2-rail Layout building

Im interested in these light modular forms of bench construction, so Paul, thanks for the extra effort to get thouse pictures to us.          cTr.....( Choose the Right )

Cross section is very similar to Mianne with an offset of the sheet goods, except the panels are fixed in place making more of a sophisticated stressed skin construction.  Very nicely done!! 

Reminds me of early wooden small aircraft and light weight race boat construction.  Clean efficient design and  craftsmanship.

Another scene, playing around with the lighting and deliberately trying to soften the focus

Wow John, 'softening the focus' and playing with the lighting REALLY WORK!

Jason 

Jason Dickie posted:

Hi Jordan

You going to Telford this year - 31 Aug/1 Sep?  I'm trying to remind everyone that we can use cafe tables for our small number, so 2.00pm both days, very informal meet, just Stars'n'Stripes and Maple Leaf mini-flags on the table(s).  

Now, exactly what do you need for the WDT....

 

Jason

 

Short reply re Telford; Not Sure Yet. Work & life keep getting in the way.

I don't actually need anything for my WDT Switchers fleet - spare gears would be very nice to have, that's all, in case I get a split gear again any time soon. 

Jordan.

Meanwhile, I'll just add this photo of my Atlas RS3 on my old "Portway Center" layout which was 8ft x 2ft scenics plus 4ft staging.

The broken sign lying on the ground near the crossbucks reads "Portway welcomes Careful Drivers".

It had skid marks leading up to it, & an oil patch and crumpled fender by it.... 

Jordan. I have lots of axles and gears for you I am thinking of putting them in a parcel and sending them to you can you supply an address either here on the forum or offline I like to help out fellow O scalers if I can, you seem to be a nice bloke for a Pom, sorry mate it's the way I talk in Australia there are still some old fashioned blokes like me around it's hard though nowadays you can't say anything without upsetting someone, dunno how I survived this long! Let me know won't cost you anything and I don't want nothing in exchange. (Bruce is a Pom and we get on great!). Nice photo. Nev.

neville-1234@bigpond.com

Haha, none taken Nev; especially while The Ashes are on!!

Well with Smith out and Warner not doing anything you blokes have a chance?

I'll start pulling the wheelsets out this weekend and find a strong box.

Today I am cleaning up the layout for a run tomorrow, good news, we will have four operators tomorrow still the offer still stands everyone is invited. Nev.

Sorry, I am late to the party.  Been off the OGR forum for awhile because of other big projects going but I love this thread. I started serious model railroading in the early 80's and know that since that time the 3 rail guys have overshadowed the 2 railers.  This was and continues to be ok in my book because we have seen so many great products produced because of them and prices have come way down as well.  I decent brass locomotive (that usually ran poorly out of the box) used to be nearly a month's pay but now you can get a super detailed diecast model for half the cost of brass without all the fuss of having to dial it in.

I model mainly traction so I am really in the minority.  Used to be trolley fans all over the place most have gone on to greener pastures. My layout is 37" x 12', not exactly huge for O scale but lots of fun nonetheless.  It never seems to be finished but I am hoping to shoot some photos one day and put them up.

Good on ya Roo for starting this thread, keep the dream alive lads!

ROO,

Here's a rough look at my layout,I would call it,"under destruction" rather than construction,but at least it's a plan. 1st photo is on the north 50ft shelf which will house the main yard and some industry. The next 3 shots are of the east end of the yard.The train is traveling from the yard to the east shelf which will be all industry. 1more shot of that area,then we go back to the west end of the yard. This end was supposed to be a duplicate of the east end,but in fiddling around,discovered if I shifted the mainline to an inside industry track,I could make a nice curve and connect directly with my next 2'x4' board instead of making a bridge to connect the yard and 2'x4'. Going back to the 2nd photo,the track with white ties,was the mainline,now it will either be eliminated ,used for the yard,or an industrial track. Now let's go to photo#8 which was the planned "bridge" to the next shelf which is no longer needed but gives you folks an idea where the main out of the west end of the yard is going. Next shot, is of the west end of the basement and shows a shelf which will be used for probably a short industry. It's about 23" deep,don't know what that is in mm's sorry am restricted to feet and inches as measuring goes. The shot with the stairs,shows most of a nice shelf on the south end of the basement which ends just short of the staircase but has room to continue under it. Next is the water equipment and sump pump which I will have to go out around Next shot is showing the far south end of the basement and a little of the east industrial shelf. The DCS control shows some planned switches on the east shelf. That short Atlas switch,is to be used for a "derail" or "catch track" as they are called, to keep runaway freight cars off the mainline. That last shot is the "workbench." LOL Relettered a lot of cars there. I have  place for peninsulas in the basement where  all my wife's "junk"is piled hither and yon. But since the shelf I'll be using is 36&1/2" high,a lot can be housed under those shelves. It looks bad,and it is,(lol),but you keep planning and hoping. If you lose hope regardless of what you're working at,you may as well throw in your cards. Hope you fellows can give me ideas where to place planned industries,which include a modern grain facility,NABISCO plant,junk yard,(I got the junk for that!),paper plant,corn syrup transfer facility or Pepsi plant,lumber facility,cement plant,foam production plant and we will see if there's space for more. I have NO IDEA how that 1 picture got separated from the rest! Enjoy! As Always,Al Hummel 

Alan, your photos have not come up all I get is "image not found" ! Roo.

