I never understood why there were 51 sections in a case.
Three stacks of 17.
Jon, that math works, but the box is not that shape. They are packed two stacks of 25 and the 51st jammed in on top, or the end, depending on how you look at it. The voice of experience speaking.
Yes. I should have considered the source of the question and realized that the answer would not be that simple. 
I never understood why there were 51 sections in a case.
Three stacks of 17.
Jon, that math works, but the box is not that shape. They are packed two stacks of 25 and the 51st jammed in on top, or the end, depending on how you look at it. The voice of experience speaking.
Yes. I should have considered the source of the question and realized that the answer would not be that simple.
Jon, you know you're dealing with Mr Literal here. Why fight it?
Finally installed the new water tower on the layout. The stone walls came in from Scenic express, so I was able to compete my base for the GCT and Harry Heike Base unit.
After two weeks of family visiting it felt good to get back to working on the layout. I started the session running trains which brought me back the euphoric state I like to be in.......train heaven. I added a power wire and ground wire to my track that connects the two levels. I wanted to make sure I had good signal strength in that section. Then went back to looking over the industrial area I had been working on. But instead I cut some pink board to fill in areas on the upper mainlines by the bridge. There was too much open area behind what was there so now with those added pieces I can covered the area with scenery without it falling behind. Tomorrow I will start laying out the track so I can glue some cork down ....................Paul
First thing this morning on the way to my kitchen ... I opened the door to my train room for a quick glance at my layout ... and low and behold much to my amazement up on the Mountain Division there was a sparrow perched on my Bollman bridge!! Upon hearing and seeing the door open the sparrow took off, flying and pooping all over the town of Patsburg!! I immediately closed the door to the train room, went down to the kitchen and got a strong coffee. After establishing a sufficient flow of caffeine to my brain, I went back to the train room, thinking I may have to remove a window AC unit in order to let the sparrow out. Low and behold I was able to open the window without removing the unit. The sparrow took about 5 minutes before making it out the open window. I then cleaned up the bird poop! A very eventful morning
No idea how the sparrow made it in to my trainroom
Finished installing the walls for the modification base and installed new water tower.
First thing this morning on the way to my kitchen ... I opened the door to my train room for a quick glance at my layout ... and low and behold much to my amazement up on the Mountain Division there was a sparrow perched on my Bollman bridge!! Upon hearing and seeing the door open the sparrow took off, flying and pooping all over the town of Patsburg!! I immediately closed the door to the train room, went down to the kitchen and got a strong coffee. After establishing a sufficient flow of caffeine to my brain, I went back to the train room, thinking I may have to remove a window AC unit in order to let the sparrow out. Low and behold I was able to open the window without removing the unit. The sparrow took about 5 minutes before making it out the open window. I then cleaned up the bird poop! A very eventful morning No idea how the sparrow made it in to my trainroom
Hey! Do you know there's a sparrow on your Bollman Bridge?...No, but hum a few bars and I'll fake it.
First thing this morning on the way to my kitchen ... I opened the door to my train room for a quick glance at my layout ... and low and behold much to my amazement up on the Mountain Division there was a sparrow perched on my Bollman bridge!! Upon hearing and seeing the door open the sparrow took off, flying and pooping all over the town of Patsburg!! I immediately closed the door to the train room, went down to the kitchen and got a strong coffee. After establishing a sufficient flow of caffeine to my brain, I went back to the train room, thinking I may have to remove a window AC unit in order to let the sparrow out. Low and behold I was able to open the window without removing the unit. The sparrow took about 5 minutes before making it out the open window. I then cleaned up the bird poop! A very eventful morning No idea how the sparrow made it in to my trainroom
Hey! Do you know there's a sparrow on your Bollman Bridge?...No, but hum a few bars and I'll fake it.
Randy - I think this whole sparrow thing is an omen for me to begin modeling Baltimore's Bethlehem Steel plant. I really think that was the 'sparrows point'
Bad Pun intended!
