What are your 2013 layout goals

Since I ran out of undeveloped real estate in the basement long ago, the question is "what gets ripped out and re-built" next.

 

One goal is to re-gain at least one complete loop of O72 minimum diameter track that was lost during urban renewal a few years ago.

 

Don - those spiders will wait until the night right before the video shoot to do their "best" work. Ask me how I know!

 

Jim

 

I agree Eric

 

Just yesterday I was able to cut the base of a new bridge I am installing to go over the river.  Only took me about 10 minutes, but it has been sitting on my to do list for over 2 weeks.  I didn't have much time but I just did it and it came out great.

 

If I just did 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there things would move a lot faster on my layout.  I don't have much time where I have hours on end to get things done.  

I have but one goal for my trains and layout.  Each year it's the same goal: Have fun! 

 

I refuse to obsess or be discouraged.  If it gets to be a drag I move on to another activity, pronto.

 

Pete

get a backhoe and have the crawlspace dug out so I can have a better space to have a bigger layout, more room for shelves. gotta win that PCH $5000 a week first.......

Hang in there Scot.  You are in my prayers.

Great words of wisdom David. I "got away" from working on my layout and running trains for a few years. Never quite "had the time". Been getting back into it but I like your idea of small blocks of time.

Same as it's been since 2008 - finally finish.

1. Complete the layout
2. start the scenery
3. do an inventory
4. add display shelves and display items to finish off the room

Hope to finish my mountain.

Start city layout

Install LED lights

I'd like to put a small (approx. 4x4) expansion on the layout but not sure if that will happen this year based on available floor space.

 

My other plan, which I hope to do within the next few weeks/months is drop in another switch to a small bump out holding an MTH single stall engine house.

 

Purchase and wire a few MTH signals

 

Wire most of my buildings.

 

Scenery/detail improvements/changes. Looking to get over my fear of doing water, such as a small pond or something this year. 

 

Only thing in my way is time!

I hope to finish my round house project. The way I work, it will probably take me half the year to complete it.

I love reading this thread....it would be interesting to see how much all of this wishing gets done. Hopefully all of it and more.

 

You all have a great New Year.

1. Finish the bench work
2. Lay enough roadbed and track to get *something* running.

Have some skirting made.

 

Add a lot more figures to the layout to create more scenes.

 

- Mike

I was thinking about this just last night. In 2013 I would like to have all my major basement engineered structures completed and working. I have a transfer-table, engine cleaning house, coal dump staion and a bascule bridge that operate remotely. All of the electronics and mechanical operation are working, now I have to wire them up. This is much more time consuming then I thought, especially when you shove ten pounds of electronics in a five pound bag. 

One of my big faults is I don't do a very good job of planing things, they more or less metemorphose as ideas pop into my head. I'm telling you guys when you work like that the wiring can get really ugly.

I also would like to be able to post some pictures here with in a few weeks, but my true hope is to have one of them found worthy for a story in the OGR magazine.

 

But, all that good stuff aside I resolve to have trains running so I can post in Scott's weekend thread. 

 

The problem I run into is all the home projects I have to do that draw me away from the trains. My latest one is my wife decided she wonted new counter tops in the kitchen for Christams. Even though I did not install them but those who never had this done you would be amazed at the preliminary work that is involved.

Before that it was our thirty year old deck that needed to be worked on and the next thing on the horizon is a new closet in our bedroom. But that is not to start until this summer so I have a few months to concentrate on the layout.

 

I'm not complaining, my wife Jeannette seldom says a word about my hobby and she never asks for things like jewelry, fancy cloths and such so these projects are my way of saying thank you. But, they do force the layout to the back burner.

 

So to make a long story short, by this time next year I will be a toy train operator.

2012 layout goal

DCS on the Christmas layout. done!

2013 goal

5 trains and a hand car running on Christmas Layout. Not sure if I will have any sidings, or 5 independent loops. both are doable.

Start and finish my layout.

My goals are:

 

#1)Get the basement finished (which is almost done now).

 

#2)Come up with a track plan.

 

#3)Have trains running by the summer.

This thread gave me some incentive to get to work.  I just wrapped up the base area of small "town".  I will sculpatamold and paint this piece next.  The structures and trees are ready to go.

1) Finish my country road across the layout for 'streets vehicles to run on.

2) Complete the remaining sections of the town area I have now; add a few buildings, build if maybe not finish a "warehouse area".

3) Complete a small lake (not quite 4 x 3 feet) on the forest end of the layout with a fishing boat/rowboat moving around on it.

4) Complete the forest area around the lake.

I would like to raise the upper level 4-6 inches and add several colored, textured ground covers.  Possibly re-do streets and roads.

 

George

Finish installing my Miller Engineering signs on layout.  Start toughing up scenery on 2nd town and put in the new Woodland buildings.

 

Finish laying the track and getting it wired to the control panel. That's means build a new control panel as the one I built cracked while I was drilling holes for the LED's. Finishing the track also means picking out some industry structures, and building some kits that we already have in order to place the tracks into their respective industry structure. Get all the track painted. Get the facia board up complete with floor length removable skirt. Get the 2 lift out bridges in which means we have to have a custom bridge built for the lower track. Rough in the canyon scenery at the entry point to the walk in area. Install the casing around the display cases and paint to match trim in rest of the room. 

