Thanks Mark.
Bob. Good luck but it’s look good lots of scratch going on your project but it will be one of a kind
Hi guys, I hope your all having a great day sofar! LOL I know its still early.
JPLoco, Mark, and Dave yes I got it in writing. They are going to reprint and ship out to me and should get 2 copies buy Wednesday. They felt bad because this is what they do for a living, so not only are they reprinting, shipping for free, they also gave me a full refund!
Sitka, it may not be the best camera, but it sure is a wonderful looking layout!
Lee, D. Outstanding work on the Santa Fe trailer! Turned out looking great!
Well as for me, I got my second sheet of plywood and cut it. Set it up into place just to check things out. Sorry no photos , but then I started the fun job of washing my used Ballast to get the glue off so I can reuse it. I still have alot of that to wash but I wanted to get the track under the second level ballasted so I can move up!
I hope everyone has a great day and finds time for your layouts and trains!
Lots of imagination and ingenuity Lee.
Always enjoy your finished products and the photos you share with us….
John d.
Mike and John thanks for your nice complements I really enjoy sharing my work here and looking at others talents.
Mike G. - Your control panel made me rethink how I was going to mount the block controls. I decided to make one common panel with both yards on it. Today I cut and assembled both the control panel frame but also a 3 inch extension near the ZW. The control panel frame is hinged to move up so wiring can be accessed easier. I have not cut the plexiglass yet but I did make a rabbit in the frame to accept the plexiglass. There are a couple of cleats to support the panel when its in the down position. Thanks for all the great ideas on the forum.
@Victor Bertolina posted:Mike G. - Your control panel made me rethink how I was going to mount the block controls. I decided to make one common panel with both yards on it. Today I cut and assembled both the control panel frame but also a 3 inch extension near the ZW. The control panel frame is hinged to move up so wiring can be accessed easier. I have not cut the plexiglass yet but I did make a rabbit in the frame to accept the plexiglass. There are a couple of cleats to support the panel when its in the down position. Thanks for all the great ideas on the forum.
Victor, looks great I think its going to work wonderful and your going to be very happy with it when your done!
I too am like you that I love all the great ideas the you can get from the forum and how folks here are willing to help each other out!
Today is kind of booked up but if I get the time I am going to break out the little BBQ to try and put a hurry on drying my washed ballast.
I hope everyone has a great day and finds time for there layouts and some fun with there trains!
A small Razorback Traction update:
Morning guys, well yesterday I finished drying a little over 12lbs of washed used ballast and put the first coat of paint down on the area that will be under the town on the second level! Here are a couple photos.
Today I am going to work on my control panel as I got the new prints from the printer. If I have time I will do some more painting, I have to paint the side of the rails and dont want to use spray paint. So I went to the local paint store and had them match up some paint from the cap of spray paint I used before!
I hope you all have a great weekend and find time for your layout and fun with your trains!
Mike, i wouldn't worry too much about the color of the rails. I live about 4 miles from a CSX main line, and in a 10 mile stretch the rails vary in color from a rusty brow to a very dark grey that appears black on a cloudy day. Keep up the great work.
Made progress on the control panel over the last couple of days. I cut the 3/16" thick plexiglass using a circular saw with a new 60 tooth carbide blade. Cutting was easy and did not chip. I test fit the plexiglass with the protective paper still on into the painted frame. There was two pieces of plexiglass left over so I used the smaller one and made a mockup to test the drilling procedure. I am using a step bit to drill 3/8" and 1/2" holes. The step bit works well without chipping.
For the panel, I applied four light coats of yellow paint as the undercoat after scuffing with 600 grit paper. After a day of drying, I masked the locations of the tracks. The layout was created in SCARM and I made a print section for the two yards. I cut the tracks out and was left with a pattern to guide the masking. This was easy and the turnouts and curved tracks were masked onto the plexiglass. The last photo shows the tracks cutout from the SCARM print over the masked panel. 
Mike, you can also consider using colored chalk to brush along the outside of the rails.
@modeltrainsparts & @Tranquil Hollow RR, thanks for the input and ideas. But the think is most of my track is already painted Earth Brown from Rustolium. That is the color match I had done this morning, so I can try to keep things somewhat realistic. If I do nothing you will see nice and bright gold track sides.