Before crawling into bed last night, I sawed a short HO cars frame in half, added a bit of styrene for new bolsters, to build two wood ore cars for moving things in and out of the mines.
Today, I ran all ten trains (and even the trolley co-operated,) the first time since Christmas. Even my wife came down into the basement trainroom to join me once she heard the whistles howling, esp. the Lionel scale steam Erie locomotive #3315.
I turned one train on at a time...
I walked around and around the room feeling a great satisfaction at the whole experience of having built and crafted the layout, at possessing it, and of having shared it with so many friends and family.
And I looked forward to the good times ahead.
FrankM.
after seeing this I noticed I need more trees so I ordered a bunch from scenic express 
Beautiful layout!
love to see a diagram of your track plan!
Thank you, Jhanier and Gandydancer for your kind comments. I much enjoyed hearing from you.
As requested , here is a diagram of the entire layout track-plan:
My sincere Thanks, also, for "Likes" about the shots I posted in this thread of my layout, to the following fellow O-Gaugers:
56f100; Mitch; California RailFan508; Adriatic; Paul/matt; AXP889; rboatertoo; Spence; Bryan in Ohio; Pingman; Paul2; Pat Kn; Larry Sr; Harry'sTrains; Steamer;Trainroomgary; jimcotter; Joe B; Trumptrain; rshawyer3; Wood.
..and my thanks for their generous comments:
Trumptrain; Gandydancer; Spence; Mitch; Garrett76; John/WP; Mark Boyce; Randy Harrison.
I am grateful, indeed.
FrankM
A few months ago I mentioned that I had taken all the Milwaukee Road trains off the layout and replaced them with Chicago & Northwestern trains. Then, I invited the Tuesday night crowd over, telling them that I had "changed the whole layout. It's a whole new railroad, now, I said."
Well the gang came over and, as I mentioned: Nobody noticed! Jeez, what a disappointment! I even arranged that on the double track portion of the layout, we were running trains on the left hand main the way the C&NW always did. You know what?? Nobody noticed! I finally had to tell everyone about the "big change" because they couldn't pick it out on their own.
I guess that, considering that we're here in the Cleveland area, all the guys are used to dark, dingy colors, on their trains, and they probably wouldn't notice the difference between "orange and maroon" and "green and yellow". And, I guess that since they now watch new trains with modern dispatching systems and rules, they see a lot of left hand running, anyway.
So, effective today, I'm changing everything back to Milwaukee Road, once again. This is really more of a job than you'd think because I do have an abundance of equipment. And, in order to take a train off of the layout, I have to have a place for it on the under table storage tracks. So you can't just start changing equipment out; You have to do it systematically to keep certain passenger trains together, combinations of engines together and it's easy to get mixed up, believe it or not.
Anyway, the next visitors to the layout will see the RR as God intended: Orange and Maroon, my first love: The Milwaukee Road!
Paul Fischer
Well the gang came over and, as I mentioned: Nobody noticed! Jeez, what a disappointment! I even arranged that on the double track portion of the layout, we were running trains on the left hand main the way the C&NW always did. You know what?? Nobody noticed! I finally had to tell everyone about the "big change" because they couldn't pick it out on their own.
I'm not surprised. With an interchange layout, you see all kinds of stuff. I do regular op sessions on a local guy's On30 layout and most of the crews pick up on changes right away, because everything has only one of two road names on it.
Many people are more focused on the 'doing' aspect in an op session than with the trains themselves. I suspect the scenery is more easily noticed.
If there'd even been, say, a died in the wool Milwaukee fan, they also might not have wanted to tick you off. Nothing says, "Gee, thanks for nothing," then going through some changes and then hearing someone whinning about how they liked it the old way. Generally, that's not a good idea if you wanna be invited back again. I've done some layout visits where I have to stifle the laughter, wondering why they opened it to others. But I would never, ever say anything to their face about it.
