Elliot, good to hear from you. It has been a bit of time. I was going to email you. Enjoy the visit with your son. Post down the road.................Paul

Thanks for your patience guys. My son and his friends were up early this morning and were out running around town, before I even got up. I'll see him later. I'm going to have him and his roommate help me with a few clean up projects around the house.

August 2018 Update

Got quite the scare Thursday, I was down in the train room, and I keep a link on both of my computers to this topic. I clicked on the link downstairs, and received the cryptic message from the forum "This topic has no posts" wit a blank page. PANIC! I ran upstairs to my laptop, and everything was OK. Quite the relief. I showed it to my son last night, and he said the link was corrupted. That has never happened to me before, so I didn't think of it. Easily fixed after that.

Well, after three and a half long years of work, the big days are almost here. The National Narrow Gauge Convention starts Wednesday and runs through Saturday. I still have a bit of cleaning to do, but other than that, I'm ready. I've chosen to be open all four days. Turns out that all the layouts near me will only be open Thu - Sat, so I doubt anyone will show up Wednesday. I had no idea what the others were doing, so I just signed up for all four.

So, what happened in August?

Patrick came over once, and we started where we left off in July, with the garden tracks around the turntable.

The big smile on my face is because, all the track on the entire layout is finished!!!

Patrick put the final coat of paint on the fascia.

I have accumulated quit the collection of shipping containers over the years. It was always my plan to use some of them as scenery. These stacks over at Park Junction are actually hiding a hole in the backdrop. This shot is actually looking right at it.

From a different angle, it is quite visible, but most viewers won't make the effort to get it.

More container stacks over at Shoreham.

More attempts to conceal backdrop holes.

I'm quite pleased with the way this one turned out.

This is a Menards car, with a couple of Atlas containers.

I unpacked a bunch of trains this month, including this bunch of cabooses. I miss Cascade green.

Patrick and I filled in the plywood base under the Short Line bridge.

Then it was time for a quick coat of paint.

I had a bunch of 40 year old acrylic paints. After getting rid of the dead ones, I found a bright yellow, a bright red, and a yellow oxide. With a half inch artist's brush, I stippled the paint onto the backdrop. then started to add trees.

Now that Patrick had painted the fascia, I was able to finish applying my lettering.

Finally, I took some white paint to a big section of Cottage Grove. This entire aisle will be winter, so it was fun to get a base coat on it.

                          CONGRATULATIONS   Elliot !!      nice smile !

                                                  looks GREAT !!!

                                  going to be nice !!   looking good !!!

Another nice update this month! Looks like things are really shaping up now. I am starting to learn how one can leave the surface rough and add things to cover it up and it turns out looking really nice. As in what you did below the higher track with the trees. I have always had trouble visualizing these things and am afraid things will show so I think they should be finished before adding anything like trees, ballast, etc. I am now starting to see that at least some of my worrying might be unneeded. The trees, ballast and other things you have been adding really does a great job of 'finishing' things off to look very nice when done. 

I can imagine your thoughts when this thread wouldn't come up. I would panic myself! Maybe a backup of the thread would be a good idea? I have never tried saving one this long though, so I imagine it would be tedious. I think you can print only one page at a time to a pdf file, if I remember correctly. Unless something has changed, it's been quite a while since I have tried that. Then you would have a pdf, but that wouldn't do any good for re-populating the thread in case something ever happened. You would at least have a copy of all the work done here posting to the thread. Just a thought here.

Keep up the good work and good luck with the upcoming show tours! I am sure all will be quite impressed!! (Maybe some pictures of the tours, tourists, layout, etc, if time allows and you are not too busy that is?)  

I pray your foot is continuing to heal thoroughly and well.

It's neat that you are modeling different seasons.  Progress looks great!

-Greg

Elliot

WOW!!  It's just getting beyond complementary remarks .

I can say you have pretty much blown out most all  of the OGR layouts.

Love watching your posts.

