I'll be glad to see everyone all 'repaired' and back at work on the layout. I just got my left knee 'oiled' again this morning. By 'oiled' I mean I got my second of three Euflexxa shots. 
LocoBudd posted:Not much activity construction wise. Mostly due to Thanksgiving. Still need to get additional plywood.
Some scenery panels were given to us by a fellow O-gauger who was dismantling his layout.
Wow! Great backdrop.
NH Joe
Hobbled into the club at my usual fashionable time.
The "Wrecking Crew" (Bob, Jack, Ted and Tom) accomplished quite a bit. Got the corner piece cut as needed. Pic of the underside, the trains will see as they pass under.
Cut the straight pieces connecting the curved sections of the ramp and located.
Next will be installing supports for the corner section and the ramp. The corner supports with be checked with Ted's "Golden" Standard Big Boy for any clearance problems before buttoning down the corner section.
Johnbrandt was also busy with continuing the painting of the back drop.
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Hobbled into the club at my usual fashionable time.
Yep, the crew of highly accredited apprentices were patiently awaiting the arrival of their professor. A lot of work got accomplished today as the crew whipped the professor into mental jaw action while his crew did all the heavy dirty work!
We are once again chugging along down the line towards completion.
Bud, Ted, and crew, I'm glad to see you are back in action!!!
Friday nite went over a club members house to run some trains.
Here's Ted with his "new" baby the Big Boy.
Checked the Big Boy's clearance coming thru the portal on a 120 curve.
A few more pix of Joe's layout. The architect is someone who's been know to really "screw-up" a layout.
A vintage Lionel dealer crossing signal display was donated to our club by a relative of the long closed Hazlet Train Stop.
Johnbrandt painted more of the backdrop on the south wall. Plus, the elevated section has been closed and covered with tile and awaits painting.
The elevated plywood covering the NW corner was installed.
The crew made great strides in assembling the ramp sections and supports. Half of the vertical supports were positioned. Before final installation, will have to cut into the layout where the ramp comes down in back of the roundhouse.
Had to reposition the first support and was a bit short since it no longer was under the joiner. Ted's solution to clamp the shim while the glue dries.
Someone is going to be busy at remedial spelling school. Has something to do with marking the color of a paint can conrete.
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The crew is back working so fast with the expertise of our "screwed up" layout designer, architect and builder, Bud, making suggestions and giving us explicit directions on installing the lines 3 and 4 ramp. We were going so fast, his bum knee got the exercise it needed, he was able to climb the steps there "in a single bound".
I found the paint can to be used on the unpainted ceiling tiles and our professor named it "conrete" color, not concrete? Think he needs to go back to school.
Nice Big Boy, Ted!! Looks like the crew is making progress no matter what obstacles they face! Don't over use the bum knee too fast!!
Mark,
Bud has the bum knee but seems to be getting better. The crew is determined to get the track finished.
Ted,
I admire everyone’s energy!
I hope Bud gets his knee feeling better! I just had the last of my shots in my left knee. Since my wife needs another knee replaced, and the dog hurt her ACL, I can appreciate the trouble bad knees cause!
Mark - Thanks for the concern. Had fluid removed from my right knee. Recovery has its ups and downs. Trying not to overdo it. Generally, knee seems to be slowly getting better.
Bud,
You had fluid taken off and I jus had my third shot to add lubricating fluid. Glad to hear yours seems to be getting better
Mark - Too bad we hadn't gotten together. I had plenty of excess fluid. The left knee was dry.
LocoBudd posted:Mark - Too bad we hadn't gotten together. I had plenty of excess fluid. The left knee was dry.
That’s right! Just pump it out of yours into mine!
Had a good sized crew today consisting of Al, Bob, Jack and Tom. Bob painted the south upper level. Tom and Jack concentrated on fastening the ramp and supports. Later moved onto cutting into the layout for the "up" transition at the end of the ramp.
Jack cutting into the plywood "bridges" over layout supports with his Multi-Tool.
The result of the surgery. Had to hack away part of a support to allow clearance for the connecting doubler.
The final result.
Have to add tiling, paint and lay track. Tho, there is some tweaking to do on the end of the upper level before it can be connected to the trestle.
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It's amazing what gets done when the vice president goes away for the weekend. Looking good. Guess we will start cutting ceiling tiles.
Johnbrandt sitting down on the...er...working on the backdrop.
With the help of Ed, re-aligned right support, added filler to left support, and installed fascia to hide the plywood and tile edges of the upper level.
Edge and supports of upper level still need to be filled and painted before final installation of the trestle.
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Budd,
In my line of work, an artist can do his/her magic in any position.
If it worked for Michelangelo, it can work for me!
Great analogy, John! Great work!!
Thank you, Mark.
With Bob as a crew of one, we got a fair amount of work done. Ted was at his daughters building a crib. Jack made a cameo visit to drop off a track spacing tool and hovered over the cutting of the trestle (wish I would have taken some pix...oh well).
Fascia and supports at the trestle end were painted. The trestle was cut and trial fitted. Will install after a clearance test with Ted's "golden" Big Boy.
Tiles were cut and installed (with screws of course) on the upper level and the ramp.
The southern end upper level and serves as Johnbrandt's work area. Hope he doesn't have any problems with urban development when the track work is done. Michelangelo apparently didn't have that problem with painting the Sistine Chapel. His biggest problem was the Pope.
Entrance to the tunnel at the other end of the northern level.
Will probably have a portal similar to this.
