Mark, I like the paint scheme on the station. What interior details are you planning on?
Andy
I agree with others that Alex is a great choice. He is talented and will be more actively involved. I do hope that the originator of this thread is ok.
Andy
Dave, I don't remember going into any details about uncoupler locations. When I shot that video, I only had them on the stub sidings in the yard. So.... on storage yard tracks, I am installing them as close to the switch as I can and still have clearance to get around the last car on the siding. On the interchange tracks I am placing them like the yard tracks to maximize the # of cars I can drop at the interchange, so same scenario as close to the switches without causing fouling. Same situation again with my "run around" track and switch set-ups. I'll need to install at least in the run around, so I can drop a car(s), uncouple and then run around it and the get the engine on the other side to service facing point sidings.
On industrial sidings like the coal tipples I am placing the magnets, where I can take advantage of the "delayed coupling" feature with the Kadees. So even though I may want to spot empty cars under the coal tipple, the actual uncoupler is about 3 to 4 car lengths away from the coal chutes. If you're not familiar with "delayed" coupling, essentially you uncouple two Kadees over the magnet, leaving one coupler over the magnet, then back away an inch or two, and then reverse direction, and come back in slowly. The magnets will actually pull the shanks away from the centerline so that the knuckles don't line up and "couple". At that point, you can push the car down the siding and drop it a warehouse door, or coal chute, or any specific spot you want to leave it. Since the knuckles didn't lock and engage, you can spot a car anywhere down the siding, without having to have an uncoupler at every door on a warehouse. Yes, awkward to explain, but I don't want to shoot anymore video tonight. I think there may be videos on YouTube of Kadee Delayed uncoupling. This is a feature I look forward to using once I start actually operating the layout more.
Mark the station is coming along great.
That’s an impressive process you are setting up Chris. I would love to see a schematic of your layout. It sounds intricate and interesting.
@necrails posted:After years of looking at this space trees are growing. Supervised by Sam.
Both are looking fine.
Congratulations Alex! My old friend deserves the honor of keeping this thread updated! Congratulations and good luck pal!
Mike R
@Steamfan77 posted:Mark, I like the paint scheme on the station. What interior details are you planning on?
Andy
Thank you Andy! Actually, since the kit built per instructions has the freight doors closed, not a lot would be seen except through the bay window. I'm thinking a freight desk there and some crates, barrels, etc stacked up. Also a couple of workers. The kit comes with a nice dock on front and back that all kinds of items could be put on them to distract from looking in the windows anyway.
I was running my SW 8 yesterday for a while and was having an issue with it loosing DCS signal. At first I thought it was something with the engine, but soon found the cause. I have just a remote commander, no TIU for this layout, and it would stop functioning. Checking the wiring I realized that it was connected to the "B" handle for the upper level. My KW bleeds voltage through if the handle is not fully in the off position so the RC would get enough power to function occasionally. Don't know why I hadn't noticed this before but since most of the switching is done on the main level I moved the wires to the other track buss. Problem solved! 
Bob
@necrails posted:After years of looking at this space trees are growing. Supervised by Sam.
The trees look great. Sam looks like trouble......
Morning all, been working on Williams P.R.R. passenger cars that I took out the silhouette people and adding plastic windows, purchased some passenger seats from scale city, waiting for another dozen to add to the other cars, also updated the lights to led strips. Also painting some people to add to my set.
Thank a Vet
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@Lionelski posted:I've been busy on the layout for the past week or so.
I started by making and adding railings to a "floating" piece of track between a small mountain and the viaduct:
This made an earlier railed section of track look shabby - so I redid it:
If you like the way these railed sections look, I updated my early (8/13/21) Blog post on www.Warrenvillerailroad.com to include a "How To" with several follow along pics. This post is entitled "Avoiding the Floating Track Look" - check it out.
After seeing how these two sections turned out, I no longer liked the way a railed section of elevated track in front of Cape Warrenaveral and Main Street looked, so I removed it to re-do it. BUT, when I took it down I liked the unobstructed look without this section of track so I decided not to put it back at all. This resulted in track and trestle work. Here is a pic of an added Arch Under bridge needed to support some of the new track work.
It also resulted in me completely re-doing Main Street as it looked shabby too. Here is the new wide open view:
I neglected to note above that one of the above upgrades required a 3 x 11 triangular layout expansion! Here is a pic:
OK, to clarify (LOL), I meant 3 inch by 11 inch triangular shaped expansion. Needed for the foot of the Arch Under bridge added
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WOW guys, guess I have been away to long again! LOL, I had to go back 2 1/2 pages to get up to speed!