Victor, looking great! I am glad your not having any problems with the plexiglass, I cut mine with the same blade but on the table saw. I like how your track plans are transfering over to your painted plexiglass. I just don't have the patients or skills to do all that, plus its easier for me to have someone print them up for me. I just tell the wife I cant build everything! LOL
So I too worked on my control panel today, I put down the vinal sticker track plan down, then started drilling new holes and installing toggle switches. I got 16 installed and still have 4 more to do for the upper loop. Sorry no painting today!
LOL
Mike, The control panel looks great!
Filled in the downtown Olive Hill this week along Railroad Street with the structures. Street lights went up today. Everything isn’t glued down as yet.
It’s been a long time getting to this point on the scenery.
We will begin connecting all the lighting to the accessories power loop under the layout this weekend. Hopefully all the connections will work. Probably take me a week to complete the connections.
Finished working on the workbench!
https://ogrforum.com/...3#157265374151726093
First thing I worked on was replacing the belt in my vacuum cleaner. 
Mitch
Mark, thank you sir. I hope to get the control panel finished today so I can move on to ballasting! LOL More fun!
Seth, outstanding Railroad Street! Sure are some wonderful looking old building, reminds me of going threw some of the older towns around my house. It always makes me wonder what it would have been like to live in those days!
Mike G. That panel looks amazing. I did make more progress today in spraying the panel black and unmasking it. Not nearly as good looking as Mikes!
Mike and Victor-Both of your panels are very nicely done! Mine will be much smaller but I need to get to work on it very soon.
Seth-I know how it feels to finally get to this stage. By far it's my favorite part of the hobby. I really like the apartment building. Was that scratch-built?
Dave
Mike the community I grew in was an industrial setting and lots of employment. All that finally ended in 1970. I can recall the smell of the steam smoke, but only the sounds of diesel. I understand the pusher for help to the mountain top was the last steam engine on the tracks in Olive Hill.
Downtown Businesses soon began to disappear.
I’m recreating my memory before it fades. I will place bus station, fire dept, school, gas stations on the remaining layout areas. I spent so much time at Monk Dunaway’s Standard Oil station my mom complained that the grease and oil wouldn’t wash outta my clothes nor my veins!
Most of the town, Dave, are Woodlands Scenic as well as the apartment building. Three new assembled kits but most of the structures I have purchased used via the OGR forum. Refurbished several.
All new lights have been installed, primarily LED.
A special Thanks!
to everyone who visits town and shared a like!
Enjoy your weekend.
I painted the smoke jack on my freight depot, and gave it a light black wash. I'll have to take some pictures, it turned out pretty well!
Victor, your panel looks great!
Seth, all I know is I really like how your layout is coming along!
Dave, if your control panel is anything like the rest of your layout, I know it's going to be outstanding!
As for me today I finished the control panel, painted the side rails, and painted the plywood for the upper level. Oh and started to ballast so I can get the upper level started. Just a few photos.
@Mark Boyce posted:Lee, excellent job on the trailer!
Sitka, the bridges and scenery look great!
Mike, the layout plan for the control panel looks great! When it is the right size, it will even look better!
Mark I think I left you out thanks for the complement on the trailer sorry
Today I received this old Lionel FA shell. I need it for my Santa Fe project I’ve started for this winter. So I removed the decals and gave it a good bath/scrubbing painted it and added some Microscale Decals. I hooked it to a Consist of Lionel O27 cars and add my Santa Fe Piggyback Trailer I made last week and gave it a run around the layout. I’m getting hooked on these Lionel O27 cars.
I decided to make a boxcar out of the track cleaning thing I bought..out of balsa, basswood and misc. items from my parts box.
@FECRailroaddog posted:I decided to make a boxcar out of the track cleaning thing I bought..out of balsa, basswood and misc. items from my parts box.
Great job! How do you get at the posts to change the pads? Does the box lift off?
We should start a new thread...
Here's the latest progress on my track cleaning car. Just roughed in at the moment. If the weather clears, I may try to get a coat of primer on the car body today.
Wow, Bob. You and FECRaildog have done an outstanding job on that track cleaning car. It makes me want to redo mine.
@Seth Thomas posted:
Most of the town, Dave, are Woodlands Scenic as well as the apartment building. Three new assembled kits but most of the structures I have purchased used via the OGR forum. Refurbished several.
All new lights have been installed, primarily LED.
A special Thanks!
to everyone who visits town and shared a like!
Enjoy your weekend.
OK Seth. I didn't realize WS made an apartment building in O Scale. I will have to look it up. Everything is looking good in your town so far. Keep bringing us the progress.
