UPDATE: WE ARE LIVE !!! - Office Lobby Shelf Layout

Neal, nice!  Looking good.  The layout will be great.  Is that an AIU in the first pic?  I've never felt the need for one on either layout.  Love to hear how you like it.

You've seen my double-tracked, 8 X 10's, with the 1 1/2 inch clearance to the edge.  In five years, the only way anything fell was when I was talking instead of looking and one train caught up to the other on the same track.  Being O gauge, there are numerous derailments, especially in the first year.  Since then, all those little track issues have been resolved.  BTW, after falling six feet to a very hard tile floor, the only things that have ever broken were those cheap plastic trucks on the old Lionel stuff from the 80's.  Haven't had one in years, but, I was amazed the cars themselves always survive completely intact.

Your trains look great up there.  The CP holiday train is always cool to see.  Have you considered a backdrop to hide the brackets?

Keep them coming, it's fun to see the progress. 

Jerry

Here's the first video of the CP Holiday Train on the loop.  For some reason the lights on the stage boxcar stopped working sometime between last night & this AM.  Wasn't touched in the interim.  

Very nice setup.

Good job!

Nothing like when you get em running, after all the planning and work.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the video.   Love those long curves.  The train is running nice and smooth, and that bridge looks great up there.

Nice! I hear CSN singing  "It's Been a Long Time Comin' "  You can have some fun with it now - perhaps a candid camera to catch some patrons reactions.

You did a great job building at such high altitudes!!  I found it difficult building mine, and haven't gone back to fix all the little things that I should.  I'm going to blame it on the thin air working over 11,000 feet!! 

Congratulations and welcome to Airborne railroading.

Got the main safety wire up today - just got about 60' (will have PLENTY left over) of 1/16" galvanized wire off the spool at Home Depot.  Able to get adequate tension by hand & coarse enough to secure easily w/screws & washers. 

Don't want to forget the back side....

Now time to finish what will be the main line, & start adding some buildings, too!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, & a Happy New Year to all!

- Neal

Nice job on the guard wires!

Wow, can't believe I uploaded this to YouTube & forgot to post here. 

CP Holiday Train - 1st run!

Can't remember how to embed the video in the post, but I got the link.  Christmas train is switched out now, should have video soon of what's currently running.    Thanks again for the help & interest with this project, & enjoy!

- Neal

Neal,

Excellent choice for first run.  I can believe not posting until now.  My guess is you were too busy with other things.  I was!

Yeah, that's the downside to rural internet, I guess.  Took several hours to upload, and had moved onto other holiday craziness (and work) by the next morning.  Uploading another one today, though, so should have more to share soon!

- Neal

Yes Internet speeds do vary.  More video! Sounds great, Neal!

NYC Century Green E8s & Empire State Express.

What a handsome train!

Got the TIU & AIU wall mounted.  Got the LEGACY CAB-2 hooked in, too, though now the WIU seems to be having issues.  Will try to program in some 3rd Rail TMCC engines. 

Once all the command stuff is situated I'll finish fitting the front track and clean up some of the XS wiring.  Then I'll get some 1" & 2" foam board to shape for several of the corners & wire the buildings.  Still thinking about doing 3 sets of corner boards: spring/summer, fall, & winter. 

- Neal

Sounds great, Neal.  You are doing it first rate!  I’m not seeing the photograph however 

Yes, Neal.  The image is not displaying.  Nice looking video and NYC engine.

Jerry

Interesting.  It's showing up for me.  Will try to re-post. 

Did that work (above)?

Neal, Now I see it!  You have made a nice, neat installation.  What are you going to be controlling with the AIU?  I have not ventured into that aspect of DCS as of yet.

With the AUI I plan to control the two switches as well as the lights of the several buildings for the layout.  Nothing fancy, as of yet.  Maybe eventually one of those MTH operating water towers to top up the engines....  

That sounds great!!  It would be handy to control the switches at least since they are way up in the air!

.

Very nicely done Neal.  I love your safety rail.  Very ingenious using eye lag screws for the stanchions. 

Mark - indeed, though being 6'4" I can manually throw them w/out difficulty if needed. 

Nick - Thanks!  That was a suggestion of another forum member.  Initially I had hoped to find shorter ones, but seeing them installed w/the trains running I'm glad they're as tall as they are. 

- Neal 

Neal, I’m 5’ 11’ and could reach the switches, but decided to take them out more because of track alignment on jogs in the wall on two adjacent walls.  It was too much of a hassle in my room.

So...there has been an unanticipated side effect to the layout.  Much to my enjoyment (and wife's dismay), people have started to bring in or talk about bringing in, old train-related stuff they no longer use or need.  My first gift arrived earlier this week - a photo print of a B&O 2-8-0 Consolidation. 

The client said it was taken in the 1920s, but not much else known, & nothing written on the back.  A quick search on rrpicturearchives.net seems to suggest it would be an E16 class, though there are only 2 photos of such an engine in the collection that I found, and they're both from the other side.  Still, a lot of the subtle details seem to match, & the time period of those photos is consistent w/this one. 

- Neal

Have to bump this thread.  Can't believe that I never saw this one before with me building a ceiling layout.  It came across as a search result.

Great job Neal and I enjoyed reading all of the posts (many from folks who are helping me on my own ceiling expedition) from Step 1 to the the completion.   .  I liked the use of the eye lag screws and wire instead of Lexan/PlexiGlas for flying train protection.  Great idea!.

Amfleet25124 posted:

Have to bump this thread.  Can't believe that I never saw this one before with me building a ceiling layout.  It came across as a search result.

Great job Neal and I enjoyed reading all of the posts (many from folks who are helping me on my own ceiling expedition) from Step 1 to the the completion.   .  I liked the use of the eye lag screws and wire instead of Lexan/PlexiGlas for flying train protection.  Great idea!.

You can get plastic coated cable too for more scratch resistance. (hvac and plumbing supply house item.... only maybe at a bigbox)