NMRA MCR DIV 7 meeting pictures (2 layout visits).
Very nice projects everyone! I finished up laying track and putting in jumpers for the mainline portion of my new High Line. Next, I'll jumper power to the blocks and check how my engines run on the track before going farther.
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Good Evening,
Took some time to paint and start the weathering process on this corrugated metal I will be using on one of the Downtown Deco buildings I am constructing. If you have been following my small town build, this will be the first building I finish and put in the town.
Dave
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Been redoing my hobo corner scene with 1" insulation board.
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Happy Monday- I made some forward progress on the two Menards trucks project. I finished the decals on the '48 Ford.
Warning! Old water-slide decals are super fragile! Broke more than I used.....
Then I made some loads for the REA truck. It's going to be placed at the caboose yard office so some lumber and poles seem appropriate. Still deciding what else to build. These were made from my scrap pile.
I also had to send the Public Works dept out to widen the road to the office. The town was supposed to do it last year but you know how slow county government works......
Finished off the day by running a couple trains.
Bob
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@pennsyfan posted:
Thanks Bob. I did the caboose last year. The car was a throw in with another purchase of some freight cars and I built the scene as a diorama. It was a fun project. I added LED's to the interior and exterior. The roof is a paper print. The barrel is my favorite part, I used a flickering fire kit from Evans Designs.
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@RSJB18 posted:Thanks Bob. I did the caboose last year. The car was a throw in with another purchase of some freight cars and I built the scene as a diorama. It was a fun project. I added LED's to the interior and exterior. The roof is a paper print. The barrel is my favorite part, I used a flickering fire kit from Evans Designs.
Bob, Really nice, the barrel does look great. I have Evans flames waiting to go into a building for 2-3 years. With all the enhancements to the building I have in mind; I’ll most likely need 3 different power sources.
@pennsyfan posted:
I been doing this on my sawhorses. Much easier and more fun than trying to reach over the layout to paint and weather. when done will hot glue in place. Thanks again pennsyfan HAGD
Afternoon guys and gals, I hope your all having a wonderful day today! It sure looks like you guys have been busy!
@trestleking Rich looks like you have a great start to your new bench!
@DrSteveDC Steve wonderful job on all the street lights and the radar tower! You sure are building an awesome Layout!
@Mark Boyce Mark, wonderful progress and best of luck with the test! I hope all goes well!
@luvindemtrains Dave looks great! You cant get it to look anymore rusty without holes forming! LOL
@SIRT Looking good! It also kind of looks like some elbow dents!
@Sitka Outstanding work on the Hobo camp! I love the idea of working on it in one room and then being able to move it to the layout!
@RSJB18 Bob, great little projects to keep you busy on these cold days for you folks on the other side of the world! LOL Love the little video! You sure have a smooth layout!
Well as for me nothing today as I am still waiting for my cork. But even if I had it the CEO's Birthday tops all projects! LOL
I hope you all have a great week and find time to have fun with your layout and trains!
Finished ballasting the twin trolley loop, and in anticipation of it drying out, I went ahead and patched the aforesaid trolleys to run on the B & A Short Line Railroad (borrowing a prototype line that used to run through Severna Park, as depicted in the photo I used to use as my member photo before the moderators presumably nuked it), rather than Lionel:
The colors are fairly close IMHO for a quick and dirty experiment, printed on white address labels and trimmed to fit, but if I decide to make it permanent, I'll do it on something more durable.
What do you think? Close enough to the prototype?:
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@SIRT I certainly enjoy all of your photos of your weathering.
The photos today of the weathered brick building are great.
As a young man wanted to travel the West and become the Marlboro Man. Good choice for the billboard. I know it looks great under the lights at night.
Railroading and creating the scenes,
oh what fun ☺️
@Steve Tyler I plan to add my trolley loop to the layout one day soon…I know you enjoy yours.
Rich, nice benchwork.
Dr Steve, great scenes and nice video.
Mark, great progress, really coming together.
Dave, the corrugated metal looks great.
Steve, Hicksville!!
Sitka, nice rework on the scene.
Bob, nice job on the vehicles and the road widening. Great caboose scene too.
Steve, nice ballast work.
