What did you do on your layout today?

Awesome signals!  What a great project. 

Nice work! Speaking of signalling, I'm looking for suggestions. I have uncoupling tracks placed before three of my turnouts. What realistic object might I use to signal the location of these uncoupling magnets so I can figure out where to energize them to uncouple cars? Thanks for your input.

                         Brian

I said a prayer for a dead PW accessory killed in an attack by a fan.

   A window fan got turned around and blew itself down landing nicely onto the upper level track.

  However the crossing gate below it, was in its vertical position, and just thin enough to fit within the fans grill. The blade played food processor on the boards.

  I ate the last fudge-sicle  while pouting (yep, thee last one "look out, "it's" coming ").    

   There's not enough left to glue it together, and the balance might be hard to achieve with a fast-hack, so I think the lights alone will do for a while. It barely cleared Baby Madisons anyhow, & it could "tick" them on the down-bounce.

I had just taken a vignette photo for a post and was torn between two title names. Ironic they could apply here too "Swan Dive" or "Duck and Cover"

Last night, Howard Packer (AGHR_Howie) and I put a bench work extension on one of the layout corners so we can install a curved fascia panel to clean things up, plus provide a little more real estate for a realignment we're planning for the area. It's a work in progress we hope to finish up in the next couple of weeks.

This is a Michigan loco road name. This is cool because it is hard to find Michigan Road Names. It is a MTH Premier 55’ All Door Boxcar from the 2016 Volume 1 Catalog. 20-93681.  I purchased both yard numbers, 10011 & 10017. From Clyde, Owner of Stockyard Express, Oberlin, Ohio.

Lake State Railway Company (LSRC) is a Michigan - based progressive short line railroad that has been providing "excellence in transportation" since 1992. LSRC's approximate 300 miles of track run from Flint through its headquarters in Saginaw, up to Gaylord and Alpena. Lines also run to Midland, Bay City, and Paines.

Adriatic posted:

I said a prayer for a dead PW accessory killed in an attack by a fan.

Owies.  Don't think that'll buff out.  

Oddly enow, I just resucitated one of those recently and just have to order a new light bar and lenses from Train Tender... 

    This took 45minutes, camera in hand, and supply round up...not counting eating fudgsicles, and was "free"...not counting eating fudgesicles

The metal frosting container/water tower, never looked so hot. While cleaning, a pop-sicle stick got stuck in the lids edge and I knew what to do. A smaller version of my last water tower with pop-sicle sticks as timber.

   I cut the sticks to length with a saw blade. A tad short wont matter when I'm done. (there were some shorter sticks from orange cream-sicles too) The tips I'm saving for shingles. There's a few extra photos in attachments too.

They just happen to fit well enough that the sides needed no trimming to keep from bowing into an oblong circle around "the inner form".

The backside of the stick is left unstained for better glue adhesion. I chose a stainless square since glue was involved, and it doubled as a press for 5 minutes.

Later the tape will be lifted and a similar cloth wrap, and epoxy, will go on the inside. But if your gentle, and left the container in place, this paper would be enough alone.

Note to glue along each board, leaving the seams flexible.

I think I'll be using it "upside down", with the lid, trimmed lower, as a base/ retaining band, but it could remain a roof too.

Heavier cribbing will replace the spindly legs.

Though not too concerned with it myself, for the scale folks wanting detail, I made those knots myself easily with a quick indention using a jewler's size Phillip's screwdriver. You could do lots more. There's also two boards that "banded", one end stained dark, then suddenly gets light at a straight 90°.

     I scored across them at that point, and darkened that score with stain, to look like a seam at a plank repair, since both were up high.

The banding I've yet to choose. It may be wire (thicker than this) or silver automotive pin-stripe, weathered, for flat bands.

Consider this "Part 1".

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Adriatic posted:

I said a prayer for a dead PW accessory killed in an attack by a fan.

Owies.  Don't think that'll buff out.  

Oddly enow, I just resucitated one of those recently and just have to order a new light bar and lenses from Train Tender... 

