What did you do on your layout today?

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Nice work Andy.   Really enjoyed the backround info with your video.

Thank you Dallas!

Andy

Great work everybody. I was 3 pages behind!

All caught up. With the scenery, buildings and videos you guys get my brain going into overdrive. Which is good

Nice work everyone.  Finally got around to opening up my Z4000. As I suspected the right handle was not returning to zero so I was getting a fault light. The gears are now re-aligned so time to put it back in service.

Meanwhile I was using a Z750 and a Z1000 to run a short Milwaukee Road K-Line F3 ABA consist with 3 passenger cars to check my re-worked track section. Found a dip next to the finished section and was able to shim under the track. The Z750 would run for a while and then trip out, the Z1000 had no issues.  I know that ABA pulls around 5 amps with no lighted cars, so I suspect the Z750 was at its current limit. 

Hi Guys, hope you all had a wonderful Sunday!

@chris a Chris Outstanding scene! I love the headlights in the tunnel! Really adds realism to your project!

@ScoutingDad Jeff I am glad you got your Z4000 figured out! I knew you would. Maybe you can tell me what's going on here! LOL

Hi guys, I was able to get the Lionel track cleaning car working this morning. I took it apart, cleaned everything, and lubed it. But it's making a god awful noise. The train tender makes the same type of noise.

Here is a video of it.

I was also able to get the bump and go track inspection car to work, but wont move. The drive gear is dished, so I think it needs a new drive gear. Here it is pictured with the track cleaning car!

I hope you all have had a great weekend!

New track plan until I build my layout.

@Brooklyn Corey posted:

New track plan until I build my layout.

Corey;

Nice design. The addition of the switches and the second loop definitely add opportunities and interest. So does loving subways… when I was in college/starting my first full-time job, I lived near the Ave. M station on the Brighton Line and road the M & D trains a lot. At Ave. M, it was elevated… by Newkirk Ave. the line was in the cut… and at Prospect Park, it went underground. With the size of the room you show, you could have a really nice triple-decker layout

@mike g. posted:

But it's making a god awful noise. The train tender makes the same type of noise.

Here is a video of it.

........nice video Mike.

The little guy doesn't make as much noise as I did when I used to try to clean the track by hand in my tunnels.

@Apples55 posted:

Corey;

Nice design. The addition of the switches and the second loop definitely add opportunities and interest. So does loving subways… when I was in college/starting my first full-time job, I lived near the Ave. M station on the Brighton Line and road the M & D trains a lot. At Ave. M, it was elevated… by Newkirk Ave. the line was in the cut… and at Prospect Park, it went underground. With the size of the room you show, you could have a really nice triple-decker layout

Thanks, I know all of the train lines you mentioned.  Triple deck sounds like a great idea.

@mike g. posted:

Hi Guys, hope you all had a wonderful Sunday!

@chris a Chris Outstanding scene! I love the headlights in the tunnel! Really adds realism to your project!

@ScoutingDad Jeff I am glad you got your Z4000 figured out! I knew you would. Maybe you can tell me what's going on here! LOL

Hi guys, I was able to get the Lionel track cleaning car working this morning. I took it apart, cleaned everything, and lubed it. But it's making a god awful noise. The train tender makes the same type of noise.

Here is a video of it.

I was also able to get the bump and go track inspection car to work, but wont move. The drive gear is dished, so I think it needs a new drive gear. Here it is pictured with the track cleaning car!

I hope you all have had a great weekend!

My track cleaner car is loud also.

Work continued on the F3 upgrade. With GRJ's advice, I found a way to fit everything in the well between the motors. I had to make a bracket to hold the main board on top, and the speaker and railsounds board will fit underneath. I've tested everything and we are good to go. I shot a video but the file was too big to share here. I will see if I can edit it down to fit later. Guess it's time to create a Youtube channel.

The mounting hub for the e-unit came in handy.

Bob

Morning guys, thanks for the input on the track cleaning car! I was just wondering because I watched a few videos and Thay don't make as much noise as mine.

@Brooklyn Corey Cory nice looking layout plan! One piece of advice, I switched a lot of my cars over to Kadee couplers and they don't like anything under a 072 curve, so if that is in your future plan take warning!

