What did you do on your layout today?

Adriatic posted:

I'd be tempted to camp on that bridge lol. Lunch at least.

Other than the Mac my first time, and a few high wind crosings in my van the o nly bridge that made me say "oh $41+" was the Chicago Skyway. A 55speed limit, I was doing 70 in the slow lane and being passed by traffic like I was standing still....in a hot rodded VW van with Porsche power train.

There's been family land in the UP O Mi for generations not counting my native blood. My pals family founded much of the land from Alpena to Indian River to Mackinaw City to Cheboygan and Mullet lake. Roads and beaches have their name. A long drive from Detroit too, but even just a night and a day on a weekend were always worth it to me. My love for upper Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota and even Canada is something that went unequaled till I discovered the mountains of the east. This wilderness is flatter, but equal in beauty. The glaciers really mixed the soils and terrain well and it's normally much cooler than even 30-40 miles south of the Straits. The UP tourist trade dropped with the use of air conditioning IMO. Imagine a quick dip in the 50 degree water of Superior during a heatwave while looking at the Pictured Rocks and snacking on wild berries of all sorts.. Its as much heaven as the mountains.

Another interesting spot near St Ignance on the way to Sault St Marie (Soo) is called Castle Rock. Privately owned for a token fee, you can climb it's stairs to look out over the land from the same place the native scouts did long ago.

Ask me  or DNR to find the good ponds in the woods near there if you fish and watch out for deer, moose, and logging trucks on the back roads! And mind the campfire status if at all dry, pine goes up easy.

Then there is the locks to the St Lawrence Seaway, the Soo RR, Pierre Marquette leftovers and narrow gauge ghost towns, boring to some, but not to me.

Mark I'd be dissapointed if you passed by and didn't at least say hello. Anything you need, if I can pull it off, you got it!!

Interesting in I revel in my being a little different sure. Folks tend to love me or hate me for it, lol. I'm usually quite till I break out of my shell, let loose hot air, then shut up again to gain steam pressure again. I've been told I missed my calling not being a teacher, or parent. I still often relate better with kids. I tend to treat them as shorter peers as I hated being talked down to by adults. It buys me respect and I seldom had to put a foot down.

I was once very active, and only needed a place to sleep, then would start again immediately once rested. I lost the majority of my more recent friends and family to various illness etc in a very short period of time leaving me with no real support and thought iId get back to work to "catch up". I've mentioned some other things privately that have held back progress and the fun" hasn't stopped, but I'm not giving up. Add that to my independent nature and you get a shut in with occasional cabin fever. My apologies to any victims reading.  

Which reminds me anyone hear from PW Pappy at all lately?  Even "elsewhere"?  I'd hate to think he's given up on sneaking trains into his room for himself.

That is great information on the Upper Peninsula!  I would be happy to stop by on the way.  Actually I have never been in Michigan at all.  The closest was the Marblehead Peninsula in Ohio, only 4 hour drive from home.  I need to get out more.  lol

Paul, good looking setup!

Gentlemen,

   I am still messing around painting some of these old lead figures for the next Christmas layout!

PCRR/Dave

Since my last report, I've done more work on our logging area (we call it Soap Creek Pass). I built a second donkey engine, added more scenic details and a few more trees, and ran some cables from the spars and donkeys. 

Next I will add more trees, ground cover, and other details. Then, I'll move on to painting the river bed, and adding rocks and boulders, and other details, on the other side of the layout, and then I'll add the "water" detail (resin).

John, I can't remember many folk here that have an interest in logging like you seem to and that's is a fine looking scene I'm sure you know that.

I also bet you've done some research to get there and that's why I'm going to ask this, not your neck of the woods, but , have you run across any info on a UP of Michigan logger by the name of Con ( Cornelius) Culhane? "A man willing to fight for a job will likely work to keep it" and moving his RR operation by lifting the tracks behind him and putting them down in front, over the frozen cedar swamps, are the most memorable factors of his legend. I been on a hunt for a good write-up on the man for years. The old timers talked of him often up there but I seldom have found more than a paragraph or two on him.