   My light bar was missing too. I had found some red industrial jewel lenses for a switch panel that fit the hole, and a plastic lantern mounted to swing from the board connectors/webbing. The lanterns swing gave it a progressive balance from vertical, to horizontal, and back.

I'll look into parts, but I'm thinkerin' on tinkerin' too.

Adriatic posted:

    This took 45minutes, camera in hand, and supply round up...not counting eating fudgsicles, and was "free"...not counting eating fudgesicles

I bow to your superior scrounge-fu! 

Mitch

Rebuilt, painted and added a little more realism to a building. The building was completely torn apart when it arrived, roof destroyed, side wall had been removed and balsa wood broken off. I decided to disassemble as much as possible, pre built it based on where I thought the "parts" should be then glued it up. Not sure if this is the exact way the original owner had it but it looks good now. Need to add a few more items but it came back to life nicely

trainroomgary posted:

This is a Michigan loco road name. This is cool because it is hard to find Michigan Road Names. It is a MTH Premier 55’ All Door Boxcar from the 2016 Volume 1 Catalog. 20-93681.  I purchased both yard numbers, 10011 & 10017. From Clyde, Owner of Stockyard Express, Oberlin, Ohio.

Lake State Railway Company (LSRC) is a Michigan - based progressive short line railroad that has been providing "excellence in transportation" since 1992. LSRC's approximate 300 miles of track run from Flint through its headquarters in Saginaw, up to Gaylord and Alpena. Lines also run to Midland, Bay City, and Paines.

 

Gary,

It is always fun to find cars from local railroads.  Thank you for the information on a Michigan railroads!

My son and I went in to downtown Raleigh for a blue grass concert then check out the AMTRAK station and mainline. I met some Carolina Hurricane cheerleaders  at the concert and we never made it to the mainline. Had a great time.

I Have to say it looks like everyone has been doing great work lately! Me I have been doing outside honey-do list. But that's ok, a happy a happy life!

PSU1980 posted:

That's cool !

This was a false report.

Adriatic posted

I said a prayer for a dead PW accessory killed in an attack by a fan

Super glue to the rescue!

It ain't pretty but it's alive again.

 Due to low batt..um... Due to technical difficulties beyond our control, no new images will be presented this evening

I had 5 highly enjoyable minutes ( and that is all the time I had for trains today ) running a double Trainmaster loco consist.  Both locos are powered Williams locos.  First time I ever tried this and the locos worked very well in tandem.

Adriatic posted:

Super glue to the rescue!

It ain't pretty but it's alive again.

 Due to low batt..um... Due to technical difficulties beyond our control, no new images will be presented this evening

Ya can't keep a good 252 down! 

Mitch

I have finally started on my revised layout.  Most of the fasttrack has been pulled up and the one corner has been roughed in. I had to get a little of the new stuff in before I could pull the last of the old layout out.  Kinda feel like a kid in a candy store right now.   

Not much...  But I did manage to "manufacture" a few pieces. The lumber is for the MTH sawmill. The pieces without the "C" are the originals. It is amazing how finicky the sawmill is about the lumber it produces. The other item is my personal uncoupler markers. After much research, I was unable to find any sufficiently prototype markers to use as uncoupler markers, so I fell back on rule #1, it's my railroad. Hopefully, these will make it easier for operators to uncouple cars for further movement and spotting. The most difficult part about making these was cutting the square wooden posts. I hot glued the plastic triangles to the posts, drilled holes for the posts and press fitted them to the layout. Enough for today.

Finished this

The shops have resumed work on 0-4-0T #490, with a new frame being manufactured and a universal motor under construction for power. Foreman worries about whether it will be completed in time, as the road wishes to avoid the expense associated with purchasing a motor and rectifier from RadioShack. Will see who wins this battle of wills, the road or the foreman.

This time of year unusual for me, I ran trains for a couple of hours this morning and a few more this afternoon. Testing the limits of my DCS signal, one 300 foot loop, right now 9 diesels pulling four trains with one of those, a 12 car passenger consist. Didn't build lashups just put everything facing forward and used the All button. Going to try and sneak a 5th train there

clem

Looks like "it's the season for running".

