Finished changing out the Atlas track to Gargraves for uniformity. Not easy, built like a brick. 
Attachments
Images (2)
Mike, nice job on the figures. You have a few California surfer dudes. I am more like the guy in the rear sitting down. I don’t need any hair color. Tstark
Rod, You sound like me. I like uniformity!! The job looks great!
Good evening everyone! I have not done much to the layout itself but I was able to run some trains.
The first train is a Legacy Cab Forward pulling 25 cars. The second train I ran is a Legacy FEF pulling a similar train to the Cab Forward. Then finally, the last train is a double header with BB 4014 and the FEF in the excursion configuration. I hope y’all enjoy these short clips and happy railroading!
Attachments
Videos (3)
Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's out there.
Haven't done much lately, too many other chores to do in the Spring. I used to hate rainy Saturday's but now I wouldn't mind one occasionally. I took one step forward and two backwards yesterday with the yard tracks. I added leads to the three magnets I had for my uncouplers. I forgot to test them until AFTER doing the wiring and it looks like two of the three are dead. 
I did get the working one set in place and will have to scrounge a couple more. I may just roll my own and move on.
Ran my new PRR 44 ton loco too! 
Bob
Attachments
Images (4)
@RSJB18 posted:Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's out there.
Haven't done much lately, too many other chores to do in the Spring. I used to hate rainy Saturday's but now I wouldn't mind one occasionally. I took one step forward and two backwards yesterday with the yard tracks. I added leads to the three magnets I had for my uncouplers. I forgot to test them until AFTER doing the wiring and it looks like two of the three are dead.
Ran my new PRR 44 ton loco too!
Bob
UGH! But hey, we’ve all been there on that. When I first started using LEDs, after picking up a bunch at a train show, I installed about 20 in a few buildings without testing them first. Needless to say, never buy LEDs from a guy you don’t know at a train show without testing them before an install, LOL!
Love that Williams 44 tonner. I noticed in another photo/video of the 44 tonner’s inauguration run that you have some nice engines on display on a windowsill behind your layout. Here is another thing I learned the hard way, Bob. Unless the curtain or shade blocks almost all of the sun, the little that bleeds through will eventually fade the paint job on your models. Learned that the hard way, but fortunately for me, they were engines of little sentimental value and were easily replaced or weathered to hide the damage.
@Strap Hanger posted:Love that Williams 44 tonner. I noticed in another photo/video of the 44 tonner’s inauguration run that you have some nice engines on display on a windowsill behind your layout. Here is another thing I learned the hard way, Bob. Unless the curtain or shade blocks almost all of the sun, the little that bleeds through will eventually fade the paint job on your models. Learned that the hard way, but fortunately for me, they were engines of little sentimental value and were easily replaced or weathered to hide the damage.
That's what I call Alco Alley.
That's a west facing basement window. I would agree that the light could be an issue over time. I will just turn them occasionally to even the fade 😂😂
Thanks for the tip. I will see what I can do. I was thinking about building a shelf unit for the opening. A back on the unit would solve the problem.
Bob
Bob, yes I agree with Strap Hanger. I am guilty of getting ahead of myself all the time and finding something I installed didn't work in the first place.
Nice job on the physical installation of the uncouplers. The 44 tonner looks great on the layout.
I replaced a couple short sections of track leading to my lift-up bridges. Trains run much smoother on and off the bridges now. I did some experimenting on how many 2-bay hoppers I can haul up my 4% grade. I have 5 Atlas Western Maryland hoppers that look great, but being die cast are very heavy. I had to quit just as I got something going to where I wanted to make a first video. I'll post that once I can get back to that.
I saw Mr. Muffins trains was having a outdoor train swap meet last weekend that they closed the street down for. Haven't been to a train show since Nov 2019 and saw this as a great opportunity to get my 5 yr old son out of the house, we're only 1.5 hr from there so why not! It was a great time and everyone was so welcoming and helpful. I've been wanting a PRR lighted caboose for a while and found one a vendor was selling in good shape. Also been wanting to get a lighted house for the layout for a while as well. We ran across a MTH one that was similar in color to our actual house, my son agreed we needed to bring it home. The new items look great on the layout.
