Easy to bend like that. The issue is when I get up, my leg stays bent like that for a while! Lol! It is called staying in shape and flexibility.
By the way, did Bud say a few screws with fix that. How many more screws is he going to use on this layout? He has it so "screwed up" !
Ted, you are right about keeping in shape, but also about straightening up. Thanks!
Checked out Legacy remote with 180 watt powerhouses wired to TPC 400. Ran a Legacy engine with no issues with that and used the bypass switch we created and ran with the Z4K transformer.
A club member brought down his 259 prewar steamer and road-tested it with Legacy remote and TPC. Ran perfect with TPC which we have set in conventional mode so we have the ability to operate ANY 3 rail trains from 1900 and on to present day trains with a cab-1 or cab-2 remotes.
I guess bending my knees in a funny position has paid dividends to the club.
Temporarily positioned a section of trestle at the north end of the layout in preparation of aligning the bridge abutment. Made a fixture to mount a laser pointer on the trestle and targets to align abutment.
Made the bridge abutment.
Test fit on the layout. Gotta dig out the other bridge from under the layout.
Need to fill some screw holes, paint, line up and install the abutment. Fortunately the Atlas bridges are 5 1/2 inches wide, so a 1 x 6 works well as a vertical support.
Art work on the second backdrop panel continues.
Added filler strip of tile so trestle is supported.
Waitin' for the paint to dry.
Won't be doing much for the next two weekends.
Sep. 9 and 10, OCSMR will be at Railroaders Day running trains at Allaire State Park for the Pine Creek Railroad. Stop by if you're in the area. New Jersey Museum of Transportation website: http://www.njmt.org/
Sep. 16 and 17, Pine Park (our home base) is taken over by the annual Renaissance Faire. Won't be running then since we don't have any medieval trains.
It's looking great, Bud! I like the backdrop!
Great to see your progress!
Glad you like it, Mark. Thank you.
Ted, This the first time I have seen this layout and building. I just checked out the 5 pages on here, all I can say is WOW. This has got to be a labor of love for you. Seems like you did most of the work. You must be retired to spend that much time on this project. Super job. Thanks for sharing it with us on the forum.
Eddie,
The move to there, the renovation and the layout building has been done by most of the club members. Some doing more than others as some have disability/age issues. This is something we have enjoyed over the last 3 years there.
Thanks for the kind words and I expect to see you next month at York,
Ted
Aligned and installed the bridge abutment.
Added outer edge supports for the second level on the south side.
Stated adding supports for the second level.
Ted added some power down drops in case we need them later and continued soldering track joints.
Ted really getting into his work.
Added more supports for the second level.
Painting of the walls and floor of the corridor has begun.
The blue is somewhat darker than the flash pix shows. The "Blue Comet" blue may be a tad dark for the small space of the corridor.
Looking good!
Started installation of the second sheet of plywood.
Waiting for the third sheet of plywood.
Checking fit of the third piece of plywood, locating final cuts and measuring the filler strip to the wall.
Overall view of the upper level. A fourth piece of plywood will be installed in the foreground but will be left out for work on the upper level.
Second and third sheets of plywood have been installed.
Last piece to fit against the wall is installed. Used a piece of plywood from an old layout (the bulk of our layout is built from wood recycled from old, disassembled layouts).
Awaiting a portal and abutments.
Next is to lay tile (only where track will be installed), paint and lay track.
Some train runnin'.
Ted's UP SD-70 and Dan's NYC Mohawk.
My new President's LionChief Mikado pulling some beer cars. Tried loading the LionChief Bluetooth App but my not-so-smart phone has a memory problem (just like the user). The App worked fine on a tablet we have, though felt that throttle response was slow. Was able to increase the sounds volume since the App is apparently the only way to do so.
Laying tile on the upper level.
Ted performing a quality check on the bonding ability of the tile adhesive. Tastes like chicken.
Painting the installed tiles.
Waiting for the paint to dry so track location can be drawn. Installed only enough tiles for track installation. Will complete tiling after all track work is done.
Whats the purpose of the tile
We're using the ceiling tile instead of Homasote. Installed finished side down. Not quite as good as Homasote but is less expensive.
