Mercer Junction Visit & Home Layout

Nice photos.

Thanks Bill, had a great time visiting the guys in Western Pa!! Plus it gave me a chance to try out my new camera.

Jeff

Jeff,

It is always nice to share time with friends!  Greenville next week?

Dave

Nice shots too!  A new camera is almost as fun as a new train!

Wow, it's been so long since I've seen photos of it, I forgot Dave had another layout.

Fred

Dave,

  Sounds good about Greenville, count me in!!

Thanks, Jeff

Good pics Jeff. Dave, I'd sure like to see what you could do if you actually did do a 2-rail layout like you were talking about on Sat. Thanks for chewing the fat for so long. I'll be back over in October to do some purchasing when my son isn't around

Nice photos and layout!  I agree with David Minarik, "A new camera is almost as fun as a new train!"  Thanks for sharing.  Bo 

You can visit my website Bo's Trains at http://www.bostrains.com

Dave:

Your home layout is magnificent. 

Dave you have a great layout there. 

Great pics Jeff.

Enjoyed the photos

Thank you for posting them

Dave just a beautiful layout, very well done great craftsmanship.

Thanks for sharing.

Alex

A successful (and good!) band, a beautiful home layout, and a train store.  Dave truly is livin' the dream.

Pete

Nice! 

Andy

Jeff: great pix of a super layout! The Greenville Gang ARE fun....they really have a ball! I noticed that you captured Lynn Sontum with your new camera....and you got his "good side" !  

Dave: I noticed you were adorned in your precious Union Railroad ball cap. It MUST have been a special event! Who provided dessert?  Tom

AND, he has a beautiful wife, a very cool son, and a great dad to add to the list.  There are probably more, but those are the folks I've already met.

By the way, and for Jeff:  VERY nice photos!

Tom,

  I was lucky with Lynn's picture!!! Dave's wife made a fantastic chocalate cake and we had some ice cream, certainly I could have skipped that but it sure wassssssss good! Already looking forward to next week in Greenville! Thanks to all that have replied to the post.

Jeff James

Nicely said. Alan. The photos each 'tell a story'  -- I love the signal box.

Jeff:  Thanks for the great shots!

Dave: Your home layout is even more spectacular than the one in the store.

Thanks for all of the kind words here!  This hobby (and life in general) is better if you share it with others.

Tom,  The URR hat did recently get professionally cleaned.  We'll find one for you even if I have to sew it myself.

Doug, I love that little feature.  It was a fun, easy project.

Dave

Nice looking layout Dave.  I noticed both of your layouts have a great feel to them with the steel and coal being the focus.  My kind of layout 

Ben,

Thanks!  Whenever you are out this way I will give you the tour.  I definitely owe you a couple beers too!

Dave

Great looking layout, some serious work went into that!

Ahhhhh my favorite liquid refreshment   Sounds like a plan buddy!

I'm headed to Cleveland tomorrow from CT. I hope to be able to stop by the store in the afternoon. I think I will have time.

Doug

I've been to the store many times and admired the layout there, but this is the first time I have seen his home layout (here).  Great looking layout Dave, and thanks for posting Jeff.

Fabulous looking layout(s), Dave.  I only wish you were on the "eastern" side of the state.    I guess I'll just have to venture out to the "western" side of PA to visit your store some day!!! 

David

I have a meeting in Pittsburgh Tuesady evening and Wednesday morning.  Hopefully it will be over by about 1pm and I am planning a slight detour to Mercer on my way home.  I've seen the store and layout in the magazine and here so I'm rellay looking forward to seeing it in person.

Kevin

Incredible layout pics. Easy to spend five minutes viewing each picture to catch all the details.  I've actually come to this thread several times just to take another look at the pictures. Hard not to notice everyone is smiling in photos, I'm sure you guys had a great time. 

Wow,

  I am surprised at how many hits this post continues to receive!! Yes we did have a good time operating Dave's layout. We actually do a operating session with two guys to a crew moving the trains on the layout per train orders we receive when we get there. This is something the guys from Greenville turned me on to a few years ago, and at first I really was not that into it, but after watching the guys actually due a operating session and participating I have come to really enjoy it. It is a challenge to move and spot cars while other "crews" are moving about the layout. This Tuesday evening we are having another "Operating session" in Greenville Pa and I will post some pictures from that for everyone's viewing pleasure!! Thanks to all for your replies.

Jeff James

Can I ride along with you David?  Sounds like a great layout.

A part of the O gauge hobby that is far too often neglected or overlooked (at least in the 3-rail segment).  I really enjoy seeing how folks set up and conduct operating sessions on their layout, and am always looking for articles for the magazine that show others how they might enjoy actually operating trains rather than just running them around continuously.

Allan,

The operating sessions are a blast!  My home layout sessions and the Greenville layout sessions are completely different from each other due to factors such as space(layout size) and operating systems (DCS vs Conventional).  Both are fun.  It is another great way to share the hobby with friends.  We have even had a couple sessions in the shop.

Dave

Allan,

  I was one of those lets say "loop runners" I have always just turned the layout on and let the trains run with no thought of actually operating them that is until I meet the group of guys from Greenville, Pa and watched how they operated there trains. It really is alot of fun and there is some planning to do, someone has to "make up" a list of orders to pass out to the "crews". While I still very much enjoy heading to the train room and just let the trains run around on there own, it is kind of refreshing and new to do the operating sessions. It really is alot of fun!!!

Jeff 

Actually, there's little or no reason why modelers can't enjoy the best of both worlds if they design their layout for continuous running and add some flexibility (sidings, industries to be served, etc.) for more realistic operations.