What did you do on your layout today?

No, all hand cut.

The coaling tower looks great, Trainmaster04

@pennsyfan posted:

@John’s Trains

John here is the Plymouth switcher set running on my layout.
https://youtu.be/5HpPuEqsH38

I thought that I would show you my other K Line set with scale couplers.

Very nice. Both of those little engines are perfect with trains of 3 or 4 cars.

John

I don't know if this qualifies as something I actually did on my layout today, but it is something that happened on my layout today. This story is still developing.

I hope the developments don’t include a train wreck!

@Mark Boyce posted:

I hope the developments don’t include a train wreck!

Hopefully not, Mark. They've got everything shut down over there. At least that's what I'm hearing.

@John's Trains posted:

I don't know if this qualifies as something I actually did on my layout today, but it is something that happened on my layout today. This story is still developing.

Must be the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.  I TOLD that idiot Columbus he'd sail off the edge of the world...

Mitch

@Bill Park posted:

As a followup to my post yesterday concerning finishing my Scranton Penn coal area, today we got the back rock divider painted and tinted. The mine and storage building foundations in and ground contouring using sculptamold, and setting the buildings.  tomorrow will be grong covering and brush and scrub work, Track ballasting, coal groundcover and details added.

You, Bill, you will be getting coal in your stocking this Christmas!

Such a lucky guy!

LOL, Arnold

PS: Can't wait to see your gorgeous layout in person

I showed this on the Weekend photo fun on Friday; but I’m running the train again today.
Please take the time to remember and pray for our Forefathers that sacrificed so much to give birth to our great country!
Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

@M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Must be the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.  I TOLD that idiot Columbus he'd sail off the edge of the world... Mitch

Mitch, that was good!!

@M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Must be the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.  I TOLD that idiot Columbus he'd sail off the edge of the world...

Mitch

Before watching your "Good Advice" video, I think the only Allan Sherman song I knew was "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh." That song I heard circa 1965 courtesy of my best friend who lived two doors down and who had all the good toys.

John

The finished product. I think it looks pretty good.

Ran this ATSF Hudson today.

@Ron H posted:

Ran this ATSF Hudson today.

Good looking photo Ron.  

I wasn't able to view a video.  Just a little static and then it stop after a couple seconds.   Itmight be at my end.

Thanks Dallas. No problem on your end, just me fumbling with my  I-phone.

Ron

@Ron H posted:

Thanks Dallas. No problem on your end, just me fumbling with my  I-phone.

Ron

No problem Ron.   My fingers are too big for my phone.

( Just glad it wasn't a problem with the OGR forum and my end . )

@Ron H posted:

Thanks Dallas. No problem on your end, just me fumbling with my  I-phone.

Ron

Ron and Dallas, I certainly have trouble with mine as well!

For what its worth, I did not want to load another app on my phone so I bought a tablet to run the DCS app, Works great and is big enough for my sausage style fingers. Of course the table has other apps and connects to OGR. I like the smaller tablet which fits in my hand over my larger table which doesn't. Caution: Fire Tablets will not run the DCS app, which is really why I ended up with a Droid table.

Jeff, I have an old tablet I can use when the time comes.  Yes, the phone is kind of small, but that’s good because I want it in my pocket.  The tablet can stay at the layout.

Not really something on my layout, but something for my layout.

I have an around the room layout with an O gauge level and an upper G gauge level.  There is virtually no space on the walls for shelves.  And the few shelves that I could squeeze in would have to be from 6-8 feet off the floor.

When I had our detached garage designed, I knew the second floor would be a train room.  I had the stairs come up about 5 feet from the nearest wall to allow the around the room layout.  There is a knee wall around the stairwell.  I am constructing this display case which will stand on the floor and be attached to the knee wall.  It is 11 feet long and a little over 4 feet tall.  It has 6 shelves that will hold 66 feet of trains.

Here it is almost completed.  I have some major sanding and painting to do.  Also, it is too big to get from the garage up the stairs to the train room.  It is built in 2 sections each 5 1/2 feet long.  Once it is painted, I will disconnect the 2 sections, bring them upstairs and reconnect them.

At some point I plan to build 2 more of these display cases but only about 9 feet long and they will stand back-to-back.

@VinceL  Vince since you appear to be reasonably handy, you may consider adding grooves in the shelving so that the wheel flanges set into the grooves preventing anything from rolling or vibrating off. I found a table saw blade is thin enough to "route" out the groove yet provides enough side to side play to easily get the rolling stock onto the shelves.  I discovered 2 cars out of 80 were slightly out of gauge - a little too narrow - when putting them up on the shelves.

@ScoutingDad posted:

@VinceL  Vince since you appear to be reasonably handy, you may consider adding grooves in the shelving so that the wheel flanges set into the grooves preventing anything from rolling or vibrating off. I found a table saw blade is thin enough to "route" out the groove yet provides enough side to side play to easily get the rolling stock onto the shelves.  I discovered 2 cars out of 80 were slightly out of gauge - a little too narrow - when putting them up on the shelves.

I was thinking about doing that.  But, try as I might, I could not find enough perfectly straight 1x4's to do that.  I should really find someplace else to buy lumber.  All we have near me are Home Depot and Lowes, and, you have to sort through a lot of really warped lumber to find reasonably straight pieces.  I'll be putting O gauge track on the shelves.

Painting (staining) begins tomorrow.....

Peter

NMRA MCR DIV 7 monthly meeting:

Layout visits:

D&RGW HON-3 layout.

