G scale Train in The Yard. Rock Creek Railroad. Update 09-02-18

That porch would be a great place to relax and eat some BBQ while the trains go by. Fantastic progress!

That is one simply awesome setup and progress.  I can not wait to see it in the final stage and enjoyment of the trains.  Just amazing the progress since York.  At least the rains have stopped a little!

Alright Larry, there are only a few hours left in June.  Can we all get an update to the G Scale paradise development!!!  LOL.  When you get time my friend, when you get time.

Looks great so far Larry! 

Hi allOK David

I haven’t quit on the Train in the yard project! Actually hard at it when time permits. These pictures are to give you a idea of how the project will be viewed as well as progress.

11 year old grandson visit and he about wore us out. Dolly wood, traveling, Alabama tough on an old guy. Lol, had a good time, good memories.

The ROCK spreading done for the most part and wiring continues.

Here are some progress pictures. I’m out of rock and will need some more Not much, thank God.

Oh, due to the fish nut grandson I now have gold fish and Koi.

That was not in the plan. The small pond is now tented greenish to protect the fishes from UV and high pond temperatures???? Go figure.

It actually looks pretty cool at night with all the LEDS in the pond coming on.

Now on to track, soldering and work on the main control console that will be on the deck.This will be slow , long time consuming tasks. But I love it compared to rock and digging .

 The main console will be mostly portable but some of it will be permanent. Somewhat of a fun challenge the way I have it planned. We will see.lol

Wishing all a very Happy 4^th of July weekend

Larry Still having fun.

Larry Sr. posted:

Hi all

I haven’t quit on the Train in the yard project! Actually hard at it when time permits. These pictures are to give you a idea of how the project will be viewed as well as progress.

11 year old grandson visit and he about wore us out. Dolly wood, traveling, Alabama tough on an old guy. Lol, had a good time, good memories.

The ROCK spreading done for the most part and wiring continues.

Here are some progress pictures. I’m out of rock and will need some more Not much, thank God.

Oh, due to the fish nut grandson I now have gold fish and Koi.

That was not in the plan. The small pond is now tented greenish to protect the fishes from UV and high pond temperatures???? Go figure.

It actually looks pretty cool at night with all the LEDS in the pond coming on.

 

Now on to track, soldering and work on the main control console that will be on the deck.This will be slow , long time consuming tasks. But I love it compared to rock and digging .

 The main console will be mostly portable but some of it will be permanent. Somewhat of a fun challenge the way I have it planned. We will see.lol

 

Wishing all a very Happy 4^th of July weekend

Larry Still having fun.

 

 

 

Looks good. Will look terrific once the trains start running. 

FYI, there should be no need to dye the pond any color. Not healthy at all for the fish, regardless of what the bottle says. 

Get real aquatic plants and the fish will be just fine. The water will be much healthier ,cleaner and the fish happy. 

Been doing this a long time and I would never imagine not having any plants other than a few fake lilies. The plants are part of the fun!! Got a good 2 dozen fish, tadpoles, snails, frogs, etc. All in about 2K gallons. 

2K, wow, Nice.

I agree with you and actually plan on fooling with a few plants. But, fish, I really could care less. That was never in the plan and the so called fish tint just a quick fix. I want to get trains going not fool with the fishes. lol There here and I won't let the starve to death, but replacements , never gonna happen.

Larry

Larry Sr. posted:

2K, wow, Nice.

I agree with you and actually plan on fooling with a few plants. But, fish, I really could care less. That was never in the plan and the so called fish tint just a quick fix. I want to get trains going not fool with the fishes. lol There here and I won't let the starve to death, but replacements , never gonna happen.

Larry

C'mon Larry...you'll warm up to 'em!

I put 1 Water Lilly in last year. I have a very small water feature. The water has changed totally. That single Lilly seems to take care of things. I still change the water but nowhere near as much. I'd like to get more of them.

I lost my 2 frogs this year. One hopped under my lawn mower. The other? maybe the birds got him? We have a constant stream of birds playing in the water.

Wow that looks great Larry!  The rock looks really good and once the track is installed will be amazing.  That pond area is outstanding and like how you have setup some chairs for Nancy and you to enjoy the finished product!

Larry Sr. posted:

Hi allOK David

I haven’t quit on the Train in the yard project! Actually hard at it when time permits. These pictures are to give you a idea of how the project will be viewed as well as progress.

11 year old grandson visit and he about wore us out. Dolly wood, traveling, Alabama tough on an old guy. Lol, had a good time, good memories.