Dave
Lee, neat Santa Fe project, you are really a very talented person how you do all these redo builds!
FECRailroaddog, outstanding work on the boxcar
Bob, Looks great! I hope you get some sun today so you can move ahead with your wonderful build!
Nothing not as of yet today, but I hope to get the ballast all done under where the upper level is going so I can also work on that area.
Mike, Painting the "earth" under the ballast and greenery, etc, that dark grey (Or is it light black?) is what i have been recommending for years. I tell people to look around the outside through a paper towel tube with one eye closed; the predominate color you will see is grey - EXCEPT in the southwest, of course. It looks great plus i like your new track plan.
@mike g. posted:Victor, your panel looks great!
Seth, all I know is I really like how your layout is coming along!
Dave, if your control panel is anything like the rest of your layout, I know it's going to be outstanding!
As for me today I finished the control panel, painted the side rails, and painted the plywood for the upper level. Oh and started to ballast so I can get the upper level started. Just a few photos.
Mike, you're making some nice progress on the new layout...impressive!
@Seth Thomas posted:Mike the community I grew in was an industrial setting and lots of employment. All that finally ended in 1970. I can recall the smell of the steam smoke, but only the sounds of diesel. I understand the pusher for help to the mountain top was the last steam engine on the tracks in Olive Hill.
Downtown Businesses soon began to disappear.
I’m recreating my memory before it fades. I will place bus station, fire dept, school, gas stations on the remaining layout areas. I spent so much time at Monk Dunaway’s Standard Oil station my mom complained that the grease and oil wouldn’t wash outta my clothes nor my veins!Most of the town, Dave, are Woodlands Scenic as well as the apartment building. Three new assembled kits but most of the structures I have purchased used via the OGR forum. Refurbished several.
All new lights have been installed, primarily LED.
A special Thanks!
to everyone who visits town and shared a like!
Enjoy your weekend.
Seth, sounds like you're moving ahead at a fast pace! Did you decide on what product you'll use for roads and highways?
Mike. Thanks for the complement I enjoy Custom building
Bob. That’s car is really looking great.
fecrailroaddog. Your car look very nice as well
My grandkids were over for a visit the last couple of days. Ryan likes being creative with my cars - not my train cars - but vehicle cars. Apparently my placement on streets is not where they should be. Tops of roofs and bridges are much better places.
And then I showed him how to operate DCS on my android pad - he was so excited ran upstairs to tell his dad about the great "new toy" on my layout. He and his sister like to turn out the room lights and dance in the middle section of the layout. All while they had an engine running 120 scale mph, amazingly it ran really well. I have no idea why they use the middle as a performance stage - no point in trying to figure it out - just enjoy the cacophony.
@ScoutingDad posted:My grandkids were over for a visit the last couple of days. Ryan likes being creative with my cars - not my train cars - but vehicle cars. Apparently my placement on streets is not where they should be. Tops of roofs and bridges are much better places.
Makes perfect sense to me! Well done Ryan!
Cheers, Dave
@lee drennen posted:Mark I think I left you out thanks for the complement on the trailer sorry
Lee, that is quite alright indeed!! I type so many comments here, I lose track.
Losing track! Yes, I have missed a bunch of great projects here, so I will just say, they are all great each in a different way. I regret I have not done much on the layout. Yesterday my wife Kim and I took a road trip to Ohio to show her Corner Field Model Railroad Museum, the fantastic work of the Elesh Family; Tom Sr, Vicki, Tom Jr, and Ashley. I’ll not post any photographs here, but I’ll get some posted when I get them off my phone.
@ScoutingDad posted:My grandkids were over for a visit the last couple of days. Ryan likes being creative with my cars - not my train cars - but vehicle cars. Apparently my placement on streets is not where they should be. Tops of roofs and bridges are much better places.
And then I showed him how to operate DCS on my android pad - he was so excited ran upstairs to tell his dad about the great "new toy" on my layout. He and his sister like to turn out the room lights and dance in the middle section of the layout. All while they had an engine running 120 scale mph, amazingly it ran really well. I have no idea why they use the middle as a performance stage - no point in trying to figure it out - just enjoy the cacophony.
Thank you for posting this, Jeff! It is priceless!!
Lot's of great stuff gents.
@ScoutingDad- You bring up a good bit of advice. Make our layouts grandchild proof! 
The pix and story are priceless!
Bob
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