Larry

Elliot I really like that bridge and fall scene. Thumbs Up!👍 great work.

Elliot, Its always great to see the monthly update, even though I follow your progress through the month.  Have a great time with the convention layout visitors!  I’ll bet there will be some eyes opened as to what can be done in 3-rail O Gauge!!

Elliot, looks great! I hope you have a fun time for the 4 days! I am sure everyone who visits will be just amazed with your layout and I am and I am no where near to come and see! But threw your eyes and your updates I get to live the dream you are bring to life!

Lookin Good Elliot Eh!!!     I was planning on a visit next Saturday but didn't realize that's the make up day for having Monday off for the Holiday so I have to work but we will have to make plans to stop by another weekend eh  

Everything looks great Elliot! Amazing what can be done with a couple old bottles of paint and some trees. Can't wait to see the finished bridge soon.

Best of luck with the Convention this week. I'm sure it will be a huge success. May the layout gods smile upon you and prevent any mishaps.

Bob

Elliot, I agree with Bob. When the people come I think they will be very impresed with what you have accomplished and that it is three rail. I hope everything runs like a Swiss watch and that those nasty Gremlins stay in their caves for the duration of the tours. Of course beyond that too. I hate Gremlins LOL...................Paul

Things are looking great, Elliot!  I wish you all the best on your layout tours.  It will be fun to show off all your hard work to strangers.

Art

Things are looking great, Elliot. You have been working toward this convention for a long time. Good luck with it. Be prepared to see a lot of impressed faces. Hope everything performs as expected. Best of luck with the toe too. 

Thanks guys! Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. I switched from my normal dialysis time slot, all week because of the convention. I had to be there at 4:45 AM. Pretty rough on this night owl,  getting up at 3:30. Normally, that's about when I go to bed, and I have been whipped.

Well, it's over. And quite honestly, for me it was a big bust in terms of number of visitors. I had hoped for and expected more. I Had eight on Wednesday, two on Thursday, zero Friday, and three Saturday from the convention. Part of the problem was I lived quite far from the convention hotel. The other problem, the way I saw it, was low interest in 3 rail. The guy up the road from me with a garden layout got a lot more. Oh well, I met my neighbors from around the corner. They were really nice, and very impressed

Brian - Thanks, you can almost see my eyes in that picture. I get pretty squinty when I smile, I can see out, but it;s difficult for others to see in. The scenery will only get better as I keep picking at it.

RTR12 - It helps that I'm working from photos. That makes the visualization a lot easier. I take a lot of the pics myself, but not these two, obviously. This first one is a great straight on side view, which captures the perspective, from the correct direction even, looking up river. Still trying to figure out the best way to do the concrete arch bridge in the distance. 

This one was just for fall colors at this point. I'll get some of the structural details from it when I go to build the bridge.

No matter what the final scene is intended to be, I always put a base color down first, with good coverage. That way, even if your final material misses a spot, you don't have wood or plaster or foam showing through. You can always keep adding to cover the base.

Frank - The toe is doing quite well, to the point that I can finally post a picture of it on the forum without grossing people out. I had my wife take one the other night when she changed my bandage. It's not exactly pretty yet, but compared to what it first looked like, there's a world of difference. So here goes.

Greg - The four seasons idea was Jon's (Mill City). The layout has four aisles. The minute he suggested it, it became the plan. We stood there for a few minutes and hashed out which aisle would be which. That was about five years ago now. So, aisle one is winter, two is spring, three is summer, and four is fall. Red Wing and the river scene are also fall. The first two peninsula ends will have transitions, winter-spring and spring-summer. Finally getting to make it happen.

Larry - Thanks, not sure what the  September update is going to look like. I'm really feeling wiped out. This is part of the "nightmare" in the title, just the amount of work left to do. This convention has kept me going, but I turned my workshop into a dumping ground for materials removed from the basement. I have to get everything resettled out there before winter so I can work on things again.