As soon as Bud lays out some train lines, track from where we ended will be laid and screwed down to the bridge. From there will be a straight run on the back wall on the wooden trestle from the old layout.
That all sounds good, Ted and Budd! I have heard of folks using ceiling tile instead of Homasote, and I can see it would work fairly well at a lower cost. That would especially help on a large layout like this.
Mark,
The decision to use ceiling tiles vs homosote was the cost factor. Our club president decided on ceiling tiles even though some of us have used homosote on our own layouts and it proves to be much more sturdier and track screws stay quite firmly into it. Bud and I were not happy with the cost decision to go with the tiles which are easier to cut but either way, they both still make some dust when cutting.
So far, we have used about 10 cases of ceiling tiles on the layout and probably need 2 more cases as what the nutty track professor aka Bud, claims.
Bud will say that I am the "nutty ceiling tile glue man" testing out its strength but he holds the "nutty track screws" title hands down!
Ted,
That is the way with a club, you may not agree with an aspect of the project, but go along with the group. Cost is always a consideration. I use Homasote, but I have always had small layouts, so cost isn't a big deal.
Sounds like you have more than one nutty professor. Maybe we are all a bit nutty!
Mark - I estimated cost of Homasote vs. ceiling tiles around $100 - $150. Other considerations were weight of a Homasote sheet and using our geriatric crew to carry them down the stars to the basement. Also, argument was that dust from cutting would require the carrying the Homasote back up the stairs to cut. Granted the sheets are heavy but I cut Homasote for a club members layout with a battery powered saw that created fine dust with a pile of "fluffy" dust (had to do with the speed of the saw and number of teeth).
One big advantage for the ceiling tiles is that they are 2 x 4 feet and very easy to handle. Disadvantage is that the tiles don't have good compressive strength and dent very easily especially when crawling over them (at least with my bulk - guess from consuming of too may nuts). Big question is whether or not the vertical supports will be supported enough over time and use (tried to use as large a footprint as possible). We've experienced compression of the tiles when tightening track screws down (apparently mostly from your truly) and having to shim the track in those areas.
Bud,
I can agree with all of that. I don't like the weight of Homasote, but agree I would like the strength. I used to move a 4 x 8 sheet myself. Now at 61, I'll cut it in smaller pieces to move. I have never built a layout deep enough to have to crawl on it, but I sure wouldn't want to crawl over ceiling tile.
Mark - Because of the denting, you don't need knee pads to crawl on the ceiling tile.
Good point, Bud!!
I just read the 5 pages of posts and I have to say what a fun and interesting Layout. Has the club ever thought about a YouTube video page? It's free and easy to set up & would give your layout even more exposure to possible new members.
Other considerations were weight of a Homasote sheet and using our geriatric crew to carry them down the stairs to the basement.
Geriatric crew? There are some and there are the few semi-geriatric crew which I believe I am the president of that crew. Easy to carry a homosote sheet up and down the stairs. LOL!
Definitely a member of the geriatric crew, though not the oldest. Age is...4B in hex.
Did final checking clearances going into the trestle under the bridge. Checked with my Pennsy S1 and Ted's C&O EM1. The S1 had no clearance issues. The EM1 appeared to pass until the decking hit (located near the bottom of the boiler front), needed about an eighth of an inch more clearance. Going the opposite way (leaving the trestle) was no interference.
Moved the trestle about an eighth of an inch. Can't move much more because clearance becomes a problem on the other side of the trestle for looonng cars. May have to restrict the direction of big overhang engines to only leaving the trestle.
Our artist Johnbrandt finishing up the second scenery panel.
Laid out the track locations on the upper level to the trestle and replaced the bridges. The track crew can start laying track when they're available, which may be a bit since club members will be helping to set up the O-gauge display for the Monmouth Museum this week.
And, just runnin' trains.
The S1 taking the grade.
Where's Ted?
More runnin'...
It's coming along nicely! Where's Ted? Yes, I didn't see him until I saw your question, then went back and saw him. 