As Chris said to many projects to cover everyone, but wow sure is some nice work!
Chris a. wonderful job on the station and lighting! Thanks also for posting the uncoupler project, I really like it. At some point I intend to get back switching everything over to Kadee. I like your video of the Kadee's in action!
Alex, welcome and it's nice to see your still around, have seen much about your layout. But as someone already stated sometimes life gets in the way.
John, thanks for your photos and the link to how to avoid floating track. Love your ideas and I plan on trying them out when I get my last loop up and running.
Well guys haven't been doing anything, but I did get in the train room to check for roof leaks and was able to order what I hope will be the last of the track needed to finish my upper loop!
I hope the snow on the news misses you all and you find time to have fun with your trains and layouts!
Cold and gloomy afternoon = basement time!
First I reorganized some shelves in my work shop. The top two shelves and lower left were addressed. Not all train stuff but better than it was before. Threw out a bunch of stuff and found a few things along the way. One was a LED puck light I had gotten as a sample years ago. I knew one day I'd find a use for it. Well, today was the day.
Ran trains for a while. I put my LIRR RS-3 on the layout and was able to run it with my SW-8 despite the remote commander's ability to control only one engine. I could command both simultaneously so it sort of works. The RS-3 hits a couple of dead spots that the SW-8 doesn't so the experiment didn't last long. I dug out a custom car I had purchased early last year from the Railroad Museum of Long Island. They did a nice car honoring LI's duck farming heritage (courtesy of Lionel).
Bob
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RSJB18 Bob, You’ve really been busy and your shelves look very organized, your layout, and Long Island diesels are beautiful, also the the Long Island Duck Growers car is neat as well as the hopper car. You have a nice layout with lots of Action. Lionelski, you have a fantastic layout, also a great train collection, keep the pictures coming, your multi level track work is amazing. Sitka, beautiful work o your passenger cars and you also have a super nice layout. Happy Railroading Everyone 
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@mike g. posted:
............John, thanks for your photos and the link to how to avoid floating track. Love your ideas and I plan on trying them out when I get my last loop up and running..............
Thanks Mike - I'm glad that you've found that blog post useful.
I like to see your layout update pics too - keep 'em coming. Let us know if you come up with any other "avoiding floating track" ideas.
@leapinlarry posted:.........Lionelski, you have a fantastic layout, also a great train collection, keep the pictures coming, your multi level track work is amazing.......
Thanks for the comments and encouragement leapinlarry.
Love the pics you post - are they of a Mid America 3 Railers club layout? Is there a website?
I'm envious of your photography skills too!
I add my thanks to Allen for wanting to keep this thread ongoing and welcome Alex as the new Author in Chief. This post is destine for perpetuity! It moves so fast that it’s hard to keep up with all the activity. Always fun to view the many posts that inspire, provide help andI foster a host of new ideas.
This past week I just learned of the passing of Paul 2. I was curious regarding his lack of posting and saddened to learn of his passing in late 2021. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few years back at an event hosted by Elliot Feinburg AKA “Big boy 4005”. It continues to be hard to accept the fact that life is tenuous and mortality statistics (100%), are against us! Everyday is a gift!
With that said, Sunday afternoon I put on my snow shoes and ventured out into the back yard to harvest some pulpwood stock for a new project I am finishing up. This pasty week I received an eBay purchase of a Weaver flat car. This car is now detailed and soon will be assigned to the DM&IR and will receive a pulpwood load. The rebuild is complete and it's in primer. Today I started building the load but it looks like I need a few more chords to complete the project. It is destine to become DMIR #6347. Until then, wash your hands, cover your face (mask up), get your vacs and isolate yourself in your train room!
Cheers, Dave
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@leapinlarry posted:RSJB18 Bob, You’ve really been busy and your shelves look very organized, your layout, and Long Island diesels are beautiful, also the the Long Island Duck Growers car is neat as well as the hopper car. You have a nice layout with lots of Action. Lionelski, you have a fantastic layout, also a great train collection, keep the pictures coming, your multi level track work is amazing. Sitka, beautiful work o your passenger cars and you also have a super nice layout. Happy Railroading Everyone
Thank You for the kind remarks, will post my passenger cars when completed and thanks on my layout its downsized from moving but we enjoy, and hats off to your layout always enjoy your photos great layout!
Mark
Sorry for the false alarm. We'll wait till tomorrow and he'll have the 4K version published.
@Sitka posted:Morning all, been working on Williams P.R.R. passenger cars that I took out the silhouette people and adding plastic windows, purchased some passenger seats from scale city, waiting for another dozen to add to the other cars, also updated the lights to led strips. Also painting some people to add to my set.
