Blackwater Canyon Line - March 20, 2025, Brick Street Extension Planning

Thank you, Darrell, Gene, Tom, Rod, Randy!

I actually have the Z-Stuff turnout controllers and the push buttons are temporarily placed on the front of the layout frame.  The plan is to have about 3 local panels with the button lights showing.  My trouble is that I don't remember to throw all the switches I want when I want to change routes.  I do have the capability to setup routes in the DCS AIU, but haven't done it yet.  I still think I want to have a visual.  The one problem with this layout is that the switches on the upper level for the passing track and the tops of the two inclines are near the backdrop, and at 30 inches in depth at 50 inches above the floor, I have trouble reaching if I do have a derailment.  I have had them with certain cars because 3 of those switches were in the last batch I bought.  After installing and wiring, I discovered the plastic frog is a smidgen higher than the rails.  That doesn't bother my engines, but does bother lighter lit cars having pickup rollers.  I hope my solution is to shave the plastic frog down on them.  The trouble is, I don't want to remove them from the layout, so it could be a painful job.  I could try the Dremel, but will have to watch I don't melt the plastic.  I'm not very handy with it. 

Rod, you didn't side track at all.  You presented your solution to the problem I brought up.  Your indicator lights are really nice looking, and yes you could put them anywhere.  That's a very slick design.

@Rod Stewart posted:

Randy; it's my own design and I call it simply a trackside indicator. Below is two views of the housing, plus a view of the simple pcb that fits inside. There is only 6 components, 3 if you are using DC power. I 3D print the housings and buildup the pcbs as needed. I have about 6 on my layout at present. I can provide full instructions and hookup drawings as needed. You can contact me offline for more info.

Rod

With apologies Mark.....

Rod- those are nice. I scratch built some dwarf signals several years ago but never finished the project, or installed them. I bought cheap kits from We-Honest.

Bob, no need for apologies.  You have been on this thread since the beginning, I think.  You know how we like to get off track...but on related topics.  Your dwarf signal looks great!

I forgot to add what is up next.  I want to cut strips of brick material and fit them in on the back and sided of the turret walls.  I'll do the dame on the inside of the walls above where the roof will go.  Then I'll put in the window sills and 'cement' tops to the walls.  Bob probably knows what they are called.  I did see that, but have forgotten.  I need to make a cross for the front and put in braces on the upper walls to hold up the roof.

I also need to do some experimenting with the Hudson to figure out why the sound drops out momentarily on occasion.  I think it is track, signal, ground, or something on my layout and not the engine itself.  It worked great for Pat.  Along with that, I need to see why my observation car is derailing so I can run the Hudson with the passenger train.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Bob, no need for apologies.  You have been on this thread since the beginning, I think.  You know how we like to get off track...but on related topics.  Your dwarf signal looks great!

I forgot to add what is up next.  I want to cut strips of brick material and fit them in on the back and sided of the turret walls.  I'll do the dame on the inside of the walls above where the roof will go.  Then I'll put in the window sills and 'cement' tops to the walls.  Bob probably knows what they are called.  I did see that, but have forgotten.  I need to make a cross for the front and put in braces on the upper walls to hold up the roof.

I also need to do some experimenting with the Hudson to figure out why the sound drops out momentarily on occasion.  I think it is track, signal, ground, or something on my layout and not the engine itself.  It worked great for Pat.  Along with that, I need to see why my observation car is derailing so I can run the Hudson with the passenger train.

Lintels.......

@RSJB18 posted:

Lintels.......

Lintels!  Just like over doors and windows.  How about that!!  Thank you, Bob!

Some may have noticed that the chuff drops out intermittently on the video.  I setup the Christmas board outside and ran the Hudson with both smoke off and smoke on for quite some time.  In either case, the chuff never cutout even once.  So, the problem is with my layout and not Pat's work.  The engine is fine.  Hooray!  I'll post one or more videos later after they are uploaded.  I'm sorry I didn't resolve this ahead of showing the video here on the forum.  Great job, Pat!!!!

Also, I tried putting my passenger cars on the track, but they nee 054 curves to not bind and pull the wheels off the rails.  No go on the 048 curve with an 036 section at each end to fit on a 4-foot wide board.

Morning Mark, sorry I have been busy for the last week getting projects done around the house. The engine looks beautiful, sorry about the sound dropping out and the cars derailing! But I am sure you will get it figured out. I like the idea of being able to see the switches, but sometimes you just cant make that happen.

As for the buildings as many say its your layout your world so put them where you want! The church is looking great and it looks like your going to meet the deadline! Keep up the wonderful work!

Thank you, Mike!

Not to worry about the engine not running as I had hoped.  I have proven that it has to do with issues on my layout and not Pat's fine workmanship, so that makes me feel good!!

Here is the video I mentioned yesterday with the K-Line Hudson running outdoors on a single loop of track.  The sound never cut out during 15 minutes of running whether I had the smoke on or off.

This evening, I placed it on the layout using the level lower loop.  The sound cuts out randomly.  By that I mean sometimes it cuts out once per lap, sometimes more than once per lap.  The cut outs happen at different spots on the loop, never the same place twice.  It is obvious to me it has something to do with my layout, which I will work out after I fix the switch that makes the observation car truck derail.

Hi Mark sure runs smooth! Here is just a shot in the dark, even though it doesn't cut out in the same spot. What are the chances of a voltage drop here and there?

Who knows maybe the guy inside got tired of blowing the whistle so hard! LOL

Thank you, Mike!  It still cuts out at random intervals even when I disconnected the TIU on the layout thinking there could be interference of some sort and ran with only TMCC.  I ran a TMCC K-Line Pacific, Legacy GP7, and Williams ERR RS3 on the same track with the same train, and they ran fine.  I still think there is something on the layout causing it.  However, Pat is going to get it to see what happens for him.

Yes, it has been a while since I last posted.  I have been able to make some progress on Westminster Church slowly but surely.  A week ago, I finished gluing brick material on the inside walls that will be seen above the roofs.  On the tower, you can see I chose to glue the material in, then cut to shape.  I don't know that it was the best, easiest way to do it.  If I was to do it over again, I think I would measure and cut all the notches before gluing.  Well, it's done, regardless! 

I thought I had taken photographs of the cutouts done, the little brick strips added to the sides of the notches, but I see I didn't!  Oh well!  You get the idea, I'm sure.

I drilled holes in the base to add the wiring.  I won't have to worry much about concealing the wires since the windows aren't clear.  No interior on this model.  I also added braces right under the brick material on the inside walls to hold up the removable roofs.  I made them go from corner to corner to try to eliminate as much light leak as possible.  I'm sure there will be places I will have to block light leak later on.

The last couple days, I cut out roof sections from the same 1/4" lauan as I used for the rest of the project.  I made them just loose enough to slip a knife edge down to lift them off.  I may put a chimney and maybe an HVAC unit on the main roof that I can use as handles.  It will need something to break up the monotony of a large roof anyway.

If the tower looks to be not quite square, it is because it IS NOT quite square.  I don't know how that happened, but decided it isn't really noticeable from the side so I won't rebuild it.  My second attempt may end up being worse than the first!! 

I still need to paint the lintels at the top of the walls.  I decided it would be too hard to spray paint and cover all the sides of the little parts.  I was thinking of using gravel for the roof.  I have various sizes and tones since I have modeled in smaller scales as well.  I need to make the cross out of styrene strips.

