Latest progress on Chugman's Layout New Holiday Video Added 11/25/2018

Boo Man posted:

Looks good Art.  How are you installing the walls and working over all those tracks?

Bob - It's easy in this area as it is only 30" from the edge of the layout.

Art

Chugman posted:

Boo Man posted:

Looks good Art.  How are you installing the walls and working over all those tracks?

Bob - It's easy in this area as it is only 30" from the edge of the layout.

Art

I was guessing 36-42".  Only 30"?  Do you have one of those topside creepers?

mike g. posted:

Looking great Are, Bob, I bet he is using that overhead creeper thing he has!

Merry Christmas to all!

Just had my topside creeper delivered today.  Have to put it together tomorrow.  Shame on me for making the layout 42" along the wall.  

Very nice Art. Merry Christmas!!

Art,

great work, thanks for sharing.

When I designed this layout I had to determine how far in I could reach from the edge of the layout.  I am 6 foot tall and with a 42" bench height, I can reach in 30".  So the longest reach is 30" except for thee problem areas and they are all the insides of 072 and larger curves.  I solved two of them with liftouts, but the third is full of track and switches.  It is the throat of my 6 track Proviso freight classification yard.  I hope to be able to reach across it with my new Topside Creeper to finish installing the last of my retaining walls soon.  If not, I will have to lay plywood on the tracks and bridge them that way.  The suggestion to use 2" x 2"'s between the rails to raise the plywood above the track was a good one.

Art

Art that sounds like great planning! I hope your able to reach with your topside creeper, I always hate the idea of having to climb on tracks already laid!

Art,

Merry Christmas,

Great to see all your latest work, inspirational and educational to many model railroaders. Hope to get out there soon for a visit. Say hello to all and enjoy the holidays.

Steve

Chugman posted:

When I designed this layout I had to determine how far in I could reach from the edge of the layout.  I am 6 foot tall and with a 42" bench height, I can reach in 30".  So the longest reach is 30" except for thee problem areas and they are all the insides of 072 and larger curves.  I solved two of them with liftouts, but the third is full of track and switches.  It is the throat of my 6 track Proviso freight classification yard.  I hope to be able to reach across it with my new Topside Creeper to finish installing the last of my retaining walls soon.  If not, I will have to lay plywood on the tracks and bridge them that way.  The suggestion to use 2" x 2"'s between the rails to raise the plywood above the track was a good one.

Art

2x2's are a great idea.  Keep up the great work.  I love your layout.  

Steve Horvath posted:

Art,

Merry Christmas,

Great to see all your latest work, inspirational and educational to many model railroaders. Hope to get out there soon for a visit. Say hello to all and enjoy the holidays.

Steve

Steve - Great to hear from you.  Let me know when you can make it and we'll roll out the red carpet and get out our best jelly glasses to drink from.  But you can leave the winter weather back home.

Merry Christmas

Art

Thanks for all the nice comments.  It's fun to share your efforts with people who are supportive and encouraging. 

I have managed to get a lot done by just setting aside some time every day to work on the layout.  It is also good to do different things instead of getting bored by doing too much of the same thing.  That being said, there is also something to be said for staying on things that you don't particularly enjoy and to get them done so you don't have to worry about them.

I have finished my retaining walls except for two ends that depend on doing something else first.  I have to build my extension to my highway bridge on the other side of the aisle across from my Eola freight yard and then run the retaining wall up to the bridge.

My plastering is nearing the end except for a section between grade levels in a hard to reach area behind my towns of Spencer and Ruthven.  I have to move a lot of things out of the way to reach it.  And I want to add hills and contours to some of the flat plywood areas to add interest and realism.

My fascia is almost complete but waiting for my son to complete the redo of my 6 main on/off switches for total layout electrical power control.  We will then install them in the fascia and it will be complete.

A next major phase will be building and modifying of buildings.  I have to construct from scratch a Spencer Packing Co. building for my siding in front of my town of Spencer.  I also have to scratch building my Wonder Bread Bakery for my industrial park in Hodgkins.  And a scratch built Gold Medal flour mill.  Have a lot of buildings to weather, resign, light, and detail.  Highways to build, downtown Ruthven to construct, street lights to install, Red Owl to weather, detail, build a fence around parking lot, and etc.  A lot of street signs to make, billboards to install, grade crossings to detail, people to add and the list goes on.

Pictures to follow.  Thanks for your interest, support, encouragement, and friendship.

Happy New Year, Art

It sure is overwhelming, but it is a hobby.  There is definitely plenty to do and plenty you don't realize you have to do.  One step at a time and keep plugging away.  Some time I wonder if I'll ever have the majority of my layout done.  

I had to take a break from plastering and decided this was a good time to finish a project I have wanted to do for awhile.  Earlier I had built a modern highway bridge that crosses over my two freight yards: Proviso and Eola.  A real road that goes over proviso yard is Mannhiem Road in Chicago.  I have wanted to continue it on the other side of the aisle and have it connect to my Union Station.

