I like the appearance of the tracks in your photos. You're doing great on scenery.
Hi Jim, thank you! It is 0 grade, just a camera angle. Here's a video from a couple of weeks ago which shows the trestles and truss bridge. There have been several little scenic additions since (like the upper cross bracing on the two trestle halves.
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Tom applied the first coat of two of Minwax Express Colors Emerald wood stain on the large main area (4'x8') of our Art Deco style Std. Gauge layout table. wow, wow it looks great.
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Heh! Ultra classy grass...
This may sound weird, but I have three TMCC engines on my layout and I have been practicing running two trains on one track. I don't have track laid side by side so it gets interesting keeping two trains away from each other. I also practice building trains.
Put my Standard gauge $418 passenger car together after painting and painted the second #418. It was in rougher shape. I think I will leave the #490 Observation car original. So I have the #380 engine with 3 cars. Big and I mean a big train. The Rustoleum Nutmeg is really close to Lionels tan. Also I discovered that Dollar General's liquid cleaner "Awesome" is a super paint stripper for Lionel paints. At least some of them.
DennyM posted:
Thanks so much Denny!! I appreciate your compliment very much! Btw - I practice with my TMCC engines running on one track. Its a fun game. The trick for me is to keep the game limited to short trains.
Today was a short work session because tonight is the Tuesday night train group get together. But it was a worth while day. I laid down the tongue and groove for one shelve under the table. Then I got my table legs cut and the bolts for leveling installed. And Bryan if you happened to read this the far end of the shelve was where the mythical Z4000 would have gone. LOL Couple of pics..............Paul
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Second coat of Emerald wood stain applied on the 4x8 center area of the Art Deco style Std. Gauge layout table. Its looks great! pic to follow...
Painted some rails ( rust brown ) for my MOW flat car as I ran trains for about an hour today. Swapped out some of the cars on all the freight trains. Had a derailment on the outer main line. Cleaned up the derailment. Kept on running trains!
Worked on getting the "city" section populated and settled. Progression pictures up til last night when people are vehicles were placed.....
Then a lot of trees added! I love trees! I guess downtown is in Fall season and other parts of the layout will be in spring/summer with full leaves on the trees.
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Began laying out the "city" portion of my layout in order to determine location of roads, crossings, buildings, etc. before starting on ballast application.
The photos attached indicate the passenger station in place and an additional platform that I built that will have benches and pole lights. I am trying to decide whether to stain the platform with a wood finish or colored stain or to paint the platform a weathered gray, green to match the station platform roof, or a brown......suggestions are welcome.
The rulers in place indicate sidewalks.
I had an issue with everything on my SCARM plan fitting on the layout until I noticed that the "road" symbols that I used in SCARM are only 4.9 inches wide instead of the 6 inch roads that I am planning to use.
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I finallly got back to trains...have stalled and procrastinated on building this large wooden coaling tower kit, too big for this short line, and then stalled on scratchbuilding one half size from its plans. Kind of thinking I should research short line coaling facilities to see if I can find an "interesting", and maybe unusual one to build...I am visualiing one with a round wooden coal bunker, but don't remember seeing one. So, I began a kit for a mining head frame and shaft house, laying its foundation last night.
Moonson posted:tackindy posted:Worked on getting the "city" section populated and settled. ...
Seems an economic and judicious use of space, and the result is a place interesting and fun to visit, it seems to me. There is a sense of happiness to it all. IMHO.
FrankM.
Yes Frank, I populated it with a Starbucks, Ferris Wheel, and neat shops and stuff with LOTS of people milling around..... not to mention the local Ferrari club is in town parking all together along the street. I like a fun and festive atmosphere... a place you'd like to be yourself!
tackindy posted:Moonson posted:tackindy posted:Worked on getting the "city" section populated and settled. ...
Seems an economic and judicious use of space, and the result is a place interesting and fun to visit, it seems to me. There is a sense of happiness to it all. IMHO. FrankM.
Yes Frank, I populated it with a Starbucks, Ferris Wheel, and neat shops and stuff with LOTS of people milling around..... not to mention the local Ferrari club is in town parking all together along the street. I like a fun and festive atmosphere... a place you'd like to be yourself!
