oh I wired under the table using I think what's called suitcase connectors but now that I finished them I didn't like them the way they connect so I went back and soldered connrctions all around , around twenty feeders not quite that many.
This is the layout has two reversing loops one being elevated
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@scottyhubcaps posted:Hello Bob , I plan a turntable in the section just past the halfway mark to the right and to the left closer a yard. That’s when I get the money. Bidding on Ross yard switches but got outbid.
It’s a good start Scott. Did you try the buy/sell board on OGR?
thanks, actually no I did not didn't think to look but will. I have to remind myself to take my time try to do it right or best I can, hard to do sometimes.
oh its 080 outside and rest is 072 curves.
Milwaukee Bi-polar and 'Little Joe' electrics with remote operating pantographs.
'yard test'
My layout is only 5'x9' ...1/3 the size of yours.
@scottyhubcaps posted:Hello Bob , I plan a turntable in the section just past the halfway mark to the right and to the left closer a yard. That’s when I get the money. Bidding on Ross yard switches but got outbid.
Looks good Scott. The folded dog bone over/ under makes for a nice long run.
Bob
thanks bob im trying lol sometimes frustrating but watching all the layouts on YouTube is very inspiring to keep going.they are very big so you work with what you've got and that's satisfying.
With yesterdays arrival of #2 anthracite coal from Brennan Model RR Products, I was able to completed the coal loads for my Lionel 25000 LV hoppers. They are currently curing. Tomorrow I plan to give them a ride around the layout before putting them back on the display shelf. I used about 1/2 bag of the coal to finish eleven loads.
Cheers, Dave
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@scottyhubcaps posted:thanks bob im trying lol sometimes frustrating but watching all the layouts on YouTube is very inspiring to keep going.they are very big so you work with what you've got and that's satisfying.
Check out the layouts on here. You’ll see many posts and videos of 4x8 layouts. They are excellent and innovative. My own layout is 8x16 with a 1’ river on a piano hinge. When I was laying the track I discarded my plans that included yards so I could have a town. Sometimes I rue the day that I took the bait of MTH scale engines. They are great for a large layout. But for a layout like mine they take up too much room with minimum 072 curves. As you said “work with what you've got and that's satisfying.”
Have fun, enjoy!
@samparfitt posted:Milwaukee Bi-polar and 'Little Joe' electrics with remote operating pantographs.
'yard test'
What a really cool thing to watch the remote operation of the pantographs Sam. Always special to watch steamer side rods but this is a whole new visual dimension to see these pantographs operating. Nice. 
@darlander posted:With yesterdays arrival of #2 anthracite coal from Brennan Model RR Products, I was able to completed the coal loads for my Lionel 25000 LV hoppers. They are currently curing. Tomorrow I plan to give them a ride around the layout before putting them back on the display shelf. I used about 1/2 bag of the coal to finish eleven loads.
Cheers, Dave
Nice work Dave! You probably have explained this before but prior to adding the coal, do you do anything to the original bases to create different contours for the coal?
Dave
@luvindemtrains posted:Nice work Dave! You probably have explained this before but prior to adding the coal, do you do anything to the original bases to create different contours for the coal?
Dave
Yes I do! Look back on page 1186, 1:46pm post
Cheers, Dave
Thanks Dave. I thought you used the coal loads that come with the car but you created the bases from foam.
Dave
Hi Guys, it's been 5 days since my last visit and there sure has been a nice group of projects for a group of nice people!!
I would like to comment on everything, but I am limited on time as the CEO has other plans for me, just as she has for the last 4 days! LOL
Here are a few shout outs!
@Mark Boyce Mark, congratulations on your layout accomplishment! It really looks great!
@luvindemtrains Dave the detail you do on your buildings is so realistic! I keep watching on your other thread just to see your amazing work and get my free lessons!
@scottyhubcaps Scott wonderful looking start! I like you get frustrated sometimes and remember what a really old timer told me when I first started. He said remember its about having FUN! If your not having fun, just take a break and come back when you're ready to have fun again!
@darlander Dave, outstanding job on the coal loads! Don't forget to post some photos or even better yet a video of the Coal Train!
I am sorry guys but I have nothing to share, believe me I wish I did! Heck some of you might have noticed I have been on the forum a good amount of the day so far. Some of it commenting on other threads, but most of the time helping the CEO! Last summer we bought a used travel trailer for really cheap but needed a lot of work, and now that the snow is gone this is the perfect time to start working on it.
