What did you do on your layout today?

@chris a posted:

Rich, @trestleking,  I would measure the clearance between the curve and the Brick Wall.   If you ever decide to run a larger Articulated Steam Engine on that loop, you may not have enough room for the front overhang on the curves...   That would be a bummer once you cover the whole return loop.   It looks pretty darn close on the video, but tough to determine "how close it is" from the video.   

I had 096 curver entering an Atlas O Double track Truss Bridge thought everything was fine till I ran an B&O EM-1 through there, what a shock !!!     Chris a

Chris, good eye.  My lone steam engine clears ok as well as my largest diesel - it’s just an 054 loop.  My 70’ passenger cars overhang to the inside but they clear everything, so far.
Onward !

@Aldovar posted:

We are getting back into working on the layout.. we did some track work and added a new Marx tinplate whistle station. Chief engineer loves it.

track looks great

@Chris a, Chris, it’s great to see you back on the forum and your layout is looking fantastic. @Mike g., Mike, I’m sorry you’ve had to relocate but Missouri is a great state, and you will be in driving distance to many cool layouts. We look forward to seeing your future work and creative ideas. Now we are on page 1228, Wow, so many beautiful layouts, pictures, videos, creative workmanship and an education in the subject of model railroading. Happy Railroading Everyone

@leapinlarry- photos of your layout and train room never disappoint.... nuttin' but trains everywhere you look!

Your flag is a nice touch too.

Bob

I’m slow but now working on the crossing in my upper level loops. Slow going with all the cutting and fitting of the running and guide rails. The brass shim will be trimmed like I did on the switches.

@Dennis Holler posted:

I’m slow but now working on the crossing in my upper level loops. Slow going with all the cutting and fitting of the running and guide rails. The brass shim will be trimmed like I did on the switches.

Dennis, your track work is superb. To me that’s true model railroading. Love your posts.

Before & After pics attached

Step 1

I have a few post-war Madison  heavyweights that are in poor condition, they all have significant chipping and this weird spotty paint mold damage. I'm not sure what the **** it is but it will not clean off no matter what I've done, so I'm going to attempt a repaint. Tuscan red color or whatever it is is pretty doggone tenacious and doesn't want to come off easily. I've tried other paint thinners and strippers and such, knowing that the bakelite shell is pretty tough and resilient. In fact some of my cleaning has changed the vestibule shade very slightly. The thing that worked the best and fastest so far between three different LowesDepot paint strippers on their shelves was the citrus type.

@Dennis Holler - Dennis, very impressive track work. I'm afraid it may be taking away from the time you spend on your locomotives, though!

Tom

Played around with orientation and sign on my completed Clever Models paper whistle stop station kit. 8-)    Train ON!

Jim K

Adjusted a curve that was suddenly derailing everything in the most inaccessible part of the layout without throwing out my back.

Hi guys great work being done by all and some really amazing photos!

@trestleking Rich I am glad you check the clearance, you probably know this already, but you might want to check going backwards also. Don't as me how I know, cause I didn't thing about it! LOL You would think if its fine going one direction it would be no problem in the other!

@leapinlarry Larry is sure is nice to see more photos of your wonderful layout! It always brings a smile to my face!

@Dennis Holler Dennis your skills are just amazing! I would never try it but love to see what your doing!

I would have commented on more but I'm not quite ready to sit at the computer to long!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and find time to have fun with your layouts and trains!

Did a little more work on my scrap yard. My wife bought me a Lionel operating  scrapyard where their cutting apart a F 3. I put  some weathering on it and I think it helped. It's supposed  to be scrap. Got some lights installed but later will put leds in the gooseneck.  Trains are so much fun when others enjoy them also.

Replaced incandescent bulbs on 4 Madison cars with LED bulbs.

Then ran a 13 car train of Madison cars with a 784 Hudson and a GG1.  The Hudson with 13 cars drew 6.5 amps before replacing bulbs and 5 amps after.

@Dennis Holler posted:

I’m slow but now working on the crossing in my upper level loops. Slow going with all the cutting and fitting of the running and guide rails. The brass shim will be trimmed like I did on the switches.

Some incredible work Dennis. I have to ask what the brass strips are for? At the moment, you've got a dead short across both rails.....do the strips get cut away after the rails are all secured?
I see how it makes sense for the straight through rail, but the diverging rails are still shorted.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Some incredible work Dennis. I have to ask what the brass strips are for? At the moment, you've got a dead short across both rails.....do the strips get cut away after the rails are all secured?
I see how it makes sense for the straight through rail, but the diverging rails are still shorted.

Bob

Bob,.

