What did you do on your layout today?

Mo985 posted:

Finished re-wiring the main level after track re-arrangement. 

Then entertained a visit from the good idea fairy, and proceeded to re-arrange the lower level. It actually worked in my favor, I ended up getting a larger staging area for my intermodal yard, and larger 4 track yard area! And I still have room for an engine service area.

Next up: re-wire lower level.

The good idea fairy. Know her well! Rarely do they ever work out. Spent many a staff meetings pulling her wings off. In this case glad it did.

Got a little more done tonight. Second shelve is loaded up. This setup gave me more storage then in the boxes and better access to knowing what cars I have. And I found a whole case of Crown model cars that were buried under the boxes I was working on. Tomorrow I'll work at another area.........................Paul

I've spent the better part of the last week crawling around on the floor in the aisle and under a couple parts of the layout, stringing new and rerouting old wires. The goal: to relocate the old security camera hub, and add the new one, bringing the total number of cameras  covering the hidden areas of the layout to 16. The new location, near the entrance to the layout, under Red Wing, will facilitate the final positioning of the monitors to the dispatcher corner, on the other side of the doorway, when the time comes.

The addition of the second hub brings the total system capacity to 24 cameras. The unused 8 cameras may be placed in the 4 aisles, two in each. It is possible that they could be used for a webcast during operating sessions. Time will tell.

I am so glad that project is done, well almost. It seems I don't have a cable long enough to reach from the new hub to the new monitor, so I had to order one. It'll be here in a couple days.

I painted all the track in a rust-ish color and caulked all the foam terrain shapes into place today.

I still have the back corners to complete for the terrain. Once that's done, I'll paint everything but the track in a dirt color. 

THEN, the scenery finally starts. I should be well into it by the time spring officially starts...

The odd thing is that I have tried to post photos in this section but it simply won't let me for some reason. I have tried numerous times but when you do, it simply vanishes like you never did it...

p51 posted:

THEN, the scenery finally starts. I should be well into it by the time spring officially starts...

And you will have the rapt attention of a good number of us throughout that creative adventure, sir, I am certain.

frankm

Just did some minor rewiring.

Ran trains this afternoon for about 45 mins with the sun streaming in through the windows. really nice effect. Trains ran good, too.

I ran trains for 10 minutes while getting dressed for work.  Enjoyed every minute of watching em run!!!

Mark Boyce posted:

As I edge closer to the Golden Spike on the Ceiling Central RR, I am getting excited, since this project has been just over 3 years in the making.  Here's a couple of photos.  I will be videoing the first run.  Stay tuned!!

Looks great Mark!!! Nice to know you will have a golden spike ceremony soon!

Congratulations on sticking with the project for all this time!

trumptrain posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

As I edge closer to the Golden Spike on the Ceiling Central RR, I am getting excited, since this project has been just over 3 years in the making.  Here's a couple of photos.  I will be videoing the first run.  Stay tuned!!

 

Looks great Mark!!! Nice to know you will have a golden spike ceremony soon!

Congratulations on sticking with the project for all this time!

Thank you Patrick!  I worked on it one winter, then the next winter I started back, but the carpal tunnel was too bad to continue.  It took a year to get to the point they would do surgery, which was a year ago.  My second carpal tunnel on each hand in 20 years.  Fun   My old nemis, Arthur Itis, still bugs me, and it isn't the prettiest shelving, but I'm getting it done! 

Continued to work on track geometry and benchwork,unpack and test locomotives.

jmiller320 posted:

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Matt,

    Brought the 3rd Z4K on line this last week, will need to pick up a 3rd side receiver before to long.

PCRR/Dave

Why do you have/need so many Z's on your layout?  What do they power?

Its for his newly redesigned  control room for his layout.

suzukovich posted:

jmiller320 posted:

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Matt,

    Brought the 3rd Z4K on line this last week, will need to pick up a 3rd side receiver before to long.

PCRR/Dave

Why do you have/need so many Z's on your layout?  What do they power?

Its for his newly redesigned  control room for his layout.

