What did you do on your layout today?

I've been thinking about a webcam on my layout so the Nieces and Nephews can watch for quite a while.  Since I can't really do anything to my layout because I'm trying to sell my house, I decided to do some research on webcams.  Turns out, it's affordable and idiot-proof:

http://johnmdimaggio.com/trains.html

The first pic turned out real good. Give you the feel of being right there as the train approaches.

Fellow OGR Forum Members:

Isn't Pat's scenery fabulous? You can learn a lot buy seeing how Pat handles scenery elements such as bushes, rocks and trees ,etc. in both placement and color. His scenes are thought through well and have an artistic flare.

The other day I bought a metal model of a Stearman biplane and today strung a fine wire over the layout to hang it from. Looks pretty cool.

Saturday was Gi-raffe Day at the Rusty Wheels Fall Show in Harrison, AR...

The layout is housed in a home-built trailer resembling a caboose, and has O. S and HO tracks. 

The gi-raffes, of course, were crowd pleasers: 

Both the GG1 and Rectifier saw action:

And when the host's Polar Express loco developed faults, the Crimson Comet leapt into action: 

Busy little layout, no? 

The Thomas the Tank Engine fans were also represented: 

As well as American Flyer: 

Of course, since this was a tractor show, one could see herds of Deere:

And, of course, there's one in every crowd:

This minimalist tractor was my favorite:

More pics below! 

Mitch

Mitch

Room construction is nearing an end. Bet you'll be happy to hear the end of it as much as me.   With all of the messy, back breaking work completed, I laid new flooring down this weekend.  It gave me the chance to shuffle bins ( could it be for the last time? ) of train related items off to the left, where they can remain until needed.

Turning to the right some finishing detail remains.  Here the flooring stops where layout will begin, hiding all the nasty chip board.

Basically it's the same story to the left.  I'm hoping that all the storage bins and boxes will eventually be hidden under the layout.

Further down from the first shot, this end is pretty much complete.  I'm having second thoughts about the blue/white light from the string of LED's.  Worst scenario, I have passenger car lighting till the end of time.  The L shaped table top is now ready to become a staging yard, eventually hidden under this section of layout

From the opposite end, the entertainment center is finalized.  I opted out of the old tuner/amp setup in favor of a modern Salvation Army find.  I'm rediscovering my old vinyl collection now that i have room for a turntable.  Storage areas beneath the table top to the left are now enclosed...the more crap I hide, the better I feel. 

Lastly, I built more display shelves around the chimney.  Gives me a place to show off some of my modest collection of Standard Gauge.  More SG will be displayed in other areas, as finishing continues.  One other improvement was adding a stair rail...an elevating aid for these old bones. 

Bruce

Beautiful work!

I'm partial to this shot, especially the rendition of the cable reinforced, wooden through truss.  Likely, not many in real life survived past 1900.  Sure puts a restriction on what you run, if you want to get technical.

Bruce

Super room, Bruce!!

Worked on military flats yesterday, painted wooden decks added to flats, secured half track to one flat with chains and blocks/chocks.

Installed Depot. It replaced a Lionel Station.

Jeff,

It looks great on your layout!!

I am toying with the idea of getting one too, but there are so many things I want to get.   

Thanks so much Bruce for the compliment!  I sincerely appreciate it.  

Yes the bridge is a model of a Bollman Iron Truss Bridge.  The bridge was invented by Wendal Bollman, and engineer who lived in Baltimore, Maryland. This bridge design was the first iron railroad bridge design used in the US.  At one time the Baltimore and Ohio had about 100 of these bridges in use throughout its system.  If you look at American Civil War  photos of Harpers Ferry West Virginia, where the B&O main line crosses the Potomac River you will see these Bollman Truss Bridges carrying the main line.  Of course in those days trains were much lighter than trains of later days. 

It happen that i live two blocks from the last remaining Bollman Iron Truss Bridge.  Located in Savage, Maryland this bridge carried a B&O spur across the Little Patuxent River to a cotton mill.   Locomotives were not allowed on the bridge so idler cars ( old empty gondolas ) were used to push and retrieve revenue freight cars over the bridge.

I bought my model of this Bollman Iron Truss Bridge at York from Vernon Peachy ( custom layout builder ) as he was selling it for someone else who specializes in making bridges. 

It was one of those I have to have it can't live without it moments!  I'm sure you have had those moment too!

The cables you refer to are really not cables on the real bridge.  Instead they are iron rods.  There are no cables at all on the real bridge.  My model does lack some detail, however, it is close enough for my purposes and budget.  If I ever hit the lottery I will commission a fine bridge modeler to build one for me ... with all the rivets!  LOL!!