I'm really after the loco type his wife bought him, he named it after her, the Ellen K. It should be a six driver build, the rest is a mystery. There was a small Porter too, but the Ellen K was his baby. The operation started about 1895 and he died under his own train 1903, a wealthy man. Supplied timber for Camulet / Helca mines as his main customer, and bought the loco ordered by that mine, but canceled en route. Likely a just finagling to get it as legend has it it wasn't the mines usual choice of builder ( east coast German builder with port access is all I know) and politics and unions weren't happy about him getting it. ( The boat unloading is another story)

If you know of anything, now or in the future please let me know would you. Its about the only thing I'd truly like to seriously model. If you want to hear more let me know.

Thank you, Adriatic!  Yes, I like like logging and its history. When my son and I were planning our layout, we decided that would be the neatest thing to have as a "business " on the layout. I am not familiar with the man and story you mentioned, but I've been to the UP (Upper Peninsula) when our son was in grad school at Mich Tech getting a degree in industrial archaeology. He also did an archaeological study and work on Soap Creek Pass (Pickering Lumber Corp.) for his senior thesis at Cal, and we got to help him do the on site archaeology. His job now is rebuilding and restoring steam locomotives and running them. He has worked on and/or rebuilt/restored Shay, Climax, Willamette, and Heisler geared locomotives. I will ask him if he knows anything about the man and the story you asked about, and get back to you. 

John

I usually put windows into buildings last, separately painted, after the kit building has been painted.  This Bar Mills "Majestic" feed mill kit came with these self sticking laser cut window parts that have to be assembled, as do windows in other laser brand kits.  These work okay, when they work (the glue holds and they fit the pre-punched holes).  That did not apply, and I should have switched all out for Grandt Line or Tichy windows.   The pre-applied sticky glue seems to prevent model glue from holding, when you are trying to strengthen these bonds. I did switch one stubborn and troublesome one, after slightly enlarging the prepunched hole.   I put windows in and painted the lower structure early,  because  I was going to have to cover the lower part of the building when I added the kitbashed high elevator tower, and would have difficulty accessing some windows.  Another thing I just noticed...should have sooner as I had kitbashed the Menards' feed mill,,,, is that the Menards feed mill is darn near a twin for the Bar Mills kit.  Have also noticed that a plumbing supply kit from Bar Mills has a pre-built twin from another maker.  Bar Mills is licensing out its designs?  (I kitbashed the Bar Mills plumbing supply into a totally unrecognizable truck terminal, so no problem there)

ADRRIATIC:  I made a first time trip to the UP a couple of years ago,  making a circle tour, looking for ghost towns (lots of them but little evidence left), and old mine, railroad,  and logging operations.  Beautiful fall weather and leaves, worth a future trip.  I have heard of that Culhane and the story about him, but little more than you have posted.  Do not remember now if I read it in Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette (you might contact them to see if they, if anybody, has more info on him and his activity), or in some of the UP tourist books I read up on before the trip.

I have a whole series of Pa. logging railroads and as Pa. was cut over some of the loggers moved on to Michigan.  Others went south also.  Interesting industry. 

Thanks for the leads folks. There is a possibility the Elllen K could be a significant loco too. My Great Grandfather's recollection was usually pretty good. He was pretty sure the loco was delivered as a Prarie, and Con had swapped out the trailing truck for a  4 wheeler truck making it a 2-6-4. Significant how? Find me another Adriatic locomotive in America Anymore, online searches pretty much get filled up with things I've read already, or my own posts. Buying books for a single paragraph, often repeated facts I've know my whole life and some conflicting info; that gets a little discouraging, But I know someone wrote something lengthy in the late 60s while some of the folks, that had been around then, were still alive. I remember one year, guys went hunting through old personal photos as an author was in town asking about the man and his train as he had heard the 2-6-4 rumor and was trying to find out if it was shop built as an Adriatic.