 

I better print this list out! lol Thats a lot of stuff to get done, better head to the home improvement store in the morning.  

1. Build a layout for the Micro Layout contest. The challenge is too intriguing not to take a shot at it.
2. Get relocated to Texas so I can build a permanent layout incorporating everything I've learned from designing and working on the AGHR club layout.

Hand craft about 200 trees for my back woods logging operation and build a sawmill and lumber yard.

To try and not get overwhelmed by it.  I have been picking just a few things to do each day and doing them. Sometimes all it takes is an hour.   As a previous poster said, all the little steps add up to getting it all done.  Plus it is more satisfying knowing that it is all progressing. This new method is working very well for me and things are actually progressing, a little at a time.

 

Thanks,

Ed

Big plans for 2013. Next week I'm going to start to tear down my 15x30 island layout that I've had for about 8 years. I'm going to build a new layout. Around the room layout with gargraves track instead of tubular. Here's a video of whats coming down.

 

Finish wiring of city scenic elements so I can focus on completing scenery.  I hate wiring and have a mental block when it comes to the subject.   I have to wire my buildings, lights, traffic signals, and crossing gates.  I'd rather ballast I have that much of a block when it comes to wiring.  Come heck or high water I will get it done.  I like the idea of making a commitment to work on it at least 5 days a week whether it be for 10 minutes or 10 hours at a time.

 

--Greg

Finish benchwork....   This has been a goal for 3 years now...

 

To quit changing my track plan and build scenery!

• Get relocated to Texas so I can build a permanent layout incorporating everything I've learned from designing and working on the AGHR club layout.

Well Matt, if that happens you can count on a visit from me when they send me out to school in Oklahoma!

1) Clean it up, it ends up being a storage area for half finished projects....so clean it up.

2) Start and complete some scenery areas.

 

3)  Keep it clean.

 

4)  Run some trains.

Finish ... something!  I got a lot started, but it seems like I can't get any part finished!

1. Actually get the Big Lift out built and in place for the New Version of the layout.

2. Build new benchwork along the wall from the lift out.

3. Lay All new track on the new Area created by 1 & 2. (Double Mainlines and sidings)

4. Tear out the existing benchwork and track and connect up to track on the new benchwork.

    (This is the part I Dread, No trains can run during this step and it's Big)

5. Replace all remaining existing track with the new track, add the second mainline as well.

 

If I get this far I'll be happy.

 

6. Build the benchwork for the Penninsula Mountain.

7. Lay track up the mountain.

8. Add the various businesses/buildings to service on the entire layout in a more permanent manner. (Some are placed and wired but not permanently mounted)

98. IF and only IF, I can get a working system of Easystreets, Add that to my layout in towns.

10. Scenery, Lots of Scenery including way too many trees on the mountain...

All this will take far more than a single year at my present rate of progress.

but that's OK, I'm still enjoying my trains.

Great Thread.

So many times last February and March I went to the basement and stared and ended up with too much "paralysis by analysis"!

 

2012 Goals Completed

Run Multiple Trains

Purchase additional track including wider radius (now up to 060).

Complete a Holiday Layout

 

2013 Goals

1>Finalize location in the basement--either accept the 9 x 13 space that I have or move it to a larger area and relocate kids tv, video games, etc to smaller space

2>Run 4 trains at same time

3>Start using buildings and accessories that we stockpiled during 2012. 

4>Less purchases---we just don't have enough room to do it all

5>Go to York (I know that's a direct conflict with #4)

6>Remember to have fun!!

 

 

up dates

2012: Started and finished bench work. 2013: Lay track down. Wire track.

Have more run beer and drink trains operating sessions,,,,,,,,with Pizza!

Try to figure out why my cars keep uncoupling for no reason.Usually when you are not paying attention then the locomotive comes back around and smashes into the caboose,and I wind up with a 15 car derailment LOL

1. Second coat of paint on the facade.

2. Finish and paint transformer shelf.

3. Wire turnouts and sidings.

4. Finish skirting on outside of layout.

5. Put skirting around inside of layout.

6. Locate building, roads, accessories on layout.

7. Ballast track.

8. Run trains with my grandson when I am not working on the above goals.

9. Add most of the above goals to my 2014 goals.

 

Hi "RockStar1989", that is a problem we all suffer from. Some of us use little black tie-wraps around the coupler arm so as to keep the release locked in place. Of course If you do alot of switch yard work that can be a problem.

In that case you can take the offending coupler apart and sand the parts so they don't slide open so easily.

Another thing that I found can work is to take the car that opens and turn it around. Sometimes a coupler works great with one unit but wont match up correctly with another. Also if you place your cars with weak couplers to the rear of the train that can sometimes help as well.

I have never done this and I would not suggest that anyone else do it either, but I had a friend who got so frustrated with banging into his tail he glued the couplers closed. He had old junk cars that all he wointed was to have them run around the tree.

If it's any consolation real trains have been known to lose their tail end from time to time.

In any case have fun.