So that's how you guys power your layouts... 

If someone would also kindly point out where he located the SCRAM button for when his Z-4000s draw too many amps...

suzukovich posted

Its for his newly redesigned  control room for his layout.

No, that's MY control room.

The cables showed up today, but it didn't matter. I got the old camera system working again, no problem. The new one doesn't want to boot, it's stuck, probably software. I called Samsung, brand new unit is probably going to have to be sent back for repairs. Sound familiar?

The old and new hubs are sitting on a shelf mounted behind the opening.

This spaghetti bowl isn't too bad, I have the bulk of the excess wire rolled up and hanging. When everything is working, I'll tie up the rest.

Been shopping with WeHonest on eBay buying signals. Some assembly required.

These dwarfs are not bad for the buck.

These will be my mainline signals.

My wife found this 33' LED string. I need those cameras to work so I can tell if they throw off enough light. The backdrop will eventually cover this, but having light back there is still nice.

Tonight I changed out a couple of engines and ran trains for the night...............Paul

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

suzukovich posted

Its for his newly redesigned  control room for his layout.

No, that's MY control room.

The cables showed up today, but it didn't matter. I got the old camera system working again, no problem. The new one doesn't want to boot, it's stuck, probably software. I called Samsung, brand new unit is probably going to have to be sent back for repairs. Sound familiar?

The old and new hubs are sitting on a shelf mounted behind the opening.

This spaghetti bowl isn't too bad, I have the bulk of the excess wire rolled up and hanging. When everything is working, I'll tie up the rest.

 

Been shopping with WeHonest on eBay buying signals. Some assembly required.

These dwarfs are not bad for the buck.

These will be my mainline signals.

 

My wife found this 33' LED string. I need those cameras to work so I can tell if they throw off enough light. The backdrop will eventually cover this, but having light back there is still nice.

 

 Elliot

I figured yours would look like this when completed.  Dave is old school but I am sure he is happy the you improved on his design.   Its good to know about the dwarf signals. I was under the impression the were already assembled.

suzukovich posted:

 Elliot

I figured yours would look like this when completed.  Dave is old school but I am sure he is happy the you improved on his design.   Its good to know about the dwarf signals. I was under the impression the were already assembled.

Oh yes, that's more like it. That wouldn't happen to be mission control in Houston? If it is, I've visited there.

As for the dwarfs, there are two colors that are fully assembled up by the X-acto knife. They may also have the 3 color available assembled, but I went cheap and got them kit form.

I ran trains too!

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

suzukovich posted:

 Elliot

I figured yours would look like this when completed.  Dave is old school but I am sure he is happy the you improved on his design.   Its good to know about the dwarf signals. I was under the impression the were already assembled.

Oh yes, that's more like it. That wouldn't happen to be mission control in Houston? If it is, I've visited there.

As for the dwarfs, there are two colors that are fully assembled up by the X-acto knife. They may also have the 3 color available assembled, but I went cheap and got them kit form.

I believe it is.  I know its somewhere around here, but did you ever resolve the signal issues?

Also took time out to run trains while I try to figure out how to span the gap that will complete a reverse loop.   Now that the mainlines are connected, the motive power has a chance to really stretch its legs.  I have been alternating between conventional, DCS and TMCC, each one equally as fun as the other.  Finding which locos are the stump pullers and which are wimpy, who smokes the best and who sounds the best.  Finally having a dedicated train room allows me to do all these things without disturbing SWMBO.

Bruce

suzukovich posted:

I believe it is.  I know its somewhere around here, but did you ever resolve the signal issues?

Thought it looked familiar. Not yet on the signal issues, the R2LC board at the heart of the test car was a dud, came out of a bad engine. Have to get a new one and I didn't really want to borrow one from a good engine. I wrote this long post about it earlier today.

Went to Smokin' Joe's Ribs in Rogers, AR for dinner.  Good food, great service and I like the decor! 