Attachments
Images (4)
Videos (1)
@Penn Flyer posted:I saw Mr. Muffins trains was having a outdoor train swap meet last weekend that they closed the street down for. Haven't been to a train show since Nov 2019 and saw this as a great opportunity to get my 5 yr old son out of the house, we're only 1.5 hr from there so why not! It was a great time and everyone was so welcoming and helpful. I've been wanting a PRR lighted caboose for a while and found one a vendor was selling in good shape. Also been wanting to get a lighted house for the layout for a while as well. We ran across a MTH one that was similar in color to our actual house, my son agreed we needed to bring it home. The new items look great on the layout.
Tis a wise man that listens to his son's desires. 
@GeoPeg posted:Tis a wise man that listens to his son's desires.
Agreed! He hasn't led me astray yet (my wallet says otherwise 😁).
Rod, your TT area really looks great!
Tstark, Thank you Sir! It's my first attempt painting little people and maybe my last! LOL I am much better at building stuff.
Trainmaster, Wonderful videos! Thanks for sharing.
Bob, Bob, Bob, you would think as an electrician you would have tested them prior to install! LOL But thats ok we have all been in the same place. You get so close to being done you just want to finish and try things out!
Penn Flyer, sounds like a great day spent with your son! And as a side bonus you were ab le to go home with some great looking stuff!
As for me guys, I have been in the train room for a couple days really and it looks like it will be a couple weeks as Tank the inspector had to have eye surgery and I have to watch him like an eagle! They put a caller of shame on him so he would scratch his face, first thing he did when we got home was to break it. He just doesn't like to be told what he has to wear! LOL
Here is how he got his name. Mark B. gave it to him for the forum as he would come inspect the building of the train room. once the sheetrock and carpet were in, he stopped coming in to see me or the trains! LOL
I hope you all have been having a great weekend!
Attachments
Images (1)
Penn Flyer, looks like you had a great day at Mr. Muffins and with your son.
Mike, I'm sorry the inspector needed eye surgery. I hope he recovers so he will be able to give eagle eye inspections next time it is needed.
@RSJB18 posted:Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's out there.
Haven't done much lately, too many other chores to do in the Spring. I used to hate rainy Saturday's but now I wouldn't mind one occasionally. I took one step forward and two backwards yesterday with the yard tracks. I added leads to the three magnets I had for my uncouplers. I forgot to test them until AFTER doing the wiring and it looks like two of the three are dead.
Bob
Bob;
I hereby award you the honorary Order of Techno-Peasantry... 2nd Class... with Oak Leaf Cluster. Amen. Dismissed!!!
Thanks Mark, he should be fine when he is done healing.
Paul, you are so right about Bob, but the great think about it is if we remember we all have learned from others misfortune.
@Apples55 posted:Bob;
I hereby award you the honorary Order of Techno-Peasantry... 2nd Class... with Oak Leaf Cluster. Amen. Dismissed!!!
OHH Mr. Paul...... Grand High Exalted Poo Bah....
I do take exception to being a techno-peasant. The difference being that I intend to get these magnets working by hook or by crook..... OK mostly the crook part. 
I like you're new avatar BTW! Nice to see a face to connect to the name.
@Strap Hanger- I forgot to mention the layer of protective dust covering the locos on the window sill.... 
@mike g. I hope Tank makes a speedy recovery. Nobody likes the cone of shame....
@Penn Flyer- Nice to see some real train show related activity. Looks like you had fun!
@Mark Boyce yea- we all jump ahead from time to time.
Bob
@mike g. posted:
You've come a long way in a short time Mike. Don't sell yourself short my friend.
I have begun a plaster walled Trains of Texas model of the Gilpin Hotel in Black Hawk, Colo. This kit came to me with a broken front multi-windowed wall and fragments of most of the window and door castings. EpoXy quickly fixed plaster wall, but windows and doors match nothing in Tichy or Grandt Line. So l have to make them . First l cleaned flashing off walls, sprayed with rust red, and weathered with a wash of acrylics. I also did some research on trying to determine if a gold dredge kit had ever been offered, as l had photoed one in its pond in that informaj museum between Va. City and Alder, Montana. Bob Brown of NG&SL Gazette was aware of none and Google turned up a 1:1 one in a museum near Fairbanks, not exactly a Sunday drive. Looks like a scratch build.