George - That's not the real bridge of course. What you're seeing is just something quick and dirty Jon and I concocted one day, to carry the trains over to Hiawatha. I'm still thinking about how I'm going to build the real one on a curve. Straight segments vs an actual curve. Tough call.

Mark - Sorry I haven't been posting over on "What did you do on your layout today? I've been busy cleaning up the last couple weeks, so no progress to post. Yes, I too hope to open some eyes to he 3 rail world. Doubt I'll win any converts from his crowd, but that was never the point.

Mike - I must say, that the people who bothered to visit really liked it. The problem was, I just didn't get people in the door. The point of the convention was narrow gauge, and this layout, couldn't be further from it.

Chad - Sounds good, just email me with your plans. Fair warning, the last weekend of September is out. Going to Duluth for boxing.

Bob - That 40 year old paint I used wasn't from those little bottles, it was artist's acrylics in tubes. The modern stuff would have gone bad a lot sooner. No air in a properly rolled tube, and a little paint around the cap, formed a seal. I had to use a pair of pliers to open the tube.

Paul - Things ran pretty smoothly when visitors were around. We didn't do much running though. I had helpers three of the four days. Friday we just sat around and talked. Thursday and Saturday, we watched train videos, AKA "train porn".

Art - I did enjoy showing it off. Some of the visitors were locals. They're extra fun for me, because they get the geography of the layout better, even if they don't totally get the track plan. They understand the landmarks, and I can give railroad geography lessons on Google maps.

Pat - I have been looking forward to and working toward this convention since it first announced back in February 2015. Now that it's over, time for the next goal. Operating sessions! Still quite a bit of work before that comes to pass. I'd like to finish scenery and ballast, I need to repair some switches, then get the uncouplers working. Finally, C/MRI and JMRI, and the signal system need to be activated. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, valances, skirts, and carpet. Should keep me busy for a while.

Who knows, maybe we'll get an NMRA convention in here next.

Elliot, Just one quick thing!  The toe looks wonderful!  After seeing what can happen to a diabetic's feet with my late Father-in-law's, your's looks great!  If your wife sees any digression, be sure to contact someone to get it seen right away!  Dad's got away from them real fast more than once!  Once it is completely healed, keep checking.  That was their big mistake.  He didn't have her check it very often once it was healed.

Elliot, good to hear and see the toe has gotten better. Sorry to hear of the small turnout for the open house. You put in long hours to have it ready for the convention. You can never predict how many will come.. now you can go back to your normal routine.....Paul

Sorry to hear about the low turnout, but I think you nailed it regarding the reasons.  I went to some self-drive open houses at a recent NMRA convention where only a couple of people showed up - just too much driving, I guess.  Does your local NMRA division have an open house day?    

And major congrats on the toe - so glad to see that it looks fairly normal.  Last night (before seeing that post), I had a dream where two of my toes just disappeared.  Probably have you to thank for that one!  

Sorry to see the convention news Elliot. The important thing is you set a goal and stuck to it, despite wayward roofing nails. Your drive and determination is inspiration to all of us who follow your thread.

A well deserved break is in your future to recharge your batteries. Can't wait to see more.

Glad the toe is doing better. (Still kinda yucky though )

Bob

Elliot glad to hear your toe is healing. Out my way in New Hampshire the local NMRA chapter puts on a tour de chooch layout tour the weekend following Thanksgiving. Layouts from small to large from N to G and 3 rail O and Standard Gauge. It’s a hit every year, some get tired of hosting others have done it for 15 years. Regardless some of the best layouts get only a few visitors for no rhyme or reason, and that amazes me. I’m still in awe of your masterpiece. I’m Hoping someday OGR does magazine article(s) and a blu ray video of your layout.

Eliot

Great work on your layout, any chance you can do the September update as a video? It'll take come planning but would love to visit one day.. a tough trip from Long Island, New York.