Last week, Kim finally guessed that this is a model of the old Westminster we were married in 40 years ago.  She thought it was a good representation even though I pointed out it is compressed in both length and width.

Looking good Mark.

The profile photos look good Mark and the tower curvature isn’t that noticeable. Overall that’s an eye catching creation.

Jay

Nice work Mark. If the roof is a snug fit. You could try gluing a piece of quality steel to the underside of the roof. Then use a magnet on the end of a stick to remove it. Sort of like removable coal loads for hoppers. I watch a lot of Howard Zane videos on You Tube. He was asked why so many of his scratch built structures always feature a cuppola on the roof.  His response was. So you have something to grab to remove the roof.

I do a bit of scratchbuilding. No matter how square you think you have cut and assembled something. The real test comes when you put the roof on. Tough to get a perfect fit. You learn to disguise it and truth be told. No one will probably ever notice it. I have a small resin shack near the layouts edge. It’s been there for 25 years. It has a molded in tarpaper roof. I glued it on backwards. If never rains in my model Train world so it hasn’t leaked yet.

Looking better and better each time.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Last week, Kim finally guessed that this is a model of the old Westminster we were married in 40 years ago.  She thought it was a good representation even though I pointed out it is compressed in both length and width.

Looks excellent Mark! Because of its significant meaning, it’s well worth your effort. BTW, how often will someone care to have a complete top down perspective and notice it’s not completely square? It looks just fine.

Gene

Looks good Mark.

Just keep the Building Inspector away and you'll be fine!

Bob

Looking great to me!

Nice work. I noticed the slightly sloped cap stones, nice touch.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Yes, it has been a while since I last posted.  I have been able to make some progress on Westminster Church slowly but surely.  A week ago, I finished gluing brick material on the inside walls that will be seen above the roofs.  On the tower, you can see I chose to glue the material in, then cut to shape.  I don't know that it was the best, easiest way to do it.  If I was to do it over again, I think I would measure and cut all the notches before gluing.  Well, it's done, regardless! 

I thought I had taken photographs of the cutouts done, the little brick strips added to the sides of the notches, but I see I didn't!  Oh well!  You get the idea, I'm sure.

I drilled holes in the base to add the wiring.  I won't have to worry much about concealing the wires since the windows aren't clear.  No interior on this model.  I also added braces right under the brick material on the inside walls to hold up the removable roofs.  I made them go from corner to corner to try to eliminate as much light leak as possible.  I'm sure there will be places I will have to block light leak later on.

The last couple days, I cut out roof sections from the same 1/4" lauan as I used for the rest of the project.  I made them just loose enough to slip a knife edge down to lift them off.  I may put a chimney and maybe an HVAC unit on the main roof that I can use as handles.  It will need something to break up the monotony of a large roof anyway.

If the tower looks to be not quite square, it is because it IS NOT quite square.  I don't know how that happened, but decided it isn't really noticeable from the side so I won't rebuild it.  My second attempt may end up being worse than the first!! 

I still need to paint the lintels at the top of the walls.  I decided it would be too hard to spray paint and cover all the sides of the little parts.  I was thinking of using gravel for the roof.  I have various sizes and tones since I have modeled in smaller scales as well.  I need to make the cross out of styrene strips.

Last week, Kim finally guessed that this is a model of the old Westminster we were married in 40 years ago.  She thought it was a good representation even though I pointed out it is compressed in both length and width.

@Mark Boyce

Mark:

Your church model is absolutely SUPERB!!!!!! You have hit a grand slam home run with the church model!!!!! BRAVO, sir!

Really beautiful, Mark!

Peter

Awesome job on the church Mark. It’s a great looking model!

Mark, wonderful progress on the church! looking great! Thanks for sharing. Hope you figure out the Hudson, looks like a real runner!

Mike

Thank you, Zac, Jay, Dave C, Dave PRRMP54, Gene, Bob, Darrell, Don, Randy, Peter, Phil, Mike!

Dave C, the metal glued to the underside of the roof is a good idea.  Howard Zane certainly did a good job on everything.  I can believe no one ever noticed the roof glued in upside down.  It is the overall impression of the model that everyone sees.

Don, I tried to slope the cap stones.  Some of them didn't work out as well as I hoped, but thank you for noticing.

Mike, The Hudson is at Pat's shop right now for him to see if it has the same problem on his layout.  We will see how it works out.

Bob, The building inspector takes bribes.  Very inexpensive bribes. 

Almost every building I've created has an out-of-square problem somewhere. But hey… in real llfe, old buildings are often out of square. Just look at this picture. This is a doorway into the Stockton Inn in Stockton, NJ. It was so out of square I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I took the picture head on, so it's not a lens effect you're looking at. It's really that cockeyed.

So don't feel bad. If real buildings can be off-square a bit, so can ours.

A lesson to us all.

Thank you, Myles, Rubin!

Myles, that certainly is an out of square building!  Thank you for the great example!!  I feel better about mine.

I painted the roof sections flat black then glued on N scale ballast by Highball that I have had since the late '80s.  I think it looks pretty good.  The slight imperfections look quite believable.

I sealed the cracks for light leaks using a test strip of LEDs.  I still need to install the lighting, put up the cross, and find a chimney that I stashed away.  I think I am satisfied with the windows that I am not going to put on sills.  The prototype sills look quite small, and I think I will get glue on the bricks.  I marked out the sidewalk edges as can be seen on the photograph.  After taking the photograph, I remembered to add a sidewalk around the front to the side door that can't be seen in this photograph.  Then a little grass and small bushes, and I think I will call it done.

Mark, I don’t see any evidence of a leak or puddling anywhere on the roof. How can that be?🙄

one of of my interests is Cleveland as well as Brooklyn and New York history. In downtown Cleveland there are a number of synagogues built between 1880 and 1890 or so. They have long since been repurposed as churches or community centers. Your construction is spot on.  
when was your church actually built? Either way, you’ve done a great job as you did with the Brennan Swanky Coffee kit. I learn from you every time you post. Thanks!

Mark - I think your church looks GREAT! 

Mark! This looks fantastic. I love the progress you made and how it's turned out so far.

Mark, it’s FANTASTIC! Post of photo of the church after you have the lights installed. Can’t wait to see that with those beautiful windows! And I love the ballast on the roof. I think I’m gonna use some cinders on the roof of my dental office! Great idea.

Mike

Thank you Rubin, Jim, Justin, Mike!

Rubin, Oh good!  I'm glad there are no puddles anywhere!!    I have never heard when this particular building was built.  Since the current congregation bought the building in 1975 from another when they build a larger facility just outside of town, that information may be lost or at least not readily available to anyone from either congregation now that nearly 50 years have passed.  I do think your timeframe of late 1800s makes good sense since the area around this building was developed around that time.  I think it is representative of a congregation that didn't have a lot of money to splurge and didn't want to burden members with a large mortgage.

Mike, I certainly will post photographs once I get the lights in! 

I pulled in a couple of buildings I hadn't placed on the layout, and rearranged them in the downtown.  One is the Altoona Model Works freight station I built 4 years ago that I placed beside the Wanky Sanky.  The other is a one story AmeriTown building with the steps that reminds me of some old company stores in West Virginia.

The t out creamy starting to shape up, Mark. I can’t wait to see how deal with the streets, sidewalks and lighting.
as to when your church was built, finding that out may be easier than think, especially if your county’s records  are on line. And if not on line, you may just have to go to your county recorder’s office or the building department, give the clerk the address and they should be able to give you the build date.
over the years I’ve done this many times.
Happy searching!

