What did you do on your layout today?

@mike g. posted:

Thanks guys, Mark, I think it is just old fir, but it had been used for planks on a old work floor, so it has a lot of wear and tear to it.

Mike- considering your slowly recovering from knee surgery- I'd say you are making great progress. The lumber is a great score. And the fact that it's old and dry means it won't warp.

@woodsyT- great job on the lighting updates.

@Strap Hanger- nice fencing work . The signs are a nice touch too.

Bob

@mike g. posted:

Thanks guys, Mark, I think it is just old fir, but it had been used for planks on a old work floor, so it has a lot of wear and tear to it.

@RSJB18 posted:

Mike- considering your slowly recovering from knee surgery- I'd say you are making great progress. The lumber is a great score. And the fact that it's old and dry means it won't warp.

@woodsyT- great job on the lighting updates.

Bob

Old fir sounds good.  It sounds like the wood I got, though I don't know what kind.  Yes, dry, old wood doesn't warp.

@RSJB18 posted:

Mike- considering your slowly recovering from knee surgery- I'd say you are making great progress. The lumber is a great score. And the fact that it's old and dry means it won't warp.

@woodsyT- great job on the lighting updates.

@Strap Hanger- nice fencing work . The signs are a nice touch too.

Bob

Thanks Bob! I really like your shelf and the idea of slowly adding motive power, so you don't send up a red flag to the CEO! LOL

@mike g. posted:

Thanks Bob! I really like your shelf and the idea of slowly adding motive power, so you don't send up a red flag to the CEO! LOL

The boss is pretty sharp Mike. I think I've worn her down a little by now, but I don't what to throw it in her face by pulling a half-dozen engines out all at once.

Move over Rico. This from an Arvid Anderson/All-Nation kit from the Fifties.

@RDM posted:

Move over Rico. This from an Arvid Anderson/All-Nation kit from the Fifties.

@RDM

Part of the first line of Schiller's poem "Ode To Joy" upon which the 4th movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony #9 is based.

"Freude schöner Götterfunken" = "Joy Beautiful Sparkle Of The Gods"

A perfect description of the model railroading hobby.

Wow you guys are deep!  I didn’t even know Beethoven had a lay out!  🤪

Best wishes

Don

Randy and Don,

You can appreciate the difficulty of finding an appropriate but fictional name for a Pennsylvania Dutch station stop. Beethoven's Vienna must have had a main line running down the middle of the city, like those Chicago suburbs where the engineer has to blow every block for the grade crossings. All day long, da-da-da-DAH; da-da-da-DAH.

Bob M.

@Bob M -  loved your analogy with the horn 😄👍

great fun.

Don

@Bob M - hey point of interest. My wife’s family is of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage.  When they traced the lineage they were able to discover that a member of the family as a boy served in the Pennsylvania milita as a fifer during the American revolution. Their name is Shindell but would likely have been spelt in the German form ( Schindel) in early days.
Don

@Bob M -  forgot. In the census of Lancaster County in the 1800’s the father of the family was listed as “tobacco farmer “ and the children ( down to about age 10) were listed as “ cigar rollers”.

Wll so much for our history.
Don

@DrSteveDC posted:

Not a bad way to hide a lolly column. Will add some smoke stacks to the one on the industrial side of town.

Love it Steve.

This what I did to hide a column:

@Strap Hanger posted:

I’ve been meaning to scratch build a few accent fences from leftover model sprues and discarded screen material for a while but just haven’t gotten around to it until today. I think it came out ok -

The fence came out great Strap Hanger.

I've used model sprues in the past for piping and railings.

Here are sprue railings on an arch-under bridge

Ingenuity abounds on this forum. Wow!

Jay

@Lionelski John you and Steve had done amazing work! If neither of you had said something I would have never known there were columns in the photos!

I am just glad I don't have any to try and hide! LOL

WoodsyT, I like the lighting updates too, nicely done.

Mike, good to see you back at it. Progress in any form is still progress. You have some really generous neighbors.

John, excellent work with the sprue railings on the bridge.

Andy

I completed the trim on the pavilion and primed it. I will paint tomorrow if it’s not too windy.

I also weathered the picnic tables. In the first picture, the one on the right is weathered. After that I decided to weather them all. They are weathered slightly differently as they were put into use at different times. The darker gray tables are older.

Andy

That’s a great job overall and the tables look realistic.

Jay

Something I should have done eons ago.  Set up and started entries for train inventory.  Using Excel, I am now at this moment in time up to 97 units posted       I FEEL GOOD!!!!         

A day late and a dollar short.

Tommy

@Steamfan77 posted:

I completed the trim on the pavilion and primed it. I will paint tomorrow if it’s not too windy.

I also weathered the picnic tables. In the first picture, the one on the right is weathered. After that I decided to weather them all. They are weathered slightly differently as they were put into use at different times. The darker gray tables are older.

Andy

Pavillion should keep the tables free of bird decorations

Thanks Jay!

Jim, that’s what the folks in the park hope too 😁

Andy

@Steamfan77 posted:

I completed the trim on the pavilion and primed it. I will paint tomorrow if it’s not too windy.

I also weathered the picnic tables. In the first picture, the one on the right is weathered. After that I decided to weather them all. They are weathered slightly differently as they were put into use at different times. The darker gray tables are older.