@Strap Hanger- I forgot to mention the layer of protective dust covering the locos on the window sill....
——————————
LOL, too funny! Yeah, that should work!
Hello everyone! Looks like everyone has had a nice weekend and are doing well. For myself, I can say the same thing.
This weekend I did not work on my layout but instead worked on friend’s layout. While there we were able to run some trains and I was able to get a few shots. I hope y’all enjoy these clips and happy railroading!
Attachments
Images (4)
Videos (2)
I worked on the Trains of Texas Gilpin Hotel. I fabricated three new wooden doors for the front, and THEN discovered metal door castings! Wasted time! No luck like that with windows, mostly found in pieces Tedious cutting out 16 window frames underway ...
Technically, this is not what I did ON my layout, its more of what I did FOR my layout. My own version of a YouTube 'unboxing" my MTH DCS system just got delivered by UPS.
I'm a happy camper
Attachments
Images (4)
Excellent, Kevin! You should do great with it.
Working on my HESS train and I came across one of the Gang Cars that had one of the crew giving his girlfriend a ride. Ain't life great!!!
Attachments
Images (1)
Kevin:
My son and I have been running DCS for about 10 years and love it. It has many great features including the ability to patch Lionel TMCC or Legacy through the MTH track interface unit (TIU) and run the Lionel engines on the MTH control system with your MTH equipment. As Mike Wolf told me years ago at a York TCA meet, "You will love running trains with DCS." He was right!
@Mark Boyce posted:Excellent, Kevin! You should do great with it.
@Randy Harrison posted:Kevin:
My son and I have been running DCS for about 10 years and love it. It has many great features including the ability to patch Lionel TMCC or Legacy through the MTH track interface unit (TIU) and run the Lionel engines on the MTH control system with your MTH equipment. As Mike Wolf told me years ago at a York TCA meet, "You will love running trains with DCS." He was right!
Thanks. In case you're wondering how I powered my MTH Tri-Rail set, I only ran it on the club layout where DCS remotes were readily available. For my ceiling layout at home, I purchased 2 of the DCS Remote Commanders, which I've since sold the past week to two of our fellow OGR forum members, so the remotes are going to homes where they will be taken care of. I'll be running my DCS via my cell phone for now and later with a tablet. I'm skipping buying the panic priced hand held MTH DCS system remotes plus after much investigation, I believe that I will be better served going the DCS App route.
Kevin, the DCS app works nicely
Mike g
I have a question for you. When you paint the figures which look so good do you always spray paint them white before you're final colors. You no doubt have a steady hand .I love the colors you have used on these people. Super work. Thanks farmerjohn.
For all you night owls out there, got a cab view of the Twin Pines Rail Road done. I can think of a couple of things I would do different next time. Like leaving the station slower and sounding the bell. I did miss a switch which caused the camera car to derail. Did it again but it re-railed itself on the next turnout. Its a bit long but it covers all my interconnecting track. Running about 25 scale mph.
Hope you enjoy. Twin Pines Cab View May 2021
@farmerjohn posted:Mike g
I have a question for you. When you paint the figures which look so good do you always spray paint them white before you're final colors. You no doubt have a steady hand .I love the colors you have used on these people. Super work. Thanks farmerjohn.
Hi John, I tired painting with out the white first and the paint didn't stick very well. I watched a video on YouTube and the guy I watched always primers them first. So I gave it a try and all I had on hand was white primer. The guy in the video used gray primer.
Thanks for your kind words, I hope to get back to paint more when the CEO is done with projects for me!
@ScoutingDad posted:For all you night owls out there, got a cab view of the Twin Pines Rail Road done. I can think of a couple of things I would do different next time. Like leaving the station slower and sounding the bell. I did miss a switch which caused the camera car to derail. Did it again but it re-railed itself on the next turnout. Its a bit long but it covers all my interconnecting track. Running about 25 scale mph.