@RSJB18 Bob, way to build your own mounting platform! John always comes up with great ideas!

Well I hope you all have a great Monday! Don't forget to try and find time for your layout and trains! Most of all have some fun!

Started packing it up to get the house ready for sale .  Not sure if I would call it a "layout", it was just several loops of track in the basement.  Still have a lot more to box up.

Don

Don,

Good luck with the house sale and move.

I hope that you've found a great new train room, that just so happens to have living quarters above it, to move to.

I started to disassemble my table top. I'm expanding from 4x8 to 4-1/2x9

I added the video here.

Bob

I have a large factory structure which I named Connecticut Hard Rubber Corp. It was in New Haven Connecticut and my father-in -law was the head of Quality Control. The building will have a separate boiler plant in a small separate building and will  have two boilers and a feedwater tank, This is very fitting for a fellow with 40 plus years in the industrial boiler business. I have finished one of the boilers with the other in progress. Since we are about 1950, the boilers will be coal fired and like many larger factories/boiler plants, they had a siding with a coal dump/bin for coal storage. Here is one of the boilers fully assembled with some decent detail. These units are Crow River Products and come in a kit form. The instructions were quite well done and give step by step assembly illustrations. The pieces needed the usual painting and for mortor between the bricks I used called Roberts brick and mortar formula.  This will make and interesting add to the factory building.  Bill

Bill,

  Very nice. It sounds like one of those places that you may want to gulp fresh air before passing by?

Tom

@Bill Park posted:

I have a large factory structure which I named Connecticut Hard Rubber Corp. It was in New Haven Connecticut and my father-in -law was the head of Quality Control. The building will have a separate boiler plant in a small separate building and will  have two boilers and a feedwater tank, This is very fitting for a fellow with 40 plus years in the industrial boiler business. I have finished one of the boilers with the other in progress. Since we are about 1950, the boilers will be coal fired and like many larger factories/boiler plants, they had a siding with a coal dump/bin for coal storage. Here is one of the boilers fully assembled with some decent detail. These units are Crow River Products and come in a kit form. The instructions were quite well done and give step by step assembly illustrations. The pieces needed the usual painting and for mortor between the bricks I used called Roberts brick and mortar formula.  This will make and interesting add to the factory building.  Bill

Very nice work Bill. Did you say industrial boilers? I had two 600 HP Compak's and one 400 HP CB in our power plant. All three are gone now and have been replaced by a 2.0 MW co-gen and 4- 200 HP semi-condensing boilers.

Bob

Nice job on the boiler Bill, great detail.

Hi Bob, Those are very familiar manufacturers names to me. I represented another boiler company in East Stroudsburg where the International Boiler Company was located, They went out of business sometime in the early eighties I think. Some of their engineering staff went to the company  I sold for named Patterson Kelley. They too were in East Stroudsburg. As far as Cleaver Brooks, I started with the Cleaver agent in Albany and worked there selling boilers for 10 years before starting my own company. It;s a small world isn't it. Bill

@Lionelski posted:

Don,

Good luck with the house sale and move.

I hope that you've found a great new train room, that just so happens to have living quarters above it, to move to.

I wish.  Moving to San Diego, no basements   Looking for a 3 car garage - 2 for cars, 1 for trains.  Or a really big spare bedroom - 10x12 won't work for me.

62 degrees, mostly sunny and minimal wind........

It's outdoor painting weather in Central Virginia, everyone!

Pictures and details, soon....

Peter

@dmestan posted:

Started packing it up to get the house ready for sale .  Not sure if I would call it a "layout", it was just several loops of track in the basement.  Still have a lot more to box up.

Don

Don, in San Diego you won't want to be all boxed up in a basement/storm cellar! I am a Californian, Silicon Valley, and I love San Diego. With the weather you'll want to be outside most of the time, maybe a garden railroad is in order???!!! Anyway, good luck with the move, I think you'll like SD a lot. Also, a fun place to railfan, BNSF goes right through Downtown!

I photographed someone fishing today as the train passed a beautiful lake landscape.

I finally extended my RR crossing on my 8" layout extension. It's been like this for about 5 months!!