Thank a Vet
I see now how to get people with their legs still attached! Thankful part is they are cheap. Nice work and they look so much better with people and interiors,and the lights make it showtime.
Just wanted to compliment Chris a and his son on that video. You have excellent presentation skills. I sense a teaching background. As for your son he is an excellent videographer. Kudos to you both.
Dennis, thanks for the kind words. Not formal teacher, Industrial and Systems Engineer actually, but spent most of my career "teaching/thoroughly explaining" the how's and why's to my operations staffs. Always took the approach that I could get people to buy in to new ideas and methods better if they had a clear understanding of why I was making changes to bring processes under control.
And yes I am really proud of the skills my son has developed doing photography and now videography, it's really awesome. He's actually set up a small company and is doing commercial video work on the side.
After I posted the "draft" video tonight, my son called, and recommended I take it down and wait for the 4K Hi Resolution version to get uploaded which will virtually take YouTube overnight as it's a huge file.
So for everyone else that's wondering what the heck's going on. I'll put the link up to the Christmas 2021: Walk Around Layout Tour and update when it's ready to go tomorrow.
Very nice work everyone!
I glued the glazing onto all the window frames on the Altoona Branch Line Station kit. Not much to see there. I also ran some trains. I discovered I do have enough time to switch a train while the other traverses the layout.
The log train was on the main line when the passenger train passed it using the passing siding. While I let the passenger train circle the layout, I moved the log train to the passing siding.
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@FECRailroaddog posted:I purchased this MTH Ted's Tires building and decided to make some modifications to it.
Well done!
Peter
Good morning all,
So i will make it my business just about every morning to check in on this thread. Geez i have to say it's a sight for sore eyes, such beautiful and interesting work , and photos.
Thanks, Alex
@Alex M posted:Good morning all,
So i will make it my business just about every morning to check in on this thread. Geez i have to say it's a sight for sore eyes, such beautiful and interesting work , and photos.
Thanks, Alex
We will keep you on your toes Alex. This thread tends to move along pretty quick sometimes.
Didn't get to run trains this past weekend but did work on lighting improvements. For one, added lighting to a Plasticville church. Been doing upgrades to it in stages so thought I'd show the evolution.
1. Original structure colors with interior lights and cellophane windows (on an older layout).
2. Painted exterior and added exterior lighting
3. Replaced interior lights with LEDs and added additional lighting to highlight tower/bell.
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@Jim Van Every posted:I see now how to get people with their legs still attached! Thankful part is they are cheap. Nice work and they look so much better with people and interiors,and the lights make it showtime.
Thanks Jim, when I picked these cars up like 20yrs ago the wiring melted, so I rewired and then found the seats on ebay, thinking about adding a latrine with a sink down the road. Oh for sure on the people you can always repaint to change the colors, HAGD
Mark
@Mayor Magoo posted:Didn't get to run trains this past weekend but did work on lighting improvements. For one, added lighting to a Plasticville church. Been doing upgrades to it in stages so thought I'd show the evolution.
1. Original structure colors with interior lights and cellophane windows (on an older layout).
2. Painted exterior and added exterior lighting
3. Replaced interior lights with LEDs and added additional lighting to highlight tower/bell.
Well done!
Peter
OK YouTube finally finished processing the 4K final version of the video. Many thanks to my son for shooting about 30 short videos and doing such a great job of editing and adding music. And my daughter has done some great scenery work painting the clouds and mountains on the backdrops and making some very realistic trees.
A few quick notes: The layout is 23 feet x 40 feet around two long walls.
The curves are 096 (48 inch radius) minimum.
It's powered by a ZW-C with 4 x 180 watt power bricks.
The signal system is NJ International B & O CPL (color position lights ), Brass signal heads. The single main line is 240 foot long and is a folded over dogbone configuration. There are 11 blocks on the main, the signal system monitors and reports on "block occupancy" 2 blocks ahead. This turned out, ironically, to be exactly how the prototype B & O system worked. Many thanks to Stan2004 for his help designing a 3PDT relay system to accomplish this.
The layout is actually built in irregular shaped modules, so it could be taken down, and moved if necessary. I know I won't be starting another layout from scratch, at least not here on earth. The 1st 3 modules were actually built and moved into the current basement. The benchwork is L Girder/Joist. All the lumber is dimensional 1 x 4.
Many folks have asked for "track plan". I did the original track plan and early modifications in RR Track V4.0, which now will only run on an old off line desk top computer. I don't actually have an "as built" track plan, and it's pretty confusing to review as I didn't make multiple levels. Figured, it made, makes, more sense, to do a Walk Around and Talk about the track plan to show how and why it evolved into what it is today.