The two track portal on the southern end will probably be similar to this.
Next will be painting the ramp and upper level, laying out the curves at the end of the trestle (curves will start more than half-way into the first bay), and finish laying track (about 130-140 feet total for the trestle and ramp).
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Thank you for the great update Bud!!
Wow Bud, you and Bob got a lot done yesterday. I might bring the golden big boy down today for another trial run while the museum is open.
I can only imagine how Jack was "hovering" over the work progress like Trump's drone spying on the Russians!
Think we need to get another can of gray paint and get that done so Bud can draw his track lines. The expert track laying crew is patiently waiting.
LocoBudd posted:The southern end upper level and serves as Johnbrandt's work area. Hope he doesn't have any problems with urban development when the track work is done. Michelangelo apparently didn't have that problem with painting the Sistine Chapel. His biggest problem was the Pope.
With any luck and timing, Budd, I should be done with trees in the third panel before urban develpment does begin.
The big boy was tested out today on line 1 and passed the "Bud" test so the last trestle can be screwed down into place and the trestle track can be secured. Painting of the ramp to be done on Thursday and ready for the "Bud" to lay down the track lines so the expert track laying crew can commence operations.
As for Johnbrandt, better finish those trees quickly ad urban development will be starting soon when the housing applications have been approved by the Dennis and Bud administration.
Also to be done is the corner pop ups to be installed.
Passed the Bud test! Things are moving right along!
Today, gave a special tour of the O-Gauge and HO-Gauge layouts to a Cub Scout Troop.
Here're a few candid shots of the O-Gauge layout tour.
Ran a special train for the Scouts.
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That's great you ran trains for the scouts!! The BSA train looks great!! I wish I had a mentor to get a railroading merit badge when I was in scouts. We didn't know anyone. I was a lone wolf modeler way back then!! The overview photographs of the layout are great!
The upper completed ramp gets painted on Thursday with some track wiring being soldered for better connections. Once the paint dries, our nutty track professor can scribe his pencil lines so the track laying crew can commence operations and complete tracks 3 and 4. Soldering of those rails and wiring after that. We should have all lines operating within the next 3 weeks.
Tom finished the supports and removable cover over the pop-up in the northwest corner (area where the trestle meets the upper level). Plans are to recreate the military funeral scene we had on our old layout in the corner in honor of one of our members who passed several years ago. Here's a pic of the scene from our old layout.
Fastened most of the curved track on the ramp around the roundhouse. Relatively easy since it's preformed.
Ted was lowering the ground throws on the switches on those where the pin wasn't long enough to stay in the crossbar and then painting the bare wood black (as in the pic above), and adding ground throws where needed.
Located the centers and track locations for the track coming off the trestle. Ted did the marking with the trammel.
Marked up the rest of the ramp, locating track for straights and curves.
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Keep up the good work, men! It is really shaping up!!
Ted great effort by the club~!!!. Hope you have a club / OGR FOrum open house some day. I'd make the trip from Long Island
I was thinking the same as Steve, but it’s 300 miles one way
L.I.Train (Steve) - We are having an Open House on Sunday, April 8th from 12 to 4 pm. Hope you can make it.
Mark - The Blue Comet's down for restoration. So, an excursion to pick you up is not possible at this time. Wish you could be here.
LocoBudd posted:L.I.Train (Steve) - We are having an Open House on Sunday, April 8th from 12 to 4 pm. Hope you can make it.
Mark - The Blue Comet's down for restoration. So, an excursion to pick you up is not possible at this time. Wish you could be here.
Blue Comet! Wouldn’t that be a great trip?! Thank you! It’s the thought that counts!!
You guys have made great progress since our visit back in October. 
BTW, the one pic. of Ted explaining things with no one listening is priceless. Ted: Get a few pointers on talking to kids from your daughter. LOL!! 
Ted making the curved track connection to the switch on track 3.
Finished installation of curve to track 3 switch. Bit of an overhang of the track on the trestle. Couldn't be avoided and should be okay. Track 4 will also overhang.
Bob aligning ties so track 4 can be fastened to the trestle cross supports.
Finished the curves on the ramp around the roundhouse and left the last piece of track loose so track being installed down the ramp can be connected.
As far was we got with track 3 on the downside. Bob fastened the track 4 track on the trestle. Just a couple of feet to go.
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Spent some time working with Tom. Ted had to spend some time at that radio station WORK. Tom made the final track connection on track 3. It's now a complete loop.
Found some black wire (to blend in with the trestle) and connected the section of track 3 on the trestle between the switches which will also serve as a siding later. Ran the BBW Conrail SD-45 on as much of track 3 as is powered without a problem. Still need at least one additional power drop and a jumper or two.
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We will commence track laying operation on this Thursday on loop number 4 and get that completed by this weekend. Next will be track wiring and ballasting with some temporary scenery work being done in preparation of our open house on Sunday, April 8th.
More pictures to follow.
Ted and Tom completed the track work on track 4 but left a joint needing fastening on the ramp.
Yours truly and Tom installing the final golden spikes...er screws on track 4 at our Honorary Promontory Point.
Made the final electrical connection to track 3 on the ramp and added some jumpers across the switches by the station. Still have to make a panel for the sidings and power them. The WBB SD-45 was, once again, called to test the track. Nice to see a train run the full loop. Next is wiring track 4.
Buildings and accessories were dug out of their boxes and started cropping up on the layout.
If in the area, stop by the Manalapan Community Center for the Train Show. See the thread above this one.
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