The ROCK spreading done for the most part and wiring continues.

Here are some progress pictures. I’m out of rock and will need some more Not much, thank God.

Oh, due to the fish nut grandson I now have gold fish and Koi.

That was not in the plan. The small pond is now tented greenish to protect the fishes from UV and high pond temperatures???? Go figure.

It actually looks pretty cool at night with all the LEDS in the pond coming on.

 

Now on to track, soldering and work on the main control console that will be on the deck.This will be slow , long time consuming tasks. But I love it compared to rock and digging .

 The main console will be mostly portable but some of it will be permanent. Somewhat of a fun challenge the way I have it planned. We will see.lol

 

Wishing all a very Happy 4^th of July weekend

Larry Still having fun.

 

 

 

Larry I think you are doing a grand Job there! as I was telling the gal at golf course things are looking quite dandy! She said I haven't heard Dandy in some time. I told her to stop hanging out with the young kids! I sure hope you are taking the time to enjoy everything you are doing as you go along! Cant wait to see more!

Thanks guys.

C'mon Larry...you'll warm up to 'em!

OK  SJC I'm back researching and studying the pond eco system stuff.

Put the fish in happy place and drained pond, now cleaning everything adding UV protection , going with plants  and other critters under some local very reputable aquatic nursery supervision with pond help.Lord help me.

It will take a few weeks to interject everything because I have it so messed up.

Guys/Gals , Ponds for me were a wee bit more difficult than I expected.  Keep your checkbook handy if you decide to fool with one lol IMO.

Larry still having fun big time.

Come on Larry, you know MARINES like to play in the water with the best of them! I think things are looking GREAT!~

The fountain reminds me of the fountain in my Dad's backyard G scale layout.He loved running the G scale trains outside for over 20 years until he passed away in 2014.I still enjoy running his trains every Summer.The radio controlled live steam engine is all time ultimate in model railroading to me. 

Larry Sr. posted:

Thanks guys.

C'mon Larry...you'll warm up to 'em!

OK  SJC I'm back researching and studying the pond eco system stuff.

Put the fish in happy place and drained pond, now cleaning everything adding UV protection , going with plants  and other critters under some local very reputable aquatic nursery supervision with pond help.Lord help me.

It will take a few weeks to interject everything because I have it so messed up.

Guys/Gals , Ponds for me were a wee bit more difficult than I expected.  Keep your checkbook handy if you decide to fool with one lol IMO.

Larry still having fun big time.

I know nothing about the Koi, but back in the '80s I had a friend that built a small Koi pond (Kansas City area). Anyway the first winter the pond froze solid and so did the fish so he had to start over in the spring. I think he ended up making the pond deeper and I am not sure what he did with the fish in the winter after that? Anyway, I don't know how cold it gets in your area, but just a thought in case you have some cold spells. Also, we had some really COLD winters here back in the '80s as well. In fact the all time record low temp (-23 deg F) here was set in that time period, nothing quite as bad since then.  

I am still following along with your building too, and it really looks nice. Also looks like a lot of work! I'm sure it will be really nice when you get the trains up and running and you will really enjoy it all. Good luck and please keep the updates coming.

Hi all

Here I am again

 SJC No more plastic, it's the real stuff I have really been studying.

Well I stripped the pond and started over, not once but twice. (Good Grief)

 I have bought and moved so many rocks but, I now have a nice small pond that is eco friendly .

Fish, snails and plants. I actually have got into the pond stuff.

On to TRAINS Please.

I have run out of several different important items. I keep ordering and that costs me time. My poor planning is obvious to me at this point. The good thing is good old honey do’s fill in the down time.

 I’m sure some of you know what I mean .

Picked up another ton and a half of crushed rock for standby fill in for leveling when needed.

 I have installed over 200 split jaw clamps and just ordered another 100. They do go fast.

Been so hot I moved most of the work into shade. Been testing all the switches and cutting special fit pieces of track. I'm learning DC and the LGB switch and on/off boxes.

I have started some work on a stationary control panel and a portable panel  as well. More on that later. I know the portable one picture  looks like a total mess currently but it will get organized eventually.

Eventually the Transformers , TIU and other expensive items will be on this. That's for protection from weather.

Here are the most recent pictures I took. Have a great weekend all.

Life is good  and still having fun with toy trains at dam$ near 70.

Larry

Looks GREAT Larry! I am so glad your having fun and it doesn't hurt that you are getting to the pond thing also! Plus with all the hard work and the hot sun I am sure you are taking the breaks needed for a cold one! LOL

It does look great from here!

