Progress on my new Ivor-themed layout

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lionel...;hash=item3ccd4e2c22

I'd think one of these would make a dandy Ivor.  Cut off the smokebox and steam chest, put a stack where the bell is, fabricate some side tanks.  

Agreed, Brakeman. I liked using Percy as a starting point, but the docksider could definitely work. 

Doug.. looks like your having fun.  I love it!

Recent updates of Ivor's layout.Here he is ready to leave his shed. 

Stopping for water at the adapted MTH water column 

Waiting for Owen the Signal. 

New fire apparatus in Llaniog. 

Coming into Llaniog to get the day's work. Reconfigured the siding. Might add a second one - which isn't 'prototypical' but would be convenient. 

After Ivor leaves...

Under the pedestrian bridge and past the gatehouse... That's a Dodge dashboard switch that triggers the Gateman.

Next stop Pugh's Fuels (better known as Pugh's Pit). 

We have great fun using the AF coal elevator by MTH now that we took it apart to re-wind the cabling. It is powered separately by an R transformer.  That's a hand-powered pre-war #96 coal loader. 

Next we visit Mrs. Porty's manse. She's the eccentric owner of the line, and Ivor is friends with her donkey, Bluebell behind the wall on the left. The best representative of Mrs. Porty we've found is, of all things, a Scrooge figure. 

Next, we drop off a new pair of boots for Mr. Dinwiddy at his mine.  We use a kite string holder to represent the winding wheels for his mine carts. That's an oversize MILW box car from a defunct K-Line battery powered O gauge set.

You might be able to make out the iron pyrite that represents all of Dinwiddy's gold... 

After passing through a long tunnel, we come to Smoke Hill, an extinct volcano that is now home to a few small Welsh dragons.

Smoke hill is based on Lionel's WW2 pylon, with small red plastic animals representing the 'red hot dragons' 

Next, it's a stop in Grumby Town where Ivor is a member of the choir. He's just in time for practice. 

After practice, Ivor runs past Portmadog Road Shed where he meets the main line in my version of his world. That's an MTH single stall engine house with a Hornby wagon and brake van to the fore. 

Finally we curve around to pick up some eggs at Pugh's Farm. Fake fur and pipe cleaners for the crops.

The hay stacks are little concrete cones used to weigh down bunches of balloons. The animals by the barn and in the foreground are by Dinky and Corgi.  

Doug...somehow I have missed this thread.  WOW!!!....you and your kids are really having fun!  This is exactly how the hobby should be....you really represent the spirit of how the trains should be enjoyed....

Thanks,

Alan

The layout from one corner... The R is powering the AF coal elevator and an old Soundmaster to give Ivor some chuff. 

Looking the opposite way by the Portmadog Shed. Can't wait for a Percy with Lionel's new remote control. 

Finally, here is an experiment with 'skywriting' 

Keeps looking better and better.

I got inspired to work on Grumbly Town this weekend, to improve Ivor's access to one of his few industrial customers, Grumbly Gasworks, and free up some buildings to enhance Llaniog, which is currently only represented by Dai's station and is right in the front of the layout. Grumbly and its predecessor towns has pretty much been the same in one of the back corners since many layouts ago. So I mostly had to take up all the extension cords and  lighting cords for the ceramic houses. This is 'before': 

And this is after (I still want to add a few lights): 

Added some lights to Grumbly Town, then placed the ceramic buildings and accessories from Grumbly, plus trees taken from around Ivor's shed to the now-expanded Llaniog. 

Buildings look good Doug!

Several episodes of Ivor the Engine feature elephants (from Charlie Banger's Circus which winters along his line). I've been on the look-out for some - and they're usually expensive or in a strange pose. Fortunately, I found a few at Michaels today. 

Doug, what is the footprint of the MTH single-stall shed?  All the ads only say it's 24"x5-1/2"x13-1/2", I need to know the width and length of the base.

I'll measure it tonight when I get home from work.

Thanks Doug, thinking about buying one if it'll fit where I want.  My LHS has 2 in stock for a good price.

Bob, the base of the engine house is exactly 24 inches long and 8 1/4 inches wide.

Thanks Doug, I should have room for it

I thought the 5-1/2" (maybe a typo?) didn't seem right and the 13-1/2" seemed too much for the width.

It must be a typo. It made me go back to check - definitely at least 8 inches from outer edge to outer edge of the base 

Doug, Your quick response prompted me to get down to my LHS and pick one up this morning .  I've already weathered it a bit and have an engine inside with the lights on

Picked up a couple other things while I was there, some tunnel portals and a molex connector set to replace the rig I made when I hooked my PH 180 to my TIU.