It'll be outside third rail, but I could use a dremel and cutoff wheel to slice them for two rail use.  Same for the switches.  Iwould do like other two railers do and just cut the rails around the frogs and ower them through the switch machines

@M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

RTC update:

As can be seen here, the O-31 and AF tracks are next in line for TLC...

Also note the trackside speaker connectors.  These will be wired into the hardwiring going to the rails...

An adapted set of multimeter probes will go from a transformer to each individual track as needed (I plan to use an LW that's been knocking about the garage).

And yes, I went on a pawnshop DeWalt binge over the holidays.   DON'T JUDGE ME!!! 

Mitch

Question, other than the power to track connectors “Clip ons” , for accessories, what’s a clean workaround that you’ve found useful ? I’ve considered running a power line adjacent to the accessories and tap off that.

I find your speaker wiring blocks a neat way to move power to your test tracks !!

ingenuity… now, I think we are looking for multiple test consists running at the same time ….. just saying….. We think you have a history that just might support this experiment 😎

salute

miglet

@Dennis Holler posted:

Bob,.

It'll be outside third rail, but I could use a dremel and cutoff wheel to slice them for two rail use.  Same for the switches.  Iwould do like other two railers do and just cut the rails around the frogs and ower them through the switch machines

Hadn't thought of that.

Thanks Dennis.

Last night, my son, Chris, took some photos of his GREAT weathering jobs on hopper cars in the Great Northeastern Railway's Mt. Carroll Yard.

@Miggy posted:

Question, other than the power to track connectors “Clip ons” , for accessories, what’s a clean workaround that you’ve found useful ? I’ve considered running a power line adjacent to the accessories and tap off that.

At the museum, I use wires from one of the ZW handles under the layout and clip on taps to run the accessories.

I find your speaker wiring blocks a neat way to move power to your test tracks !!

Thanks!

ingenuity… now, I think we are looking for multiple test consists running at the same time ….. just saying….. We think you have a history that just might support this experiment 😎

Mmmmmm...could be~!

Mitch

@Randy Harrison posted:

Last night, my son, Chris, took some photos of his GREAT weathering jobs on hopper cars in the Great Northeastern Railway's Mt. Carroll Yard.

Definitely  GREAT weathering look Chris has achieved Randy.

( reminds me of the rail cars I walked past eons   ago on my morning trip to school )

A little more progress on a 4-track yard I'm adding.

Going up!! Finally got all the bugs worked out on the lower mainline and am now adding my other two mains that I laid out almost 2 years ago and dismantled last year to work on the lower main. I built my power station, my control panel and ran my bus wires during that down time.  After all the setting up and light carpentry, I’ll  drop my tap lines from mains 2&3 and run my switch legs to the buses and control panel.

Installed a Colber wigwag signal.

@romiller49 posted:

track looks great

Thanks Ron! Those are the 3r ties on the inside with o34 curves and roadbed

My first attempt at water slide decals on an unlettered caboose. I didn’t want to spray a gloss coat prior to applying the decals so now you can see the decal outline and shine. I used Micro sol and set which worked perfectly after watching a few YouTube videos. Now I have a B&O caboose to go with my 2-8-0 consolidation steamer. The only B&O decals I could find after an online search was a boxcar set, so the road number isn’t prototypical. I’m pleasantly pleased with the finished product but I doubt I’ll ever do another.

Gene

I picked up some items to add TMCC to my layout. I mostly run conventional so I went ahead and got the control box for running them through the Cab remote. It was shockingly easy to get it all hooked up after watching a YouTube video.

@cbq9911a posted:

Installed a Colber wigwag signal.

wanna post a little video clip?

Finally got the windows installed, re-did the wiring so the lights are on, and the crew approved of the new accomodations !  LOL....   

Got a small amount of light leaking up at the cupola, will take care of that and screw the cab to the frame....   Included one photo here of the original K Line caboose I picked on the bay, for short money.   I had already removed the incorrect K Line sprung trucks at the time of the original photo, but still a decent before and after comparison.

Going to head down and run some trains which I haven't done in a long time.

Nice work everyone.   

@Genemed, Gene, wow, that’s a beautiful caboose, it will look great behind your cool B&O 2-8-0 Consolidation Steamer, I really like mine. I’m pulling some B&O Heavyweight cars behind mine. @RSJB18, Bob, thanks for the kind words, you make our forums so much fun. Happy Railroading Everyone ( Here are some structure pictures for your review, sort of behind the scenes )

Wow Larry,  I assume this is the bones of that amazing layout you have now !!!!!  Very neat photos thanks for sharing. 

