What did you do on your layout today?

Strap Hanger - nice job on the kit bash. I had not realized the two center tracks were non-operating. I really like the idea of having the passenger ramps extended into the open - nice touch. I may borrow the idea on the next layout.

I started forming the foam scenery base for the first part of my scenery.

I also staged a meet of sorts.

Thanks guys! I really can’t take too much credit, since most of the ideas came from  reading this forum.  I highly recommend kitbashing the mth banks into a station. It really isn’t that hard and comes out pretty good. The woodland scenics roof detailing kit is also great, with the many vents and AC systems giving it that added touch.

Bob, hopefully it’s just a loose wire. If not, I’ll need to replace some of the LEDs. A slightly more involved task, as I’ll need to scratch build some more lights.

Scouting Dad, yes, I kept the two interior tracks isolated.  I do have two left hand switches that I was going to install off the mainline into them. However, when I realized my space only allowed two car lengths worth of track, I held off on that project, figuring why bother for such a small length. However, I may attach them in a future upgrade.  

Sometimes it seems like nothing much is getting done. Last time I was going to use my Kreig pocket jig to add a small section to my upper level so I could add my newly acquired MTH station. Turns out Kreig's do not work so well for joining 1/2 nominal ply together.  Got that section in - but I did not like the look of the station there - just not enough room. So the Menards Comradery Bar and 2 new MTH stores got moved to the back of the town and gas station in its current location (that may move).

The station is now where the bar and coffee shop was. It needs some detailing and signage -

"Twin Pines Inn" either on the upper or lower roof.  Or may hang a sign from the lower roof. I think I will pick up the dark brown to trim out the "dentil" detail. Any ideas on base roof color is appreciated. Haven't decided if I will detail the brick mortar.

Meanwhile, I did surgery on the 3 new buildings. Replaced the incandescent bulbs with 12vdc LED strips, added 2nd floors and window coverings. Also have the 1st and 2nd floor lighting on separate circuits with dimmers. I prefer to have brighter lighting in the stores but not  the living areas.  Now I have to get underneath the layout to add the new wiring feeds. I used 1.5mm connectors, but I think the next size up would have been better. The dimmer works well.

Mark, every time I see your layout - I see those wood boards and forget they are just coated and not solid wood. Nice job, I think I see where you are going with the elevation. Nice collection of engines.

@Strap Hanger posted:

Thanks guys! I really can’t take too much credit, since most of the ideas came from  reading this forum.  I highly recommend kitbashing the mth banks into a station. It really isn’t that hard and comes out pretty good. The woodland scenics roof detailing kit is also great, with the many vents and AC systems giving it that added touch.

It's not even the station that's spectacular, although that IS cool. It's the way you have it elevated above, and have the tracks below, and what I assume are dummy tracks next to the active ones, and a tunnel underneath. Amazing.

@pdxtrains posted:

It's not even the station that's spectacular, although that IS cool. It's the way you have it elevated above, and have the tracks below, and what I assume are dummy tracks next to the active ones, and a tunnel underneath. Amazing.

Thanks PDX. Necessity really is the mother of all invention. In an approx 8x15 room, expansion is either vertical or via a hole through the wall into the next room.  The wife won’t stand for the latter, so vertical it is. Counting the floor, I’m now working with four levels (elevated, mainline, subway, and floor).

@Strap Hanger posted:

Well, I finally had some time today to work on the layout and I was able to install my newly built union station. Very pleased with how it came out -

Wonderful station, Strap Hanger... love the old style kiosk subway entrance in front of the station. And I was a strap hanger on many a 7 train - first the blue World’s Fair trains going to the ‘64 - ‘65 Fair as well as Shea stadium, and later, the red birds to Shea. A lot of great memories. And you mention the Main Street - don’t forget, the 7 line ends at Main Street Flushing

@ScoutingDad posted:

Mark, every time I see your layout - I see those wood boards and forget they are just coated and not solid wood. Nice job, I think I see where you are going with the elevation. Nice collection of engines.

Thank you, Jeff!  Yes, that huge bookcase sure made a lot of boards for a sturdy layout top.  Thank you about the engines.  I got every one of them used, most from forum members.