Because part of the crossing is on a curve I was trying to figure out the best method between rails when "@chris a" showed his layout and he used cork road bed, although his was concrete. So I went out to the hobby store and bought some HO scale roadbed, 1/8" thick. It bends really easy with the curve, how simple is that! Then on either side for the track I used cork cabinet contact sheets 2' x 8' that can be had at Homey Depot or Lowes. Con-tact Brand as you can see in the photo. The contact cork is around 3/32" think.

Photo of HO scale roadbed and Contact cork.

Then a little Woodland Scenics Asphalt paint.

In order to get the thickness I needed for the rail height, I precut 3 Contact pieces and stacked them using just the contact adhesive. Then I marked all the curves with a compass, following the outside rail, and cut to the required length with a box cutter with a fresh blade. Then I painted them before installing. Underneath the cork is a wood plank that goes from ballast to ballast, then the cork is applied to that. I used super glue for the cork between the rails and the wood planks between the ballast

Here's the results. I think I'll do a little weathering before calling it finished. Plus, I need to add some dirt on the left side for the railroad service vehicles can get to the trackside service area. I used the roadbed cork to build it up, then I'll apply the dirt with some white glue.

The other two roads just in front of the SP GS were done the had way, with Woodland Scenics Fine Cinder ballast and white glue mixture.

I'll post another photo when I finish the dirt work and add a few more bushes. Now there's a road out of town, although that last step is a doozy!

@BAR GP7 #63 posted:

I photographed someone fishing today as the train passed a beautiful lake landscape.

I hope the train noise didn't scare the fish away.....😂

Hi guys, I hope your all having a great day!

@dmestan Don, good luck on the move and your future layout! Scott is correct you will love SD!

@randr Looks like a nice little layout! I know I have one in my future with all the free track and rolling stock I got last weekend!

@RSJB18 Bob, outstanding work, sounds are great! Next project is to get it to move!

@Bill Park Bill wonderful work on the boiler building! I love the details!
@BAR GP7 #63 Johan, I always love your scenery! I could see myself going there to do some fishing and train watching!

@WesternPacific2217 Scott Wonderful job on the road and crossing! I too will be using @chris a Method!

Well guys I didn't get much done today, but I did go out and cleaned the armature and brushes on my new to me tender and it sounds a lot better. While I was at it I noticed the wires going to the pickups were frayed and exposed wires, so I took the time to replace them also!

I do have a question as I am new to prewar stuff, what cause sparking at the wheels and pickup rollers?

I hope you all have a wonderful safe day! I also hope you found time for your layout and trains, if anything even just to sit back and run trains!

@BAR GP7 #63 posted:

I photographed someone fishing today as the train passed a beautiful lake landscape.

When I first saw this post I thought it was a railfan photo of the real thing! But then I realized I know that guy on the caboose. ;-)

Bar GP7 #63-That was a great area to "rail fan". The backdrop really brings out your wonderful scenery work.

Scott-You did a wonderful job on the grade crossing. It looks very well thought out and displays some very neat work. What do you plan to do for signals?

Dave

@BAR GP7 #63  Great photo - wow - nice sun bleached orange on that IC caboose.

Finally starting to have time on the layout, but now am getting ready to post some passenger sets and engines for sale.  Here is a short clip of the new MTH Railking RS-1 Alco in Grand Trunk and Western livery.  Seems like I've forgotten how to take clean video.  The GT boxcar was a special run from Berwyn's.

@BAR GP7 #63 posted:

I photographed someone fishing today as the train passed a beautiful lake landscape.

What did they catch?

@BAR GP7 #63 posted:

I photographed someone fishing today as the train passed a beautiful lake landscape.

I'm still having difficulty trying to figure out where your modeling and your backdrop begin and end.

Nice Johan.

@ScoutingDad posted:

Finally starting to have time on the layout, but now am getting ready to post some passenger sets and engines for sale.  Here is a short clip of the new MTH Railking RS-1 Alco in Grand Trunk and Western livery.  Seems like I've forgotten how to take clean video.  The GT boxcar was a special run from Berwyn's.

A real nice '  feel  '  to this scene with your lighting SD

................ Thanks for sharing guys .............