I invaded the renters room and ran my  shelf layout calmly for an hour.

   The DT&I SW has a PW F-unit's Magne-traction motor stuffed in it, and was really showing off once warmed up. I was having trouble going slow enough to not catch the other train on the shared main. So rather than lighten the switchers load and lower the voltage, I shut down the Virginian rectifier and reached for the engineers cap . 

   The #8111 "had it's dancin' slippers on" for sure, the motors high speed roots were showing, and before I knew it, I was pushing 19volts on the KW, and laughing just about as hard as I could as the little SW  yanked 10 cars around the ceiling like they weren't there. At 150 scale mph, my inner "Gomez" was in full swing and 19.5 volts of insanity was on the line now. 19.75v! It didn't even tip its shell in the bends, but all 20volts proved too much as it hit the one downhill curve. She jumped the track fast enough to slightly bend the thick postwar railing slightly against the wall.

    She's fine, but even a million pieces would have been worth that last twenty minutes  

Wiring, wiring, wiring oh yeah and more wiring and testing, testing, testing oh yeah, and more testing.

Nice work Dobermann, I especially love the window curtain blowing in the wind. 

As for me bought a bunch of foam, cut out the foam, and started to dry fit the main level track plan together.  Also let my friend come over and test run some of his engines on the subway line that he recently purchased.  Seeing all the pristine foam reminds me a painter staring at a blank canvas before he starts his painting. Oh the possibilities.

Bryan, layout is really taking shape fast. Is that the track plan starting to take shape or were you just experimenting.....Paul

It is the track plan although the upper right corner is a piece of flex track that I have to wait until final step to shape and connect.  The plan is to lay it all out and then trace where everything is going.  Then I am going to cut out the track area and raise it up a few inches so that way the surrounding area can be lower or if needed higher than the track. 

 I cut out an access pop up and installed a bridge where I will be installing a small gorge and mountain above the 2 track tunnel

Ran trains.  I ran 4 different engines on my 2 loop layout.  Hadn't had the MTH WM 0-8-0 switcher on the track for a few months.

   Discovered my #2037 is loose enough in the gearing and rods now that it skipped a tooth on the rear driver and locked up. This will be the third set of bushings in my life. I'll likely do gears too, rear one for sure .

 All the night running, my control center needed a light, so off to the garage I went. When I returned, I had a 3.5" chrome map light from an old Ford van; like a flashlight on a swivel base. Still needing a switch I hit the junk box for a #90. This one had good contacts, but no bottom cover, which means the button can be pressed, then  wedged into the hole to stay activated for a light. But looking high and low, turned up no red button for the switch case . I began thinking "shape and size" and ended up with this.

If you look hard you might guess what the button wheelie is ....

 Works fine for now, locks in place, wont run in there & hide either. I'll wire it "for real" when the sparks bother me

Adriatic posted:

   Discovered my #2037 is loose enough in the gearing and rods now that it skipped a tooth on the rear driver and locked up. This will be the third set of bushings in my life. I'll likely do gears too, rear one for sure .

 All the night running, my control center needed a light, so off to the garage I went. When I returned, I had a 3.5" chrome map light from an old Ford van; like a flashlight on a swivel base. Still needing a switch I hit the junk box for a #90. This one had good contacts, but no bottom cover, which means the button can be pressed, then  wedged into the hole to stay activated for a light. But looking high and low, turned up no red button for the switch case . I began thinking "shape and size" and ended up with this.

If you look hard you might guess what the button wheelie is ....