Lucky me they say it is going rain starting tomorrow, all I can do then is paint some floor trim in the garage and get my rear into the train room and try and get something done in there!
I hope you all have a great weekend and find time to have fun with your layouts and trains!
Thank you Mike! I’m glad the snow is gone so you can work on the trailer and hope you can get time in the train room once it rains.
We have had rain here, but now in the high 30s. I just took a break from pulling and terminating wire. I’m either sitting on the roll around stool or standing, so it has been going nicely!
thanks mike g. I try to remember all depends how you want to do it many ways to build a layout and you can pick up a lot of info on here. excellent for resources.
Placed the coal loads in the hoppers and put them to work on the layout for a few laps. Filled the room with smoke as anthracite coal and Missabe ore made the rounds. As Mike G requested, here's some of todays action!
The Lionel hoppers are back resting on the display wall behind appropriate power, a five stripe GG1. 
Cheers, Dave
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@darlander Dave now that is a great looking Coal train! Outstanding work!
@scottyhubcaps Scott you are so correct! There is so much to learn for such great folks that are here and willing to share!
I have learned so much from the folks here, not only from a model train hobby, but if one takes the time to listen and read what is being said you can also get a bunch of life lessons here!
@darlander posted:Placed the coal loads in the hoppers and put them to work on the layout for a few laps. Filled the room with smoke as anthracite coal and Missabe ore made the rounds. As Mike G requested, here's some of todays action!
The Lionel hoppers are back resting on the display wall behind appropriate power, a five stripe GG1.
Cheers, Dave
Now that’s my idea of a smoke filled room Dave. Everything looks very impressive.
Jay
@darlander posted:Placed the coal loads in the hoppers and put them to work on the layout for a few laps. Filled the room with smoke as anthracite coal and Missabe ore made the rounds. As Mike G requested, here's some of todays action!
The Lionel hoppers are back resting on the display wall behind appropriate power, a five stripe GG1.
Cheers, Dave
Great job on the hopper loads Dave. Reminds me that I have more car loads to do.......
so many projects, so little time.....
Bob
Dave did a great job on the loads. I have a lot to do too!
Well in all honesty all I did was fetch tools. My train buddy Jimmy G. from Brooklyn stopped by after we were at the METCA show in East Rutherford yesterday. I was telling Jimmy how frustrated I was; waiting for the trestle builder to come back and measure for the girder supports. Jimmy said that he could use lionel trestle supports. He attached a thin piece of movable plywood on the top of each trestle so that the trestle didn’t have to be on the same plane as the support. He raised the supports with blocks of wood that were cut to appear as concrete supports. I will be painting these. I ran my largest engines and longest passenger cars to check clearances.
Follow the link for a video https://ogrforum.com/...4#172752760421072774
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Since yesterday it rained all day, I spent several enjoyable hours working on my layout. With the change to Spring this past week, it was time to change the Westend neighborhood from winter weather to warmer weather and do a little urban renewal.
I relocated the Mary Merry Christmas Shoppe ( MMCS ) to the back of the Westend neighborhood. Since Christmas shops seem to be open year round in some towns, I wanted to give the Mary Merry Christmas shop year round exposure, especially since the shop is named after my mother whose name was Mary. Relocating it from foreground to background seemed to be the perfect solution. This coming Christmas the MMCS will be front and center once again.
In place of the MMCS I brought out my TUCKER, STUDEBAKER, VOLKSWAGEN dealership again. I just have a thing for Tuckers primarily. To enhance the dealership, I replaced the car lot's surface. First I added additional bracing so I could expand and raise the surface of the lot to be even with the existing platform. I then added a retaining wall below the extended lot. The retaining wall is from Scenic Express. It fit nicely ( see bottom photo lower right corner ). I used black foam board for the surface of the lot. I used some silver push pins, which I purchased a few years ago at an art supply store, as edge of lot barrier ... don't want those new cars to roll off the edge of the lot! The push pins seem to work well for this purpose ( see bottom photo ).
Whenever I change a scene or create a new one, I leave the newly created scene in place for a week or so. This gives me time to view the scene daily. This length of time usually allows me to see if I like the scene and, if so, tweak the scene a bit.
Here are before and after photos. 
The car lot floodlight pole is from Lemax. To hide the on/off switch I plan to plant some flowers around the base. We shall see how that works .. lol! 
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Looking great, Pat! I like the car lot!!
@Mark Boyce posted:Looking great, Pat! I like the car lot!!
