What did you do on your layout today?

     Started painting the (rust) on the Ross track I have down so far the other night. Went down tonight to check it out and ran my finger against it and it pealed right off. I guess you cant paint steel with latex so $10.00 wasted and now I have to go and buy some oil base paint. What a dumb ***! Choo Choo Kenny

I cleaned up some more wiring this time I took the power supplies, the tiu, the aiu, and tmcc. and mounted them to a board and organized the wiring for it. it all sat on the floor minus the tiu it was mounted to a board. now this is what it looks like. I was limited because of tonight we have both granddaughters the 4 month old I had to be quiet or I would wake her she was in a swing in the living room right below me so no over head lights either. last one is my wife sleeping beside her in the chair.

I've been adding ground cover and track ballast and trying out trees. On the stub siding of the switchback up to the timber cutting area, I put in the old, primitive sanding facility I built years ago for our old layout. Trying trees out. Put some willows at the end of the switchback  to see how they might work. If I decide it works, I'll remove the bases and install them. A Shay and a Climax will run here. 

Having fun!!!

This morning I started working on the corners. Above the one corner I decided while I was there I opted to take out the lichen in the upper corner and replace it with the foliage I have been working with. I finished that corner and the one below it but while I was doing that I plugged in my hot melt gun and wham...blew the fuse. Thank God I have the trains on a separate line otherwise they would of come to a abrupt halt. Lucky it was just the circuit breaker. But I managed to get most of the holes drilled for the trees and evergreen in the last lower corner before lunch. Couple of pics.....................Paul

Hey!  All of you Eastern guys:  Yeah, the ones of you that are sitting around under a foot and a half of snow that's still coming down.  You know who you are! 

Now that you're stuck at home (hopefully with enough food and with electric power) you guys ought to be able to be concentrating on your layouts and getting something done.  So, tell us about your weekend's accomplishments.  Photos are nice, too.

Paul Fischer

My accomplishments are trying to shovel this mess.

Mike

I put together a "kit" to build a cucumber vinegar car to go with the rest of this pickle train.  Hobby Lobby had artificial cucumber and some basswood, and Menards provided another flatcar base.  I hope I have some decent lettering to go with the "Peiffer's" pickle tub car I kitbashed.  Just need to add a dome and ladders, and that should do it.

Done for the day. If I do anything the rest of the day it will be run trains. I got the last lower corner mainly done. Pics of area...............Paul

I am watching news and shaking my head about how much snow so far in Bayside Queens, 15 inches.    I do not think I will make out to club layout in East farmingdale  Long Island before Wednesday.   All roads shut down except for emergency vechicles.   It is going to take me and our sons all day Sunday to dig the two cars out and then wait for city to plow my area.    Glad I am retired.   VBG

To show my solidarity with my snow-bound fellow modelers, the Razorback Traction Company today commenced work on its trolley snow sweeper!

The components are a Pittman work car body, Lionel Vulcan diesel chassis and die-cast sweeper castings:

Here's the carbody being fitted to the chassis.

I'm laminating stripwood together to make brackets to hold the brooms.

More to follow!

Mitch

fisch330 posted:

Hey!  All of you Eastern guys:  Yeah, the ones of you that are sitting around under a foot and a half of snow that's still coming down.  You know who you are! 

Now that you're stuck at home (hopefully with enough food and with electric power) you guys ought to be able to be concentrating on your layouts and getting something done.  So, tell us about your weekend's accomplishments.  Photos are nice, too.

Paul Fischer

I stood looking out my west-facing bay-window getting more and more alarmed as the snow continued to pile-up to the lower rung on our new fence, unabated. Playing with my trains is very, very far from my thoughts, though I did pass by the layout once  and gave it a smile of satisfaction.

FrankM., getting more alarmed.

finally put the Christmas decorations away that have been sitting in their boxes all over the basement.  Got back to the ERR cruise/super chuffer upgrade in my 3rdrail Mohawk.  It's been sitting for months as MTH wifi and new Legacy have gotten in the way, in a good way.

Continued ballasting new yard, and continued drinking beer, and continued shoveling

Finished painting MTH double girder

Nice paint job on bridge.   

Randy T posted:

Nice paint job on bridge.   

Thanks..I took it back out to put on a wash and finish the sidewalks but now I have a jumper

dobermann posted:

Randy T posted:

Nice paint job on bridge.   

Thanks..I took it back out to put on a wash and finish the sidewalks but now I have a jumper

Stink bug looks like an alien craft on the bridge.  The past couple of years they were all over our office, and would hang dead from the drop ceiling tiles for months.  One was right over my desk many months.  They are all gone now I think.