Rubin

Sorry about those typos. It’s the city that’s starting to shape up. I’m in competition for the world’s lousiest typist, especially on my iPhone key board.
Rubin

@Mark Boyce  Mark, everything looks like it is coming along great. You might want to consider a sliding panel to cover the lace window treatments in your train room. They just seem a little off in such an industrial setting.

Looks good, Mark. I like the ballast roof on the church and the freight station looks great. I have a trackside building from AMW I have yet to assemble.

Good morning, Mark, you sure have done an amazing job on the church, and it is great that the wife realized what it was and the importance of it for you both!

I think your town is really coming along and I can tell by your post that you are really having fun then work! It is that part of the build that to me is really the fun time!

Keep up the wonderful work and I will be fallowing along!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Thank you, Myles, Rubin!

Myles, that certainly is an out of square building!  Thank you for the great example!!  I feel better about mine.

I painted the roof sections flat black then glued on N scale ballast by Highball that I have had since the late '80s.  I think it looks pretty good.  The slight imperfections look quite believable.

I sealed the cracks for light leaks using a test strip of LEDs.  I still need to install the lighting, put up the cross, and find a chimney that I stashed away.  I think I am satisfied with the windows that I am not going to put on sills.  The prototype sills look quite small, and I think I will get glue on the bricks.  I marked out the sidewalk edges as can be seen on the photograph.  After taking the photograph, I remembered to add a sidewalk around the front to the side door that can't be seen in this photograph.  Then a little grass and small bushes, and I think I will call it done.

That turned out really good Mark. You can’t tell that anything is not square. Excellent craftsmanship.

Thank you Rubin, Jeff, Jim, Mike, Jay!

Rubin, yes I thought of looking into county records after I had posted my last comment, but before I read your post.  I'm usually slow at thinking things through.    Both daughters only have a guess at the age of their homes as well.  I need to to some investigating.  Thank you!  I really have a time of it typing on my phone as well.  I have to go back and reread everything, usually after I have posted.

Jeff, Yes, the curtains hanging in the laundry room do interfere with the view.  When we moved in, I pulled the sliding window out of the frame and have it stashed in the shed.  The only heat they put in these two rooms of the addition was electric baseboard.  I disconnected them.  The air vent over the washer provides the heat and cool that I use in the train room.  I have a section of hardboard that I have thought of putting up that would cover the curtains, but never did it.  Someone long ago suggested I make sceniced panels to cover the windows when taking photographs, but I never did. 

Jim, the station is the only Altoona Model Works kit I have built.  The did a very nice job on it.  As I recall, I only made a couple of modifications to their instructions.

Mike, I wondered when she would realize it is our old building and am glad she finally did.  The photograph of the building is just to the right of the double doors leading into the sanctuary.  It would be easy for her to see except when she goes through one of us ushers is at each side of the doors greeting and handing out bulletins.

Jay, I think you are right, the out of square really isn't noticeable.

Zillow.com has build dates most of the time

Okay LT1poncho Mike.  Here it is with the LEDs installed.  The lighting isn't quite even in all windows, which I think is a good thing.  I stuck LED strips on the underside of the side bracing holding the roof up.  On the front, I stuck the LED strip on the wall between first and second floor windows.  I have one strip on the backside of the tower facing forward.  That leaves the window in the one story vestibule.  I just let the light filter through an opening from the main building, so it looks like the lights are turned down low there.  The windows look better than the last two photographs show.

I need to make a cross and sign.  I haven't found the chimney I was saving.  I may have to make one, which would be pretty easy with the Plastruct embossed brick.  I decided I am not going to scenic the base yet.  I may have to trim it some once I decide where it will go and how I am going to make the streets and sidewalks.

@Ohio Jeff posted:

Zillow.com has build dates most of the time

Hi Jeff!  That would work for the houses, but I didn't see anything for either.  Both were probably built in the 1910s or '20s.  The church doesn't come up, but this building I am modelling isn't the current building on the lots.  Thank you for the good idea.

Mark it looks great. Those windows are spot on! Love the varied lighting, and you really have the wall joints sealed up nice. No light leaks. My only thought is maybe a gooseneck overhead light over the double door entryway?? Just a thought. I think it’s well-done sir!

Mike

Hi Mark,

I have been following along with your progress on the church.  It looks fantastic!  You have done a commendable job on this build.  Congratulations!  You're an inspiration to all of us.

John

Looking even better at night. A set of lanterns, one on each side of the entrance would be better than a gooseneck, I think.

Wow....how great looking is that. Excellent!!

Mark, I can’t comment enough about this project, beautifully done!

Gene

Thank you Mike, John Dave, Greg, Gene!

Mike and Dave, I like both of your ideas!  I think the lanterns on either side of the double doors and a gooseneck over the side door would look great.  I will start looking for just those items!

I finished the sign and added the pastor and wedding couple.  Our pastors have always worn black robes, not white.  I will have to give him a quick robe change.  For many years since 1984, the pastors have all worn jackets and ties, or even just a jacket and no tie.  However, back in 1984 the robe was definitely the appropriate dress.   I suppose I should give the groom blond hair while I have the paints and brush out.

The sign is made just like the 1984 sign.  I am going to call it done, for the time being.  I need to find some exterior lights as mentioned above, that great looking chimney which got stashed somewhere when I did the red up on the train room, and finish the sidewalk and landscaping when I lay out the street. 

Hey, it looks pretty well done and there are still 20 days before our 40th anniversary!  Kim likes it a lot. 

Here is a shot with the lit Sanky Wanky Coffee Company.

I can't thank everyone enough.  Any inspiration I was able to give makes me very happy.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Thank you Mike, John Dave, Greg, Gene!

I finished the sign and added the pastor and wedding couple.  Our pastors have always worn black robes, not white.  I will have to give him a quick robe change.  For many years since 1984, the pastors have all worn jackets and ties, or even just a jacket and no tie.  However, back in 1984 the robe was definitely the appropriate dress.   I suppose I should give the groom blond hair while I have the paints and brush out.

The sign is made just like the 1984 sign.  I am going to call it done, for the time being.  I need to find some exterior lights as mentioned above, that great looking chimney which got stashed somewhere when I did the red up on the train room, and finish the sidewalk and landscaping when I lay out the street.

Hey, it looks pretty well done and there are still 20 days before our 40th anniversary!  Kim likes it a lot. 

Here is a shot with the lit Sanky Wanky Coffee Company.

I can't thank everyone enough.  Any inspiration I was able to give makes me very happy.

Mark Boyce

Mark:

That is GREAT model!!!!!! BRAVO sir!!!!

Bravo!!!!!

Looks great Mark. Check out Evans Designs. I put these coach lanterns on my factory building and the are just right. They have a nice gooseneck fixture too. Very fragile though.

Bob

@Mark Boyce

Mark,

I haven’t been following your build; but I’m impressed how great it looks! Well done!

Bravo Zulu @Mark Boyce!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Thank you Mike, John Dave, Greg, Gene!

Mike and Dave, I like both of your ideas!  I think the lanterns on either side of the double doors and a gooseneck over the side door would look great.  I will start looking for just those items! ...snip...

I can't thank everyone enough.  Any inspiration I was able to give makes me very happy.