@ScoutingDad posted:

@ScoutingDad

Your layout is GREAT!!! Where did you get the concrete railing that is visible just above your girder bridge?

Thank you.

Randy - I have a short post on the concrete railing previously and also on the early pages on the TPRR.

https://ogrforum.com/...4#153463017766640114

Basically its foam insulation routed to produce an I-beam shape and then used a 1/4 inch up-cutting router bit on my drill press for the columns. This bit has sharp sides which will cut out the columns when the work piece is slid up to make the column. Scale wise they are a touch too big but work visually.  All coated with grout mix then color washed. I set up a kind of jig and ran a bunch off in a few minutes. Getting the speed right is the only real trick - too slow and the foam tends to tear out. Too fast and the router bit wants to reduce the amount of flesh on your fingers.  I would not recommend a high speed router to do this, although if you had a router table and speed control that would work for making the I-beam shape. I suppose you could make this a glued up assembly out of wood. But since I had curves, I though the foam would bend pretty well and it did.

That was a slick idea, Jeff!  The railing looks great!!

@Mark Boyce posted:

I started forming the foam scenery base for the first part of my scenery.

I also staged a meet of sorts.

Beautiful! Love how you recycle your wood and foam. Never throw anything out>

Strap Hanger, Outstanding job on your Union Station! I am sorry about the lighting , but it happens. I really like your idea about the road,  and the carne at the other end with the police blocking the road! I think it will look wonderful!

Mark, Nice to see you moving right along! Next thing you know you will have grass and trees!

Jeff, Nice building! I wish I had room for that but I don't. I think you have it in a prime location and as for the roof color and detail you should see if you can find Chris A's post on his. He did an outstanding job on it. Later today if I can get some free time I will try to find it. He did the roof and windows.

Well for me I have been working on getting my gentry crane wired to toggle switches as I did not like the old style controller. It took me a while and I also added some extra pulling line to move it right  and left on the track.

On a change of subject I finally got everything to paint my little people, except the little people form China. Still waiting on them, I guess they got on the slow boat.

I hope you all have a great week and find time to have fun with your layout and trains!

@Jim Van Every posted:

Beautiful! Love how you recycle your wood and foam. Never throw anything out>

Jim, Thank you for noticing also.  Aside from the 10 linear feet of Mianne benchwork and a couple sticks of 1x2s and 1x3s, all the wood has been recycled from previous layouts and from cleaning out my dad's shop.  The foam was used on a couple Christmas layouts, explaining the white paint on some sections.  I have some 2x4 sheets of white bead board that my wife picked up at the thrift store.  It's not the best for scenery, but I can use it to build up a base for hills that won't bear any weight to speak of.

mike g., thank you!!  I have some ground foam that is several years old, and our older daughter gave me some small trees and other items.  That sounds good you made improvements to the gantry crane.  I hope your little people aren't on the ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal! 

Mike G - After I posted I remembered Chris A's post and other links.  For anyone interested in kit bashing the MTH station(s) this link has several re-directs to the topic on other pages in the forum.

MTH Station Bash

@ScoutingDad posted:

Mike G - After I posted I remembered Chris A's post and other links.  For anyone interested in kit bashing the MTH station(s) this link has several re-directs to the topic on other pages in the forum.

MTH Station Bash

Jeff, Yes I remember that topic where John H and Chris posted their station bash.  That building is a wonderful model, and there is so much a modeler can do with it.  If I had more room on my Blackwater Canyon Line layout and was including the Cumberland Maryland station that the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad now uses, I would start with the MTH station.   (that is at the bottom of the other side of the mountain that my layout represents)

@ScoutingDad posted:

Randy - I have a short post on the concrete railing previously and also on the early pages on the TPRR.

https://ogrforum.com/...4#153463017766640114

Basically its foam insulation routed to produce an I-beam shape and then used a 1/4 inch up-cutting router bit on my drill press for the columns. This bit has sharp sides which will cut out the columns when the work piece is slid up to make the column. Scale wise they are a touch too big but work visually.  All coated with grout mix then color washed. I set up a kind of jig and ran a bunch off in a few minutes. Getting the speed right is the only real trick - too slow and the foam tends to tear out. Too fast and the router bit wants to reduce the amount of flesh on your fingers.  I would not recommend a high speed router to do this, although if you had a router table and speed control that would work for making the I-beam shape. I suppose you could make this a glued up assembly out of wood. But since I had curves, I though the foam would bend pretty well and it did.