Thanks again Bruce!

On Saturday evening the kids from next door presented me with a large wall hanging of the cover of Lionel's 1934 catalogue and a set of Lionel Christmas bulbs.  Their Mom and Dad said the kids really needed to give these gifts to me right away and that they just could not wait to Christmas!!!   I loved these gifts, very touched, and the thought and thoughtfulness behind them.  As I'm working on redecorating the interior of my home, I have the Lionel wall hanging in a temporary location right over my stair way leading from my train room and bedroom.  I look at it and smile each time I descend my stairs!   These kids come over often to see the layout and run trains.  Yes kids still love trains 

Today and yesterday ( Sunday ) I worked on putting a power connector in place and hooking it to power.  Mission accomplished!!  No there is no power drop on my outside mainline loop.

I worked on leveling my Gargraves switches so that all locomotives will pass through them with no problems.  Mission mostly accomplished!

I put fall trees on the first level of Mount Randolph!!  Adding the trees really greatly enhanced the look of the layout!!   I love the extra depth trees give a layout.  The good news is that I have at least another 100 plus trees ( all in bags ) to go.

Today is the day that we go out for some "inspiration" for our own layouts.  The local TCA Lake Erie Chapter, which usually meets for a social lunch the 2nd Tuesday of each month, has chartered an RDC car for a trip down the Cuyahoga  Valley National Park from Cleveland to Akron and back.  We've done this before with great success and more enthusiasm so we have a "fall foliage" trip for today.

Maybe to you Easterners, an RDC trip is no big thing, but here in the Midwest, RDC's never made much inroads.  Except for the first trip in May, most of the guys had never ridden on an RDC and were very impressed with the smooth ride and the surprising quietness of the car.

We'll be traveling the route of the old Erie-Ohio canal, (the former B&O line between the two cities) which has numerous relics from the era along the way, and stopping for lunch at our local eatery in Peninsula, OH, a place called the "Winking Lizard", before we continue all the way to Akron's North Side Station.  We leave from Fitzwater, the RR's main shops, at 12:30 and expect to return about 4:30 or 5:00.  Some extra seats available if any of you would like to join us.  Cost just $10 bucks. 

Paul Fischer

Lucky guys !!  Sounds like a great trip. Have been to the Cuyahoga Valley Park several times and is a great place. Never rode a train there, though. Enjoy !!

I feel bad that other then run some trains I have not worked on the layout, on it or below it. Last number of days with winter approaching had to wax the vehicles. Today through the local TCA chapter I am taking the RDC trip through the Cuyahoga Valley. What I would like to get working on this week before York next week is build some tables for the switching layout in the basement. I already took measurements so I can get the wood. Once I get those up I can go back to the other layout and pick up where I left off up there..........Paul

Did a little improvement on the Gi-raffe GG1:

https://ogrforum.com/t...trucks-here-s-a-cure

Mitch

Last weekend, I got rid of several structures I'll never use on the layout, at a model train swap meet. In the planning stage, I built and bought some structures before I knew how may I'd need and what size/shape. I wound up with way too many structures. I also sold off several excess items, such as a box of blue point turnout machines and stuff like that.

I also ordered several figures from Arttista. I love their stuff.

Mark,

I know what you mean. So much too get, but so little money.

Thanks so much Randy!

I didn't get much done today.  

Yesterday morning Tom, the MTH repairman, brought my MTH GP 9 loco back from repair.  He also upgraded the DCS system I bought brand new at a local train show for a song and a dance ( the DCS system was an earlier versions and had sat in someone closet for a few years - never used )  Its great to have my B&O GP 9 up and running again pulling a mail train!    Once I install more power connectors on my two lower main lines, I'll install the DCS system, which I'm looking forward to

I ran trains last night until 1;20 a.m. this morning!  Got up this morning and ran trains first thing for 20 minutes and then again this afternoon for 10 minutes.  I love watching my freshly repaired MTH B&O GP 9 teamed with a Williams B&O GP 9 dummy pulling a long freight on the outer main line !!!   AND my freshly repaired MTH Western Maryland BL2 pulling an all WM boxcar train ( with 3 different WM liveries ) on the inner main ... while my MTH Docksider pulls a short train of a Whitehouse Apples refer and a vat car overhead on the Mountain Division!

  The B&O and the WM horns are exactly a half step in pitch apart and I can play a tune ( limited as it may be ) with the loco horns.  Amusing and fun!!   I just LOVE this hobby!!!

made a little family history, these two locomotives haven't been together for over 50 years.