Not much left of buildings that weren't well cared for up there. The winters take their toll. Mackinaw Island is a time capsule though, they still don't allow any motorized vehicles ( except I think there is an ambulance...only maybe)

Today I got the Z's wired back up. Sure is hard when you get older to bend yourself into a pretzel to work on things. Thought I was all set but when I turned everything back on one Z was shorting out. So back into a pretzel I go and luck was with me and I found the problem right away. On one side of the Z I had reversed the wires. Switched them and everything works. So I think to celebrate I am just going to enjoy running the trains the rest of the day.....Paul 

Well construction of the new layout continues I have the trains running and hope to move to the next phase is lighting and electronic just bringing down the buildings and getting them ready 

^^^^ Wow do I see some great construction ideas here.. Couldn't have come at a better time!! Thanks for sharing!!!!

FL9TURBO2,

Thanks for the under construction photos.  It is looking good.  What is your plan for the big monitor?  Is that for controls?

Mark Boyce posted:

FL9TURBO2,

Thanks for the under construction photos.  It is looking good.  What is your plan for the big monitor?  Is that for controls?

I am running the classic software TAS LCS software on the computer to control the switches and my complete signal system 

fl9turbo2 posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

FL9TURBO2,

Thanks for the under construction photos.  It is looking good.  What is your plan for the big monitor?  Is that for controls?

I am running the classic software TAS LCS software on the computer to control the switches and my complete signal system 

That will certainly be excellent when in operation!  I always admire complete signal systems and all the work it takes to make thm operational.  I will look forward to seeing that progress!

Mark Boyce posted:

fl9turbo2 posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

FL9TURBO2,

Thanks for the under construction photos.  It is looking good.  What is your plan for the big monitor?  Is that for controls?

I am running the classic software TAS LCS software on the computer to control the switches and my complete signal system 

That will certainly be excellent when in operation!  I always admire complete signal systems and all the work it takes to make thm operational.  I will look forward to seeing that progress!

I have been working for over 3 years on the system working with NJ International and several other people I wanted a complete working B&O signal system

Worked many hours today ( so far ) finely detailing scenes and creating a new one.  Getting ready to shoot photos for a feature of my layout in OGR!  

Today's work ( actually play LOL ) 

Re - ballasted a siding leading to the industrial area.

Worked on the sandhouse  scene of the engine servicing facility.  Putting raw sand in the sandhouse storage bunker, then using pure white sand ( after the baking process ) for the area around the sand tower and spillage on tracks.  Used a commercial smoke stack  ( which I bought from some one at York ) to carry heat and exhaust fumes from the baking oven.

Added more spilled coal around the locomotive coaling tower. 

Added figures to the locomotive servicing facility and around the layout in general. 

Created a residential yard scene with swing set, sliding board , girl mowing grass, kids in soap box derbys, and kids playing in the yard.  Mom sweeping off porch. 

Planted flowers down Patsburg Ave.  Planted a few new trees and relocated a couple others on the layout in general. 

Installed Bar Mills sidewalk section in front of apartment building.

Added figures, traffic signs, railway crossing cross bucks,  to various scenes throughout the layout.

Completed installation of two grade crossings. 

Installed new figures on the loading dock of my MTH brewery and reconfigured the trailers ( Lionel short trailer ) around the industrial area. 

Added barrels to open bay loading door of barrel warehouse. Also added a supervisor figure with clipboard. 

Added shrubbery  ( lichen ) throughout the layout.  

Made some junk piles junkier.  Made sure there was sufficient junk distributed down the mainline. 

Installed a short section of dilapidated chain link fence behind the Western Maryland switch tower.  

Rearranged some of the vehicles throughout the layout.  Placed a couple new vehicles. 

Re - installed the Artista hot dog cart and man selling hot dogs.  Found some customers for the guy to serve and realized I was very hungry.  I forgot to eat lunch ... been in the train room all day.

Its now time for me to eat dinner LOL 

Wired this baby up:

Peter

trumptrain posted:

Worked many hours today ( so far ) finely detailing scenes and creating a new one.  Getting ready to shoot photos for a feature of my layout in OGR!  

Today's work ( actually play LOL ) 

Re - ballasted a siding leading to the industrial area.

Worked on the sandhouse  scene of the engine servicing facility.  Putting raw sand in the sandhouse storage bunker, then using pure white sand ( after the baking process ) for the area around the sand tower and spillage on tracks.  Used a commercial smoke stack  ( which I bought from some one at York ) to carry heat and exhaust fumes from the baking oven.