A thought for the interior lighting, a color temperature a little more towards the yellow end of the spectrum to better represent the incandescent lighting used back then.

If none of our sponsors has what you want, Wehonest does have some gooseneck fixtures in several scales. I didn't see any lanterns but I really just did a surface scan.

As for the lanterns, I was thinking of something gothic and extremely large (salvaged from the original church?).

Just a few thoughts.

Thank you, Randy, Bob, Bob, Darrell, Dave!

Bob, I was thinking of Evans Designs.  I now remember your factory building!  They look great!

Dave, thank you for the observation that a more yellowish tone would be better.  Also, I had never heard of Wehonest.  Thank you!!

I will come back to this building when I get the exterior lights installed.

I have the gooseneck and lantern warm white LEDs on order from Evan Designs.  Changing the interior lighting to warm white will wait.  I decided to buy a bunch of new LED Christmas lights for the trees; inside and out.  I am tired of fighting the old strings we have. 

Mark: I thought that dealing with burned out LEDs was part of the holiday.  I have so many LED strands that I can’t count them all.

Good luck

Thank you, Zac!!  I bought a bunch of C7 LEDs last year for the outdoor strings.  I was still using incandescent bulbs that had most of the paint worn off.  Others that were fairly new would blow out first.  I stopped climbing the ladder a couple years ago, so they are strung low.  Most of the indoor miniature incandescent strings have been discarded, so I was needing something.  Hopefully, I'll have a quiet Christmas season(s) before the LEDs start to go. 

Great work on the church @Mark Boyce! Good call with the freight station since the Swanky Wanky will need a steady flow of new supplies. Everything is flowing together very nicely with the town!!

Really nice work Mark! I'm glad I was able to watch your progress.

Good morning Mark I think you have done an amazing job on the church! I think when you get the new lighting in you are going to be so happy with all your work that your going to run out and buy another building to do! LOL

Either way I am glad i fallowed along!

Thank you, Tom, Myles, Mike!

Tom, I don't know why I hadn't thought of putting the freight station there before!  It was underneath the Idaho Hotel lift-up and was out of sight, out of mind I guess.  It is too nice of a kit to have there where the hotel and the rest of the layout steals the show.

Myles, I'm glad to know you are here!

Mike, I have a couple of kits in a drawer, but my interest isn't there for them.  I also don't have anything that is compelling to scratch build right now either.  I could work on some interiors that I didn't do.

I have a little side project I am working on.  It is a module to be used by an N scale group during a weekend in December and a weekend in January.  I am using some N scale buildings I saved from 30 years ago, and the base and track are done.  I just need some scenery.  I did buy an N scale kit that I may try to build just to finish off the module for the future.  It is laser cut and has some peal and stick parts.  It should be fun.  I have a couple of N scale kits from 30+ years ago that are basically a box of sticks.  I opened the boxes and quickly shut them again cringing!    Cutting and fitting the small parts on the church turret was really a challenge for me.

It has been a while since I had anything to post here.  I have spent some time putting up Christmas decorations.  M y wife loves decorations.  I also spent some time with another project on another thread. 

I did receive the Evan Designs lantern lamps and gooseneck lights for the church doors.  They look great, but the wires are oh so thin!  I have found them a bit challenging to handle.  I started with the single gooseneck lamp for the side door.  I drilled the proper size hole and fished the wires through seating the lamp 'conduit' through the hole.  I expected the lamps to need DC, but saw the instructions said 9-17 DC or AC.  So I soldered the wires and connected them to the closest power source, the track power.  The LED shone very brightly, then went out.  It blipped on and off dimly then went out.  Well, anticipating I would burn some out, I ordered extras of both types.  I guess I'll try DC next, but there are only two black wires so there is no way to test polarity.  Does it matter?  The black blob on the wires is a mystery circuit to me!  LOL

Mark,  an LED shining bright and winking out is a burn out.  Either too high a voltage coming in or the resistor is wrong or non existent.  Evans  shrink wraps around the resistor and the rectifier if that is part of the package - their stuff should be bullet proof.  Send them an email on the issue.    Wiring in reverse in AC / DC capable elements should not matter due to the rectifier.  In LEDs is does matter, but reverse only results in no lighting not a burn out.  Track power often gets up to 22 volts, that could be enough.

You are an electronics guy, not using a dedicated power source for LEDs? What were you thinking?  Been there, done that, never again using track power for anything other than engines and cars. I thought about getting some for my engine shed, lets see some pics of working goose necks. 

Wow Mark that sucks! Reminds me of the oldbsaying. Two steps forward and one step back.

I hope it is easy to figure out. I know I sure have popped my share of LED's.!

All my LED lighting gets power from wall plug transformers like the ones shown in picture.   Several of the LEDs also required resistors to reduce brightness.   Good luck with your project!

Cheers, Dave

Just picked up a similar to this one Lionel accessory transformer (6-32923) off the 'bay in mint condition for short money as a dedicated transformer to power some Z-stuff lights I just installed.

With adjustable AC voltage and 1.8 amps of power it might be just right for what you need as long as your LED's can run off either ac or dc power.

Beautiful church, Mark - extra special nostalgia for your family adds extra charm.

Thank you, Jeff, Mike, Dave, Richie, Dan!

Jeff, I wrote about the black blob mystery circuit to see who would pick up on it.  I'm not surprised you did.  I still thought the track power at 14 v was within the parameters, but wasn't surprised when it went poof!  I have lit up greater things than LEDs by far in my time.  One was a 5 RU (rack unit) box which tripped a 500 KV breaker.  We had to get another from 2 hours away.  Another time I momentarily lit up the grated floor in the power station with 120 vac.  This was small potatoes! 

Mike, I made 3 steps forward today.  Something is going to blow any minute!

Dave, yes I took the time today to run some wire and install a spare wall wart as you suggested.  Much better idea!

Richie, very nice unit!  I am using an old MRC power pack to power the Z-Stuff switches and the linear actuators for the lift-up bridges. 

Dan, nostalgia for sure!  One elderly lady sent us an anniversary card and commented about having being there and making the punch.  She was correct! 

So here are the lights installed on the church.  The gooseneck looks pretty dim with the room lights on, but shows up well with the lights off.  I think I would expect the side light with the shade to look less bright than the front door in real life, though I may pot the lid again and change out the resistor I added for something smaller.

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions!

Mark, the lights look great!  But I must admit, you got my attention with the 500KV breaker trip.  That must have been a fun time going through the root cause analysis afterwards.  Hopefully, no customer problems except maybe a minor blip!  

Keep up the good work with these projects!

Bob

Thank you, Bob!

Yes, I added the 500 KV mishap to show it is like an old timer used to say when I was working at that position during my 30s.  He would say, "If you don't trip something once in a while, then you aren't doing anything."  The same thing happens with snafus we have with our trains and layouts.

What happened in the 500 KV scenario was that burning up the shelf tripped 2 circuit breakers which isolated one 500 KV transmission line from the rest of the station.  Since that line stopped carrying any current, current flow in the adjacent lines could have switched direction or increased in the same direction.  No customers would have been affected.  There is a reclosing timer circuit in the overall scheme that would try to reclose instantaneously, then again at usually 15 seconds, and again at 45 seconds, before locking out at 90 seconds.  I do not recall whether the breakers reclosed instantaneously or at 15 seconds, but our only issue then was to replace the burned out shelf.  I was the crew leader training another employee.  However, he was the one who got a verbal reprimand (at my protest I might add) because he was the one who actually closed the switch causing smoke to be emitted.  Rest assured, there were other times when I did trip breakers that turned the lights out for customers until we could get a switchman in to switch everything back in service.