Later on, I saw the problem with moving the trestle any more. Yes, may need to be a restricted track! Johnbrandt is doing a great job! Looks like lots of fun now that you can run some really nice trains a bit!!
You guys have an awesome club layout I salute you for your hardwork, it looks like fun too! I wish I had a club like this in the seacoast NH area near my home.
Mark Boyce posted:It's coming along nicely! Where's Ted? Yes, I didn't see him until I saw your question, then went back and saw him.
Thanks, Mark!
In a few weeks time, we will be installing the second panel on the South Wall. Also, we'll be installing the two other panels to that wall BEFORE they are painted.
So, keep your eyes peeled for more to come.
Johnbrandt
Moved the trestle about an eighth of an inch. Can't move much more because clearance becomes a problem on the other side of the trestle for looonng cars. May have to restrict the direction of big overhang engines to only leaving the trestle.
No restrictions here. The senior track and layout engineer will have to unscrew up his screw up. Guess we will have to cut that one trestle back about an 1/8" or my EM-1 will mow it down on its own!
We will be setting up the Monmouth Museum annual train layout display this week which is located at the Brookdale Community College. Their layout operates for about 5 weeks starting late November until early January when we take it all down.
John T. posted:Mark Boyce posted:It's coming along nicely! Where's Ted? Yes, I didn't see him until I saw your question, then went back and saw him.
Thanks, Mark!
In a few weeks time, we will be installing the second panel on the South Wall. Also, we'll be installing the two other panels to that wall BEFORE they are painted.
So, keep your eyes peeled for more to come.
Johnbrandt
I'll be looking for them, John!!!
Had a bit of rain today and Mother Nature decided to give us a new water feature on the O-gauge layout. Some of the layout got wet but most water ran down onto the floor. Doesn't look too bad and will probably dry out.
Source of the water was due to the lack of a down spout from the roof. Tried to divert the water. A new roof is being installed and the roofers haven't installed the downspouts yet. The white cover in the pic is for the split HVAC system. The waterfall (downspout location) is just to the left of it.
The clean-up crew led by Johnbrandt did a good job of mopping up the water. John commented that the mop was not the broad brush he expected to be using tonight. The heater and dehumidifier should dry up the remaining lake residue.
Oh oh!! What bad timing!! I'm glad you avoided damage; just a lot of mopping up.
We had downpours over the weekend and with a power outage, our church sump pump didn't come back on, thus the basement youth room flooded Sunday night. Now I'm glad we have one of the rare houses here on a slab and at the top of a big hill.
We usually had a leak on the corner of the wall on the right by the coffee pot. That was caused by the handicap ramp built up to the door sill level without provision for drainage. That didn't leak there even though water had puddled.
Here's an earlier pic of the downspout (on the left) from a couple of years ago. Was probably original to the building from 1927.
The roofing contractor still needs to install the downspouts. Wasn't too happy that the roofing contractor hadn't installed the new roof during nicer weather. There was leak in the boiler room and is due to the downspout not being connected in the corner of the ell.
The upper right hand corner is where the leak was from the side entrance door.
Rain is predicted for next week. If the downspouts are not installed, we'll have to keep an eye out for additional leaks.
Roofing contractor installed downspouts. Supposedly, the contractor will extend the discharge farther away from the building.
The Track Laying Crew put their best end...er...effort in laying track on the upper level.
Look I removed a screw. The Wrecking Crew led by Ted had to modify the height of the bridge abutments. Somehow, gremlins made them about and eighth of an inch too high (seems that dimension crops up a lot). Had to do some demolition in removing the abutments and shortening them. After that, all was well (except for the requisite commentary by the Wrecking Crew).
Ted makes the completes the connection of track 3 to the bridge. The other half of the crew, Tom, had to leave saying something about leaves calling him (don't know what that meant, guess something was blowing in the wind).
Meanwhile, the rest of the trestle was being installed. Had to repair some minor damage.
After cleaning the track, test ran the Conrail SD-45.
Views along the trestle. The last section of the trestle was not installed. It'll have to be modified to fit when the elevated section on the north side is installed.
The second scenery panel is finished and will be installed soon.
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