I had a great time running the trains tonight, dimmed the lights a little, looked like sunset.  Decided to park the 3 steamers, well actually 4 with the double headed ATSF Northerns, and shoot a few photos.  Just lovin my kitbashed NYC cabooses, look even better running at dusk, than standing still....

@Chris a, Chris, thank you for the kind words, I simply love looking at your layout, your car weathering, that beautiful caboose, your very creative. How do you like the K-Line Hudson renewed by the Harmonyards? I really like mine. Your layout is looking so realistic. I thought some of the folks might like seeing the grid system I used in building my railroad, it goes back 23 years ago.

Here are a few recent pictures from the layout.

I spent a lot of work wiring up the whisker tracks of the roundhouse & turntable.

Proceeded to run trains, lot's of Conrail this time.

The great wall of trains.

Time to sit back, run some trains, and read the new Lionel Catalog. I've got at least one item to pre-order

- Jason

Larry all those wires gave me a headache!  Scary as heck!  Chris, very realistic, nice.  Jason, always enjoy your input.   What do you plan to cover your paper mountains with?  Maybe plaster cloth?  Just curious.   All I have done lately, other than rethink my control system, is ground cover in this little triangle corner where you see the abandoned railroad ties.   Not sure what will eventually go there, but it's "prepped" for something.   And, scratch build this home made freight platform and passenger loading area.   Not the most realistic but not too too bad...

@leapinlarry   Thanks for the kind words about the NYC caboose and the scenery.   The work Harmonyards did on the K Line Hudson far exceeded my highest expectations.    I thank you for referring me to @harmonyards...   

The new drive train and the ERR control system is exceptional, and he added some wonderful realistic touches that just put it over the top.   I pull (7) Heavyweight Pullmans by GGD/3rd Rail with the NYC K Line Hudson, and I have a 1.5% grade that's almost 22 feet long on the 240 foot long main line.   It's a heavy train, all the cars are 20-21 inches, 3 brass, 2 aluminum, and 2 GGD Plastic.

One of the best investments I ever made ordering the "Leapin Larry Limited Options" Package for that Hudson.   

@Jeff B. Haertlein posted:

Is that a Milwaukee Road 4-6-4 from Weaver?

Sorry it took so long to respond I got backed up on email. It is a Milwaukee Road 4-6-4 from Weaver with full TMCC controls and smoke!  One of my favorite steamers.

@leapinlarry posted:

@Genemed, Gene, wow, that’s a beautiful caboose, it will look great behind your cool B&O 2-8-0 Consolidation Steamer, I really like mine. I’m pulling some B&O Heavyweight cars behind mine.

Thanks Larry.

Gene

@leapinlarry posted:

@Chris a, Chris, thank you for the kind words, I simply love looking at your layout, your car weathering, that beautiful caboose, your very creative. How do you like the K-Line Hudson renewed by the Harmonyards? I really like mine. Your layout is looking so realistic. I thought some of the folks might like seeing the grid system I used in building my railroad, it goes back 23 years ago.

Larry,

Your trainroom and layout always knock my socks off. I'll never tire of seeing your pics.

More, please, Sir!!

@jdstucks posted:

Here are a few recent pictures from the layout.

I spent a lot of work wiring up the whisker tracks of the roundhouse & turntable.

Proceeded to run trains, lot's of Conrail this time.

The great wall of trains.

Time to sit back, run some trains, and read the new Lionel Catalog. I've got at least one item to pre-order

- Jason

Jason,

A great layout already, and it is not even finished (as if layouts are ever truly finished!). Looking forward to more pics as you progress.

Thanks for sharing,

@chris a posted:

Wow Larry,  I assume this is the bones of that amazing layout you have now !!!!!  Very neat photos thanks for sharing.

I had a great time running the trains tonight, dimmed the lights a little, looked like sunset.  Decided to park the 3 steamers, well actually 4 with the double headed ATSF Northerns, and shoot a few photos.  Just lovin my kitbashed NYC cabooses, look even better running at dusk, than standing still....

Chris, So realistic!

Please continue to share, even though you guys are making me crazy with the pics of your outstanding layouts.

@leapinlarry posted:

@Genemed, Gene, wow, that’s a beautiful caboose, it will look great behind your cool B&O 2-8-0 Consolidation Steamer, I really like mine. I’m pulling some B&O Heavyweight cars behind mine. @RSJB18, Bob, thanks for the kind words, you make our forums so much fun. Happy Railroading Everyone ( Here are some structure pictures for your review, sort of behind the scenes )

Larry,

Thanks for the behind the scenes photos - a new perspective.