I researched this Hallmark '37 Ford pickup, as I wanted another color...it comes in

green plastic and looks like....green plastic!  Found brochures on the net, but they

are not in color....there was a different one, that might have been in color but it was for the sale of the trucks in Latvia ???  (that's what it said) So I went through my

stash of kits and found one for a store front: "Clancy's Saloon in Skagway".  I was in

Skagway in August but did not remember this kit nor what, if I saw it, Clancy's looks

like.  Will have to research that to see what rest of building looked like and scratch

build it.

I finished re-wiring  the 8 digital panel meters (4 amp 4 volt).

My current project is a complete re-wire of the layout in an attempt to organize and label all wires.  I removed all the old wiring including the the wiring for the meters. Unfortunately I didn't make any notes for the meter wiring.  

Long story short I ended up blowing the 8 DC-DC Isolator modules needed to prevent Common Ground Effect (That is when there is some crossover between the meters causing really strange readings).

It is great to have these operating once again.  i enjoy seeing the different amp draw for different engines and the voltage required.  Plus they look pretty neat. They are also a good trouble shooting tool.

Thanks,

Ed

I finished, except for painting, the Clancy's Saloon kit, which is just the front facade

of the building in its earliest rendition.  THEN I did some research on it, to see what

the rest of the building looked like to scratchbuild, and found out I had been in the

building (now under the auspices of the National Park Service, and that it was the

business once owned by the infamous con artist, Soapy Smith).  Now does not look the

same as it did when built.  Googling "Clancy's Saloon, Skagway" turned up the kit,

and a model, exactly matching mine, as well as the original building, for which the kit

builds the facade.  Much more work to come building the rest of it.  (I have another

little resin storefront, picked up the same time, to build a structure behind)

`

Added this flat to my Hallo'een display.

I ran trains tonight for 15 minutes. enjoyed every moment!

I ran trains today..............Paul

A modest beginning.  Here's a staging yard taking shape. I plan on having one other to store my ever increasing population of rolling stock.  Nothing as of yet it permanently mounted while I play with designs that will make maximum use of space...but this is pretty much a final design.  Ignore the Bose speakers...they eventually get shuffled to the other end of the room.

At the mouth of the yard are 3, 022's to handle freight rolling stock.  Nothing particularly long on these tracks since everything I have is 1930-1940's era.

Off to the left is minimum 072 to handle anything varnish.  I doubt I'll ever run cars longer than 18" or passenger consists more than 8 - 10 cars

After going straight through the 1st 022, the passenger yard splits, using 2, 072's.  Most of this area won't be seen once the main layout gets built.  The tubular will transition to GarGraves outside of the staging yard

Bruce

This is the 65th anniversary of the ET&WNC's final run of the 3-footer line. I ran trains this morning and afternoon to acknowledge that...

Couldn't do anything.  Still waiting for MTH to ship the #4 and #6 ScaleTrax turnouts.

Finished my downtown deco kit "The Boobie Hatch"  That makes 4 "clubs" on the layout now.  Competition will be heating up to see who gets the hottest girls working at their club.

Nice. One thing you need on your layout is a hooter bar! 

My antique dealer friend gave me two nice Am. Flyer engines that wouldn't run so I cleaned them up, lubed them and they run fine. He had $25 each on them. He will try to pay me but I tell him he can't afford my hourly rate. He will cut me a deal on something.

I glommed another RMT RDC to get the chassis for another gas electric, an American

Standard Car Co. kit,  I already had the shell together, but the chasses will

PROBABLY have to be lengthened as on the LaBelle D&RGW Oneida car.  I hope this

is just extending the siderails and splicing in wire extensions.

Working on the mainline through a canyon. Lots of weathering to do yet. More and more plaster to build rocks. This entire section goes to the floor. Don

Pam and I have been remodeling our 1936 Kitchen, and we are starting week 15. Goal is to be done by, Nov. 1st, 2015. Also working on the back foyer, dining room and pantry. November 15th is a State Holiday, in Michigan. (Opening Day, Firearm, Deer Hunting Season) Have to be done.

     Removed all the cast iron pipes and took out the fuze box and placed the wires in a electrical panel in the Train Room.

     Today I finished the under the cabinet LED lights and I order one extra strip to test out in the train room. My layout is a Shelf Layout and I want to test these under each shelf to cast light onto the tracks below.

     I also want to try Bill's Procedures in the Train Room, from the OGR Video called,"Curving the Blues, Tinting the LED's", with Tamiya Clear Orange.

Gary • Cheers from The Detroit and Mackinac Railway