Andy
When I started teaching at Annapolis the remnants of the B&A bridge across the Severn were still there. After the B&A went Annapolis became the only state capital in the lower 48 not served by rail. Dunno if that's still true.
It's good to see the trolleys running again . . . although I think you're gonna need a bigger interurban.
@RDM posted:When I started teaching at Annapolis the remnants of the B&A bridge across the Severn were still there. After the B&A went Annapolis became the only state capital in the lower 48 not served by rail. Dunno if that's still true.
It's good to see the trolleys running again . . . although I think you're gonna need a bigger interurban.
Well, the idea just sort of evolved over time, so "bigger interurban" might eventually be in the works!
I had much earlier added "Severna Park" to the name plates on the inner loop's station, so when I recently did the twin trolleys upgrade and added a new trolley to better match the performance of the one I already had, it seemed appropriate to re-badge them both, to reflect the RL railroad that had actually served Severna Park 'back in the day'.
The personal connections are even deeper -- most of the southern portion of the original B & A right of way is now a much used hike and bike trail (the northern part is now part of the Baltimore light rail system), and I was also involved a few times in negotiating crossing agreements for subdivision developments (permitting them to cross the right of way) with the company that had acquired ownership of the old right of way. In addition, the actual Severna Park station shown in the pic is now the home of the Severna Park Model Railroad Club's excellent HO layout and hosts the weekly meetings.
Yes--and when you're having an open house in that building there isn't room enough to swing a lantern.
I don't know how I escaped being a B&O modeler, especially with the museum in B'more. But I moved to the Eastern Shore and became a Rural Pennsy Freak. Still am, sort of. This is tonight's addition to my Reading layout. The OGR Flag Stop kit is a classic--I think this is the third one I've done. For guys like me who live with only table-size layouts, this small structure is as useful as Lionel's Rico station is on larger rail empires.
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@RDM posted:For guys like me who live with only table-size layouts, this small structure is as useful as Lionel's Rico station is on larger rail empires.
Nice work on the structure!
I feel your pain -- at eight feet by eight feet, my layout is a bit bigger than "table sized", but it seems I'm still constantly trying to figure out how to shoehorn in new stuff without removing or blocking the old. I recently added an Atlas oil pumper, and to do so, I had to move a rotating beacon a bit to make room for it:
The video was posted to illustrate the lighted activation button I installed under the edge of the layout, but the oil pumper, the base of the rotating beacon, and the misbehaving solo trolley on the pre-ballasted inner loop (the middle loops were also un-ballasted at the time) are all visible.
The progress you have made Steve, in so short a period of time, is astounding.
Jay
@Tranquil Hollow RR Thanks! Sometimes I spend more time thinking about things then actually doing them, lol. Think once I get the industrial area done I will work on finishing the sides of the layout with some base molding and then create a ‘console’ around that for all of the buttons and switches - right now they are all hanging down like strands of spaghetti — pick one and press it and try to find what it does, lol
I spent the whole morning unpacking boxes and piling items onto shelves and into bookcases. Had to sort "O" scale 2 rail, "O" gauge 3 rail, and old HO scale stuff. I finally have my layout space cleaned up. Need to start selling unneeded items and planning benchwork to fill the available space.
Jeff
It's been many months since I have been down in the train room, but recently got motivated to get down there. Over the past couple of weeks went back to weathering cars and installing Kadee couplers. Went back a few pages and reviewed everyone's progress, lot's of great looking projects and results. 
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Chris, glad to see you! The cars look great!
Thanks Mark, Great to be back. I'll try not to be such a stranger... Watched the video and read your post on the new High Line, looks great.
@chris a posted:Thanks Mark, Great to be back. I'll try not to be such a stranger... Watched the video and read your post on the new High Line, looks great.
Thank you!
Hi Chris, I’m sure glad to see you back and please keep updating us on how your neat signals are working. You have a very interesting layout, your scenery is nice too. I’m sure your going to like the functionality of Kadee couplers. I’m assuming that mounting the kadee couplers to the car body takes the pressure off the wheels/trucks. Either way, welcome back to the most fun forum in O gauge model railroading. We like your comments. Happy Railroading Everyone 
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Thanks Larry ! Everything is running great. Had one issue with my Legacy Handheld, sent it back to Lionel they fixed it free of charge and I got it back in less than 2 weeks..... Many thanks to Lionel Service . Here's a video I shot a couple of nights ago... Feel free to "fast forward", didn't mean to shoot 13 minutes of video, but running 3 trains on the main and trying to operate the camera, I lost track of time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXNXCPF9AJ0
Sorry for not "embedding" the video, but it's late and I need to turn in.