Larry - looks great. Really does. I'm jealous. 

Pond looks great as well. Looks like you've got things going nicely with plants, fish and a balanced pond. 

As for winter, I leave my fish in year 'round. I have a small heater I only turn on when a big freeze is expected. The fish only come out when the pond is totally drained for cleaning one day a year. 

Looking quite nice there Larry.  Can't wait to see it in October when we head up to York!  You are going to get a lot fun time running those trains!  Hope all is well in Erwin.

Hi All

Thanks for the remarks I appreciate them. Good bad and  the ugly,

A little more progress, mostly on wiring the stationary console and the portable one as well.

The idea is to roll the portable cart up the stationary console and by using 6 banana plugs and one 110 electrical plug have complete control of both the outer and inner loops as well as the accessories and track switches.

KEEP in mind this is a experiment. lol

All 110 electrical components will be plugged in on the inside of the portable cart. They will be protected and turned on and off by a remote power switch.

Within the next couple weeks (Based on Honey Do’s) I hope to kick the tires and light a fire under a train.

Of course hopefully not a real fire.

Here is a few  pictures of work in progress.

Larry

Larry,

Great wiring job and overall installation! Looking great.

Beware of raccoons and fish eating water foul. They love koi and koi are easy pickings in a pond.

Joe

TCA #70-2968, LCCA #521

WOW!!!

Nice. Very nice.

Wow Larry! I have to agree with everyone else, but looking at your panels make my brain hurt! I am glad I am not there yet! Gives me time to study! LOL

Wow!!! Just an incredible job. Thank you for posting your progress,

Bob

10-1-17 Rock Creek RR, aka Train in the Yard. lol.

Hi everyone.

Took a while off from Train in the Yard project.

 Getting in too much of a hurry and making too many mistakes.

Needed to back off and remember it’s supposed to be fun. Lol

 Back at it hard this past week and I have finished the track wiring and installed all the landscaping lights as well. The track has been tested and all is well .

I will start testing the DCS Remote system with WiFi in the near future.

Currently, just having some fun running a train or two the old fashion Way .lol

Here are some pictures trying to show the plan for the track layout. It worked well for the small area I was working with. I did get to stay with R-5 on the outer and had to use some R-3 on the inner.

The portable console picture shows how 3 pair of color coded wires connect everything to the weather proofed Hard Wired console (hopefully weather proofed) .

That enables me to protect all the electronics. I also have covers for both the consoles just to add some more protection.

So far so good. Hopefully all the remote stuff will work well when I start learning with it.

The G learning on the fly continues.

The last picture is one of my test engines.

Have a great week.

Larry

PS Time for York!!

Looks great Larry! Just wondering if you have picked up a G scale flatcar with helo yet?! LOL

Larry - That looks fantastic! I'm jealous! One hell of a control command center you've built as well. I'm sure it runs as good as it looks! 

Beautiful. Now I'm jealous! 

Yes, looks like everything is shaping up very nicely!! Very nice layout, wiring and control station, all looks great!

Thanks guys.

Fun level has picked up a lot now that I can at least run a train .

Mike wait to you see my USMC (USA trains) military train. Bet you will love it. Lol

Larry

OUTSTANDING!

Larry Sr. posted:

Thanks guys.

Fun level has picked up a lot now that I can at least run a train .

Mike wait to you see my USMC (USA trains) military train. Bet you will love it. Lol

Larry

 

Larry, you know I will without even having to see it! Anything USMC I love already! But I know you will do a great job!

Got to run a BIG train test today, my Triplex .

• This running trains outside in the yard could lead to another train addiction.

Larry lol

If you have any stumps to pull, that Triplex would do it for you.

I can't max out mine yet. I need to get couplers that will keep the train together for the test.

Joe it is a brute. I may have to use a wheel barrow just to move it back and forth to the train room..lol

Man I can not wait for York week so that I can see the layout.  You have done an OUTSTANDING job and looking forward to seeing it in person.

Very cool Larry I am so happy for you! Great looking train!

We are still at it . But, inside working on building models to put on the layout in the spring. And playing with trains inside.

I don’t have it as bad as a lot of you in reference to cold. We do have good days and bad days. Lol

Hope Your Santa was good to you all.

Larry

Larry, great pictures! But where is your snow plow? How come its not clearing the tracks for the passenger trains?

I am glad you posted, I thought you might have given up! Then I remembered your a U.S. Marine!