 Works fine for now, locks in place, wont run in there & hide either. I'll wire it "for real" when the sparks bother me

 

 

A part here, a wire there, some glue, bailing wire to hold it up. A Frankenstein build!! What's next Mr Wizard? 

it's that time of year  when Trains get pushed to the side for other projects. I did manage to go up there yesterday for about an hr and run trains. I removed all the trains leaving just one and ran the whole layout with the one grain train. I did notice something in doing that I think I might need to pull up some sections of track and add more feeders or more 180 bricks I seem to be low on power in certain areas. but here are my projects I have been doing other than trains.  finished up graphics on the boat I picked up also finished up the cabin area completely all new materials minus the cusions. I am waiting for my cockpit seats to be redone now then it's time for the maiden voyage. so far new motor, cabin, cockpit, carpet thru out, new wiring , new lights , radio, batteries, I think it's easier to say what isn't new hull and deck, most people wouldn't have taken on this project but I worked for Sunsation when I was a kid and built this boat when it was new that's why I did it .  new led lights on the trailer also. then I if anyone remembers my step brother wrecked my 2001 mustang roush in Dec. well it is now back together and running just needs paint. and I picked up a 93 suburban to pull the boat well last weekend my daughter blew the trans in it so I am now pulling it out to get rebuilt.

But to make it somewhat train related I also have been playing around with the idea of adding some 072 track to the layout so a rework in needed if I want that but didn't want to remove the existing tables so I reworked the layout with the existing layout in mind here's what I came up with .

suzukovich posted:

A part here, a wire there, some glue, bailing wire to hold it up. A Frankenstein build!! What's next Mr Wizard? 

Mr Wizard Now that's good TV

   There was a physics show with a crazy haired professor I liked a little better.The 70's I think. Show came on before Bob Ross's painting most often.

  I'm just tenacious really. I was just reminded of this two days ago.

   One 4th of July, going north, my 1 year old truck had a idler pulley go bad at 10pm in Saginaw on a holiday weekend. I was stuck for days and knew it. So with some grease from a 24hr carwash/gas station. I just beat the bearings out of a floor jacks wheel, and sandwiched the remainder of the pulley and new goodies in between two large washers to keep it all in place. It was intended to just get me to a hotel, but ran so well, I drove it to the UP of Mi, and around the UP for four days, then halfway back to Detroit till we came across a dealership with one in stock (Gaylord or Grayling?). Over 500 miles total. I wanted to complete the trip like that, but my pal couldn't risk the extra time; he had to work. I might have just waited and seen how long it lasted otherwise......Yep, tenacious    

Not home yet but did clean, lube and run the Lionel Standard Gauge train I gave my son many years ago. I thought I would pack up my track and transformer and take them home-BUT, my son wanted them so I leave them behind.  I like the transformer, a nice LW, but have two others.   Maybe he will become a model railroader.  Better late than never.

  "There was a physics show with a crazy haired professor I liked a little better.The 70's I think. Show came on before Bob Ross's painting most often."

Bada bing, bada book!  Beekman, I believe.

Brian

Oh no, before that Brian, but thanks.

The hair? More like the professor in "Back to the future". The personality somewhere between Spencer Tracy, and Peter Falk..

   This was likely PBS, or collage funded and ran for many years. A real professor too. More classroom than entertainment factor some days. But the guys personality and obvious lust for your discovery of science, was intense enough to make it all worthwhile.

Adriatic posted:

Oh no, before that Brian, but thanks.

The hair? More like the professor in "Back to the future". The personality somewhere between Spencer Tracy, and Peter Falk..

   This was likely PBS, or collage funded and ran for many years. A real professor too. More classroom than entertainment factor some days. But the guys personality and obvious lust for your discovery of science, was intense enough to make it all worthwhile.

Julius Sumner  Miller was the professor.

darlander posted:

Adriatic posted:

Oh no, before that Brian, but thanks.

The hair? More like the professor in "Back to the future". The personality somewhere between Spencer Tracy, and Peter Falk..

   This was likely PBS, or collage funded and ran for many years. A real professor too. More classroom than entertainment factor some days. But the guys personality and obvious lust for your discovery of science, was intense enough to make it all worthwhile.

Julius Sumner  Miller was the professor.

 

Bingo! I loved watching that man teach.

A couple of summer projects: 

The Atlas handcar (arrived today) will be donating its power truck to the Corgi PTC Birney car.  In the back, a Geoffrey car is being converted to feature Derpy Hooves from MLP: FIM...

And, of course, Shop Superintendent Norma Bates Kitteh is on hand to make sure the job is done right! 

Mitch

(incidentally, if anyone wants the upper bit from the handcar, drop me a line.)