Hi Chris, welcome back! I sure have missed your post and photos of your wonderful layout. But the video sure makes up for a lot! Nice video and no need to fast forward for me I try to look at everything as much as I can so I can get some ideas for my layout.
Happy to see you back Chris. As usually your craftsmanship is superb. Those boxcars you weathered look very realistic.
Jay
I have spent the last several evenings upgrading the modern, silver and brown, Plasticville "Hobo Jungle."
This is only the second time I've tried my hand at painting since the rushed jobs on my airplane models in my childhood.
I used a rust wash thinned with water for the metal fixtures and sheets, and for the two smaller shacks, where a glossy brown was the primary color, a dull-coat spray finish.
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I’ve always worried about this guy on my layout -
It seems pretty unsafe working up there. Will he fall off and get hurt? Will the City incur some expensive lawsuit as a result?
So, I had some leftover wooden coffee stirrers laying around and decided to finally build and paint some safety railing -
After running a few subways to test for clearance, I glued everything down. Now I feel so much better knowing that things are up to code and he can go about his work without having to worry about falling. I have no idea what he’s shoveling on my tracks, but I’m sure it’s important -
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@Strap Hanger
Appears the blue helmet guy lost his wheel barrel with the mold over the side just before his mixture was done
You said it was dangerous up there…
@Strap Hanger posted:I’ve always worried about this guy on my layout -
Good thing you got the fence installed before OSHA or the FRA showed up. The fines would have been nasty......
I'd like to know what special magic he's using to hold that load on the shovel too!
@DrSteveDC- Classic post war lumber mill operation you've got there. Nice work.
@mowingman- sounds like an interesting predicament you have on your hands. Too many trains taking up space to build a layout to run said trains on.....
@chris a- Welcome back Chris. I guess it's too cold to be racing these days. I'm curious about what the layout condition was like. Did you have to clean track, clear the dust bunnies, etc?
@Matt_GNo27- can't really make a mistake with acrylics. If something doesn't come out like you want, just wash, rinse, and repeat! 
@Steve Tyler- the oil pump looks good. The push button activator is good for little visitors too!
@leapinlarry- your layout never fails to impress.
Nothing new to report from me. I've been busy the past few evenings. We will see what tonight brings.
Bob
There's no day like delivery day! Made some expansion plans on the layout and the track for most of it has arrived. Everything in the dark purple in the track plan was added after the original base plan was formed
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@Sams Trains posted:There's no day like delivery day! Made some expansion plans on the layout and the track for most of it has arrived. Everything in the dark purple in the track plan was added after the original base plan was formed
Wow! That’s quite a delivery! That will take a lot of track for that plan!
@Mark Boyce posted:Wow! That’s quite a delivery! That will take a lot of track for that plan!
Thanks! I think we're running at about 510 feet of track total, but a lot of that is taken up by the reverse loops, the yard, and industries. Each loop individually is about 100 feet
Hi guys and gals, I hope your all doing well and staying warm! 
It was a wonderful day to fix a new problem, but first I want to make a few comments.
@Matt GN027 Matt the Hobo camp looks good and nice job on the painting!
@Strap Hanger Nice! Way to step up to the plate and make your employees safer!
@Sams Trains WOW Sam that sure is quite the addition and a great looking haul! I will be watching for your progress.
Well for the bad news. This didnt work out! LOL
I broke out the 4-8-4 for a test run and going slow it went fine going forward all the way threw the curve around the piler and into the curve, but backing it out the tender would derail every time! So time to rip things up and redo! LOL
I took @wb47 idea and used flex track as I am going to be short track either way and it looks like it is getting harder and harder to find MTH Scale Trax. So here is what I came up with.
I know some of you guys are going to say that is to close to the piler, but I tested it with the longest thing I have and it clears with enough room and goes into the curve nice and smooth. To prove my point here is a small video! Thanks again WB47!
Now I can go back to the inside loop work! LOL
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