Steve

Elliot, I am with everyone else here and sorry for the small turnout! Those darn people don't know what they missed out on! They will hear about your layout from the ones who did visit and will be haunted the rest of there lives for not visiting! LOL

I am happy that your "TOE" is doing better! I hope it keeps going in the right direction as you start moving things back in to the layout room before winter!

Elliot, I'm sorry for the low turnout.  All those folks don't know what they missed, and maybe those who did attend will tell the others don't write off O gauge 3 Rail!  Well, I have had some lows recently, and all I can say is we need to regroup and get back at it!  

Elliot, Nothing you can do about the turnout. It's their loss. I'm sure the people who did see the layout were impressed. The art of modeling transcends scale. I enjoy seeing well modeled railroads of all scales. Again, their loss. Good news on the toe. Keep pressing on and watch where you step.

Once again, looking great! I love the fall look on layouts! Whenever I get my permanent layout set up, it is going to be all fall for me.

Elliot  glad to see your toe is healing nicely. you have been busy cleaning up for the layout tour to bad not many came to see it there loss!  I always enjoy seeing and reading your updates the hard work and long hours show in the photos you post.

I wonder if you have information locally as to why the st paul train  camera 2 is offline again?

how much longer before leaves drop off so we can see the trains better again lol

Remember to keep your foot dry and getting plenty of air. A bit of sunlight doesn't hurt either.

When it gets wet, that can cause trouble. When you get a whiff of something, that isn't stinky-feet but could indicate infection. Also, it should not feel warmer than the flesh around it, nor appear reddish.

I'll continue to offer prayers for you.

FrankM

I see from looking at your pictures of the actual bridge that the trees/ground cover also covers up what ever is below it. I had just never looked at it like that before. Was always thinking about the 'finished look' for below and not what comes after that. 

Also I forgot to mention that it's good to hear your toe is improving, that's good news!! And sorry to hear about the low turnout on the tour. It was their loss. I am sure some will eventually see your layout (pictures, magazines, or other) and regret not going.

Good luck this month! Hope you get back to your regular schedule too.

Elliot,

I did something similar in the 1990’s, I had a dcc O scale interurban layout. It was 22x50 with a 200’ main line. I was one of the first to have a trolley line under wire running dcc, we had operating sessions with up to 10 people. 

I was asked by the local nmra chapter to host an open house. During the open house I had a sign up sheet for anyone interested in participating in an operating session, I was surprised at how many people signed up. While I was not on the same mission as you, I did prove that you can have interesting and challenging operating sessions with a model trolley line. 

Keep up the good work, the railroad looks great.

   I'm curious about the descriptive aspect of the layouts for the open-house and if you couldn't improve a turnout in the future with some spoilers focused on things the layout does have in common with another gauge's style.

  For instance a picture/mention of older steam or small diesels switching may have helped; a log load or two; etc.. and though it's not your normal style of running, nothing really stopping you from running a normal consist at the same time   I.e., cater to the crowds known interests and let the wow factor do the rest.

Is size even mentioned? 60 scale mile run on a 6 scale mile layout is pretty impressive even in HO or N.

  In the end it's like a concert; You should get them there with what they "want". Then you can also show them what they "need"

   I've got a plantar wart that looks worse than that, if it makes you feel any better   Some days it tempts me to pull a "Bruce Cambell" before it "swallows my sole"

Excellent work as always.  Glad to see your foot is doing better.

When your layout is complete I may have to make a special trip out there to see it in person.

Enjoy and keep up the good work.

Joe 

Elliot, I'm glad your toe is doing better. As far as the small turnout, ah it was small with people visiting, but we love to see your pictures and progress, so you actually have a rather large turnout, even if it's virtual. Remember, enjoy this for yourself, that's why you built it. Yes it's fun to show people what you have accomplished, but enjoy it for you. You've done not a great job but an outstanding job for one man's vision!