Hi rail O gauge layout.

https://ogrforum.com/...7#176835426609985987

Good morning everyone.
I have a small layout update to share. Last week @ScoutingDad posted for sale an MTH RK boxcar office and I was able to pick it up. It arrived safe and sound on Saturday and finally was able to open it up today. It is in great condition and I am glad to have purchased it.
Wiring it up was very straightforward. Four wires and a little power latter and it was alive!

It is placed near tunnel number one and across from the station. I plan on adding a number of trees and maybe a pond to this area and make it look like a hobo camp. Got to have one!

Thank you @ScoutingDad for selling me this wonderful little building.

Thanks for reading and God bless.

After contemplating the task of weathering the turntable, I decided to do it on this rainy day. I needed to tone down the plastic looking light gray. I think it looks much better.

Gene

@Trainmaster04 posted:

Good morning everyone.
I have a small layout update to share. Last week @ScoutingDad posted for sale an MTH RK boxcar office and I was able to pick it up. It arrived safe and sound on Saturday and finally was able to open it up today. It is in great condition and I am glad to have purchased it.
Wiring it up was very straightforward. Four wires and a little power latter and it was alive!

It is placed near tunnel number one and across from the station. I plan on adding a number of trees and maybe a pond to this area and make it look like a hobo camp. Got to have one!

Nice unit! The only suggestion I'd offer would be to try to sink the base into the surface of the layout, if the top layer is foam and/or easily reworked. Then it will be a lot easier to blend the base into your landscaping and make it look like a scratch-built custom installation. I've done the equivalent with several pre-built units on my layout, and have always been satisfied with the resulting appearance especially the ones with really high bases like the Atlas oil pumper!

- Original unit -

- As installed with base recessed:

No crazy work happening today. Weathered my track by using Krylon “Satin Otter Brown” spray paint. Finished cleaning the rails today. Trains are running smoothly!

@Genemed posted:

After contemplating the task of weathering the turntable, I decided to do it on this rainy day. I needed to tone down the plastic looking light gray. I think it looks much better.

Gene

No plastic look there Gene.  Nicely done sir.

@VinceL posted:

I have ordered a 4' x 18' extension that will come out into the middle of the room.  It will serve as a yard and also possibly for a track to make a reversing loop...will have to make a lift out section to avoid a duck under.

I am close to having all of the track and switches removed from the layout.  I have done some design of sections of the new track plan in SCARM.  Here are some pictures of the devastation that I have brought to my layout and trainroom.

The above picture shows where I have been clearing things out of the way in anticipation of the 4' x 18' extension of the layout.  Two boxes were delivered today from Mianne Benchwork.   

I'll post pictures after getting the new extension at least partially assembled.

Mianne boxes are so small when compared to how much layout that can be built with the contents.  Looking forward to seeing the expansion!!!

@Dallas Joseph posted:

No plastic look there Gene.  Nicely done sir.

Thank you Dallas.

https://ogrforum.com/...3#176694689112807793

I agree with Steve, accessory bases are much to high.
Here is a picture of my park accessories when I first got them.

I wasn’t happy with the appearance. Not having a foam base I had to cut out the 3/4 plywood table. I then used toggle bolts to level the platform in the hole. Then I used painters tape to close the gap and finished with ground cover. Here is a finished picture, notice how it blends with the walk and the adjacent part of the park.

Here is the latest addition under construction.

I was never a fan of a selfie stick. Recently it occurred to me that it could help take pictures of hard to reach scenery on the layout. I took advantage of prime day and snagged one. Here are some first shots. I hope to improve as I get used to it.

I need to get one of those selfie sticks also, Bob!  Your photographs look great!

@Mark Boyce posted:

I need to get one of those selfie sticks also, Bob!  Your photographs look great!

Thanks Mark, next step is to put a piece of scrap wood on a stool. The stick comes with a tripod. I want to put it at table level to take some steady videos.

@pennsyfan posted:

I was never a fan of a selfie stick. Recently it occurred to me that it could help take pictures of hard to reach scenery on the layout.

Seems like you really have the hang of that selfie stick already Bob.    Nice.

( You do know the purpose of that selfie stick Bob !?!.......yet I'm not seeing " pennsyfan " images in these scenes. )

Yeah I know haven't been on the forum for quite a while...  A number of life challenges have gotten in the way.  Anyway, been down in the train room over the past 2 weeks.  finished up the Kadee 805 couplers on the remaining H21a hoppers.  Also picked up a really cool  PRR N6a caboose on an O scale 2 rail marketplace.   It's very cool, and old GloorCraft wood kit, I was able to change out the 2 rail wheels and keep the beautiful wheel trucks.  Heck I didn't even know a PRR N6a caboose existed !

For the past 3 days I have had tunnel vision working on an MTH PRR Railking Crane and MTH Premier CNW Crane Boom Caboose car that's been sitting for a long time.   Lowered both cars at least 1/4", installed Kadee's, managed to close the gap between the crane and the die cast car chassis and have done a bunch of repainting and weathering on the caboose which started it's life as a Black, Yellow and Green CNW .   They're really pretty nice cars when they aren't sitting 1 to 2 scale feet to high off the rails.   

Pretty happy with the results so far, am going to order PRR MOW Decal set for it tonight.  Haven't applied a decal in over 50 years !  Yee Hah

I still have to remove the doghouse on the crane, wash it, rough it up with scotch brite and then weather it, but I am getting there.

There's a bunch of photos attached below.   

Chris, I'm glad to see your smiling face again!  The cars really look great!!

Mark,  Thanks for the kind words !   From the few times I have checked out your layout thread,  it's really progressing into a great layout.