Ross club modular layout at Twin Towers retirement home.
miles: 20
Their 'real' club name.
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"HONGZ" stands for HO scale, N scale, G scale, and Z scale.
Post your non-O scale stuff here!
That is certainly a nice modular layout! Those control panels look impressive
Ross meeting:
videos:
SP AC-6 4-8-8-2 passenger train:
Skykomish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFkuzhF5aIM
Hillyard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TlMIdZ3uXs
Willmar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBG9cw65VG8
Willmar:
Glacier.
Chumstick canyon trestle.
Havre.
Nice scale distance between the BLI passenger cars.
Marias pass.
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Ross meeting update: somehow I missed a few pictures while uploading them.
video:
Whitefish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT6IU6f5Mgo
Marias pass.
Hillyard
There are 5 functioning water tanks on the railroad.
The return loop/interchange/staging track was never intended for 'scenery' but, over the years, I've 'spruced it up'.
ie: no ties used for the track.
Willmar.
Joe brought his caboose lantern that he obtained when he was 12.
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Joe Becker's layout in Dayton, Ohio.
Miles: 35
Joe and I went to Joe Becker's layout to help resolve a 'shorting' problem which, we think, we fixed.
Very nice layout. L shaped with a double track mainline about 275' long.
Built the layout in only 4 years.
Impressive custom built passenger station.
15 stall roundhouse.
I like the raised mainline behind the yard.
Some 'kit bashing'.
We stopped at MCL for food. The kind of meals that your grandmother made for you!
Joe knew about this restaurant as we went to one when we were northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana several weeks ago.
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Sam, That is a really nice layout, Joe Becker has. I like his buildings.
I don't know what MRL is, but they sure serve a hefty meal!!!
Dayton, Ohio train show operated commercially.
Miles:35
One building on the fairgrounds.
Rode these at Euclid beach park in Cleveland back in the 50's.
N gauge.
HO gauge.
Didn't want the freight car but.....
with CV sprung metal trucks and wheels plus Kadees and for 3 bucks, I'll 'take it'!
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Darke County (Greenville), Ohio train show.
Miles: 71
One building on the Fairgrounds.
HO gauge.
Brings back 'memories'; that and 'pea shooters'.
For about 20 miles route 49 was, virtually, 'straight as an arrow'.
Unbelievable: I bought nothing (probably the first time in 40 years) but Joe got 3 books, 2 cars and another lantern.
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Ross club Tuesday night meeting.
video:
DM&IR M-4 2-8-8-4 freight drag at Skykomish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArqVJnPDCJo
Jerry with the D&RGW L-131 2-8-8-2 passenger train bypassing Seattle's freight yard.
Jerry operating the D&RGW L-131 2-8-8-2 passenger train.
Paul operating the DM&IR M-4 2-8-8-4 freight drag departing Seattle's freight yard.
Marias pass 'meet'.
Nick brought a diesel.
Marias pass.
Chumstick canyon trestle.
Mark brought a diesel to operate.
Waverly.
Waverly 'meet'.
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Layout PM.
Had some derailments on a few freight cars.
The wheels were really 'caked'.
Before:
After:
One needed coupler adjustments via Kadee washers.
Figure I might as well clean the track.
Cleaned and added more lacquer thinner to the 'pad' and 'did so' about every 60'.
Had to replace the TCS KAM4 decoder in my GN W-1 electric.
It has 2 motors and one of the wires got 'caught' in the universal and the 2 motors overloaded the decoder.
Sent the decoder 'in' and they replaced it for 'free'.
The GN W-1 was the largest single electric made.
The Virginian's EL-2B double electrics were the largest 'coupled' electrics.
Both engines pull over 30 cars with no problem.
Got my DCS 240 back from Digitrax.
I only had it for about 4 months before it went 'south'.
Digitrax took 8 weeks to repair it but under warranty.
The DCS 210 is my 'backup'.
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NMRA MCR DIV 7 spring train show in West Chester, Ohio.
Miles: 5
I think we have a new record for a spring attendance.
Being the Division that I 'belong to' there are lots of 'people' pictures.
Main large room.
