LOL

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

 ... Now, this wiring under my layout makes me laugh every time I crawl under my layout ...

Arnold, 

You a true Handyman's Hero! It's re-assuring to know I'm not the only do-what-works feller in the world. This made my day.

- The Other Guy

Oh thank God! I thought someone was under my layout!

Ray

The best, neatest, most organized, amazing, lovely, perfect wiring I have ever seen on a model train layout!! 

Somebody worse than me.  Nice

Well, the wiring seems to be color coded.   How much just for wiring chart?  🤓

This is moments before the Tyrannosaurus Rex ate the lawyer in Jurrassic Park:

One of my favorite movie scenes. By the way,  I am a lawyer. LOL, Arnold

That wiring gives me a hankering for some tomato sauce and meatballs.

I've built five layouts in the past and the wiring always looked like that (Jerry Seinfeld: "Not that there's anything wrong with that.").  I'm just starting to wire my newest and sixth layout this week.  I'm trying to make a promise to myself to keep it organized this time... but sometimes promises were meant to be broken.

That wiring certainly looks familiar! Done that many times. I try to color code, but usually run out of one color late at night. Then, there is always a white wire with a tag on it that says "This wire is really red!"

Back to the LOL scenes:

I originally had this scene on my layout - but everyone felt sorry for the poor hiker!

Then I changed it to this - and it was "Yeah - way to go bear!!!

Jim

Jim, I love your 2nd bear photo. It reminds me of the Crocodile Dundee scene where the poachers started shooting at the kangaroo (Skippy), and Crocodile Dundee (dressed up as Skippy) shot back. Wouldn't that scene be great to model with sound effects?

We used to call a guy in our club spaghetti man for the same type of wiring

Arnold,

I would have to regard you as a highly proficient wirer of model railroads. Anyone who can keep a layout in operation in spite of such disarray and disorder must truly be a master electrician...

MELGAR

I see nothing wrong with the wiring; I can tell you're a 'results oriented' kind of guy!

I also thought you had been under my layout too.

Dale

Confess now Arnold!   Lol...You just threw that wiring up and went from there???  Yet if it works....Next week...layouts done with knob& tube wiring? 

I too belong to the "what was I thinking" school of wiring.  Fortunately (sometimes not) the rat's nest is exclusive to signals, lights and switch machines.  Track power thanks to command control is remarkably simple and organized.

I'll play Arnold. Even though this is not on Warrenville (it is about 1:23 scale), I thought that you guys might get a kick out of this.

In 1969 I bought a 1960 Ford for $50, and quickly (because the car was a joke with 6 cyl, 3 on the tree, no radio, manual steering and manual brakes) painted the wheels red, added peace signs painted red and white stripes under the doors and added a lot of other special touches. Carried 6 guys with room to spare.

A couple weeks ago at a local train show I spotted a model, same year, even the same color. The dealer gave it to me. I just finished decaling it and painting it's wheels red.

Here is a pic of the original (yes, that is me with hair) and the model:

Gorgeous car, John.

My first car, purchased used by my father for me in 1974, was a royal blue 1967 Mustang convertible with black interior. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of it, but I did find a model of a baby blue convertible that reminds me of it:

I think my model is very similar to John's model.

Regarding my rat's nest of wiring, believe it or not, it works, and I can't remember the last time I had a short circuit. The video below shows my trains running smoothly on the  independently powered two main lines with the two track signal bridge, semaphore and operating switch tower all working as well:

The title of my wiring technique will be: The Rube Goldberg Method of Wiring an O Gauge Model Railroad. LOL, Arnold

Arnold, If the wiring works, don't touch it!!  

Ski, That is a great model of you 1960 Ford!

I had some fun with our N-Trak yard modules a little over a decade ago.  I volunteered to re-wire them.  They had been haphazardly wired at one time to get them ready for a show (before I was a member), and had never been properly wired after that.  The wiring was slightly messy, to say the least.

I decided to send out a few "before & after" photos to the club members.  The one on the left is the first module that I had finished re-wiring and cleaning up.  The one on the right is the other one that I was getting ready to start on.