Hello everyone! Work on the mountain truss supports are finished. I was able to work on it this past Saturday and finished it this evening. Next, I will run a few trains and check spacing and if all goes well start to add paper “buns” and plaster. It should be downhill from there with the familiar saga of purchasing trees and foliage. Thanks for reading!

Getting some Work done around the TT area. I’ve been slack on working on it, finally in the mood to do it.

Work has been moving along on the wreck trains.

@RSJB18 posted:

I hope the train noise didn't scare the fish away.....😂

Bob,

I think the fish are mostly used to passing trains. 😄

Johan

@mike g. posted:

Hi guys, I hope your all having a great day!

@dmestan Don, good luck on the move and your future layout! Scott is correct you will love SD!

@randr Looks like a nice little layout! I know I have one in my future with all the free track and rolling stock I got last weekend!

@RSJB18 Bob, outstanding work, sounds are great! Next project is to get it to move!

@Bill Park Bill wonderful work on the boiler building! I love the details!
@BAR GP7 #63 Johan, I always love your scenery! I could see myself going there to do some fishing and train watching!

@WesternPacific2217 Scott Wonderful job on the road and crossing! I too will be using @chris a Method!

Well guys I didn't get much done today, but I did go out and cleaned the armature and brushes on my new to me tender and it sounds a lot better. While I was at it I noticed the wires going to the pickups were frayed and exposed wires, so I took the time to replace them also!

I do have a question as I am new to prewar stuff, what cause sparking at the wheels and pickup rollers?

I hope you all have a wonderful safe day! I also hope you found time for your layout and trains, if anything even just to sit back and run trains!

Mike G,

Thank you very much. Fishing and watching the trains are both very relaxing things for me too. 🤝

Johan

@luvindemtrains posted:

Bar GP7 #63-That was a great area to "rail fan". The backdrop really brings out your wonderful scenery work.

Scott-You did a wonderful job on the grade crossing. It looks very well thought out and displays some very neat work. What do you plan to do for signals?

Dave

Dave,

Thank you very much. The installation of the grass is still going on and it feels like the details can be added almost endlessly.

Johan

@ScoutingDad posted:

@BAR GP7 #63  Great photo - wow - nice sun bleached orange on that IC caboose.

Finally starting to have time on the layout, but now am getting ready to post some passenger sets and engines for sale.  Here is a short clip of the new MTH Railking RS-1 Alco in Grand Trunk and Western livery.  Seems like I've forgotten how to take clean video.  The GT boxcar was a special run from Berwyn's.

ScoutingDad,

Thank you. Your scenery and GT train looking good too. 🤝

Johan

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

I finally extended my RR crossing on my 8" layout extension. It's been like this for about 5 months!!

Because part of the crossing is on a curve I was trying to figure out the best method between rails when "@chris a" showed his layout and he used cork road bed, although his was concrete. So I went out to the hobby store and bought some HO scale roadbed, 1/8" thick. It bends really easy with the curve, how simple is that! Then on either side for the track I used cork cabinet contact sheets 2' x 8' that can be had at Homey Depot or Lowes. Con-tact Brand as you can see in the photo. The contact cork is around 3/32" think.

Photo of HO scale roadbed and Contact cork.

Then a little Woodland Scenics Asphalt paint.

In order to get the thickness I needed for the rail height, I precut 3 Contact pieces and stacked them using just the contact adhesive. Then I marked all the curves with a compass, following the outside rail, and cut to the required length with a box cutter with a fresh blade. Then I painted them before installing. Underneath the cork is a wood plank that goes from ballast to ballast, then the cork is applied to that. I used super glue for the cork between the rails and the wood planks between the ballast

Here's the results. I think I'll do a little weathering before calling it finished. Plus, I need to add some dirt on the left side for the railroad service vehicles can get to the trackside service area. I used the roadbed cork to build it up, then I'll apply the dirt with some white glue.

The other two roads just in front of the SP GS were done the had way, with Woodland Scenics Fine Cinder ballast and white glue mixture.

I'll post another photo when I finish the dirt work and add a few more bushes. Now there's a road out of town, although that last step is a doozy!

Scott,

Nice work. A few weeks ago, I installed three level crossings with a wooden deck on my own layout.

Johan