Started to build a panel to support my TIU, WIU, TMCC base, and terminal blocks.  I had to stop and pick up medicine for my mother-in-law's 4-pound Yorkie, then travel to visit and get some mail from my aunt in her assisted living facility, before and after helping my wife who is recovering from knee replacement.  Oh yes, shoveled snow. 

So, the panel is sitting in a mess in the garage right now.  Maybe another day.

Went to my L.H.S. to pick up Lionel 2016 Catalogs and it is hard for me to leave behind anything with the road name, D&M / Detroit & Mackinac. See two photos below.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Gary - Cheers from The Detroit and Mackinac Railway

Bench construction and track laying was diverted to the other end of the layout at this point.  Here the upper level continues tight to the wall for about 20 ft.  The right switch at far left will serve some future industry.  Further along, the left switch past the crossover will feed engine fascilities yet unimagined....loads of time for details later.  If that switch appears different than the other GarGraves 100's, that's because it is a Ross equivalent with a DZ1000.   I utilized it in a relatively inaccessible area because it's automatic.  I'm still not assured of it's design but the price was irresistible.

On the other side of the chimney the 3 tracks cross over the stairwell.  Even thought this area won't have any landscaping, along with some refined carpentry work I plan on featuring 2 bridges of my own construction here.

A shot from the opposite end of that 20 foot run.   You won't be seeing this view from in behind my workbench ever again.  Now it's time to connect layout ends together.  More tomorrow.

Bruce

Cleared out the driveway and sidewalks, then I started my first cardboard building project! I'm making some maintenance sheds to cover up my lock-ons. 

Thanks to the more than two feet of snow, I got a chance to work on the layout yesterday. I've been playing around with a few layout ideas in scarm. So, I decided to change up the track a bit. Wanted one of my two main lines to have no less than 072 curves and my second main line no less than O60.  It has gone well, much progress made until I ran out of track!  Off to the train store on Monday.

Funny, I posted this last night and it never got into the thread for some reason. So, here's take two!

I decided my loading dock needed to have stairs at the end because in real life, people would just jump out the door that's at the end. I also decided that in a rural pre-war setting, they probably wouldn't have built a railing.

I think I did well with just some scale lumber, a straight edge, knife and a cutting grid.

The stairs in place after I gave them some weathering color:

Looks as good or better than any commercial offering !

Mike

Didn't get into much today. Had a bunch of errands to run. I added two more trees on the end where I left off and ran foliage down between the tracks a bit but had to stop because I ran out of certain colors. So I placed an order with Scenic Express for more. I have to make up a couple of pieces of wood to anchor to the back of the table so I can add a piece of Masonite for a backdrop to go on. After taking the pics I realized it is too open there. So all and all it was a short work day..............Paul

Bruce,  Is that a Zenith Transoceanic radio in your first picture.  A lot of modelers may have one,  I have mine.

Work on two projects today. Paint finally dried on cucumber car (artificial veggie mounted on a repainted Menard flatcar), so I lettered the cucumber for "Peiffer", which the Menard's pickle (sauerkraut) plant has been renamed, and added a dome, as it will be  the Peiffer vinegar car in this pickle train.  Ladders and other details to follow, but it is almost done.  Made rapid progress on the octagonal water tower, and after some thought, decided to make it the tower for the Peiffer siding.  This meant buying another artificial veggie, a red pepper, to serve as the water tank atop the tower, with ladder added, etc.  I am deciding whether to add a small station and call it "Peiffer", or "Pickleville"?  (I was going to put the red pepper on another Menard's flatcar, and cut out windows and doors in it, add a cupola, etc.,  to make it the Peiffer caboose, with a cut down Walther's Sierra combine on the flatcar, too, but I really wanted a sectioned cucumber for that car, and none is available)  I studied other artificial veggies available to see if any could be hollowed out and made into a station.  Still trying to come up wth ideas.

I did alot of clean up on the layout and layout room redoing wiring and in the process of that i wanted to try to rework the track plan in one area so i did and while doing that it looked like a good place to add a few bridges and add a scenery scene. but it did require the use of a saw. I am happy to say all fingers are in tact here is some dark photos after the room and layout cleanup and then some of the new track plan then tonight after the saw did some work.