2nd 'hall way' room.
This fellow from Columbus had lots of PRR stuff at very reasonable prices from $150 for painted brass engines to PRR BLI engines.
Most brass was in the $150-200 range.
John and sister Tracy; owners of Hamilton's hobby shop.
Very nice all wood HO carrying case; multi-drawers for only 85 bucks.
Friday night 'set up' group.
Bought 14 'coal loads'.
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A very nice club layout:
Ross club meeting:
videos:
GN Y-1 electric freight drag:
Skykomish:
Several vintage metal and wood freight cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxqWUgqhiCE
Whitefish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uesvefolPlE
PRR P5A electrics:
Many vintage wood and metal freight cars.
Skykomish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D7qmbrvfEA
Hillyard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaycHSEXz3I
Marias Pass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y_s_Us8LqY
Mark's diesels:
Mostly 'open loads' freight cars.
Havre:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wuZK9E1L3A
Nate operating the PRR P5A electrics.
Mark setting up his diesels.
Skykomish.
Waverly.
Chumstick canyon trestle.
GN Y-1 electric at Havre.
Jerry operating the GN Y-1.
Hillyard.
Marias pass meet.
3 trains over my Kenmore washer and dryer from the 1970's!
Jerry and Nate.
Jerry and Paul.
Joe and Roxanne.
Diesels approaching Willmar.
Seattle's freight yard.
Marias pass.
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It’s nice to see Nate and Roxanne joining in!
Rick Stern's SF layout.
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Interesting view of 'wheel meets rail', although all European.
Cogwheel train on a mountain.
1944 video on derailments:
To be honest, I get excited every time I see there's been an update to this thread because it's always an interesting update!
Thanks, Bill, for the kind comments.
New delivery.
My first 'foreign' engine.
A Swiss crocodile electric.
Video: 'yard test'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHgQNKqPasA
An unusual looking engine and it was 'cost effective' especially since it has a decoder.
Both sets of drivers are powered but...
only one set has 'electrical contacts'. Also, the flanges are not NMRA scale RP-25's.
All my turnouts are handmade so the frog depth is, also, scale so the drivers lift up and the engine stops.
If I run the engine fast, it makes it 'over' the frog.
Shouldn't be too bad to add another set of contacts to the other set of drivers.
Does have lots of 'traction tires' so it should pull well.
These were replaced with Kadees.
Extra parts.
No sound in the decoder but 'lights'.
I was expecting a larger engine but, being in Europe, I should have known they don't have large engines with each country being about the size of Ohio.
About the same length as a PRR P5A electric.
Large flanges.
Instructions in German.
4 'exploded' parts sheets.
Read the decoder but it gave me about 20 decoders to select so I just left the address as '03' and saved the data to the roster.
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Nice video of the PRR T-1 4-4-4-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znMu4K71ktY
My 'version':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28a-3cGqTI8
A group is building one from 'scratch'.
GNRW operating session;
Videos:
DJ's diesels and UP Big Boy 4-8-8-4:
The UP 2-tone challenger stopped due to another train missing a signal at the other end of the passing siding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66HPa6rWQ-4
New Haven EP5 electrics at Tye:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUMbRQ3AD60
Departing Havre:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXA4c7PPB4c
UP Big Boy at Hillyard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFgVdgYZ03o
DJ's diesels and Rock Island's E6 A-A freight drags:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nahWd69VGQ0
NH EP5 electrics and DJ's diesels at Glacier:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae0_TzjRtrU
UP 2-tone grey passenger train at Skykomish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0on-BKLccA
RI E6 A-A departing Havre:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_edSYHhcw0
PRR centipedes freight drag departing Hillyard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsUGTD-z87A
NYC Niagara 4-8-4 passenger train at Skykomish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7A7pJYKvQY
PRR centipedes and NYC Niagara at Hillyard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5N4iyz0hDU
The usual pizza 'first' and orange cremesicles at the 'end'.
DJ brought his diesels and 30 hoppers.
Skykomish.
UP 4-8-8-4 big boy at Skykomish.
DJ's diesels west of Waverly.
Mark's operating the NH EP5 electrics departing Seattle.
