Love that rule Jerry
@baltimoretrainworks posted:Greater than 32SQ' but not over 45SQ' puts you in Division 59...WELCOME ABOARD!
We have just 1 simple rule in here...
KEEP MOVING AND DON'T MAKE EYE CONTACT !
Jerry
Anything bigger than that size will require too much maintenance and concentration for my attention span ...
No googly eyes at other members? 🤪
I'll do my best to not look anybody straight in the eyes...
Eyes for trains only ...
How about a 4 x 7 dual-level layout w/ 3 trains?
Here's a 5 x 9 "dual-Gauge" layout that was temporary.
Okay this might mean that I can join one of these clubs. I will be somewhere around 5x9 when I build (waiting pre orders lumber prices dropping and a few personal things to get figured out). Until then, I look forward to seeing what others do with a 5x9!
I found a way to make my 4x8 look bigger! Got this from an old MR article.
This is the cutting diagram of a single 4x8 sheet and how it would then be rearranged to make a 6x7 layout base.
This is the track plan I came up with.
I will be using all K-line super snap/shadow rail track and switches as I have all the sections and switches needed.
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@Drummer3 posted:Here's your haunted 4 x 8 ghost layout for Halloween. You can hear the trains running late at night once everyone is in bed. HaHa!
😄😄
Finally earning my Charter Membership. Freed up enough space in the spare room and finally fabricated the 4x8 table for the layout. 
It's a Tri-ply/foam sandwich sitting a top a folding dinning table. Some light brown/tan paint as a base coat maybe some darker brown spray paint to ad some depth of color. I believe I will be rotating scenes so I'm not sure if I'll be painting or scenicing the tabletop itself. Now to come up with a track plan. Maybe one of the ones Jerry posted earlier or maybe Ken H has something that will work for me. I would like two loops a passing siding and some spurs. I also foresee a partial upper level for a small city scene. Updates to follow.
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Looks great, Joe!
@coach joe posted:Finally earning my Charter Membership. Freed up enough space in the spare room and finally fabricated the 4x8 table for the layout.
It's a Tri-ply/foam sandwich sitting a top a folding dinning table. Some light brown/tan paint as a base coat maybe some darker brown spray paint to ad some depth of color. I believe I will be rotating scenes so I'm not sure if I'll be painting or scenicing the tabletop itself. Now to come up with a track plan. Maybe one of the ones Jerry posted earlier or maybe Ken H has something that will work for me. I would like two loops a passing siding and some spurs. I also foresee a partial upper level for a small city scene. Updates to follow.
Congrats Joe! Looking forward to what you build. Welcome to the 48 Club.
👍👍👍😁😁😁
How goes Jerry? Haven't heard from you for a while.
@coach joe posted:Finally earning my Charter Membership. Freed up enough space in the spare room and finally fabricated the 4x8 table for the layout.
Looks like a good start Joe... welcome back to the slippery slope 
P.S. interesting choice of art in your garage!!!
@Apples55 posted:Looks like a good start Joe... welcome back to the slippery slope
P.S. interesting choice of art in your garage!!!
It's by Mucha, a Czechoslovakian artist. My wife is originally from Czechoslovakia, and bought that for her mom about 25 years ago. Now that my mother-in-law is living with my daughter there's no room for it. My wife had it in a consignment shop down here in SC, that recently closed. I put it on the wall to get it out of my way.
It's not calling to you the way trains do is it?
@coach joe posted:It's by Mucha, a Czechoslovakian artist. My wife is originally from Czechoslovakia, and bought that for her mom about 25 years ago. Now that my mother-in-law is living with my daughter there's no room for it. My wife had it in a consignment shop down here in SC, that recently closed. I put it on the wall to get it out of my way.
It's not calling to you the way trains do is it?
I like Mucha, myself. Out of curiosity, what was she asking on it?
Mitcha
Just saying hi. I realized I can come to this topic by clicking on the link in my signature. You are never more than a click away. So hi to Jerry and fellow club members and shouldn't we have a meeting or something?
Starting to think about setting up the old 4' x 6' for Christmas.
Will, good idea. Can we meet at your house??
@Mark Boyce posted:Will, good idea. Can we meet at your house??
Absolutely. Stop and see me on that trip to NYC you have been putting off all these years.
@Will posted:Absolutely. Stop and see me on that trip to NYC you have been putting off all these years.
Will, you are right! I have put it off for 65 years, it’s about time I make a visit!!
Does a 5’ X 9’ unlevel ping-pong table on wheels get an honorary mention?🤔🤔
Mark, a 5x9 qualifies for the 59 division as a full fledged member, not just honorable mention. Am I right Jerry and gents?
I’m verklempt😂😂😂😂
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Welcome to the club!
Mark, we’re a very exclusive group. Many have failed at the rigorous testing you passed to get in!
@Coca Cola guy posted:Mark, we’re a very exclusive group. Many have failed at the rigorous testing you passed to get in!
Rigorous testing; almost nasal flushed my Diet Pepsi (sorry, CC Guy)
@Mark V. Spadaro posted:Rigorous testing; almost nasal flushed my Diet Pepsi (sorry, CC Guy)
I had to settle for Diet Pepsi at lunch today (Don’t tell my boss)
How do I get to proudly display my Division 59 logo under my posts and replies? Thanks.
@RSJB18 posted:How goes Jerry? Haven't heard from you for a while.