First thing this morning on the way to my kitchen ... I opened the door to my train room for a quick glance at my layout ... and low and behold much to my amazement up on the Mountain Division there was a sparrow perched on my Bollman bridge!! Upon hearing and seeing the door open the sparrow took off, flying and pooping all over the town of Patsburg!! I immediately closed the door to the train room, went down to the kitchen and got a strong coffee. After establishing a sufficient flow of caffeine to my brain, I went back to the train room, thinking I may have to remove a window AC unit in order to let the sparrow out. Low and behold I was able to open the window without removing the unit. The sparrow took about 5 minutes before making it out the open window. I then cleaned up the bird poop! A very eventful morning No idea how the sparrow made it in to my trainroom
Hey! Do you know there's a sparrow on your Bollman Bridge?...No, but hum a few bars and I'll fake it.
Randy - I think this whole sparrow thing is an omen for me to begin modeling Baltimore's Bethlehem Steel plant. I really think that was the 'sparrows point' Bad Pun intended!
What she meant was, "Hold it until we fly over Patsburg."
Today I got plaster wrap on the pink board and moved switches around in the industrial/railway station area. Threw in a couple of pics of progress...................Paul
On a more serious note, due to its superior customer service, the Great Northeastern Railway has begun to attract industry to the area. Here are two photos of the first arrivals. More are committed to build here in the future.
I backdated my layout to 1957 simply by removing the post-1957 autos. The reason is to have some semblance of reason for the old cars on the layout. I would have gone back further yet, but have to display '57 Chevies, The trains were already almost all steam-to-diesel transition era.
I finally have all the stonework carved and glued on my curved stone arch bridge. I am not filling gaps, cracks, and holes. Then the final painting and it will be done.
Art
It was a nice day today, so I cut the grass and after all this talk about“HONG” - I read “The Lionel Roars” and dreamed about a Garden Railroad for the back yard.
My house was build during the 1930’s, in partnership with the Chrysler Automotive Corporation, to built low income housing for their employes. A United State Senator made a gift of $550,000 to the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the State of Michigan to built low income houses during the great depression. Below you will see the original floor plan and house.
Each of the 300 homes set on one acre, and during WWII, every home owner had a victory garden. They paid a Carpenter .80 cents per hour, Electricians, Mason, Plasters $1.00 per hour. The highest paid worker was a Plumber at $1.25 per hour and a day laborer .45 cents per hour. The house sold for $2,024.19 There is a club house and 3/4 of a mile beech frontage on a lake along with two parks.
They ran a bus every day from these homes to the Chrysler Plants from the 30’s up until 1965.
Well here I sit, Day Dreaming about a Garden Railroad.
Gary • Click on the photo to enlarge.....
Busy day on the layout. Had to remove the passenger trains on 12 sidings to make room for the installation of the Harry Heike GCT base. Finding space on the floor for all those cars was a challenge.
Also had to unbox sets acquired since the October York Meet and get them ready for installation on the layout.
On a more serious note, due to its superior customer service, the Great Northeastern Railway has begun to attract industry to the area. Here are two photos of the first arrivals. More are committed to build here in the future.
Randy - Absolutely AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! Looks great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Matt and Jon came over today, and we made some great progress.
Matt really kicked it into high gear today, finishing 11 more manual throws
These completed the Ford Plant and the aisle.
Jon and I (mostly Jon) hung 56' of fascia in the next aisle.
Even though we are far from finished, it looks a whole lot better.
Yesterday, with fresh eyes and a better mood, I reexamined the broken point on that 072 wye, and managed to salvage the throwbar. It wasn't quite as melted as I thought. Satisfied with the repair, I put it back in place and screwed it down again, then added a couple straight sections to cross over the aisle.
I had to add a little filler piece of plywood to go under the curved leg of the switch.I'm not a big fan of the pre-formed track, but I got a bunch of it in a box of used stuff, and that single 072 curve was just the ticket to go between the two switches.
I'm less than 6' from closing the gap, and finishing the mainline. I should wrap it up tomorrow.
