the race!

Paul always comes up with ideas 💡 like that!  😄😄

First, I took one of my spurs and made it a special track to add DCS engines, by adding a remote control to disconnect all the other blocks on the track1 TIU output.  This way, I don't get any of the "there's no engine to add" errors and I don't have to remove all the other engines off the tracks just to add a new dcs-based engine. This was accomplished by removing the spur from the star block distribution board and instead wiring it straight to the TIU output (a couple of inches away, so no length disparities occur), and then inserting a relay the cuts power to the distribution board.  The relay in turn is wired up to an ASC2 accessory controller so when I power the relay, the NC contacts are opened and the power is cut to the rest of the track1 output. This is really handy on the LCS app on the iPad... i can turn track1 and the loading spur off, place the engine on the track, turn on only the spur, add the engine to the remote, and then resume normal activity turning track1 on again. (see pic)



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Oh, and the postman delivered my pre-order of woodland scenics  telephone poles. Easy to setup if you follow the instructions to the letter. Otherwise, I could see this becoming a real nightmare with the pre-strung "wires".  Pictures show my first try at installing them. The height is roughly double the height of the engine. I think that's about right.  I want to extend the wires from that last pole to the tunnel.  Would a tube made to look like conduit tacked to the upper right side of the inside of the tunnel portal be appropriate? I'd run 8 wire extensions from that last pole to the conduit.  Good idea or no?

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Last edited by ScottV
@ScottV posted:
Oh, and the postman delivered my pre-order of woodland scenics  telephone poles. Easy to setup if you follow the instructions to the letter. Otherwise, I could see this becoming a real nightmare with the pre-strung "wires".  Pictures show my first try at installing them. The height is roughly double the height of the engine. I think that's about right.  I want to extend the wires from that last pole to the tunnel.  Would a tube made to look like conduit tacked to the upper right side of the inside of the tunnel portal be appropriate? I'd run 8 wire extensions from that last pole to the conduit.  Good idea or no?

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The poles look good Scott. I used some small drink straws painted silver as conduit for wiring on some light poles. Scale looks right IMHO. If you want to keep it realistic then look for a set of insulators to mount to the tunnel face and run the wires through them before going into the pipe.

2021-02-06 16.40.36

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Great work everyone! I haven't had much time to do anything, but I was able to get out this morning and finished painting my second set of 9 little people! That only leaves 32 more to go! LOL

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Once they dry I will get them put out on the layout!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and find time to have fun with there layouts and trains!

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@RSJB18 posted:

The poles look good Scott. I used some small drink straws painted silver as conduit for wiring on some light poles. Scale looks right IMHO. If you want to keep it realistic then look for a set of insulators to mount to the tunnel face and run the wires through them before going into the pipe.

Bob, thanks.  Yeah I had thought of perhaps doing some type of insulator.  I looked around for real life pictures of lines approaching tunnels, but all I've seen are lines that veer off and head up the mountain/hill. I'll have to look around and see who sells some insulators i can mount.

I know Mike G typically uses Preiser unpainted people.  I have seen only photos from Artista and an Australian outfit doing detailed figures.  Here are a few I have found over the last couple of years. For the most part the men are 6 scale feet, but the thickness of the people varies - making mixing look odd.

The cheap China sourced figures are reasonably good at fitting inside trains and vehicles - and through a window are fine. Woodland Scenic and Scene-a-rama are reasonably detailed. Does anyone know what the two sets are marked unknown?  The ones on the top left are "soft plastic".

People O Scale

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@ScoutingDad posted:

I know Mike G typically uses Preiser unpainted people.  I have seen only photos from Artista and an Australian outfit doing detailed figures.  Here are a few I have found over the last couple of years. For the most part the men are 6 scale feet, but the thickness of the people varies - making mixing look odd.

The cheap China sourced figures are reasonably good at fitting inside trains and vehicles - and through a window are fine. Woodland Scenic and Scene-a-rama are reasonably detailed. Does anyone know what the two sets are marked unknown?  The ones on the top left are "soft plastic".

People O Scale

Those are model power in the upper left corner, scouting dad. I’ve bought those and others to populate my city. Lately, though, I’ve thrown in the towel and placed large orders for Arttista. They are clearly superior to all the others I have and offer more interesting figure poses.  The best supplier I found, with decent pricing and excellent service, is Crusader Rail Services.  -

http://crusaderrail.com/arttista-o.html

Last edited by Strap Hanger

My ongoing project is to organize my basement work room. It is coming along, but, now I know how Hercules felt when he was sentenced to clean the Aegean stables. Where is Herc when I need him?

However, I have organized things enough to start again working on small projects. today, I painted the flat car that will serve as the tent pole transport for my Bungling Brothers Circus train. I also can get back to completing my scratch-built Union Station and Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines coaches.

I am making regular visits to a pain management/accupunctureiist physician to try to get enough relief of my lower back pain to once again, continue installing new switches, track and road bed around our city scene. This is a massive undertaking that I should have done 10 years ago.

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