I'm still around. Have a lot on my plate lately with the new job and settling my dads estate leaving little time for things I had to do let alone things I wanted to do and truth be told for a while there I lost interest in trains to the point I was seriously thinking about selling them off. Even the 48 Club felt like something I had to do and not something that was fun. In hind sight I probably shouldn't have dismantled my old layout until I was ready to rebuild so I would have at least had the ability to run trains and kept my interest up but that's water under the bridge. Yesterday I ordered my annual Lionel and MTH Christmas boxcars (kinda sucks that MTH doesn't have a traditional one this year but it is what it is) and I picked up a 36" hollow core door from Home Depot to at least give me something to work on and try a few new ideas for the eventual rebuild, I even scored a few more rolls of Life-Likes old style mountain paper!
So I don't know how frequently I'll be on here but I'll try to pop in at least once a week, maybe post a few pics of any progress I might be making on the door layout and bring myself back up to speed with train stuff that's happened over the past few months (I haven't even looked at any catalogs that may have come out during my hiatus).
Jerry
@Mark V. Spadaro posted:How do I get to proudly display my Division 59 logo under my posts and replies? Thanks.
Right click on it to copy it. Right click in the "signature edit" box and paste it. Again, another endurance challenge to earn entry into our hallowed halls!
@baltimoretrainworks posted:I'm still around. Have a lot on my plate lately with the new job and settling my dads estate leaving little time for things I had to do let alone things I wanted to do and truth be told for a while there I lost interest in trains to the point I was seriously thinking about selling them off. Even the 48 Club felt like something I had to do and not something that was fun. In hind sight I probably shouldn't have dismantled my old layout until I was ready to rebuild so I would have at least had the ability to run trains and kept my interest up but that's water under the bridge. Yesterday I ordered my annual Lionel and MTH Christmas boxcars (kinda sucks that MTH doesn't have a traditional one this year but it is what it is) and I picked up a 36" hollow core door from Home Depot to at least give me something to work on and try a few new ideas for the eventual rebuild, I even scored a few more rolls of Life-Likes old style mountain paper!
So I don't know how frequently I'll be on here but I'll try to pop in at least once a week, maybe post a few pics of any progress I might be making on the door layout and bring myself back up to speed with train stuff that's happened over the past few months (I haven't even looked at any catalogs that may have come out during my hiatus).
Jerry
Great to see you again Jerry! Life has it's way of interfering with our wants by throwing lots of needs at us. As I opened this thread this morning I thought how you hadn't answered Rob's post yet and was a little worried. I'm so glad to read this and to know that you haven't given up on this hobby. You created this club and gave us a couple of neat logos. Don't ever think of this as work. Stop by whenever you can.
Good to hear from you Jerry. Sorry to hear about all the things life throws at us from time to time. I think we've all experienced the love/hate relationship with our trains too.
Feel free to post any progress on the test track.
Bob
I'm glad to hear from you again, Jerry!! I'm sorry life has gotten in the way of things you would like to do. All of us have been there or are now. I'm glad you are going to at least setup the test track! I had numerous times when the trains sat for a long, long time. Report back in whenever you can!!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Just a short post, I found a kindred soul on YouTube who talks up the positives of the 4x8. I haven't checked out his other videos but I found this one interesting.
Well I have some pumpkin pie and apple pie waiting for me and the coffee is calling so until later take care.
Jerry
Thought I would post this years layout. 4 x 6
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Looks like a winner, Whit M! I see quite a few familiar characters!! The town should be safe, unless Doc Brown cooks up some other crazy scheme!
Merry Christmas everyone! I put the door layout on hold for a while to concentrate on restoring my parents old Nativity set that my dad gave to me a few days before he passed and he asked me to make sure I set it up. The figures have seen better days but are still usuable ( I may get someone to touch up the nicks and dings) but I had to remove the old straw roof that had 65 years of old glue and straw on it. It came off remarkable easy for the most part, I guess the old hide glue that my dad used didn't adhere to well to what ever paint and stain he used. I did find on the back of it where he had signed and dated it when he built it.
I used some of the tried and true modeling techniques of wet water and diluted wood glue sprayed on to affix the new straw roofing, I used EZ Straw from True Value since it already comes pre-chopped and looks good as a ground cover in the scene also. I also used a lot of Crazy Glue to "spot weld" a lot of the pieces that were coming loose from old age. While I was working on it I decided to dig out the old trains that my grandfather and dad had run under the tree with the Nativity and set them up with the Nativity set under the tree for the first time in in more than 50 years.
I was a little disappointed with the sluggishness of the set but after an evening of cleaning the wheels and oiling everything they ran like I remember them, the light bulbs still worked too!
I had always thought that the "boards" on the manger were painted on but while I worked on it I realized that my dad had used one of those graining tools to paint fake wood grain on things was how he did it. When I built mine I did it the hard way, I made it with individual pieces of basswood to simulate actual planking, my dad used an old orange crate for his material of choice and painted the boards on.
A quick side note, when we were kids one of the sheep got broken and lost a leg, my dad replaced it with a match stick and painted it white with a black foot, unless someone pointed it out to you you'd never even notice it, but over the past few weeks that sheep has become the center of attention and is now known affectionately as Lt. Dan. ( Yes, I do realize I'm going to the bad place, I'm just working on a good seat right now and it's not like I won't know anyone there )
Well I'm going to go get me some dinner ( we made kielbasa this past weekend) but I wanted to share this with you guys, it's good to be posting again and if I don't sign in before Christmas I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and please don't forget the real reason for the season... to make it socially acceptable for grown men to play with toy trains!
Jerry
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Jerry, great tribute to your dad. It is exactly as old as me. I need someone to refurbish me, though I did get a new knee ( Lieutenant Dan), and a repaired back. 🤔 Merry Christmas