ROO, 

When I posted a picture it comes up separate,then gives me the option of inserting the photo into the "body" of the message. Did I do something wrong? How do you post your photos? I went to the site and everything comes up just like I sent it,but I think you're right just don't know why everything comes up for me?

Thank you for letting me know,I wondered why there were no comments from anyone, good,bad or somewhere in between.

As Always,

Al

ROO,

I get all my pic's but when I click on 1 to open it up,I get the same thing so let's try this again. I will post a few photos outside the main body.

Al

ROO,

Lets try this again as when I post outside the main body,I click the picture and it comes up. I don't know why it says insert pic's into main body,but? 

Alan.. Looks like you are running DCS.  There aren't that many of us!  Thanks for posting

That 3rd photo from the last of the photos was actually taken on the west of basement. Below is of the southeast end.(hopefully). LOL. The wife says everything looks more like a trainwreck. There is where I'm at folks! Definately NOT as good as those beautiful other layouts.

As Always,

Al Hummel

John,

Yes I started out with the intentions of DCC but then changed over to MTH Diesels,so I thought why not use their control system to make control easy. I'm still learning the system. I think it has less sound effects than DCC,not sure why,think a lot depends on the newer engines and I think years ago I read MTH can be updated.(?)

Glad to be able to share something,no matter how meager.

Al

Alan Hummel posted:

John,

Yes I started out with the intentions of DCC but then changed over to MTH Diesels,so I thought why not use their control system to make control easy. I'm still learning the system. I think it has less sound effects than DCC,not sure why,think a lot depends on the newer engines and I think years ago I read MTH can be updated.(?)

Glad to be able to share something,no matter how meager.

Al

Al

The fact that your doing something means a lot I started out on a concrete floor at least your off the floor! In this present house I had to wait for the kids to grow up before I could take over the games room we don't have basements in West Australia. You would be surprised on how much space you have when you eventually clean the area up most of us have gone through this stage, keep going is the main thing mate. Thanks for sharing the photos.

For my photos I just simply click on "Add attachments" and that takes me to either the camera or the folders in the computer then I just select a photo I want to post.  Roo.

Roo,

Thank you for the kind words and encouragement. Things do get discouraging especially when that basement was swept clean back in 2014,but that was before we sold my wife's home. Then the train room turned into general storage with a little bit of trains scattered about. But no matter what the problem,with the Good Lord's help,things change for the better,as you know sometimes change takes a long time. I'm seeing "holes" in that mountain of "stuff," now. I move a little here and a lot there then move a "lot" over to where a "little" was located. 

As Always,

Al

Construction candids of one of my staging yards.  125 L.F. of track on two levels.  The oval slots permit visual  couple access:

These staging tracks and the two TTs are off scene.  The upper 24"  TT spins small locos of a minor branch line after the engine goes into an engine house against the hill and comes back out turned around.

The 32" TT can spin anything and turns engines from two different branch lines entering from opposite directions.  The track along side of the larger TT is a cheater bypass.

On another wall there are four 16' subway staging tracks under an upper level town.

North facing views showing Homosote surface for the staging tracks:

The much discussed cleanout is visible center right.

These four tracks were to be a dead end but I just made another bridge and they are now pull through.

Good thing there was no permit required for bridging the gorge.  The plan called for two, now it has grown to four.  Cluttered, yes,  but functionally needed.

South facing views plus the recently installed fifth level of three rail.  Just gotta get some camo on the dang drain pipe!!

The staging yard throat above features triple siamesed 72"/76" curved turnouts with points immediately next to the frog by Brad Strong Signature switches.

The coal yard was a cantilevered add on bump out.  Bendable plywood makes it fit in nicely.

This is what happens when you have no plans, too much wood and a free spirit.  We call it "Capillary Bridges".

Tom.

I never get tired of looking at your baseboards, I like woodwork myself but I am only a rank amateur compared with what you do.

Thanks for posting. Nev, (Roo)

Thank you Roo,  Check out the layout build on the 3 rail page. In trying to convey the ease one could break free of tangent lines we did a progression of dozens of photos showing how to develop curved bench work on Gun Runner John's otherwise squarish Mianne layout. 

It  is really more of combining flowing ideas,  bendable plywood and a series of made in place French curves.

Roo posted:

Jordan. I have lots of axles and gears for you I am thinking of putting them in a parcel and sending them to you can you supply an address either here on the forum or offline I like to help out fellow O scalers if I can, you seem to be a nice bloke for a Pom, sorry mate it's the way I talk in Australia there are still some old fashioned blokes like me around it's hard though nowadays you can't say anything without upsetting someone, dunno how I survived this long! Let me know won't cost you anything and I don't want nothing in exchange. (Bruce is a Pom and we get on great!). Nice photo. Nev.

neville-1234@bigpond.com

Update for Jordan.

Tomorrow they will be posted wish I was coming to couldn't fit in the box.  Nev.

Roo posted:

Roo posted:

Jordan. I have lots of axles and gears for you I am thinking of putting them in a parcel and sending them to you can you supply an address either here on the forum or offline I like to help out fellow O scalers if I can, you seem to be a nice bloke for a Pom, sorry mate it's the way I talk in Australia there are still some old fashioned blokes like me around it's hard though nowadays you can't say anything without upsetting someone, dunno how I survived this long! Let me know won't cost you anything and I don't want nothing in exchange. (Bruce is a Pom and we get on great!). Nice photo. Nev.

neville-1234@bigpond.com

Update for Jordan.

Tomorrow they will be posted wish I was coming to couldn't fit in the box.  Nev.

Cheers mate!!