Hope you enjoy. Twin Pines Cab View May 2021
Jeff, that's a wonderful video of your layout! Thank you so much for sharing it!
@Amfleet25124 posted:Thanks. In case you're wondering how I powered my MTH Tri-Rail set, I only ran it on the club layout where DCS remotes were readily available. For my ceiling layout at home, I purchased 2 of the DCS Remote Commanders, which I've since sold the past week to two of our fellow OGR forum members, so the remotes are going to homes where they will be taken care of. I'll be running my DCS via my cell phone for now and later with a tablet. I'm skipping buying the panic priced hand held MTH DCS system remotes plus after much investigation, I believe that I will be better served going the DCS App route.
As one of the aforementioned members- He's right, and I'm looking forward to tinkering with command control
Thanks again Kevin. Good luck with the DCS system.
Bob
Jeff, that’s very impressive and it provided a good perspective of all your hard work. When I see what guys like you and Mike, Bob, and Mark, Farmerjohn, GRJ, and Dave, as well as so many others, have accomplished the task before me is daunting. But I’m anxious to get started.
@RSJB18 posted:As one of the aforementioned members- He's right, and I'm looking forward to tinkering with command control
Thanks again Kevin. Good luck with the DCS system.
Bob
Finally leaving the dark side, eh Bob??? Welcome to command light
Jay, thanks for the words. I found this forum to be really helpful and at times inspiring. Some of the detail modeling being done is just outstanding (that goes for the spectrum from life-like to the Traditional Lionel layouts - I find both styles fascinating - you just have to decide which one you want or not - two layouts are always a possibility). There is so much good stuff in here it is truly hard to find. I suggest getting comfortable with the advanced search features.
Not that long ago my RR was little more than plywood and supports. I ripped up my layout several times as I found out what I liked from what I thought I liked. I fell for the scale aspect of the hobby, but am keeping the traditional aspect for my seasonal 48 under the tree. This hobby should be fun and not really daunting. Decide on a layout plan, build it, run it, change it, rebuild it, change it again. Your only real constraint is your available space and then the amount of treasure you are willing to spend.
Not disrespecting anyone you've already mentioned - if you haven't found him already look up a modeler "Norm Charbonneau" - I don't think I'll ever get to his level of modeling - but wow when you add grass to cracks in concrete pads - that is going over the top. Fun to look at.
@Apples55 posted:Finally leaving the dark side, eh Bob??? Welcome to command light
I thought it was the other way around??????
If you really want to fall over, I'm looking for a gently used Cab-1L too !
Thanks
@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:Jeff, that’s very impressive and it provided a good perspective of all your hard work. When I see what guys like you and Mike, Bob, and Mark, Farmerjohn, GRJ, and Dave, as well as so many others, have accomplished the task before me is daunting. But I’m anxious to get started.
Jay, You are halfway there already! Once you get started, you will find you want to keep going until a particular task is done. I have to check myself to not do a shoddy job in the desire to get trains running. Also, if you find you built something you don't like or isn't working well, stop and evaluate. It is better to change it or rip something out and start over again. Working totally by myself, I don't know when I would ever get a big layout running and sceniced. I guess less is more for me.
@RSJB18 posted:I thought it was the other way around??????
If you really want to fall over, I'm looking for a gently used Cab-1L too !
Thanks
A Cab-1L??? Be still my heart ♥️
And, no... conventional is a quaint relic of the dark ages - you are just beginning the path to enlightenment 
Thanks guys. My room is finished with the track lighting, floor and wall outlets, and a mini split HVAC system . The walls painted Sherwin-Williams “cloudless”. I have a semblance of a track plan on paper and I just downloaded AnyRail on Tuesday. I’ve been two weeks in Mark’s neck of the woods and when I get home next week I plan on addressing the backdrop. Then onto the bench work.
Jay, everyone is so right, just take your time as it is no race. I just really got into trains about 5 -6 years ago, built a train room for it on the back of my garage. I have learned so much from the folks here on the forum! There skills are amazing and all are willing to help out! One thing is for sure, do what is right for you. I am thinking about changing up a few things and will be talking to Scouttingdad and Chris cause I want to add some of both there ideas to my layout but want to talk to them first!