@Lionelski posted:Thanks Mike - I'm glad that you've found that blog post useful.
I like to see your layout update pics too - keep 'em coming. Let us know if you come up with any other "avoiding floating track" ideas.
Hi John, here is the only thing I came up with. It's Plexi glass screwed to 1/2" Plywood then covered with printed decal paper.
It was cheap for me as I had both on hand!
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Chris, all I can say is WOW, WOW,WOW! That is truly a work of art in all aspects. Your daughter did an excellent job with the backdrop and excellent cinematography by your son. You did a good job too with your commentary. Outstanding job and thank you so much for sharing.
Chris,
What a team you have! Thanks for the tour and explanation of your layout. Your production was informative, well thought through, and ultimately fun to watch. I really like how you gave us an explanation then let us see trains running on the layout. Congrats!
Dave
P.S. Where did you get that very nice coaling station around 4:45, lol????
Jay thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed it. Hoping it will help someone who is in the process of building a layout or an extension, or just looking for ideas. I found it really useful to do a bunch of research/reading - especially the "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong.
Dave, coming from you that's a real compliment. I subscribed to your channel, you have done some really good video work with excellent commentary as well. We can thank my son for integrating the running trains with the "lecture" !
After the center of the layout gets put back together, I'll do some short videos with a freight train arriving and getting broken down, and maybe a video spotting coal hoppers up on the mine run.
As for what I am doing the last two days. Watched a number of videos about cleaning track with odorless mineral spirits, and then treating the rails with a product called NO-OX-ID A Special, made by an American Company out of Chicago called SanChem. It's a paste that prevents oxidation and micro arcing, pretty interesting stuff. Anyway, as it may not play nice with traction tires, I am using it on the blackened center "hot" rail of all my Ross and Gargraves track. So far engines are definitely running smoother, and lighted passenger cars and cabooses aren't blinking nearly as much as they were. Only wish I had known about this stuff a few years ago, I would have used it on every Ross/Gargraves track pin.
Here's a link to the information on the product from their company website, I ended up buying a 2 oz. container on Amazon
The Armstrong book has been viewed extensively; along with a half dozen other books. Your layout is the embodiment of such a publication; accompanied by a practical explanation. It was extremely helpful to be able to understand the concepts as well as the interconnection. That was an excellent tutorial. Thanks again.
Chris, I am in awe of your modeling talents and your sons videography skills. Thanks for sharing!
Bob
Dave, the coaling tipple around 4:45 was my first attempt at kit bashing. Did this when I was taking care of some health issues with my folks, and working my butt off at a new job here in Mass. Couldn't take the time to build the layout, so the coal tipple was a project I could make time for.
I took three Plasticville coal tipple kits that I picked up for short money at train shows, put them together side by side, and then increased the height another maybe 2 to 3 inches. Added alot of scribed plastruct parts on the framing to improve the look of the bunker, scratchbuilt new chutes. Before I finished it, I found the GGD Ogle tower and redid the out of scale stairwells and added some other details. My plan is to go back and finish that P'Ville Kitbash and use it in the small engine service track adjacent to the Union Station at the far end. Most all the remaining stairs and decks, and coal chutes are all made up for it, just need to do "final assembly".
Here's some photos of both coaling towers:
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@chris a posted:Dave, the coaling tipple around 4:45 was my first attempt at kit bashing. Did this when I was taking care of some health issues with my folks, and working my butt off at a new job here in Mass. Couldn't take the time to build the layout, so the coal tipple was a project I could make time for.
I took three Plasticville coal tipple kits that I picked up for short money at train shows, put them together side by side, and then increased the height another maybe 2 to 3 inches. Added alot of scribed plastruct parts on the framing to improve the look of the bunker, scratchbuilt new chutes. Before I finished it, I found the GGD Ogle tower and redid the out of scale stairwells and added some other details. My plan is to go back and finish that P'Ville Kitbash and use it in the small engine service track adjacent to the Union Station at the far end. Most all the remaining stairs and decks, and coal chutes are all made up for it, just need to do "final assembly".
Here's some photos of both coaling towers:
I have the Plasticville coal tower Chris. What you did with multiple ones certainly turned out well sir. A really nice looking construct.
@mike g. posted:Hi John, here is the only thing I came up with. It's Plexi glass screwed to 1/2" Plywood then covered with printed decal paper.
It was cheap for me as I had both on hand!
Looks great Mike - looks like real rusted steel, who would have thunk decaled plexiglass.