Elliot, don't be discouraged by the low visitor turnout.  The national narrow gauge convention was in Cincinnati a few years ago and I also had a small number of visitors.  When you think about it, these guys are interested in narrow gauge which means winding track through the mountains with generally late 1800's to early 1900's small steam power.  You model modern big-time standard gauge trains running through non-mountainous scenery.  Just as narrow gauge is not my cup of tea, layouts like yours (and mine) are not really theirs.

You're doing a magnificent job, and lots of other audiences do and will appreciate it.

Sorry gang, I had gotten half way through a reply last Wednesday, and even saved it to the clipboard. Then I needed to copy an email address, forgetting that I had my post saved. Of course, that's when the forum tab failed, and my backup was gone. It's always something!

Take two.

Regarding the convention, I should have known that this might happen, but I had high hopes anyway. The guy who put together the tour, sent out a follow up email, asking the hosts to report their attendance numbers. Most did "reply all", so I got their data. Analyzing the numbers always helps me feel better, and convince me that it wasn't my fault. I just have to keep in mind that this was a narrow gauge convention, and 3 rail ain't their cup o' tea (unless it's dual gauge). My numbers were so bad, I just replied directly to him. When I did have visitors I had a great time, and so did they. One guy who came through on Saturday (a local) pointed out that I had created a giant shelf layout. Never thought of it that way, but I agreed.

I'm mostly over this little incident. The loss of enterTRAINment was far worse. 

I attended the local NMRA division meeting Thursday night. Back in May, I got "railroaded" into being the assistant superintendent, by volunteering to run unopposed. I had spent three years as the layout tour director, and accepted the promotion to the elected position, thinking it was less responsibility. Wrong! Last month, right out of the gate, the new superintendent runs into some family issues, and I have to lead the board meeting, to plan out the season. I was actually somewhat prepared, and things went rather smoothly as we hashed out what we were going to do.  I was given the task of choosing the contests for each monthly meeting. So for last night, I picked "photos: prototype or model". In all my years in the NMRA, I never entered a contest, but last night I actually brought a couple entries. I'll show them to you at the end of this post and let you vote.

In the past, we didn't meet in September, until I suggested it a couple years ago. The program is always the same, " What did you do over the summer?" (train related of course). Those guys really do mostly take the summer off from trains, except for attending conventions. I always like letting everyone else go first, that way I can adjust my speed to fit the time. I basically gave them a condensed update like I give you, only for May - August. I just went through the material, pared it down a bit and presented it as a live slideshow. Then I finished up with the latest train ride video. 

Thanks for all the well wishes on the toe. It's still looking good. Doc visit Tuesday.

Mark - Thanks, I promise we'll keep an eye on it. There are still quite a few doctor visits before it's totally closed and more follow ups when it is.

Paul - Thanks, it was still time well spent working on the layout. No regrets there. With the convention behind me, I just need to press on. Maybe we'll have another convention in the next few years, perhaps an NMRA regional. Our last was 2013, so we're coming due as the largest city in the region.

Mallard - This tour was also self-drive so everyone was free to go where they wanted. I had the added disadvantage of being 40 minutes from the hotel, but that wasn't the furthest. There was a cluster of three layouts in western Wisconsin, with one in Eau Claire that was 110 minutes. The reason they did so well was they were all narrow gaugers. The sad part was, everyone who visited them had to drive right past me, and so they did. If I'd have gotten even 20% of those guys to stop, I'd have been a happy camper. As for our division, we don't call them open house days, but fall and spring we try to visit three layouts on a Saturday afternoon. Members only, not open to the public.

Bob - Thanks, I've spent all week slacking off. I hope to get back at it next week. Just not sure where to start. I want to start working seriously toward operations, but I also want to get the messy scenery stuff done. BTW, the toe wasn't that pretty before I stepped on the nail.

George - How many layouts are open at the same time, and are they open to the public? An OGR article is on my bucket list.

Steve - I'll try. It may be almost all that gets done this month. You're welcome anytime. If it was me, I'd plan a big road trip. Lots of good train activities all along the way. Figure 10 -14 days to not be rushed.