Today I got started and got the framework up ready for painting before I construct the the roadway that will go on top.  The following pictures show a couple before I started, a few during construction, and some of where I am at when I quit for the night.

Art

Very NICE! But it doesn't bode well for that APL Trucker though!

Looking good Art!!!

Beautiful carpentry and overall work. Super neat and professional looking.  Upon completion it will look super.

Looking wonderful Art, just like everything else you do! Did you cut your span beams on the table saw or did you buy them like that?

Hi Art 

Beautiful work , your entire layout is beautiful 

Alex 

mike g. posted:

Looking wonderful Art, just like everything else you do! Did you cut your span beams on the table saw or did you buy them like that?

Thanks, Mike.  I bought them in 3/4" strips at Menards.  They had all the trim lumber I needed ready to go.  Menards has had a big positive effect on our hobby.

Art

Very nice Art. Thanks for all the pictures. I learn something new from each posting.

Tom

Art, It looks great!! I would think your state highway department would be interested in hiring you!!! 

Chugman posted:

mike g. posted:

Looking wonderful Art, just like everything else you do! Did you cut your span beams on the table saw or did you buy them like that?

Thanks, Mike.  I bought them in 3/4" strips at Menards.  They had all the trim lumber I needed ready to go.  Menards has had a big positive effect on our hobby.

Art

Art I agree, I just wish we had a Menards here in Washington state! nearest one is in Dickson ND.

Looks great Art. Geographically wrong but the Verrazano Narrows Bridge would look great connecting the two sides.

I'm with Mike- We need Menards to come to the Northeast too!

Wow! Your highways look like they are built to handle real traffic loads!!! 

You've done a great job of capturing the look of Mannheim road over the tracks right down to the heavy police presence. 

Art

Looks Great!1.. i spent a lot of time in Chicago in the late 1990's in Deerfield and did traverse Mannheim Rd on occasion. Once I got to (had to) spend the weekend and on my free time got to visit Des Plaines Hobby, nice store, loved the area.  Thanks for posting pictures of your RR development

Steve

Awesome layout!  I’m not far from you and would like to see your layout sometime. 

I just came upstairs from working on the layout this afternoon.  An amazing thing is happening on the layout.  It is spring and the grass is starting to grow!  Not everywhere yet, but around the lake and the river valley so far.  Some is growing under my new Mannhiem bridge extension too.  I don't expect you to just take my word for it so here are a few pictures to prove that I am not just imagining it.

Art

Art, It does look like spring!!  That is all looking great!!

Think spring!!!

Art, that's awesome!!! What did you use for the "turf". Looks fantastic!

Art, looks great!   Too bad it does not look like that outside today...snow & ice around the Chicago area, not as nice as your layout!  

Wow! It's really coming to life with the scenery being added. 

Art,

This looks outstanding !!!!!!!!!! I've always said your layout is one of my favorite's.

Alex

Art, great job. The layout is coming to life. Looking good.............Paul

Jeff78rr posted:

Art, that's awesome!!! What did you use for the "turf". Looks fantastic!

Thanks, Jeff.  I used Scenic Express Flock & Turf Grass Turf Blend and Summer Lawn Blend.  It looks a little greener in the pictures than in person, but I like it so far.

Art 

I just saw a news flash about a local sod farm being cleaned out recently

Looks great Art

Bob

Awesome update! The grass is really going to bring the layout to life! 

Question, what are your plans for the track that runs perpendicular to the bridges by the water?

I know you are a diesel fan, I have a few J and Rock Island diesels that wouldn't mind stretching their legs through your world over there. Other than the J unit that already has a few laps in.

Zett posted:

Awesome update! The grass is really going to bring the layout to life! 

Question, what are your plans for the track that runs perpendicular to the bridges by the water?

I know you are a diesel fan, I have a few J and Rock Island diesels that wouldn't mind stretching their legs through your world over there. Other than the J unit that already has a few laps in.

Eric, the track is just a show track to display "shelf queens' on.  It seems like there is always a train line that follows most major rivers so I put the highway on one side and the track on the other.

I would love to have you over to put your engines through their paces soon.  Until I finish the river valley, I have the bridges temporarily out.  I'll let you know when we are back in business.

Art

Art

looks good  wait until you add some trees!!

I have been working on my river valley and it is finally done. Every time I thought that I was done, I had to do one more thing before I could put the bridges back in place. First it was pouring the river, then it was deciding on and making the guardrails along the road, and lastly it was making highway signs.

I am calling it my Mississippi River. I know it isn't as wide as the real river, but on my layout it separates Illinois and Iowa. The highway is the Great River Road which is Iowa 52 running north from Sabula, IA. On the Illinois side is Savanna where a depot is being built so residents can board the California Zephyr here in the future. The railroad along the river is the CB&Q where the Twin City Zephyr runs between Chicago and the Twin Cities along the mighty Mississippi.

After it was opened for business Hamm's Beer already has a billboard up. Greyhound is using it and boaters are on the river too.

Art