Bob operating the UP 2-tone 4-6-6-4 challenger bypassing the Seattle's freight yard.
Dave operating the Rock Island E6 A-A freight drag departing Seattle.
Ben and DJ meet at Glacier.
Ben operating the UP Big Boy.
UP challenger at Hillyard and UP big boy west of Waverly.
Stop for H2O.
What happens when 'signals' aren't 'obeyed'!
Tye.
Big Boy at Waverly.
RI E6's at Hillyard.
Logging railroad to the right.
Willmar.
Old 'control panel' to the left with the 'circuit breakers' above it.
St. Paul.
Big Boy at Willmar.
Joe busy at the dispatcher's panel.
Chumstick canyon trestle.
Waverly.
Ben 'switching' at Seattle.
NYC Niagara 4-8-4 passenger train bypassing Seattle's freight yard.
Chumstick canyon trestle.
Ben brought one of his engines.
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Some PM.
Had to solder two linkages under the layout for 2 turnouts in the Seattle's freight yard.
Reversed two sets of passenger trains that were operated last night.
NYC Niagara set.
UP passenger set.
Fixed a fellow modeler's engine where one of the crank pins came loose and bound the drivers.
This SF engine was cut in two from.....
the 2-10-10-2 engine.
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@samparfitt do you use Tortoise switch machines? I can't remember if I already asked you.
The railroad was built 44 years ago before tortoise machines were invented.
Mainline is 'solenoids' and yards use car chokes.
Gotcha. I think I did ask you this before because I remember you mentioning the layout predates Tortoises.
What is a car choke?
PM, kind of!
It's best to just have one type of decoder but I live in the 'real world'!
The bulk of my engines have TCS decoders but I also have BLI, MTH, one Rapido and 3 'scale trains' turbine decoders.
This makes it difficult on the 'operators' so we have to get the 'list' for that decoder to check on the function keys.
I've always had the 'main' functions for the TCS decoders at the bottom of the throttles.
For the other decoders I made a 'short list' and put them on the back of the throttles.
I left off the 'obvious' function keys.
The MTH and Rapido electrics have functional pantographs so I had to 'include' those.
There's a 'ton' of other functions but hardly anyone ever uses those so I left them 'off'.
I had to improvise for the female shaped throttles...
There is a large battery cover on the back so the 'list' was cut and taped in the appropriate spaces.
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Ross club meeting.
Tried to get 'creative' on videos and 'stills': some good, some not!
Videos:
UP 2-tone 4-6-6-4 challenger freight drag at Skykomish.
Many vintage wood freight cars in the UP train.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMwH6hywGRE
Tye:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdHlHsprIug
Departing Hillyard:
Smoking whistle on the UP challenger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y_nglTRDhc
NYC Niagara 4-8-4 passenger train at Marias pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoWuO6XqLcc
Mark's diesels at Tye:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeGUT_sbXcc
NYC Niagara at Havre:
A 'not so good' angle!!!!
Tried to get 'creative' and forgot about 'video' angles!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzwTS6xiW_k
UP 2-tone challenger at Skykomish:
ditto on the 'angle'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itaLcSgHV3c
Joe's new lantern with kerosene.
NYC Niagara 4-8-4 at Skykomish.
Mark's diesels at Seattle.
Joe dispatching.
UP 2-tone 4-6-6-4 challenger at the 'watering hole'.
Chumstick canyon trestle.
NYC Niagara at Hillyard.
Bob running the UP challenger.
Paul.
St. Paul.
Willmar.
Waverly.
Jerry running the NYC Niagara.
Waverly.
Glacier.
Willmar.
one of my 'better' pictures!
Marias pass.
Seattle's freight yard.
Seattle's engine service facilities.
Passenger train bypassing Seattle's freight yard and GN C-1 0-8-0 switching freight cars.
Mark's diesels.
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Only took several months to diagnose this problem!
A few engines would periodically stop on this bridge.
Since a 'ton' of engines run on it, I thought, maybe, dirt; nada.
I only use rail joiners on hidden track or on some old Tru-scale roadbed.