@ScoutingDad

Thanks for the referral to your other post. It has given me an idea.

Paul, I remember those days well. I used to get off on queensborough plaza when coming back from Manhattan to catch the 7 local.  I loved watching that train make the turn into the station on that elevated line.  You've given me a good idea. I'm going to make station and street signs to attach to the lightposts on each level. The platform level is going to be Roosevelt ave/Jackson heights. The upper level is going to be main Street, Flushing.

Thanks Mike G.  I'm looking forward to crafting those scenes. It seemed like the best way to deal with a road to nowhere!

@Strap Hanger posted:

Well, I finally had some time today to work on the layout and I was able to install my newly built union station. Very pleased with how it came out -

The sad part is that I need to now remove the station. After running trains for about three hours, two of the LED lights under it seem to have gone out. Hopefully it’s just a loose wire.  I’m actually not too upset about it. You really are never done working on the layout.  Fortunately, I made the station removable with easily detachable wire hookups for just such circumstances.  

Next up is a car ramp leading to the Main Street on the left side. On the right, I’m going to place a scale building crane holding the on ramp for that side. I’m going to place lighted barricades and a police car on that end of the street so traffic is stopped while construction proceeds.  Fun stuff!

Gorgeous.....well done!

@Strap Hanger posted:

Paul, I remember those days well. I used to get off on queensborough plaza when coming back from Manhattan to catch the 7 local.  I loved watching that train make the turn into the station on that elevated line.  You've given me a good idea. I'm going to make station and street signs to attach to the lightposts on each level. The platform level is going to be Roosevelt ave/Jackson heights. The upper level is going to be main Street, Flushing.

Thanks Mike G.  I'm looking forward to crafting those scenes. It seemed like the best way to deal with a road to nowhere!

If you use Willets Point, you can run an LIRR commuter train

Tonight I put grab irons and brake wheels in place on my 2 last hoppers. Next comes paint

@mike g. posted:

WOW look at you go! I didn't think you would have water so soon! They must have done a release form the dam above early! Looks like the canoe folks are enjoying them self's!

thank you mike

kevin

@Strap Hanger posted:

Paul, I remember those days well. I used to get off on queensborough plaza when coming back from Manhattan to catch the 7 local.  I loved watching that train make the turn into the station on that elevated line.  You've given me a good idea. I'm going to make station and street signs to attach to the lightposts on each level. The platform level is going to be Roosevelt ave/Jackson heights. The upper level is going to be main Street, Flushing.

Thanks Mike G.  I'm looking forward to crafting those scenes. It seemed like the best way to deal with a road to nowhere!

@Apples55 posted:

If you use Willets Point, you can run an LIRR commuter train

Don't forget to add Shea Stadium to your platform signs too.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Don't forget to add Shea Stadium to your platform signs too.

Bob

Definitely... none of that Citi Field nonsense LGM!!!

@RSJB18 posted:

Don't forget to add Shea Stadium to your platform signs too.

Bob

Guys, I'm one of those rare beings from Queens that never was an avid met fan. I went to plenty of games at Shea, since most of my friends regularly obtained tickets and it was a quick ride to the stadium. I'd even root for them over any other NL team, but the Yankees were my team.  74thst/Roosevelt Avenue/Jackson Heights also holds a lot of personal significance because it was there that I'd change from the 7 to the E or the F downstairs to visit my parents in Forest hills. That's why the lower platform level is going to carry that name.

Thanks Gandydancer!

Lee, looking good! It must be nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel on this project!

Nothing new for me as the CEO has the summer list out and of course the first one on the list is repaint the house and garage. So I will be busy for a while doing that. I am still going to try and get out to the train room before the sun comes up to work on something, Just not sure yet! LOL
I hope you all have a great day with your layouts and please find time for some fun!

Running reefers behind my #2026 . The shelves filling up as I put together cataloged sets. Now up to seven.

Strap Hanger - great job on the lighted subway trains sitting for visual effect underneath!  Very creative use of space!