Thanks Mark!
Nice changeover Pat. Looks like your car deal has a lot of cash tied up in Tucker inventory. I thought that I was lucky finding one. I have it peaking out of the Tucker boxcar.
@pennsyfan posted:Nice changeover Pat. Looks like your car deal has a lot of cash tied up in Tucker inventory. I thought that I was lucky finding one. I have it peaking out of the Tucker boxcar.
Thanks Bob! Actually I have 10 Tuckers but I'm going with less is more for this edition of the dealership .. lol!
Moving buildings around (again!) to see where they might work........and, get an idea of how many more I might need.
This has some hard to reach areas (easy to reach with a step stool). Consequently, this will all be an area of buildings and static scenery.
Peter
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@Putnam Division posted:Moving buildings around (again!) to see where they might work........and, get an idea of how many more I might need.
This has some hard to reach areas (easy to reach with a step stool). Consequently, this will all be an area of buildings and static scenery.
Peter
Peter, really like the "W. F. Woolworth Co." building. Takes me back to my home town with a building fit into the rest of Woolworth's. Also had one in the Mahoning Plaza . I/we frequented both often.
Ron
Yes, Woolworth’s was always a stop when we went to Butler, Pennsylvania. 😊
Working on a new layout. I have some longer cars coming to me so making some room for them to move around the track. Let some of the kids out to play tonight to test my wiring.
0-96 on the outer ring
0-72 mid ring.
0-48 & 0-36 on the inner ring.
the far end will have a sheet of plywood on top of it as a tunnel/mountain.
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Morning guys I hope your all doing well and made it threw the weekend ok!
Well I see some nice work being done, way to keep this page going guys!
Bob, it sure looks like your friend had to deal with this issue before. Looks great!
Patrick, it is so cool how you change the seasons! I love the new spring/summer look. But one has to ask what did you do with the snow?
Lee I love the B&W photo! Really makes you think your looking back in time!,
Peter, now that is a problem to have! I have the same problem, just need to get the rest of the track down so I have places to put stuff! LOL
Pault, nice little layout, should be fun to run. I am sure you checked the clearance going both directions?
As for me guy not a lot, I snuck into the train room yesterday and got some cork down, Today I hope to get some track put down, then I have to go threw things to see what I can sell for more cork! LOL If it isnt one thing its another. The good thing is I have stuff to get rid of. I just need to make the time to take photos and post them.
But first thing today I have to take the snow tires off the CEO's car, then the rest of the day is train room. I also need to do some bench top painting before the upper layer is put on.
I hope you all have a great week and find time for some fun with your layout and trains!
@Mike g.
I really enjoy learning what’s new with the guys in this thread , You summarize on posts that I have missed and I like this. I looked yesterday, page 1189.
The more different train guys who add to this the more we all learn. In fact I encourage more participation. I have decided this month to let my subscription lapse on the other popular train magazine I have belonged for many years. I spend so much time here with this OGR Forum. An besides, when we have the experience and knowledge of those like The gunrunner what else do we need… lol.
How many different times have we seen cork applied below the different rails and they all get the job done. (You’ve seen this before on OGR, three rails better than none)
I also like learning what the experiences are with weather, the climate, and what effect the changes in MTH had on everyone, even in Oregon an Washington in the late hour.
if I’m up really late here you guys on the west side of our wonderful country are still chiming in with us on OGR.
One last thought with you in mind Mike, I worked with a gentleman at the bank who was a proud US Marine. He displayed the Marine shield on his desk in his office. I am so very proud to have been his coworker, I miss him daily. So each time I see your name and see your train room I a reminded of David.
a good day to you changing the tires…
Seth
@Mike g.
Thanks Mike; one of our friends used to say that Jimmy has hands of gold. I am very lucky to have such a good friend.
I have to also admit I can’t keep up with commenting on others’ work like Mike! Everyone is doing great work. I also agree, this is the place to spend time.
I finished laying new track so now I have an upper and lower levels connected by two grades, though in a small space they are steep. I am only having trouble with one engine on the grade. It needs inspection for the problem. I have been wiring until I ran out of wire.
Here are the connections at the track. #14 red and black wires go to the terminal blocks by the AIU, white and black #18 go to the track, TVS to protect engine electronics from surges. Notice I can stand up and do most of these connections . 
I am using up the gray WAGO connectors and have two boxes of the clear connectors to use next. I’ll post a photograph of the terminal blocks and AIUs when I get all the wires in.