I feel a celebration coming on.
Found some wheels, and made an axel from a nail, collet & set screw, and gauge stay from brass tube. Then I took a PW-SW Lionel front dummy-coupler and mount with a homemade "cap" to pivot in, and riveted it to an existing tab and hole on the Marx El Capitan cars, to make a Lionel to Marx twist-coupler, transition car.
Then pulled them all with a PW Santa Fe Hudson.
I raised the mine rails to eyeball the making of a "platform" area, a few ore cars long. (It only uses 2-ho plastic roadbed curves, in an "S", about a 13-14" long).
I sliced the plastic roadbed sides, to ease bending a roller coaster like drop, into it a grade(%=?) dropping down into the mine entrance.
Its at a height so that from the stop, at the top, it could dump into another ore car (twice their size, but still small) that is on the elevated 0-27 line slightly below.
Started to install the Harry Heike GCT Base. Not an easy project (in our unique application as it is in a hard area to get to). My modification base worked out perfectly and as soon as it was in place, we unboxed Harry's unit, tested the lights, and lifted it ever so gently onto the base prepared for it's new home. There is a base plate for the larger version of the GCT and it fits nicely into a slot Harry cast into his base. At this point, we had to temporarily halt the installation as we were waiting for metal figures to install on Harry's base.
The USPS was on the job today and the mail lady just delivered what we waiting for, many metal figures (passengers, porters, and a band) to fill the mezzanine portion of Harry's Base. so the installation can continue.
Just looking at the new base (without the terminal) it looks sensational and should be a huge improvement to the layout.
Added an 1955 VW Bus to the layout. So cool !! No hippy crap on it, though because that came later. Also a Ford red truck with the PRR logo on the door. PLus looked at a new(used) vehicle for me.
I bit the bullet and put in a 24 inch square access hatch. Always fun doing it with the bench work already built. And of course another trip to the lumber yard for some 1 x 4s to frame it out. It gives me great access but it messes up the plan for my town.
Al
Found some wheels, and made an axel from a nail, collet & set screw, and gauge stay from brass tube. Then I took a PW-SW Lionel front dummy-coupler and mount with a homemade "cap" to pivot in, and riveted it to an existing tab and hole on the Marx El Capitan cars, to make a Lionel to Marx twist-coupler, transition car.
Then pulled them all with a PW Santa Fe Hudson.
Attaboy! Top notch scrounging!
For my part, I've made an Important Scientific Discovery:
RUSTY O27 TRACK IS GENETICALLY RELATED TO COAT HANGERS.
It must be, because when I turn my back, more and more breeds in seldom-visited boxes in the garage and in my train room!
Mitch
Not much time spent on the layout but at least I got the plaster on so after it dries I can add the colors. I am going to have to stop adding to existing scenery because it is hard to reach over scenery in front of and below where I was working. Leaning over I managed to break off a number of trees on the lower level. I won't get a chance to work on the layout for a few days. I have to go away for a day or two. Anyways two pics of plaster on.............Paul
For my part, I've made an Important Scientific Discovery:
RUSTY O27 TRACK IS GENETICALLY RELATED TO COAT HANGERS.
It must be, because when I turn my back, more and more breeds in seldom-visited boxes in the garage and in my train room!
Mitch
I need your problem....ran out of track for storage since I built my shelves...
and ever since I built my first tender, I had wanted to add a whistle to it. I got a Prewar whistle tender this spring in a deal, so today I got the whistle working, and then pulled from the tender frame. Took my homemade tender apart, and gave it a test fit. then I learned that a Prewar tender won't completely fit under a 2671 type shell....
Well this wasn't on my layout, but I thought this a better place to comment on a visit to several layouts yesterday than start my own topic.
Forum member Pittsburghrailfan has posted photos and comments about the O gauge layout at the Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania D.A.R.E. Model railroad program. I commented how much I liked what they were doing, and Pittsburghrailran invited me to visit. Yesterday was the day that worked for the two of us and program director Dave Stanton.