The FUN part: The older members had one member that they jokingly accused of taking naps under the yard modules during train shows.  The module on the right, I "doctored" up a little bit for the photos.  I hung extra scraps of wiring and electrical accessories on the table bottom for kicks & grins.  Amongst other things, you can see extra electrical cords, a light fixture, a TV antenna (hard to spot - look for the bow-tie wire antenna close to the top of the last picture), a roll of stereo cables, a DC power pack, an electrical outlet, and who knows what else.  I e-mailed the pictures out to our club and told them no more napping under the modules with all the modern electrical comforts and conveniences of home.

They ALL got a big kick out of that, including the alleged "napper"! 

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

This is moments before the Tyrannosaurus Rex ate the lawyer in Jurrassic Park:

One of my favorite movie scenes. By the way,  I am a lawyer. LOL, Arnold

Sunsweet Prunes billboard behind the outhouse lol.

Gene, I didn't even realize that billboard behind the man (lawyer) on the toilet was for Sunsweet Prunes.  LOL, Arnold

Here come the dinosaurs:

There's a bug in the electrical system...

Photo from an RMT customer a few years ago and I (and the grandkids) really like the photo.

Walter

My switch panel:

LOL.

I had this Atlas Connector switch panel for 20 years. LOL. Occasionally, a switch would melt, so this past year, after consulting with Melgar, I replaced these Connectors with Atlas Heavy Duty Connectors, which are better for O Gauge trains. In addition to turning power on and off for accessories, these Connectors also do that for my sidings. The trains run better on my sidings now, and I am no longer concerned that any of these switches will melt. Arnold

I don't see anything there a little cream rinse wouldn't take care of.

My new switch panel showing my heavy duty blue Atlas Connectors on top that control my sidings, and the original black and yellow Atlas Connectors on the bottom that control some of my accessories:

My George Washingmachine Bridge:

(The washer dryer is under the dark green cloth). LOL, Arnold

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

My George Washingmachine Bridge:

(The washer dryer is under the dark green cloth). LOL, Arnold

Hey, Arnold, take it easy on yourself! A man's got to do what a man's got to do! In an imperfect world, trains have to co-exist with inferior products.

When buying cheap, mis-blended paint at the hardware store for landscaping and scenery activities, be sure the lid is completely secure before placing in the back of your vehicle....

When soldering make sure you place the soldering iron in the appropriate stand after each solder joint.     

I was soldering on a layout I was building before our 29-year old daughter was born.  I was under the layout soldering and just draped the iron by the cord over a joist.  When I reached up (without looking of course), I jammed my wrist right into the business end of the iron.  I showed my wife who is fortunately a registered nurse.  We cleaned the flux and burt flesh out of the wound.  And she treated and covered it.  She commented how that must really hurt.  I was afraid to tell her I didn't even feel anything after the initial hit.  I don't know what I burnt in my wrist, but I still carry the scar to this day!  

Arnold,  I can see an OGR article on "How to Wire Your Layout for Reliable Operation" coming to a magazine run soon.  NH Joe

Mark, you must have been very focused on the soldering you were doing under the layout not to feel any pain when you got burned. I am also like that.

Arnold, I don't know what it was!  It was a strange experience not feeling pain!  However I will say this, ""Kids don't try this at home!!  We are highly trained professionals!!""  LOL

Mark Boyce posted:

I don't know what I burnt in my wrist, but I still carry the scar to this day!  

The word you’re searching for is “everything.” 

You burnt everything. 

- The Other Guy 

The Other Guy posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

I don't know what I burnt in my wrist, but I still carry the scar to this day!  

The word you’re searching for is “everything.” 

You burnt everything. 

- The Other Guy 

You are absolutely right!!  

I'm glad to see there are other "perfeshunnel wye-urrers" like me.  Shortest distance between two points is under-over-over-around-under.... 

This is a very old transformer. It was used to resurrect the Frankenstein monster:

LOL, Arnold

I did something similar with a soldering iron as a teen. Working on my layout in the garage, leaned back and heard a sizzle. No pain at all but a scar shaped like the tip and ceramic part of the iron in my arm. A band aid and good as new.

You may be a great lawyer but please don't help me wire my layout.😀

Dave