Yes, sir! Agreed! Exactly.
FrankM
Today turned out to be a longer day then expected. I cut the lumber for the frame of table four. Got it all put together and when I turned it on its side something looked out of place. So I measured and found out I cut all the cross braces too long so I had to take off one side and recut the braces. Glad the glued had not dried yet. Should of measured three times. That is what I get for being gung ho and measuring once. Anyways here is a pic of the completed frame work. I had to go smaller at the one end to allow for getting to the window to open the vent. I'll let it set over night and add the legs tomorrow................Paul
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update: both colors of the wood stain got a bit of touchup, then the first coat of multiple coats of gloss polyurethane was applied. Going out shortly to look at facing boards.
WOW! shiny, This project is looking beautiful, and I love it!!!
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Put my Marx 666 engine on the #2 loop and first had the diecast tender behind it. Looked cool but way too heavy so I put the lighter tin one on. I just read in an older CTT magazine about the 666s smoke unit so I added some juice to it and away she went !! I will run some more Marx engines tomorrow at least.
I just got back from hand-selecting the 5-1/2" mahogany boards for the facings of my Art Deco style Std. Gauge layout table. Tom will drive over in his Tacoma to pick them up at will-call tomorrow morning. I especially wanted attractive graining and nice coloration on these.
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Went to train room for 45 minutes of running trains and organizing stuff in the room. Decided running trains was more fun than organizing Lost track of time and now its way past bed time
Been a month since my big birthday score, so I boxed up the pre- and postwar Lionel stuff (like the boom crane and Alcos) that I've been fixing up over the past month; the Sugar Creek meeting is tonite, and I wanna show off all the resuscitation I've done...
Photos of the postwar consist this weekend.
Today a bit more accomplished. Legs are on table four. I made the end of the table two feet wide because I have to be able to access the window vent. Now I have to work on the area where it is going to go. I have to open the wall by the window so I can run another table through there two feet wide but leave the rest of the wall intact and bring a table down it to the end of the wall. Pic of the table and a pic of where I have to work next. Sort of makes me feel like I am building a real railroad, clearing the area ahead before I can lay track...................Paul
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Nice job on the dumpster, and a very clever idea.
Hi Chris, is that plastic or cardboard?
Nice way to hide plug! Now you need a few vechicles to put near your power plant and a security fence with gaurd shack and sliding gate.
Tom picked up the 5.5" mahogany boards from the home center today. These will be used as the facings on the Art Deco style Std. Gauge layout table we are building together. This wood looks sooo bee-u-tee-ful
Some spring cleaning in the train room and finally got around to changing my passenger cars over to led lighting.
I ran trains for 15 minutes as I drank my morning coffee andtotally enjoyed every minute. I could have stayed in the train room for hours this morning. Unfortunately there were places I had to be.
Sugar Creek MRR club meeting tonight; the revived 253 and resuscitated postwar equipment were met with acclaim!
Mitch
Cutting a hole in the wall to have staging in an adjacent room. Can not have too much staging!!
Will wonders, uh ,I mean "Marvels", ever cease? We all love your work Mitch!!!!
Mike
Shot some footage of my switchers for this coming Switcher Saturday thread.
mike g. posted:Hi Chris, is that plastic or cardboard?
It's all cardboard. I used the box type(corrugated) for the two side walls. The rest is done with just the single layer stuff, like from a tissue box or cracker box. The side piece for it to be picked up is a section of corrugated with one outer side peeled off.
Randy-
Already had those ideas, hopefully will get it done in the next month or three!
WORKING ON A YT VIDEO • MADISON HARDWARE LCCA SPECIAL EDITION 1993
Madison Hardware Company at 1915 West Fort St. 4th Floor, Detroit, MI 48216 purchased this new truck at Mack Tractor Sales on E. Jefferson Ave.
Their first run will be a pick up at Union Terminal, East St. Louis, Illinois. This will be a non stop run from E. St. Louis to Detroit. They have a load of Lionel Trains. The truck breaks down on a railroad crossing close to Madison Hardware, will the train stop in time?