Dave showed me around, introduced me to the volunteers and students, and told me about the program. They have HO layouts and the O gauge layout and are working on trains of any scale. Pittsburghrailfan described the O gauge layout that has DCS/TMCC/conventional control. Almost everything has been donated.
In keeping with the Mighty Casey article in the current TCA magazine, an elderly man brought in two dusty but in excellent shape Mighty Caseys Including a lot of track. Everything is there, he had pulled the seats and handlebars off for transportation. Since it was closing time, I didn't see them attached, but here is a photo of one of the Caseys!
Happy July 4th to everybody ! This morning, my wife and I journeyed to the coast of Washington to Hoodsport and the home of our buddy, Ray Dumke, owner/operator of "House of Trains" ... Ray repaired some twenty-three (23) Lionel 022 switches for me as well as a couple of 072 switches. All like new! The guy is amazing ! Had to replace three motors with new ones. Replace a couple of plastic covers.
Learned a new trick too as far as cleanliness is concerned. Ray takes the switch bodies, minus the motors, and washes them in soap and water to get them nice and clean. Thoroughly dries them--re lubricates and re mounts the motors. He says to keep them clean and lubricated and they should last a long time !
Bought some more stuff from him as well. A nice Western Maryland diesel switch engine in original box. Suzie wanted the Dispatcher's Board, a crane, a cement car, a flat car carrying an Arch Bridge in HO scale and who knows what.
I go crazy every time I go to Ray's place. It's like being at YORK times 5, in a 24 x 48 foot building. Absolutely out of this world !! Go visit but bring your "drooling towel".
I'd love to have a couple of his BIG, heavy steam locomotives or his huge heavy electrics-- but I don't think he wants to sell them plus I would need a minium of 072 radius, probably more like 096. Some of his locomotives weigh upwards of fifteen pounds. No wonder Suzie wanted a crane ! (grin)
Tomorrow (Sunday), we have some general housework to do but Suzie is going to help me on the layout, going thru some boxes. It's about 98 degrees outside, but we have air conditioning, so house is about 69-70 degrees. My cats love it !
That's all to report for now.
Cheers.
KRK
I had a wonderful Fourth. I spent the entire day working on the layout, except for grilling some hot dogs and watching the Twins beat the Royals. No fireworks, no other people, just my wife, the layout and the cool basement.
It has been a while since my wife came down to the train room. She wanted to show me something, and snapped this rare picture of me at work. And no, me working is not the rare part.
This is what she wanted to show me; a test run from the new electronic cutting tool. Job number one will be to get some stick on vinyl sheets and make location labels for the fascia.
I finished filling, sanding and priming the fascia that Jon and I did Thursday. What I'm calling primer is just flat black. The finish coat will be semi-gloss black.
While I had the paint out, I painted the switch knobs.
I also started hanging the car card boxes for when it comes time to start operating.
But the big news of the day is - I FINISHED THE MAINLINE!!
Just 3 track laying projects remain and 2 of them require additional benchwork. I'm going to try to finish the other one this week.
Of course this called for another golden spike...
DONE!!!
I didn't have any Champagne, but I like this better...
and it even has a cork!
People worry far to much about water ruining things.
Often its just about when, and how, or if its dried and/or re-lubed.
I woke up made coffee, blue berry muffins, and ran passenger trains for an hour.
And watching over them? A Coast Guard starter set along with added defense equipment cars, forming a red white and blue train.
Peanut butter jelly time. Peanut butter jelly time, Peanut butter jelly time
Eventually I put the rusty 0-27, from the outside layout that never happened, into the scrap bucket today. Salvaging only half of it for a future Evapo-rust dip then shelf duty.
First I was pulling pins, a few ties, as well as the center rail isolators, for making isolated rail blocks, then giving it the heave-ho.
Fried chicken followed.
Fillets came out of the deep freeze.
Went out front and ran the garden train till dark. Watched the fireworks, slowly lighting off a few dozen bottle rockets myself, one every few minutes as skeeter chasers.
