Train Room 04/18/2022 update

Sure looks like 05/23 on Yeager Airport in Charleston, WVA.  John in Lansing, ILL

Love the progress. Love the airport. 

Mike WOW I had to go looking for this thread.. I dont wonder much from the high rail area!   Amazing work!  Very good thread!  15 pages of fun, drama, decisions, and outcome!    Glad you mentioned it in another post!   Cant wait to see what comes next! 

Jim

Hi Jim, I am glad you liked it. I am going to try and update it today sometime!

Good morning everyone, I thought I would give a little update before Christmas. It has been a slow haul but I am still moving forward with a couple back steps here and there, but its all good! As you all can see I got the road bed laid for my outer loop. and was able to get some track down.

As you can see in the pictures below I redesigned my airfield to 1 1/2" foam with a plywood base for it. I realized after removing the foam that was there a few times to get access to the track it was a PIA, this is much better as I can reach in from the center if I have any problems. I also took the idea given to me from Paul2 and moved the runway over the tracks on the front and will add tunnels. Gives it some excitement!

Last but not least I was able to get my first switch installed and part of the upper loop laid. Mr. Fedx came yesterday with another switch, so I hope to get that in today and finish the upper loop. I also was able to put power to the track I have laid and run a small train up and down the 25' of track I have up so far! Here is a Train Room tour video. I had to cut it in half to fit on the forum. Enjoy!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!

Looking great, Mike!!  Thank you very much for the photographs and videos.  You make me want to get back to working on my layout.  I hope to in January.

Have a Blessed Christmas with your family!  

 train room is looking GREAT Mike !!    love the train bridge, awesome

Thanks Guys, don't know if I will get anything done today, had a wind storm come threw yesterday and have to clean up the yard before the kids get here for Christmas!

Amazing,  Benchwork is really looking good.  Seeing the way you have used the plywood for your grades is going to help me as well.  Is that 1/2 plywood you are using?

Mike, that is looking terrific and I many years of enjoyment ahead. Love the updates.Hope you and oyurs have a Merry Christmas.

Looking amazing!

Looking good Mike. Keep it up and you'll have a couple of loops running by Spring time.

Bob

Outstanding progress, Mike! Thanks for doing the videos. And your "mess" is actually quite neat and tidy. 

That's going to look pretty cool!

Larry

Hi Timothias, Thanks! Yep that's 1/2" ply wood with supports at 16" on center. It holds my 190Lbs! LOL

Dave, I could not have got this far without you and Carl, among others!

Dr. Joe, I am glad you liked the video!

Bob, if I have 2 loops running by spring, I just might forget about the lawn!

LARRY SR. I want to say a special thank you to you! I would have never had an airfield if it wasn't for you and your layout! When I started this whole thing you were there with such support and insight! Semper Fi my brother Marine and my you and your Family have a wonderful Christmas!

Nice Mike! Layout is really turning out really nice! I thought the airfield was good before, but I think the changes were a great idea and it looks even better now, nice improvement.  And that bridge is something else too. That's really a great feature. I would probably just sit and operate the bridge up and down all day, or go back and forth from train room to garage just to see it work! 

Mike, I just got a Christmas email from Atlas. Look under the table, I think someone has been moonlighting again! 

Dang.  You are really moving on the layout.  Impressive. The bridge is awesome. I have the exact same one and want to to do the exact same thing so i will definately have questions when i finally get to start mine. Again impressive.  

Thanks Guys!

RTR I better thanks and I better talk to Tank as I have not seen any money from his modeling ! LOL

SOUTHERN4501 Thanks, Just let me know how I can help you out with your bridge lift!

Yup, it sure is Tank!  

RTR is right, the bridge is a great feature.  It runs so smooth, sits down in place so evenly; It is a beautiful thing!!!

Thanks Mark, the bridge lift took me a few times to get it right! I probably wasted a full sheet of plywood until I got it where it is now!

Great work Mike G. It's all coming together nicely! Your lift bridge works and looks great, along with your elevated line, grades, and the tunnel under the airfield is going to look cool, I think!

Rusty

Thanks Rusty! It sure is fun building it, I just wish I had all the supplies I need instead of going form payday to payday. But that's ok I find other stuff to do on the layout that doesn't cost me anything. I have a lot of scraps to build stuff!

Great Job Mike! I am also looking to do something similar if not exactly like your bridge.  Love the airfield and elevations of the loop area. All is nicely integrated!

Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the journey! A couple of years ago I built a stand alone wood fired brick oven in our back yard. Couldn't wait till Pizza's and bread starting coming out of it. After the build was finished I loved the food but also missed the building. Had lots of help from a brick oven forum and made some new friends which was better than any pizza or bread. The pizza was fantastic, but the friendships were better. Again, enjoy the journey!

AEGIS21, I could not agree more! The build is a great adventure for me. I have always been into wood working, but the track laying and wiring are all new stuff to me. It's really a challenge for me, but that is part of the journey! The feeling you get when you make something work is almost like Christmas! I hope you keep fallowing and post your layout so the rest of us can share in your enjoyment!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May it involve lots of train stuff!

mike g. posted:

Good morning everyone, I thought I would give a little update before Christmas. It has been a slow haul but I am still moving forward with a couple back steps here and there, but its all good! As you all can see I got the road bed laid for my outer loop. and was able to get some track down.

As you can see in the pictures below I redesigned my airfield to 1 1/2" foam with a plywood base for it. I realized after removing the foam that was there a few times to get access to the track it was a PIA, this is much better as I can reach in from the center if I have any problems. I also took the idea given to me from Paul2 and moved the runway over the tracks on the front and will add tunnels. Gives it some excitement!

Last but not least I was able to get my first switch installed and part of the upper loop laid 

Beautiful craftsmanship, Mike! From the perspective of us, who have neither the experience nor the skill to do what you have done, it would be  a boon to know what unexpected challenges you faced and how you solved them. Might steepen our learning curve.

Peace, Joy, and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Pete

Hi Pete, as I stated before, I know wood working, I don't know electrical! But with the help of many here I am learning and still asking a lot of questions! I am sure when it comes to doing landscape I will be asking a lot more questions! I am pretty much a newbie as this is my second layout. I got into trains when I turned 45 when a friend next door was moving and gave me his train set. Granted it was HO but it was a start! For me it may take longer to do stuff but that's ok its the adventure of doing things the best I can!

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Mike, it’s looking Good, lots of Progress, and I like your plan, thanks for keeping us up to date. Merry Christmas and keep up the great work.  Your friend in Tennesse.

Old thread but fantastic layout, Mike g  you ever post an updated progress pic?

thanks!

@jhl1963 WOW Thanks for reading this thread! It's been so long I forgot about it! Since my last update a lot has happened. I took down part of the layout and rebuilt it to add 2 loops for both the upper and lower tracks. Which ment I had to move the town to the upper level. It is coming along, but I still have a very long way to go! I need to do a lot of scenery work for sure! LOL

I made a couple short videos for you to see the latest. I hope you enjoy!

Wow, who would have thought that last update on this thread was so long ago.  The layout is really looking nice, Mike!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Wow, who would have thought that last update on this thread was so long ago.  The layout is really looking nice, Mike!

Thanks Mark, It blew me away that someone commented on it after this long! I just stopped posting it here and just posted on what did you do on your layout today.

I guess I will have to keep the updates going now!

Looks great Mike! Thanks for the update and congrats.

Wow Mike, you devil'.. You've been a busy beaver.. What a beautiful job you did on your new layout.. Very nice indeed.  Lots of activity... Love it'...✔👍😆

Keep up the good work brother, makes me jealous that I haven’t even started mine yet.

Wow Mike g., Amazing progress and you might want to keep updating this thread because You’ve come a long way since beginning your layout, and the room you hand built. I would imagine many new comers to this OGR Forum had no idea that you made this train room addition to your home, Yourself. This is amazing progress, a really nice video, and Jul1963 was nice to bring the topic back for our enjoyment. Your workmanship is great. I love the BNSF train. Happy Railroading Everyone

Mike, I can't believe it's a little over 5 years since you started this project.  First the building and than the layout and with all the honey do's and setbacks in between.  You've done an amazing job and created a beautiful layout anyone would be proud to call theirs.  Keep up the great work.

Mike, That's a great looking layout. I really like your benchwork.  And that airport is just too cool.  I'd like to learn more about the bridge - who makes it, the lift mechanism, how you wired it up, the length, etc.  I'm going to be starting our layout in a few weeks and i have a place for a bridge exactly like that on the layout.  Can you provide any info on it for us,

Tom

Glad your thread came back up Mike. Like a trip down memory lane......

Keep up the good work.

Bob

Looks good and lots of action - congrats.