Another slow day but working on scenery because it is slow going I had time to think about what I should of done years ago. Wire switches and uncoupling tracks. The problem was I could not figure where I could put the control panel because space is limited in the aisle ways. I decided to revamp the control panel I built. Transformers are on top right now. I am going to build a shelf below the top for them then build a control panel on the top. This appears to be my best option. But that is another project. I have Plexiglas across the two mainlines because they go over the stairs and didn't want the train to possibly fall off in that area. I took them off and added low foliage between the edges and the track. Once the glue dries I'll put the Plexiglas back up. A pic..........Paul

The snow storm and its residual effect have kept me home now since Friday afternoon.  Doing lots of shoveling and other projects which need attention.  I'm finding time to run trains daily and do some scenery work on my layout.  Yesterday I got the first 25 percent of my trolly line open.  Here are some videos.

p51 posted:

Funny, I posted this last night and it never got into the thread for some reason. So, here's take two!

I decided my loading dock needed to have stairs at the end because in real life, people would just jump out the door that's at the end. I also decided that in a rural pre-war setting, they probably wouldn't have built a railing.

I think I did well with just some scale lumber, a straight edge, knife and a cutting grid.

The stairs in place after I gave them some weathering color:

Bravo!!! Superb modeling!

Randy Harrison posted:

p51 posted:

I decided my loading dock needed to have stairs at the end because in real life, people would just jump out the door that's at the end. I also decided that in a rural pre-war setting, they probably wouldn't have built a railing.

I think I did well with just some scale lumber, a straight edge, knife and a cutting grid

Bravo!!! Superb modeling!

Thanks. I almost didn't post it because it's just a set of stairs. But I started looking online and found it doesn't look like people make their own stairs very often. I was surprised to see how much a set of laser-cut stairs costs!

Mark Boyce posted:

Stink bug looks like an alien craft on the bridge.  The past couple of years they were all over our office, and would hang dead from the drop ceiling tiles for months.  One was right over my desk many months.  They are all gone now I think.

don't you believe it Mark......they are still there...lurking for a warm day to appear........

mk posted:

Bruce,  Is that a Zenith Transoceanic radio in your first picture.  A lot of modelers may have one,  I have mine.

Yes it's a Royal 3000, Marty.   When I took up playing with old radios there came a strong gravitation towards TransOceanics.  I have examples of every TO variation except for the Royal 7000.  I often fire up the 3000 for shortwave DXing, my only access to Alex Jones by radio.  Here's the first and last ...40 years of high quality Zenith shortwave portables.

Bruce

Those radios are pretty !! I remember my uncle had one and I thought it was so neat to listen to the far off radio stations.

p51 posted:

Randy Harrison posted:

p51 posted:

I decided my loading dock needed to have stairs at the end because in real life, people would just jump out the door that's at the end. I also decided that in a rural pre-war setting, they probably wouldn't have built a railing.

I think I did well with just some scale lumber, a straight edge, knife and a cutting grid

Bravo!!! Superb modeling!

Thanks. I almost didn't post it because it's just a set of stairs. But I started looking online and found it doesn't look like people make their own stairs very often. I was surprised to see how much a set of laser-cut stairs costs!

Randy is right - your modeling is excellent!  And regarding crafting stairs, you certainly did do a good job! I find tstairs esp. tedious and irritating, seemingly extra eager to disassemble in your hands, on matter what glue is used. Yours look neat and strong. Cool.

FrankM.

jim pastorius posted:

Those radios are pretty !! I remember my uncle had one and I thought it was so neat to listen to the far off radio stations.

It's still a kick to pull in far off stations, although shortwave is rather empty these days.  Back when introduced ( roughly Oct 1941), the TransOceanic was an immediate hit, and would have been a big seller but for that little skirmish called WWII.  A number of the first ones went overseas and helped keep the troops connected to current events back home.  The owner of the Zenith company had a particular interest in the development of the Transoceanic, being an avid yachtsman who desired the latest in news and weather reports.  Sadly, the last ones had to be blown out at reduced prices, victims of the lighter digital offerings being produced in Japan.

Bruce

Steamer posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

Stink bug looks like an alien craft on the bridge.  The past couple of years they were all over our office, and would hang dead from the drop ceiling tiles for months.  One was right over my desk many months.  They are all gone now I think.

don't you believe it Mark......they are still there...lurking for a warm day to appear........

Good Dave.  I miss my assistant.  Maybe a new one will stick around.  ;-)

worked some more on the bridges. ordered a lion chief today my first one. not for me but my granddaughter she already has Thomas transformer controlled  but isn't able to run it on my layout so bought he lion chief one. also bought a full circle of 072 fastrack maybe I can figure out where to put it and be able to run bigger stuff. maybe hang it from the ceiling.

KORBER MODELS • Jaybar Corporation • Flat structure

The photos below will tell the story. Click on photo to enlarge.

Gary - Cheers from The Detroit and Mackinac Railway