My 45 years experience gave me a respect for electricity, but at low voltages we use with our trains even I can take shortcuts evidenced by burning up a tiny LED.

Mark, they look good. I’ve been looking for some goose neck lamps and checked out Evan’s. Just verifying that you used the Warm White. Yours is the look I’m after color wise.

Thank you, Dave!  Yes, I used warm white.

While on the subject, when I first posted photographs of the church with interior lighting, someone pointed out the light through the windows was too white for my era.  The warm white exterior lighting shows that distinctly.  I could replace the interior LEDs, buy some slightly yellow translucent paint to cover the existing LEDs, or get some kind of warm white looking film to put over the inside of the windows.  I think the last option would be easiest to do, if I can find something appropriate.  We will see what I come up with.

Hey Mark, things look great! I really like the lights outside they turned out really nice!

As for the windows here is an idea, just throwing it out there. Maybe the wife has some parchment paper from baking, you could cut a little piece and see what it looks like. Plus if she has it that means its free to you! LOL

Mark, pretty sure this is what’s recommended to give a more yellow hue to the lighting. Should be a few on line tutorials on Google or You Tube.

Thank you, Mike, Dave!

Mike, I tried the parchment paper, but it made no difference.  Maybe there is something other than the white that Kim has.

Dave, that's the stuff I was thinking of.  I just didn't know what to call it.  I just ordered a bottle.  Thank you.

MARK, Marantz used vellum to diffuse the fuse lights behind the tuner panel to give a uniform blue glow. Hobby Lobby carries sheets of the stuff. Kind of feels like parchment paper, but there are different weights. Otherwise the yellow Tamia is often used for the warm white from what Ive read.

Mark,

I'm really enjoying this build. I know you are working on the finishing touches, with the lights and all, but your efforts have paid off. Keep us posted through all surrounding scenery. This is going to be a great scene.

Dave

Your stained glass windows are the real deal! Great work as always Mark!

Mark, great looking lighting on the church!

Uh, were you the cause of the 2 hour blackout in Cranberry on Thursday night?  (Asking for a friend).

George

@Mark Boyce posted:

Thank you, Jeff, Mike, Dave, Richie, Dan!

Jeff, I wrote about the black blob mystery circuit to see who would pick up on it.  I'm not surprised you did.  I still thought the track power at 14 v was within the parameters, but wasn't surprised when it went poof!  I have lit up greater things than LEDs by far in my time.  One was a 5 RU (rack unit) box which tripped a 500 KV breaker.  We had to get another from 2 hours away.  Another time I momentarily lit up the grated floor in the power station with 120 vac.  This was small potatoes! 

Mike, I made 3 steps forward today.  Something is going to blow any minute!

So here are the lights installed on the church.  The gooseneck looks pretty dim with the room lights on, but shows up well with the lights off.  I think I would expect the side light with the shade to look less bright than the front door in real life, though I may pot the lid again and change out the resistor I added for something smaller.

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions!

Looks great Mark. I agree that the side door would be less bright than the main entrance.

I've fried a few Evan's lights too. One was a mfr's mistake and the others were operator error. Yes- the wires are hair-thin on these. I can't imagine sitting at a bench assembling these all day but someone's gotta do it.

Bob

Thank you, Jeff, Dave, Bill, George, Bob!

Jeff, yes velum of the right color would work.  Since I ordered the Tamiya, I will go with that.

Dave, yes the surrounding scene.  I have a general idea of leaving the street curved with side streets radiating off similarly to what is crudely roughed out.  I have decided on one thing, and that is that the auto dealership is out.  The building even kit bashed and a small lot for cars would take too much room away from the small town.  I will certainly keep everyone posted.

Bill, I am pleased with how the windows turned out.  Best of all, they were made at no expense, just paper and some thin styrene I have had for 30+ years.

George, tell your friend that I was only authorized to terrorize the electric grid in Virginia and West Virginia.  That authorization was terminated in 1995 when I was terminated and returned to Pennsylvania to then terrorize the telephone company system. 

Bob, I was thinking the same thing about someone working all day to make these Evan Designs units.  The issue isn't magnification, it is that the wires are so thin I can't even feel them, much less make them go where I want.  They do give excellent results, though.  I will be buying more of them in the future.

Mark, The church looks fantastic!  I really love the way you made the stained glass windows.  The exterior lights and cross really complete the look.  Thanks for sharing your progress.  Awesome job!

@RSJB18  Great recommendation on the exterior lights!

Thank you, Steve!!

I received the Tamiya clear yellow paint yesterday and painted over the LEDs inside the church today.  The difference is a little more noticeable in person than in the photographs, but I think the photographs show the difference to some extent.  Thank you for all the suggestions!!

Before

After

@Mark Boyce posted:

Thank you, Steve!!

I received the Tamiya clear yellow paint yesterday and painted over the LEDs inside the church today.  The difference is a little more noticeable in person than in the photographs, but I think the photographs show the difference to some extent.  Thank you for all the suggestions!!

Before

After

Mark, that looks great! One thing I don't like about LED lights are they are too white. The yellow tone you've added looks much more realistic. Overall, the church looks fantastic.

I concur Mark, that’s a masterpiece you have created. Jay

Thank you, Dave, Jay!

As all of us know, there are flaws in this model as in any of our models.  I am pleased with it, and so is my wife.  Many thanks to everyone for the suggestions and encouragement!!

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Mark, that looks great! One thing I don't like about LED lights are they are too white. The yellow tone looks much more realistic. Overall, the church looks fantastic.

Warm white leds are easily obtained in all sizes.I keep over a hundred on hand because they are so inexpensive.

It's the flaws that prove it was made by hand! It's also those flaws that keep us stiving to do the next one even better.

Mark you are so right about all of us having flaws on our layouts! The main thing is that you and the wife are pleased with it and it brings a smile your face and a happy memory from the heart!

Amen!

I wonder if your camera is compensating for the lighting and that's why it's subtle in the photos.

This really came out nicely! Well done!

Thank you, John, Myles, Mike, Rubin, Bill!

John, Yes, I am going to make sure to buy warm white LEDs from now on.  They look better to me and mimic incandescent lights that fit my loose time period of 1950s.

Myles, those are certainly words of wisdom that you continue to experience in your own modeling.

Mike, I was glad to finish the church, aside from the exterior lights, by our 40th anniversary 2 weeks ago.

Bill, you may be correct.  I am using the camera that is in my iPhone 10.  It certainly could be compensating.

The first little side project that I addressed during the last two days was to fix the place where the lower bridge seats down on the layout.  I used the linear actuator that Mike showed me from his old layout, and made a "fixture" to align the bridge end to the track.  I think I have been having trouble with it for a while where cars derail.  It was only the 2-bay hoppers that derailed at first.  About half are MTH and half are Lionel.  Lately other cars and finally a couple engines derailed and I looked more closely at the bridge end itself.  I think I fixed it by replacing the guide with simple angled pieces of wood.  So far, all is working well.  I have no idea how far back a photograph of the previous arrangement is, so I will just show the "fix".

I'll address some more little projects later.

Looks good Mark. Simple sometimes is the best fix.