My new neighbor across the way, is an ho collector. And he saw my train lights at dusk, so came over to BS, and look at the trains I had set in my picture window while working on my shelves.
He has quit working and his brother bought the house, to take care of elderly parents.
They disapprove of, and belittle him for his collection calling it a waste of time playing with toys. (from high up on their TV watching perches
) Anyhow, he hides half of what he has, and they are pressuring the sale of all but two...on a shelf. Not shelf layout, a shelf...like no power.
So, he was having a ball being able to talk trains with someone as we watched fireworks, and listed to the trains rolling by on the local tracks.
We hung out on the porch till about midnight when the smoke had thinned enough for the bugs to take over again.
I went in to cook fillets and was confronted by my roommate with a fresh loaf of homemade sausage and cheese bread Fillets can wait
So I'm running my red, white, and blue train again, fatter, and happier, than yesterday, and that's what its all about!
Happy birthday America, splendid party, glad I was invited .
Famished the installation of the Harry Heike GCT Base Unit. I have to complete one small wall section below the Terminal & Base when the materials arrive tomorrow.
We placed over 75 metal figures in the Terminal walkways and they sure add to the scene. We are on the clock as we have a group of train friends visiting us this coming Saturday. More work on the layout today to get ready for this event.
Famished the installation of the Harry Heike GCT Base Unit. I have to complete one small wall section below the Terminal & Base when the materials arrive tomorrow.
We placed over 75 metal figures in the Terminal walkways and they sure add to the scene. We are on the clock as we have a group of train friends visiting us this coming Saturday. More work on the layout today to get ready for this event.
I think thats a freudian slip there, Brian....."Famished"........with all that work you have been doing on that layout, you must remember to eat something! Lol! I bet it is going to look great if the pics you have taken so far are any indication!
-Pete
Finally has dried out enough to clean my outdoor G gauge track and ran my LGB truck and then the rail bus. The rail bus is more track sensitive and brought out some bad spots that need attention. Will do that today. All the rain we had (7.5-8") this month(eat your heart out Calif.) has settled some of the gravel ballast so I have to go around and pack it back in under the track. Like a real RR !! Of course, ran my O gauge trains but time to change out some engines and cars. Getting an urge to run some of the old PW tin plate-Lionel, Marx and a little AF. Adriatic-it is ALWAYS PBJ time around here
I haven't touched the layout in about a month. 
to much going on maybe today I will get time.
Watched Eric's great video on the Y6B. At Hatteras with family. Time to pool, run boat, and clam. After they leave will try to complete changes to Menard Hobby Shop that Lee Willis suggested how to complete.
Will post picture when completed.
I had a wonderful Fourth. I spent the entire day working on the layout, except for grilling some hot dogs and watching the Twins beat the Royals. No fireworks, no other people, just my wife, the layout and the cool basement.
It has been a while since my wife came down to the train room. She wanted to show me something, and snapped this rare picture of me at work. And no, me working is not the rare part.
This is what she wanted to show me; a test run from the new electronic cutting tool. Job number one will be to get some stick on vinyl sheets and make location labels for the fascia.
I finished filling, sanding and priming the fascia that Jon and I did Thursday. What I'm calling primer is just flat black. The finish coat will be semi-gloss black.
While I had the paint out, I painted the switch knobs.
I also started hanging the car card boxes for when it comes time to start operating.
But the big news of the day is - I FINISHED THE MAINLINE!!
Just 3 track laying projects remain and 2 of them require additional benchwork. I'm going to try to finish the other one this week.
Of course this called for another golden spike...
DONE!!!
I didn't have any Champagne, but I like this better...
and it even has a cork!
Elliott: Thank you for regularly inviting us into your train room. Your layout is fantastic. Your work and dedication to the hobby is an inspiration to us all. Also, thank you for your commitment to Gar Graves track. It is a product in which I believe and is one of my best sellers. Bravo!!!
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