The "Encourage Others Challenge": Post a picture of your layout...how many will post???

Beautiful detail TRUMPTRAIN as well as everyone else, it's so hard for me to imagine having the patience to create such level of detail,  maybe I'll get there someday..

Jeff

@trumpettrain posted:

Scenes along the Mountain Division of the Free State Junction Railway.

Patrick, yes, your photos are superb as well... "Chained Log flatcars and Coal cars and Switchers, Oh MY!" (hmmm have to look at the Maynerds site for an 8 pack of flatcars (I just love the pattern of same cars, Oil Tamkers or Boxcars or Auto Transports or COAL or ORE), and go find some birch branches to cut to size and logging chains.. and weathering and a SWITCHER, and and and Dang, tonight is the addiction to buying trains support group too. So little time, so many great ideas ya'll have

Lionelski, Finally, you’ve posted some great pictures of your awesome layout and I like it. I can picture you standing at your control panel behind that massive row of transformers and switch controllers having a True Blast. A little humor. Your layout is a great Encouragement to those entering this fun hobby. Trumptrain, your colorful layout is also Encouraging to those that are coming into the hobby, it’s action packed with lots of interesting scenes, lots of Workers, and Clifford, your layout is especially Encouraging to those considering jumping into this great hobby, very detail oriented, NCDAVE, your layout is also very nice, super interesting, and well scenicked, with a unique switching siding, also there’s a long orange car behind a coal car, wonder what it is? Possibly a propane car? This is a fun thread to read, Happy Railroading Everyone

Aww shucks LeapinLarry, thanks for the kind comments!

Hey Leapinlarry! Thanks for the nice words! The car behind the coal car is a K-Line 16 wheel Bethlehem Steel pipe transport car. K-Line sure made interesting rolling stock.

On 2/16 I posted a couple of pics of Warrenville. Here are a few taken from a different perspective, the back.

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on the coach shown in the 2nd pic, reading Greenberg's Guide to Lionel Trains - Accessories, and I looked up and said to myself: "Self, Holy Sugar, did I really do that?" I did, starting in 1983.

The last pic shows part of The Alcove - Gilbert Flyer on the upper level travels through my workshop and back. The lower level is a very tight O27 loop with a string of short giraffe and operating horse cars. The Alcove used to be a closet only 24 inches deep - O27 fits only because it squeezes between the studs on the front wall

The whole story is in the "About Warrenville" section of my website.

John, great looking layout and comfy room! I bet you don't even have to leave the house! I wish mine was like that instead of going out to the garage/train room. But any how here is a very shot video of the train room.

@mike g. posted:

......... But any how here is a very shot video of the train room.

Mike your room has certainly come a long way. It just seems like a few months ago you were working on the bench work and now look at the railroad empire you and the CEO has created. Keep enjoying adding those finishing touches and run your trains.

@Rich Wiemann posted:

Mike your room has certainly come a long way. It just seems like a few months ago you were working on the bench work and now look at the railroad empire you and the CEO has created. Keep enjoying adding those finishing touches and run your trains.

Thanks Rich, it sure is fun to build, but some times very trying also. Some days I just go into the train room and just run trains!

@mike g. posted:

John, great looking layout and comfy room! I bet you don't even have to leave the house! I wish mine was like that instead of going out to the garage/train room. But any how here is a very shot video of the train room.

Thanks Mike.

If I had a bathroom down there I would never come upstairs! Due to years of expansions, other than a folding chair at the controls, the couch is the only place left to sit. I used to be able to have a train night a couple times a year with a dozen or so friends. Six people now are bumping into each other.

Thanks for the video too, looks like any trip to your garage/train room is well worth it

@Lionelski posted:

Thanks Mike.

If I had a bathroom down there I would never come upstairs! Due to years of expansions, other than a folding chair at the controls, the couch is the only place left to sit. I used to be able to have a train night a couple times a year with a dozen or so friends. Six people now are bumping into each other.

Thanks for the video too, looks like any trip to your garage/train room is well worth it

Thanks John, once I get into the garage its not to bad. I have heat in the garage and train room, a coffee pot, microwave and a small fridge with plenty of coors! Oh and a BATHROOM! LOL

Attached are some photos of my Lionel D-165 1956 dealer display reproduction.  The 665, part of the 2257WS outfit, is my first train, given to me by my dad in December, 1956 when I was just 3 months old!  He started me early.  The layout was built using original Lionel construction methods where possible.  Unfortunately, the track plan is incorrect for the production layouts (it is correct for the prototype shown in the 1956 Dealer Display catalog) since I didn't have access to the instruction sheets when I built the layout.  Lionel made significant changes to the track plan when they made the production layouts.  The special dealer display billboards are reproductions I created in PowerPoint.