Bob

Mark, if it works with no more derailments, you have accomplished your goal. Nice work, now on to the next small project. Hope they will all be successful. BTW, the church came out excellent!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Gene

Mark easy fix, I should have pointed out that I had to do the same thing for my lift bridge, I guess it just didn't cross my mind back then!

Mark,

Forgive me for forgetting, but exactly what was the problem with the bridge. I’m about to build two bridges for aisle ways so your pics are very germane to me. Also, I am now a bit confused ( not by you). In the late Jim Barrett’s article and book, he references the need to ensure that the hinge point is above the railhead and even shows how he bent the hinges into shape. But in the recent Fall CTT article by the very talented Stan Trzoniec, who’s downsizing his large island layout to a smaller “ age friendly” layout, he does not elevate the hinge point at all. So I’m wondering about how you ( and anyone else who wants to join the discussion) has resolved this design issue and why.
Thanks for the groups’ and your sage advice.
Rubin

Thank you, Bob, Gene, Mike, Rubin!

Bob, Gene, KISS!  I emphasize the second 'S' that stands for stupid.  I haven't shared much about all the Messes I have gotten myself into on this layout. 

Mike, You had pointed it out for your bridge.  I had done something similar to this, but the wood brackets were too thin and slipped in this gap I left when the bridge is down.  I might add that the thicker, more obtrusive white strips of wood aren't touching the gray bridge, they are touching the plexiglass below.

Rubin, I used two different methods for hinging my bridges.  The lower one is a copy of a pivoting arrangement Mike shared from his old layout.  The big upper bridge uses big offset hinges like you described.

Mike's pivot.  His looked better than mine, but mine works too..

Here is the upper bridge.  Tom Gilly from the River City HiRailer's shared the Amazon link to find these.  They are big and ugly, but so far I don't even need any guides at the other end of the bridge.  It always lowers true.

I hope these photographs help.  If you have more questions, just ask.  I will say that after fighting to get the pivot to work for me on the lower bridge, I would go with big hinges again.  Yes, both arrangements would be a bit messy to scenic.  Quite frankly, relatives who aren't into model trains have been impressed with the bridges and haven't commented on much else on the layout. 

I have been looking at this building arrangement for a while and think I'm liking it.  Included is a curved main street with a couple of side streets, but not a four-corners intersection.  It allows for viewing the street and taller buildings in the rear since there are a couple of one story buildings in front.  Also, there is an industry and freight station on the north end of town and a power substation at a lower level just outside the south end of town. 

Here are some closeups from north to south. 

I'm going to pull up the temporary strips of wood that served as streets and layout the streets, including some sidewalks.  Of course, any of it is subject to change.  I do have a few more plastic buildings that I don't believe I'll be using.  Three are houses, and I don't see how I would fit a residential area along with business and industry.

@Mark Boyce posted:

I have been looking at this building arrangement for a while and think I'm liking it.  Included is a curved main street with a couple of side streets, but not a four-corners intersection.  It allows for viewing the street and taller buildings in the rear since there are a couple of one story buildings in front.  Also, there is an industry and freight station on the north end of town and a power substation at a lower level just outside the south end of town.

Here are some closeups from north to south.

I'm going to pull up the temporary strips of wood that served as streets and layout the streets, including some sidewalks.  Of course, any of it is subject to change.  I do have a few more plastic buildings that I don't believe I'll be using.  Three are houses, and I don't see how I would fit a residential area along with business and industry.

Very nice Mark, I've switched mine a 1/2 a dozen times in the last month. It's definitely not easy when you have a lot of nice buildings and want a good view of all of them.

Mark - looks awesome with the curved road.  Gives a great perspective.

Mark, I think that city planning is more difficult than laying track. While moving towards permanence, whatever that means, I’m on my seventh installment.
The curved street offers a good perspective to showcase your structures; especially your church.

Thank you, Dave, Fred, Jay!

It seems “city planning” is a common problem for modelers.  😀  Thank you for the encouragement!!

I agree with @RV Junke and @Tranquil Hollow RR. The curved street is excellent and something different. I feel like it stands out to me because I tend to see straight roads on layouts.

Mark- You can start a new career as an urban planner.....

The building layout look good. I like the curved road too. IIRC the view as you walk into the room is nice too.

The church came out great.

Bob

Is there enough room to separate the red brick drugstore building from the light brown building next to it and push that building closer to the church ?

That way you could run the perpendicular street out to the edge of the track (jersey barrier or a train triggered gate at the end of that street) and end up with a 4-way intersection in the middle of town. You'd also eliminate the gap between that building and the church.   

I'm a big believer in filling up the street with buildings and many small towns had a mix of both commercial and residential properties, so I'd also think about pushing the Bank/Post office building and the red one next to it (get rid of the Pepsi truck out back) up towards the edge of the street that will run through the center of town and seeing if you can squeeze in a couple of small houses in back of them on each side of the street towards the edge if you can fit them.

If the houses are too big, perhaps some smaller "plasticville" size commercial buildings or a school that are nicely painted and weathered.

Thank you, Bill, Bob, Richie!

Well Bill and Bob, by taking Richie's suggestion, the street ended up curved more; that is at the south (left) end.  I agree, most model railroads have straight streets.  FarmerJohn's is a great example of a curved street.  I can think of several in real life that have a curved or partially curved main business street.

Richie, I think I interpreted your suggestion correctly.  @Dave Ripp. knows I have some houses I thought I didn't have room for.  I actually have room for two of those houses as you suggested.  They are narrow, two story MTH built ups I got from a forum member that I had planned to repaint.  I could cut them down to one story since they are at the front of the layout, but I think I can still see into the Main Street.  So here are some photographs of this layout.

Here I swapped the drug store and three-story building since in this way the windows face the street instead of other buildings.

Thank you everyone!!

Looks good - I might swap the three-story building with the small brown building so that the three-story is next to the church - I think it gives a better perspective that way. I'd also re-orient the fire station the way it was before (perpendicular to the street).

Mark,

The curve is a definite improvement. It adds visual interest and realism. My concern is that your don’t look wide enough to have room for needed sidewalks  and at least two lanes for traffic, not to mention parking for cars. A standard lane is ten feet wide. Older standards called for 9foot lanes. Sidewalks are at least 3 feet deep plus a curb.  Doing the math suggests a minimum width of the street including one one lane in each direction plus sidewalks to be about 24 feet, or roughly 6 inches ( at 1/4” to the foot). While other streets may be one lane, your main curving street may need to be one lane in each direction, for credibility’s sake, if for no other reason ,.

I'm enjoying your posts and pics, as I always do, because I always learn something from them and because will be going through the same exercise in the not too distant future  keep ‘em coming .

Rubin

Thank you, Richie, Rubin!

Richie, I moved the buildings as you suggested.

I had turned the hobby shop entrance corner toward the aisle a bit was so more of the front.  That allowed me to turn the fire house side parallel with the hobby shop.  Also, it made it look like the fire engine had more room to get out of the fire house.  I think I am going to have to park the fire engine inside or partially out to look right.

Rubin, I was thinking about street widths over the weekend.  Here is a photograph of how I measured street and sidewalk to have the minimum width for 1:43 cars and trucks.  The seam between the two lift up sections dictated the placement of the edge of the street and sidewalk.  I have 3' for sidewalks and 8' for each traffic lane.  When cars are side by side like in the photograph, it is obvious the street is narrow.  If I made the curved main street wider, the buildings would be too close to the tracks.  The church is already at the only spot it will fit.