One train was consistently stopping on the bridge (weird how other engines have no problems!)
I used my 'power checker' and saw the track was 'loosing' power; also, the circuit breakers were not 'shorting'.
I spiked the rail joiners and 'problem solved'!
For some reason this set of diesels would cause an interruption in the rail joiner.
This engine was not 'smoking' last night.
Had way too much smoke fluid in the reservoir.
After some of the fluid 'burned off', it smokes well!
Tru-scale made turnouts where the frogs closed:
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It is always a conundrum when one or two engines have trouble with track and others don’t. Nice fix!!
I ordered this engine in July, 2020!
HAH: and my daughter says I have no 'patience'!
Milwaukee E-78 'Little Joe' electric.
An MTH product. All metal superstructure. Remote operating pantographs (very cool).
Mike the owner of MTH retired and some 'dies' have been sold but they are still producing products.
MTH makes very 'high quality' products.
Videos:
Yard test:
Pantographs can be set up to 'automatically' go 'up and down' depending on direction as seen in the videos.
'Little Joe'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oNA0kZqzHg
'Little Joe' and the Bi-polar.
Glad both run at the same speed; probably the same 'drive mechanism'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO4bx6P-WN4
Nice foam interior.
Snow plows.
All 'drivers' powered which I 'oiled'.
Easy 'top' access hatch.
Magnetic cover.
Besides headlight, class lights and number boards are lighted.
Interior with crew.
Bi-polar from MTH that I purchased a few years 'ago'.
I, also, have 2 other bi-polars made by Custom Brass models in 1973.
The one on the right I painted, re-motored and added a decoder and lights.
I would not have bought these if I had known about the MTH engines.
The Yellow bi-polar doesn't run at the same speed as the MTH's so they run separately.
programming track.
Conifers were on 'sale' so I bought 5 more bags!
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@samparfitt posted:Conifers were on 'sale' so I bought 5 more bags!
Never thought I would see that combination of words in a sentence haha
How long are the bi-polars? They look to be extremely long?
Yes, the MTH engine orders take a while to be filled, but I am always well pleased! Nice Little Joe!
I thought the Bi-polar would be longer but it's 10" versus 12" for the 'Little Joe'.
Maybe it's just the angle the photo is taken at. Nonetheless, they are cool! I wouldn't mind getting one myself even though it would be very out of place haha
Franklin, Indiana Train show.
Miles: 100
One building at the county fairgrounds.
2 N scale layouts.
O gauge.
Joe bought 2 lanterns.
Not sure if I have a Seaboard car so I purchased this vintage all metal one.
Very nice town.
Lots of 'flooding'; mostly by streams.
Friday I went to Dayton, Ohio for a plane show and purchase this A-1 Skyraider.
Brand new and almost ready to fly.
Remote starter for the engine: very cool. My first 'remote'.
3 'drop' tanks.
Lots of 'ginger bread'.
All wood construction.
Also, bought an 85" F4U corsair but forgot to 'take pictures'.
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Nice show! It is good to have Joe along on these treks. Neat airplane as well!
Ross Club weekly Tuesday night meeting.
Videos:
DM&IR 2-8-8-4 freight drag; Several vintage metal and wood freight kits from the 50's.
Skykomish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KohfgsIL3c
Marias pass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhaYW8rQO_w
Mark's diesels: All 'open loads'.
Marias pass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzBW2W3_daU
GN R-2 2-8-8-2 freight drag: 'open loads' and several vintage metal and wood freight cars from the 50's.
Departing Seattle's freight yard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHfgQebkk90
Willmar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnF_L2l5bdU
Glacier:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gfOQwxipg0
Havre: (top view; this time I held the camera correctly!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ-RMpu7Phc
Marias pass: (top view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8DjJHJerP0
Seattle's engine facility:
DM&IR 2-8-8-4 departing Seattle's freight yard.
Mark's diesels at Willmar.
DM&IR 2-8-8-4 at Hillyard.
Paul operating the DM&IR.
Bob on the GN R-2 2-8-8-2.
Tumwater canyon trestle.
Mark operating his diesels.
Havre.
Marias pass.
Havre.
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