Mitch

I've just bought my first Standard Gauge Tinplate set. The MTH repro of the Ives Circus Set with the FABULOUS diorama pieces. Its going around in a large loop around the legs of my fiancé's pool table. I'm using 42 curves and straights.  Ordered 3ft straights (needing 2 to finish out the loop), and when put down yesterday night and then checked the loco and tender going around the legs this morning- its too tight at the legs to clear, so pulling those long babies up and I just ordered 6 straights 14"  to get me a bit more length away from the legs. 

Opened a box the mail lady brought and there was a nice Lionel loco in it that I bought off the forum.  Someone missed a good deal on a really nice locomotive. I waited and no one moved so I picked it up. Running on my layout now. Sat. is the Greenberg Show so who knows what that might bring !!

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Went to Smokin' Joe's Ribs in Rogers, AR for dinner.  Good food, great service and I like the decor! 

Mitch

Mitch,

If I ever get back to Arkansas, it looks like I need to make a trip to Rogers!!

jim pastorius posted:

Opened a box the mail lady brought and there was a nice Lionel loco in it that I bought off the forum.  Someone missed a good deal on a really nice locomotive. I waited and no one moved so I picked it up. Running on my layout now. Sat. is the Greenberg Show so who knows what that might bring !!

I hope the Greenberg Show will be good, I'll be there also!

OH, you meant on my O-SCALE layout... so sorry, I answered previously about what's happening with my Standard Gauge in error. Got my posts and scales mixed.

I refer to my classroom O-scale layout as "Train Town" with my students. Today was a slow day- not really any time avail to work on the layout. Took the dictionaries off that I put on a newly glued piece of Lemax 'water' area on the homosote yesterday.  Had my fiancé Tom stop by before school started to help me trouble shoot why the loco and tender will only go a few feet, connectivity problems are happening , sigh...  Talked with an Altas O service rep about what to do, too.  Its not the train as I ran it on a test track at home a weekend ago.

I started a many step plan yesterday I pulled down all of my shelves after removing all of the rolling stock and engines on the shelves so right now the layout is a mess. rolling stock everywhere. so what the plan is since I removed the shelves I will still need to have somewhere to put all of the rolling stock well once usps shows up today I should I bought 40 ft of aluminum shelves that's a start it's more shelves than I have at the moment. so what that did is give me a bunch of 1x4's extra that were the shelves so I am going to use it to frame out my 20 inch by 12 ft yard. more rolling stock storage.  Scarm shows I can have 4 lines in 20 inches using 072 switches. so step one remove shelves step 2 put up aluminum shelves step 3 build frame work. I do wish I could go wider than the 20 inches for a few more lines but it's in the hallway to the loft as it is  wife wasn't 100% happy about that choice I made I'm trying to balance out my project list. get all the major train stuff done in the next few weeks because spring is on it's way and the boat will chew up a lot of my time once the weather warms a little. warm days I'm in the garage working on the boat cold days I'm on the layout. We had 2 warm days this week warm is relative tho I'm talking 60's  the glues and fiberglass doesn't like to work under 60 degree's. On those 2 days I put in the head and hull liner carpet in the cabin of the boat it's far from finished. haven't even trimmed it up yet since it got cold again. trying to get it finished for a poker run in a few months.

As JHainer mentioned, layouts do become handy places to lay things, related to our layout work, as well as to temporarily hold other things, like groceries (maybe I'm alone on that regard.)

Here are the two spots on the layout that often get loaded-up with parcels, etc. They are both along the entrance aisle between the cellar-to-garage door and the cellar stairs to the first floor. In the first shot, at the suburban neighborhood area, all those locomotives are normally parked there, showing off, but get moved out of the way if I am not running the layout for a spell. Also, if you look carefully at the foreground of the second shot, of the long narrow section of Moon Township, you can see some crafting miscellany that's been set into the middle of the roadway for the moment. That flat roadway there at the neighboring track are tempting spots to lay things temporarily.

Regarding rolling stock and engines being all over the place, from time to time, since I run ten separate loops and often change the trains out, to protect them when I am working or resting things on the layout, I drive them all into the tunnels, on parallel tracks and one behind the other, so they are out of harm's way, and park them in the tunnels until the coast is clear.