Here’s the fire truck poking out of the fire house.

I noticed this as well.  The roof lines match up in an odd manner.

I may remove the front steps and high stone foundation from the one story building.  That would lower the roof making it look better.  Time will tell.

Hi Mark, Sorry i haven't commented earlier, to be honest no excuse. But now that I am up to speed I really like the curved street! As far as the buildings I cant help you there as I would be tripping over my own 2 feet! As for the roads and side walks I think you will be fine if you even have cars close to each other just now side by side! Just stagger them along the road  and see how that looks!
I think everything is looking great and am excited for you getting closer and closer to spending more time running trains then working on the layout! Of course we all know that is not true! LOL

Wow @Mark Boyce! Everything is coming together nicely!

Thank you, Mike, Tom!

Mike, I had been staggering the cars, but moved them side by side just to see how the lanes worked out.

Tom, I think I have a solution to make the foreground buildings work a little nicer.  Instead of this:

I substituted this one story house.  It has a smaller footprint and the proportions work out better I think.

I haven't liked that other building as much as I thought I would when I bought the kit.  Keep in mind, the houses are just place holders until I build some more detailed kits or scratch build replacements.  We will see how it goes. 

Looks good Mark, I am sure you will find something that fits your fancy for that area!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Here’s the fire truck poking out of the fire house.

I noticed this as well.  The roof lines match up in an odd manner.

I may remove the front steps and high stone foundation from the one story building.  That would lower the roof making it look better.  Time will tell.

Really like the symmetry of the buildings now and the fire truck poking out of the fire house. 

Thank you, Mike, Richie!

Richie, I am one who likes symmetry as well.  Our artist daughter would say I like things to symmetrical to be artistic.  I know towns and cities aren't normally built that way, unless city planners come up with a master plan for a portion of property to be developed.  We have that luxury, to a certain extent.

Here are a few thoughts before I continue.  I was thinking about wires for lighting.  Since most of the town is setting on the two lift ups for access to the two-track yard and mainline below, I thought I should consider where the wires for lighting will go.  The coffee company and freight station are on the solid base as is half of the fire house, but I will still have to make sure they don't dangle done and hook on traffic below.

The wires for the rest of the buildings will have to be attached to the lift ups and not cross under the seam between the two lift up sections.  They could then be passed under the solid section near the upper track.  Also, notice the street running perpendicular to the layout edge would go over one of the hinges and the tracks at the switches for the passing tracks and incline down.  I like the blocked off street idea, but instead of Jersey barriers, I would use some posts in the "ground" and cross braces with a sign.  That would b e more in keeping with the mid-century era.

I cut a couple of pieces of Bristol board to represent that street and sidewalks.  This view is from the laundry room leaning over the washing machine.  The wires are temporary wires from Menards powering the lights for the Menards hobby shop and church.  I can't really move the street over so it crosses the track between the two switches because the buildings won't fit.  The church really can't be moved over any more than it is.

It’s great that you saved a chunk of real estate for the town.  So many little scenes can develop over time.  Thanks for sharing!  The post office in my home town has the huge concrete steps out front like the building that was removed.  That’s what it reminded me of.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Thank you, Mike, Richie!

Richie, I am one who likes symmetry as well.  Our artist daughter would say I like things to symmetrical to be artistic.  I know towns and cities aren't normally built that way, unless city planners come up with a master plan for a portion of property to be developed.  We have that luxury, to a certain extent.

Here are a few thoughts before I continue.  I was thinking about wires for lighting.  Since most of the town is setting on the two lift ups for access to the two-track yard and mainline below, I thought I should consider where the wires for lighting will go.  The coffee company and freight station are on the solid base as is half of the fire house, but I will still have to make sure they don't dangle done and hook on traffic below.

The wires for the rest of the buildings will have to be attached to the lift ups and not cross under the seam between the two lift up sections.  They could then be passed under the solid section near the upper track.  Also, notice the street running perpendicular to the layout edge would go over one of the hinges and the tracks at the switches for the passing tracks and incline down.  I like the blocked off street idea, but instead of Jersey barriers, I would use some posts in the "ground" and cross braces with a sign.  That would b e more in keeping with the mid-century era.

I cut a couple of pieces of Bristol board to represent that street and sidewalks.  This view is from the laundry room leaning over the washing machine.  The wires are temporary wires from Menards powering the lights for the Menards hobby shop and church.  I can't really move the street over so it crosses the track between the two switches because the buildings won't fit.  The church really can't be moved over any more than it is.

Mark,

Have you ever considered copper tape? It has adhesive on one side. When I decided to put up a tin plate table; I was not thinking scale and I no longer crawl under tables. I laid out my small town, and then then set up the tape connections. Here is the supply.

. I was able to reach under the table and grab the wire. I stapled it to the tape and then soldered it. Here is a “T” splice.
Again not going scale I grabbed a roll of grass. I measured the spot for each house and exposed the tape. The brown ground cover is in the middle with the tape on both sides. I soldered connections for a lamp in each building.
Here is a portion of the town lit up.

Thank you, Dan, Bob!

Dan, I thought the building with the steps resembled on a smaller scale some coal country company stores in days gone by.  Certainly it could be a post office.

Bob, that copper tape worked great for you.  That certainly beats wiring underneath the layout!!  Thank you for the great idea!

@pennsyfan Bob, I ordered a roll of conductive tape, and it arrived today.  Thank you for the tip, and I'll be posting how it works out for me in upcoming days!!

@Mark Boyce posted:

@pennsyfan Bob, I ordered a roll of conductive tape, and it arrived today.  Thank you for the tip, and I'll be posting how it works out for me in upcoming days!!

Mark Glad to help, looking forward to results.

I am not ready to try the conductive tape Bob @pennsyfan suggested, but I did get the streets laid out.  I stuck with my initial street width of 4" with 1/2" sidewalks.  I cut Bristol board to 5-1/2" width, intending to put 1/2" strips on top for the sidewalks.  Here are some photographs.

Notice in the first two photographs some gray playground equipment near the flagpole.  Our older daughter 3D printed them on their new 3D printer.  They didn't tell anyone about it, and she made objects for each person's interests as gifts.  She is still learning, so some of mine need to be reprinted, but some good ones are the playground, baggage carts, crates, tents and small campers for the campsite, an outhouse, doghouse, etc.  They are all 1:48 scale.  The people didn't turn out as well.  She calls them spaghetti people.  There is also some fencing and Jersey barriers.  I'll get a photograph of them, unpainted and setting at the end of the street.

Mark,

One item of possible concern that you should check - at the lower right in the first photo, there is a building with a wood platform whose left corner is right at the end of a curve. Please run some cars past that corner of the platform to make sure they clear. Very nice buildings.

MELGAR

Mark,

It looks good, but I want to second the remarks of several of the other guys regarding proximity to the curve. Even if you have Shorty passenger cars, I think you will find out that several of the buildings will be struck by the cars as they pass on that relatively sharp looking curve. Even some freight cars may prove problematic. It doesn’t look like you have any clearance ,at all, at least in the first aerial shot.

I think the layout i Of the buildings and the street is great, But I’m not sure how many of your engines and cars will make the curve without taking out a building or two. I hope that I’m wrong, but…

Rubin

Looks great, Mark!  And the 3D printing - pretty good, too.

George

I like those buildings Mark. Looks good.