Andy

Don't forget to carve Tommy Loves Mary ❤️  in a couple......😄😄

@RDM posted:

Randy and Don,

You can appreciate the difficulty of finding an appropriate but fictional name for a Pennsylvania Dutch station stop. Beethoven's Vienna must have had a main line running down the middle of the city, like those Chicago suburbs where the engineer has to blow every block for the grade crossings. All day long, da-da-da-DAH; da-da-da-DAH.

Bob M.

@RDM

Bob:

That may be true, but how would he have heard the train? Beethoven was totally deaf before he wrote his 9th symphony.

Still, your station name selection is great.

Bob, that’s already carved in a tree 😂

Andy

@Lionelski posted:

The fence came out great Strap Hanger.

I've used model sprues in the past for piping and railings.

Here are sprue railings on an arch-under bridge

Thanks! That guardrail looks excellent and is a great idea. I have a ton of thicker leftover sprues that will work out well for this all around my layout, particularly along my elevated line.  Looks like I’ve found another project to add to the list.

https://ogrforum.com/...9#170922644651487149
Love the picnic tables.  I’ll have to add a couple to Sandy Acres.

Sandy Acres landscaping and wiring complete.  Now on to the industrial side of town.

@DrSteveDC posted:

Sandy Acres landscaping and wiring complete.  Now on to the industrial side of town.

Everything looks great Steve. You work fast.

Bob

Great scenery work Steve. The canoes scene is especially well done. All the accessories are well placed. Is the swing in the tree a Lionel accessory?

https://ogrforum.com/...0#170922644669174400

thanks Bob - I feel like I do more thinking about what and how I am going to do something than actually doing it, lol

@pennsyfan. Thanks!  Yes, the tree swing is a Lionel accessory.

Hi Woodsy,  the LED upgrades look great!  Thanks for posting the links to the products you used.   I have several AF  postwar steamers that I hope to upgrade with LED lights.   Is the center white LED also a 3mm size?   What kind of glue did you use to install these?

Dave

@Drummer3 posted:

... Is the center white LED also a 3mm size?   What kind of glue did you use to install these?

The center hole on the tender is the same size - I didn't put those in, but if you can sort the forward/reverse circuit it'd look pretty cool. On another forum I saw where someone drilled out his tender that has the molded rear lamp trim, but no existing light holes in the casting - it looked good too. I did see the same 3mm 12v LEDs in warm white, green and other colors too. I used hot glue to hold them in there because it IS possible to remove the glue - it ain't easy, but it can usually be done without busting anything - usually. Actually, if you don't clean the inside of the shell(s), the hot glue will barely stick. I like the black glue just 'cuz I reckon' it's more 'prototypical'

Black glue sticks

EDIT:

I also used the hot glue liberally (like a band-aid) inside a cracked tender shell with success - there was no fear of super-glue haze or or adhesive seeping through to spoil the remaining finish/paint.

Is the head light also a 3mm LED?

I’ve been busy with Honey Do projects lately.  However, Erv’s Filling Station is my latest addition to the annex.  My father in law owned one of these and he usually referred to it as a “Filling Station”.

Erv’s is a Banta Modelworks kit.  I have included photos of other Banta projects on the layout.  Those of you who are familiar with my layout know it is largely tinplate but I have added these kits as points of interest.

John

Fendermain, great pic's!  Thanks for sharing.

Finally had enough stamina yesterday to stand  on the step stool and solder leads to the replacement track where I removed the switch and uncoupling magnet. Today I used the rolling stool to get under the three bridges to the hole in the center of the layout. Staging is everything. I spent a 1/2, hour thinking about what I wanted to accomplish and then make all the tools accessible. I had to trim a piece of Gargraves to get the fit right; when I connected it to the bascule bridge. I did some preliminary scenery work around the golf accessory. Then I cleaned up some of the collateral damage from the track work. Getting tired I called it quits and rolled out. I put the bridges down and ran the Farmingdale local over the restored track. That’s all for today.

John, the buildings and scenery look great!

Bob, sometimes it’s the hidden work that makes a difference in the long run.

Andy

I forget how long it can take to re-build a layout.  Made a little more design and build progress on TPRR2.  More photos are there along with track plan.  This is the section that did a slow collapse when I removed a critical supporting element.  Tracks are in place to give me an idea on spacing and placement. L girders are a great build component, except when they interfere with lower track clearance. In this case I have about 8 inches clearance between decks. But from the sides the 1x4 leaves only 4 inches for viewing and access.  That will either have to be cut away or more likely the top section gets reconfigured with a series of pillars (dowels) for clear access.  30 inches wide with access on both sides so no reach issues.  ### just a note: we have had discussions on making sure the transition from flat to grade is gentle.  I have found the cookie cutter method yields a smooth transition. This section of the slope is 68 inches long and falls naturally into a 2% slope by its own weight. A little more with the track in place.

Looking good Jeff. Glad the rebuild of that section seems to have been very quick. I like your explanation of your method from flat to grade. I also used the cookie cutter method and found it to work well. L girder is my chosen method of benchwork, and I find it to be strong and easy to modify whether building of removing sections. Can’t wait to see more.

Andy