FrankM, Moon Township, USA.

God help me if I turn power on to the track at this point . most of the engines on the shelves are conventional so I would have some trains racing around the layout full steam ahead. so when i powered down the layout yesterday I turned off all the bricks too so even if I power up the strips the transformers are off.

Frank,

I love the shot of those beautiful Pennsy engines just showing off. 

Thanks, Pat, those are my favorites, as are all my steam locomotives. I have plenty of diesels, and appreciate their colorful liveries and dependable sure-footedness, esp. when traversing switches, but really like the dark steam engines the best. I guess that comes from a childhood in Pittsburgh during the 40's & 50's when steam was everywhere.

Moonson posted:

As JHainer mentioned, layouts do become handy places to lay things, related to our layout work, as well as to temporarily hold other things, like groceries (maybe I'm alone on that regard.)

Here are the two spots on the layout that often get loaded-up with parcels, etc. They are both along the entrance aisle between the cellar-to-garage door and the cellar stairs to the first floor. In the first shot, at the suburban neighborhood area, all those locomotives are normally parked there, showing off, but get moved out of the way if I am not running the layout for a spell. Also, if you look carefully at the foreground of the second shot, of the long narrow section of Moon Township, you can see some crafting miscellany that's been set into the middle of the roadway for the moment. That flat roadway there at the neighboring track are tempting spots to lay things temporarily.

Regarding rolling stock and engines being all over the place, from time to time, since I run ten separate loops and often change the trains out, to protect them when I am working or resting things on the layout, I drive them all into the tunnels, on parallel tracks and one behind the other, so they are out of harm's way, and park them in the tunnels until the coast is clear.

FrankM, Moon Township, USA.

Frank.  Don't you just hate it when someone just dumps pallet of dead bodies on the street like that in broad daylight. That will definitely put a damper on the parade. 

A lot of great work being done on layouts. Now just doing minor adjustments with shimming under the track. Overall I am very happy with the switch from Fasttrack to Atlas.

Revised the simulated water under the bridge. 

In my earlier post I had commented on how the Atlas Track sat lower than the Fastrack that had been replaced had given the desired effect of deep snow.  This is what I was talking about. I know carpet central from hell, but it works.

Before, notice that the fastrack sits higher.

Same corner now with Atlas and what now looks like snow drifts.

suzukovich posted:

Moonson posted:

As JHainer mentioned, layouts do become handy places to lay things, related to our layout work, as well as to temporarily hold other things, like groceries (maybe I'm alone on that regard.)

Here are the two spots on the layout that often get loaded-up with parcels, etc. T

FrankM, Moon Township, USA.

Frank.  Don't you just hate it when someone just dumps pallet of dead bodies on the street like that in broad daylight. That will definitely put a damper on the parade. 

 

I can see that you have natural empathy, Suzukovich. Yes, those little folk often can get out of hand, just lying around anywhere without any regard for traffic, parades, or nearby community fairs. However, when they do seem to find a place to stand, they sure seem to get attached to that one spot for a long time.

FrankM.

Tonight I had four mainlines running but as something a bit different it was running three conventional engines and one Legacy. Didn't feel the need to work. Tomorrow I'll be heading to the TCA meet in Parma Cleveland and hope I find something good to buy. I have a small wish list..............Paul

pics got sent first solo, sorry! Today I hot glued the rest of the "wind swept" flowering foliage to the back of the hillside section. Then I painted out the edges of the gouged out homosote where I am "sitting" all the water w/h boats into the water area. One section is glued down the other is placed after templating. I glued the second water section down at the end of the school day. Dictionaries are weighting it all downs it dries.  

well busy day again. mystery box showed up got a feed and sead building a coil car a tank car and a flat car with 2 trailers Not disappointed got my order of mega steam in also . and my aluminum shelves so figured need to put up the benchwork for the yard to get the wood out of the way so I can hang the shelves . here's my progress.

the yellow one is from Menards the PRR is from MTH no noticeable difference.