Mark, I was reviewing the last SCARM file I have for your layout. I think you have enough room to add 4 to 6 inches of upper town. At 6 inches the total reach would be 36 inches to the window. A little long but the add could be a drop in so you could easily move it out of the way if necessary.  (Kind of like a pop up section.)  I do think the you should have wider sidewalks and more curve clearance.  Just put in a rectangular section inside the curve.

As I recall the plan was to have 042 minimum curve on top. Not sure what the top flex track curve came out to be. Guessing 3 inches would be plenty for what you are running. Jeff

Is the watch tower new? I thought you had a picnic scene there awaiting a few pine trees. ?

Thank you, Mel, Rubin, George, Tom, Jeff!

Mel, Rubin, you are correct, the church is close to the track.  I slid it out a bit and here is a view with an 18" passenger car.  Yes, still pretty tight. 

The sidewalk could be right up to the building, though I don't really like it.

The rest of the buildings aren't really close.  Yes, this view is by holding the smartphone over the dryer looking through the window with my wife's curtains at the top.  I'll come back to that when I reply to Jeff's comment below.

Jeff, I ended up using 054 curves on the upper level and all over the layout except for the yard lead which has 042.  I made the top level top 32" deep just like the original lower level.  The front edge of the track is about 26" from the edge of the layout.  I could extend the front edge 4 or 6 inches and reach the back of the area I'm scenicing.  If I need to access the track behind the buildings, I can slide out the dryer for access through the window.  I did that to wire the track and switches.  I'll take a good look at how best to extend the town out a few more inches.  Thank you for your observation and suggestion.

The fire tower has been there.  I have some campers there and am planning to plant trees.  So many things to do.    My daughter who did the 3D printing gave me the sasquatch and the produce stand.  I just put them there for the time being, and may move them, though the 'squatch would still be fun approaching the campers. 

Taking Jeff’s suggestion, I mocked up an extension by slipping Bristol board underneath the lift up panels.  Six inches is too far for me to reach at a height of 50”, but 4” works out well.  Now I just need to decide how to best attach the extension and then move things around.

While I was at it, I discovered I can extend the base for the Sanky Wanky Coffee Company too.

Mark, the idea is to have the section easily removable, but big enough so that a house can be completely on the section. 1/2 on 1/2 off is no longer easy to remove. A couple of cleats attached under the stationary section which extend 1/2 to 3/4 out can provide a base to set the extension on. You will probably need an iron "l" bracket on the right side.  Do not make this harder than it needs to be. For power I use stereo banana plugs and 16 gauge lamp cord wire.  Easy to remove, easy to plug back in.

FWIW - One of our student researchers started a company called Electron Inks. They moved to Texas several years ago.  They developed an ink pen which laid down conductive lines. I always thought about using that stuff for wiring buildings. They used to sell an experiment kit for school kids to learn electronics. Kids would draw circuits on paper and apply battery power.  The company is still there, but I am not seeing any of their products being available at the moment.  Would be something to consider in addition to conductive tape.     

Thank you, Jeff.  Yes, doing it easy and making sure buildings don't straddle a seam would be good.  I have some material here I can use.  The stereo plugs would be easy to unplug.  Good idea.  I have heard of  pens that make conductive traces, but have never seen one for real.  That certainly would be easy.

Mark, I have fallen behind on your progress and am now catching up. Life gets in the way of our hobbies sometimes. I love the town progress, I think the street and sidewalk dimensions are spot on. I am going to use these on my town. You will come to love the 3D printing. Nothing has changed the way I model and construct my layout like learning the 3D printing aspect. Don't give up on it. And having your daughter help....Priceless. You can literally make whatever you want with free online programs, and free online stl files, many of which on OGR!  Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!

Mike

Mark, The work looks amazing. I will have to take an evening, make a cup of hot chocolate, and get caught up on your progress.

John Rowlen

Mark, your making things look great! I like the movement of your building and the extension of your bench work! Sorry i didn't comment earlier but will do the best to keep up to speed on your post! Keep up the wonderful work and don't forget to take some time to run your trains!

Guys....the idle chit-chat was deleted.  How many times do we have to ask you guys to stay on topic?  If you want to talk about your diseases, aches and pains, the weather, etc., do so via private messaging!

Thank you, Mike, John, Mike!

I've been working for the last 10 days, a little at a time, on expanding the town area into the aisle by 4 inches as was suggested.  I now have buildings moved back in approximate locations and trains back on tracks.  I cut 8 inch deep sections of the same plywood I had used for the lift ups.  Then I removed each of the lift up panels and removed 4 inches from the front of each.  This was necessary so that the bracket holding the new piece onto the old would lower behind the cross piece the lift ups rest on when lowered.

After both of the lift ups were finished and reinstalled, I added 1x2 bracing to the front of the lift ups.  I attached that to the left side of the roadbed as someone suggested.  I also did a similar extension for the Coffee Company building.  Now everything is nice and solid.  I just replaced buildings in a similar manner and added a house.  That area is probably too crowded, and one building will have to be removed.

Here is a better view of the clearance for the tracks emerging from under the right hand side.  The car carrier with pickups is my highest car.

Here is looking down the street again and looking at clearance in the backs of the buildings.

Thank you for looking.

I'd leave all the buildings onboard; remember, developed/occupied real estate is more tax revenue for the town!

Looks great Mark. You sure have been busy. I have a question though, how hard is it to lift out?

I am with Dave ibwould leave the buildings the way they are right now and let it sink in to see if you like them or want a change.

I like all the buildings together Mark. I think the more you have the more interesting the town becomes. Can’t wait to see tracks in the area! Thanks for sharing.

Mike

Mark I also agree with leaving the buildings as you have them looks great.

Thank you, Dave, Mike, Mike, Rick!

Well, it seems folks say leave the buildings!  Yes, tax revenue!  I was in one Allegheny River town on Saturday and observed how they had crammed so many old buildings into that narrow spot by the river, so I get it!!    Thank you everyone!

Mike g, here are some photographs showing one of the lift ups propped up.  I stuck the buildings on it with loops of painters tape so I could show you.  Lightweight and easy to hold up while I got the stick into position.  The photographs show the underside of construction, and yes I could stand to add some bracing to the plywood.  That will be easy to do.  I wanted to make sure the concept worked.

Here is a better view of the tracks underneath.  Five tracks.  From rear to front:

1. approach track to the grade to the upper level

2. lower level

3. yard track 1

4. yard track 2

5. programming/rip track

Did someone say, “more buildings?”  Here are some more.

Mark thank for the photos and the explanation on how it works.  It sure is looking wonderful!

Thank you, Mike!

I didn’t do much more, but got thinking of how I am going to scenic both ends of this upper level.  Two multi-track tunnel portals of some sort would be in order.  Here is a foam board mock up of one on the right.  Scenery in the form of a hill with a road will be to right of the portal.  I suppose I could extend a fascia of stone to the left of the portal to cover the open area to the left of the portal.  Something to consider.

I’ll address the left side under the Sanky Wanky Coffee building and bridge in the days to come.

@Mark Boyce Good job incorporating ideas from the peanut gallery!  Creating real estate is a fun surprise.  Here in Kansas City there is an abandoned Rock Island bridge over the Kansas River that is being developed into an entertainment venue - they created real estate by building overhanging platforms and a second level on the bridge.  Should be open this summer.  Your hinged access under the town is slick and looks easy to use.

Hhi Mark I like the idea of the wall on the left, you could have ivy running down the wall to make it more realistic.