I like the shelf brackets too... my layout is still in the Dream phase....at least I can watch yours.
Nice work, Mark. The backdrops look great. Steady and sure wins the race. Your making great progress.
Nessmuck, Thank you. I'm glad you can join in here. Mine was certainly in the dream phase for a long, long time. I can understand where you are coming from!
Pat, Thank you! I thought those backdrops would work well. Yes, we just have to take it a piece at a time.
Looks great Mark.
Bob
RSJB18 posted:Looks great Mark.
Bob
Thank you, Bob!
Wow I had not checked in for a while--great progress and it is looking great too. Nice artwork on the backdrops.
Dave--sorry to hear you will not make your Alaska trip this year. This past summer I drove down to take my daughter to graduate School in Colorado, and the summer before that I drove down to take my son to graduate school in Montanna--I still want to do the drive once leisurely with my wife.
ORIND, I'm pretty bummed too, but I think it's the best option for us at the moment. If things change health-wise, we may go back to the original plan, but I'm not holding out much hope. However, I also don't rule out a military hop out of Travis to Elmendorf at some point. We'll just have to see how things go.
Mark,
It looks like you are making great progress. Check your e-mail.
George
Orin, thank you for checking in and seeing what’s going on.
Dave, I hope you feel up to par wherever you travel to.
George, Thank you. I saw the email. I’ll reply there! Thanks!
Mark, sorry I am a day late! But great progress! Things are coming right along. Sorry you had to buy some wood for a new train layout! LOL I bet you find a lot more at your dads place! Good luck on more free wood and keep up the great work!
Thank you Mike! Yes I hate to have to buy superfluous stuff like wood and wire for a layout! LOL. I have two free sheets of plywood on the way from another source as well. Another O gauger is making a contribution. LOL
Very nice, Mark!!
Thank you, Joe!
Mark Boyce posted:Thank you Mike! Yes I hate to have to buy superfluous stuff like wood and wire for a layout! LOL. I have two free sheets of plywood on the way from another source as well. Another O gauger is making a contribution. LOL
A Stone Soup Layout!
Well, at least stone soup benchwork so far.
Really appreciate your use of scrounged / recycled materials. Way too much stuff ends up in dumpsters.
Mark Boyce posted:Thank you Mike! Yes I hate to have to buy superfluous stuff like wood and wire for a layout! LOL. I have two free sheets of plywood on the way from another source as well. Another O gauger is making a contribution. LOL
I'm with you Mark! Free is good, the 4" X 10" x8' beams were given to me by a good friend! Saved me about $125. But like you I know I am going to have to pay out the money for wire and other stuff down the road! LOL
John, Mallard, Mike, Thank you. I appreciate each of you identifying with me on this!!
Mike, That's great that a friend could save you $125! It is all better than nothing.
I live on stone soup. That progresso-ive stuff looks good, but is kinda bland 
Well I got some time yesterday to work a little more on the layout. I cut the Homasote to size for the roll-out turn-back loop. This town will be relatively flat, so since I have plenty, I just covered the whole thing with Homasote.
I also cut part of the tabletop out for the Cheat River crossings. I left the table uncut where the two bridges will go for now. I'll cut it completely for the truss bridge in the rear. I may leave the wood intact for the girder bridge in the front.
Over on the "What did you do on your layout today?" topic, Mike G. asked, "what's next?" Here is my reply:
I am going to put the track back down temporarily and mark the center-lines, then remove it and lay down O gauge cut and beveled cork for the raised roadbed look. The two yard tracks in town will be tapered down to rest right on the Homasote. Then I can start laying track in that area. By that time, I'll be cleaning up leaves, mowing my yard and my dad's large yard, so work on the layout will be slower, but I'll have enough started I can work on it an hour or so when I get the chance.
Attachments
Mark, Looks good as I have said! Remember just like me slow is better then nothing!
Mark Boyce posted:Well I got some time yesterday to work a little more on the layout. I cut the Homasote to size for the roll-out turn-back loop. This town will be relatively flat, so since I have plenty, I just covered the whole thing with Homasote.
I also cut part of the tabletop out for the Cheat River crossings. I left the table uncut where the two bridges will go for now. I'll cut it completely for the truss bridge in the rear. I may leave the wood intact for the girder bridge in the front.
Over on the "What did you do on your layout today?" topic, Mike G. asked, "what's next?" Here is my reply:
I am going to put the track back down temporarily and mark the center-lines, then remove it and lay down O gauge cut and beveled cork for the raised roadbed look. The two yard tracks in town will be tapered down to rest right on the Homasote. Then I can start laying track in that area. By that time, I'll be cleaning up leaves, mowing my yard and my dad's large yard, so work on the layout will be slower, but I'll have enough started I can work on it an hour or so when I get the chance.
getting there Mark... looking good...
Attachments
Images (3)
Nice touch Brian!
That's looking good, Mark.
George
Thank you, Mike, Brian, George!!
Brian, that water is rushing so fast, it's going to knock that tree over!! 
Nice BL2 #82!!
Attachments
I glued and tacked down the cork on this first section of the layout. The track is just lying on top of the cork to make sure I got it right before the glue dries. I couldn't resist borrowing the old ZW from the Ceiling Central RR and the closest engine available for a first test run.
That is awesome Mark. Can't wait to get back to Phoenix and start on my benchwork.
Had to add an official congrats on your thread too Mark!
Bob
Way to go Mark!!
Running a locomotive over that first piece of track, however short, is always a great achievement. Congratulations!!!!
George
George, Dave, Bob, JD, Thank you very much!!!!
Great progress so far. To paraphrase: "One small step for Mark one giant leap for the Blackwater Canyon Line". 
Pat Kn posted:Great progress so far. To paraphrase: "One small step for Mark one giant leap for the Blackwater Canyon Line".
Thank you Pat!! That is a good one!!
Mark good progress.
Looks good Mark! your almost there, just a few more straight sections and some more curves and BAM your done! Keep up the great slow work, remember slow is good very good!
Thank you Rich and Mike!!!
Over this weekend I did get a bit done. I pulled out the tacks I used to secure the cork, then sanded the rough edges off the cork and smoothed the top a bit. I then took a tip from someone several months ago and sprayed the cork with gray stone paint by Rustoleum to give the impression of ballast until I do ballast sometime in the future. I first tried Testors, and that little can was gone in no time flat. Some folks ballast before putting in the rest of the scenery, and others leave the ballast go until after the scenery. After trying both methods in HO, I found that I fit in the latter group. One photograph.
Attachments
Mark,
I like the look of the cork roadbed. The paint treatment worked out very nicely, IMO.
George
Thank you. George! Yes, I am quite pleased with it. Little cost, little effort; and it will be a good stand in for ballast for the time being.
Thanks for sharing this technique, Mark. I really like the result. I likely won’t install ballast anytime in the foreseeable future as our focus is toy train/postwar display style. I could definitely see myself using this technique as a middle ground between full ballast and plain gray painted roadbed under tubular track.
Keep up the good work!
Nice work, Mark, and looking good.
I wasn't able to get much done on my layout this weekend, but I did start construction on a small cabinet to house the transformers and Legacy base. I should be able to post some pic's tomorrow.