ScoutingDad - I agree your concrete railings are special; I wouldn't have thought that the foam could be cut smoothly like that.  Very nice.

I've been playing with paper and balsa wood this week - trying out paper trucks (free from DAF.com but scaled 150%) and assembling pallets (from Rail-Scale-Models).  Trying out piecing together paper "corregated" siding for the battery plant in the background (Clever Models siding for an engine shed, like the one shown).  It looks OK but I will need to start like real siding, from the bottom so the overlaps are from the top.

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would post a couple of photos of a layout I have been working on with Dave Bennett of Train Installations, forum sponsor and layout builder. Much of the bench work and a lot of track work had been started before I joined in on the fun. Since being part of the crew I have laid out the yard (somewhat visible on the left side of the second photo), installed track in other areas of the layout, and installed some switch motors. The layout will have 3 levels and the third is  just about completed. This is a fun project that I was delighted to have been asked to be a part of. More to come...

Dave

I applied the decals on my last two hoppers.

43 because it's always 1943 on the layout and 1 because, well, I couldn't resist.

Both numbers were running on the ET&WNC to the end.

Tomorrow, I'll start weathering.

22 hours without a post.  We are slipping! 

Very nice work everyone!!!

I replaced a Ross switch that I bought used and then butchered it myself shortening it and replacing some ties. I got tired of trying to get it right, so yesterday I stopped at my LHS CT McCormick Hardware in Zelienople, Pennsylvania and bought a new switch. Today, I added the jumpers on the bottom, replaced the switch, and added the DZ-1000 that I took off the old switch. I just finished test runs with a Legacy GP40 and two MTH Premier H9s. Wow, is it smooth. Why did I fool with that old one for so long?    www.cttrains.com/

I started on this old Wabash Valley Models kit of a grain elevator...when l opened the box, l thought, "Uh-oh, another seller who doesn't know O from HO. " It was a box of 1/8" sticks, but the windows were O.  I measured out the plans, and, surprise!  They were O scale.  Kit was to be built model airplane style on waxed paper.  I enlarged dimensions slightly and, ignoring the 1/8" sticks provided, am building it with 1/4" sqare strips, readily available at home stores, and much sturdier for an O scale structure.  It was to be covered with metal corrugated siding, which does look HO, so l will use Evergreen siding.  I think l tracked down enough, today

Just finished weathering the hoppers.

I found that the coal pads that come with Bachmann gondolas fit perfectly into these hoppers if you notch the underside of each end and break off those tabs.

Now, there are three of these 3D print hoppers on the layout.

Spent the day pirating my layout for fastrack to build a layout for my grandchildren down in Phx (I live in Vegas), now that I am presumably immune from the Nasty. I had accumulated plenty of engines and rolling stock and even the necessary O36 switches for a figure 8 deal, but ran out of the O36 curves. Fortunately I had enough on the unpowered sidings. Hopefully my daughter-in-law won’t be kicking me out for this even though it’s my first post- plague visit....Not asking permission.

WOW guys, great work done by everyone!

Lee the hoppers turned out wonderful!

As for me not much and I have been working on getting the house and garage for painting. But I did get out the other morning and cut some old wire baskets up to try and scratch build some chain link fencing to go around my tank farm and service area. I didn't take any photos and its now worthy of any as of yet.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and finds time for there layout and trains. Most of all I hope your all having fun! I hope to get in the train room this week as it is spose to rain all weekend!

Back at the tree making. Working on more foreground trees. Mixed a couple of techniques I learned and then went for it. The first two trees are pre-fabricated trees that I spruced up...no pun intended. The only thing I did was make the bark texture a bit more believable and changed/added to the foliage.

The third one is a wire tree. I have pictured the tree from the "wire" state to finished state. It turned out ok but my next one will be much fuller as far as the foliage goes.

I recently posted a video on my YouTube page on how I did my first four pre-fabricated trees. Take a look.

Dave

Fantastic trees. You can really spruce them up. 

I could find a place on my layout anytime!  Thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks Seth!

Hey Luvin!

I am excited to learn your wire trees can grow on American soil as well as European. Possibly in Brooklyn as well...

As with any great success requirements of talent, time, and initiative. Appears you have them all.  

They are wonderful fruits of your labor.