Mike - I don't plan to bring much into the train room, just stuff that goes on the layout. The idea is to use up the materials in the lower garage to make things.

Mark - Regrouping sounds like a good idea. Remember, originally we were going to take that five week trip starting next week.

Pat - Thanks, Bob's comment just above this post was very reassuring. It's not me, it's them. This was a very specialized convention, and 3 rail just isn't on their radar.

Corey - Yeah, I love fall, the weather and the colors. It's going to be fun doing all four seasons.

Ray - I think it's working now. Yeah, I wish they would cut down all that scrub in the wye. Could be another five or six weeks before the leaves are off.

Frank - Thanks for the advice. I've actually been doing all of that. When I get in the shower I put on what we have named the "foot condom". It's a vinyl bag in the the shape of a foot, with a stretchy collar, that seals out the water. When my wife dresses the toe, she always gives me the old gauze pad for the sniff test. Bit gross, but it works. 

RTR - Yeah, those trees down there were allowed to fill in below the bridge. There are piers  near the near the tops of the valley on both sides. That makes four piers and two abutments total with five spans. Roads on both sides have a girder span. The there are three main spans, with the two piers in the river.

Mike - Thanks, interesting story. Operating trollys sounds cool.

Butch - They already took the website down. I hope you got a chance to look. The listing was OK at best. I originally sent them a description of the layout, but they watered it down to a rather non-descript few sentences. The pictures didn't really hep much either. They had been taken much earlier,and looked empty. I meant to send them some new ones, but never got the good camera out to take them. I kind of got the feeling that they didn't really want me on the tour.

Joe - Thanks. Please define complete. With any luck, within the next year, I'd like to have the scenery pretty much done, and the control system functional, so we can focus on operating.

Conrailfan - Thanks for the reminder. If you think it's cool in the pictures, try talking to the guys who have seen it in person. They say it's a whole different animal. I can't let this episode derail me. There's a lot left to do.

Bob - Thanks, everyone's positive and reassuring comments are great, but coming from you, as someone has lived through it first hand is most consoling. Now I'm curious as to how many visitors the North West Trunk Lines got when the narrow gaugers were in Seattle. Of course, that layout is beautiful, as is yours, but in a way, I view that layout as cheating. While the owner was responsible for the concept, he had a crew of professionals build it for him. That's what happens when money is no object. For the rest of us, it's a source of pleasure getting our hands dirty.

Finally, back to the photo contest. I had two entries here they are:

I love this one because it captures the motion a little. Double head steam, thundering along at around 50 MPH. I'm standing about 20 feet away.

This one was cropped better, mostly on the right, and off the top. The crew is doing switch construction and replacement at Hoffman.

Guess which one won. See if you agree with the locals.

Thanks Elliot for the up date! I would think the 2nd picture would win!

Elliot, Thank you for the update.  Don't ever worry about us, we are here for you when you are ready!  Yes I do recall the trip East was to start shortly after the Narrow Gauge convention and tours.  I know you and your wife are very diligent abut your health, so we hope you will be fit as a fiddle in the spring to make a trip.

I'll pick photograph 1, but somehow I think they picked 2.

Elliot, I have to go with photo one because it is my number one favorite road...Paul

Elliot,

Here is the NMRA New Hampshire 2018 Tour de Chooch list. Some layouts are local, others an out of area trip 1-2 hours away. It’s open to the public but it’s mostly train nuts like me. It’s runs the days after Thanksgiving so some folks are out of town. Layouts vary from N to G and 3 rail it all depends on who signs up, it’s been running for 15+ years now. There are some very large and famous model railroader layouts and some modest ones. It’s fun as it’s view on your own and not a convention as such, just local folks driving around and enjoying. See the link below.

TOUR DE CHOOCH 2018

I think photo 2 is better and I also prefer diesels so that would be my pick, but somehow I think they picked photo 1 because it's a steamer?