A couple of shots inside the building with display layouts going in

Different incarnations of the same room. Currently have my D-400 stacked above my 2020 Lionel Military display, as I begin construction on a new 4 x 8 D-264/190 hybrid layout.

Panoramic view

Wow!  Jagrick that is some train room. Looks like you  have some empty shelves on the back wall to fill up! 8-)

Jeff

Yes I have filled in some will post more recent photos

Wish I had that kind of space to work with..

Jeff

I had to complete a huge honey do list plus commit to future list to get the building built.

Sstill adding things and rearranging

My 44 year old switching and operating, conventional controlled, 50's era, 027 layout has 31 Marx 1590 switches, oval and figure 8, two loop dog bone, homemade turntable, wye and 10 operating accessories.

Charlie

Homemade $10 turntable, that  works with red knob and crank disk below, and $10 round house

Our layout has to be photographed in sections.

The city of Christopolis.

The North Pole in the foreground and the Disney Park (castle) in the far end of the middle level. The small village on the top level of Mount Carroll.

The suburban town of Terryville on the main platform level.

These photos are of the last functional iteration of our layout. The layout is currently undergoing a complete makeover that is taking quite a while to complete.

Layout in progress…….started in 2022……pictures are from late May…….my plan is to be pretty much done, sometime in 2025……..

Have a great and safe week, everyone!

Peter

Had forgotten about this thread - some great photos to review

@c.sam posted:

Had forgotten about this thread - some great photos to review

I love that top photo. It’s wall art.

I started my layout in the fall of 2021 when I retired. After 2 expansions, it was completed in early 2024. I’m sure I’ll continually make minor scenery changes but for the most part I’m happy with it.

Gene

@Roger Wasson posted:

I (and MANY others) will be missing this fabulous layout ... ranked among the best in the country!

This is the 2nd layout (and last) that I have built in this house having built 3 others in previous home. It is a walk around layout with 2 walkways to the center on each side. (24’ X 32’) My only regret was I wish I had done a better job with wiring. It got complicated as you continue to add accessories and then have to supply power to run them.

That being said, everything runs great including Legacy & DCS.😊

My favorite section of my layout is this area called Mel's Gap after Forum friend Melgar. I am still adding detail and color. The village of Maybrook is to the right.

Its Father's Day and last night the 24 hours of Le Mans had a 4-hour safety car period so not much action to watch so I had time to read all of the posts. This is a fantastic thread with a wide variety of layouts and themes.  A really enjoyable read and thank you all for posting.  Also nice to remember a few members that are no longer with us like Big Boy 4005 and his "My dream/nightmare layout".

I have two layouts, one of which is in a small bedroom. It is my homage to 027.  The hutch is used as a display case.   I added the lights and converted two of the shelves to glass to allow light to shine on the lower shelves.   I enjoy restoring old Lionel equipment.  There are so many ways to enjoy this hobby!

Some day, I will want to add a backdrop and repaint the switch to a darker shade of grey. I loved the patina of the vintage 027 track.  I added the ballast and track ties, the lower profile of 027 track gives is a scale look.   

Yes, what a great topic, what a great hobby, and @Roger Wasson , you are a true ambassador of this hobby, Im sorry that I haven’t been to see your layout in person, it’s truly a great layout. Happy Fathers Day to all.

I'm glad to see this topic appear again.  I saw someone had liked a comment that talked about someone's daughter getting married and he was going to take over her old room for a layout.  Then I realized it was my comment from 2016!!  Well, 8 years later, here it is.

This corner is the last area of my layout to be de-grassmatified. My computer has alerted me with a squiggly red underline that I misspelled "de-grassmatified" so I'll just say that this is the area where I replaced the last vestiges of grass mat with the rocky outcroppings in the center and to the left toward the back. This happened several months ago, but it was a great moment in railroading history. Not as great as the meeting of the rails at Promontory Point, but yeah, kinda almost.

Here’s one of mine!

Welcome to Basement Railroad Museum....