Added more spilled coal around the locomotive coaling tower. 

Added figures to the locomotive servicing facility and around the layout in general. 

Created a residential yard scene with swing set, sliding board , girl mowing grass, kids in soap box derbys, and kids playing in the yard.  Mom sweeping off porch. 

Planted flowers down Patsburg Ave.  Planted a few new trees and relocated a couple others on the layout in general. 

Installed Bar Mills sidewalk section in front of apartment building.

Added figures, traffic signs, railway crossing cross bucks,  to various scenes throughout the layout.

Completed installation of two grade crossings. 

Installed new figures on the loading dock of my MTH brewery and reconfigured the trailers ( Lionel short trailer ) around the industrial area. 

Added barrels to open bay loading door of barrel warehouse. Also added a supervisor figure with clipboard. 

Added shrubbery  ( lichen ) throughout the layout.  

Made some junk piles junkier.  Made sure there was sufficient junk distributed down the mainline. 

Installed a short section of dilapidated chain link fence behind the Western Maryland switch tower.  

Rearranged some of the vehicles throughout the layout.  Placed a couple new vehicles. 

Re - installed the Artista hot dog cart and man selling hot dogs.  Found some customers for the guy to serve and realized I was very hungry.  I forgot to eat lunch ... been in the train room all day.

Its now time for me to eat dinner LOL 

 

 

 

Feature in OGR!!  Congratulations!!  I'm looking forward to seeing that!!

I use a postwar ZW for accessories, lighting, and switches. I have been meaning to insert a better, faster breaker system in series with the outputs of the ZW and did that today with PSX-1AC modules. One for each output.

Didn't do anything to the layout today. However I did decide to go to my local train shop, Brady's Train Outlet. I just wanted to see the MTH Norfolk Southern SD60e's. They really are beautiful! Also I just got done posting a video on YouTube of my Railking PRR Mikado running on the layout! Here's the link!

https://youtu.be/xi2UWejKCEk

NSRailfan100 posted:

Didn't do anything to the layout today. However I did decide to go to my local train shop, Brady's Train Outlet. I just wanted to see the MTH Norfolk Southern SD60e's. They really are beautiful! Also I just got done posting a video on YouTube of my Railking PRR Mikado running on the layout! Here's the link!

https://youtu.be/xi2UWejKCEk

That was a very nice video!  Brady's in Greensburg?  I've made the trip from Butler a few times!  Nice shop and nice folks

Mark Boyce posted:

trumptrain posted:

Worked many hours today ( so far ) finely detailing scenes and creating a new one.  Getting ready to shoot photos for a feature of my layout in OGR!  

Today's work ( actually play LOL ) 

Re - ballasted a siding leading to the industrial area.

Worked on the sandhouse  scene of the engine servicing facility.  Putting raw sand in the sandhouse storage bunker, then using pure white sand ( after the baking process ) for the area around the sand tower and spillage on tracks.  Used a commercial smoke stack  ( which I bought from some one at York ) to carry heat and exhaust fumes from the baking oven.

Added more spilled coal around the locomotive coaling tower. 

Added figures to the locomotive servicing facility and around the layout in general. 

Created a residential yard scene with swing set, sliding board , girl mowing grass, kids in soap box derbys, and kids playing in the yard.  Mom sweeping off porch. 

Planted flowers down Patsburg Ave.  Planted a few new trees and relocated a couple others on the layout in general. 

Installed Bar Mills sidewalk section in front of apartment building.

Added figures, traffic signs, railway crossing cross bucks,  to various scenes throughout the layout.

Completed installation of two grade crossings. 

Installed new figures on the loading dock of my MTH brewery and reconfigured the trailers ( Lionel short trailer ) around the industrial area. 

Added barrels to open bay loading door of barrel warehouse. Also added a supervisor figure with clipboard. 

Added shrubbery  ( lichen ) throughout the layout.  

Made some junk piles junkier.  Made sure there was sufficient junk distributed down the mainline. 

Installed a short section of dilapidated chain link fence behind the Western Maryland switch tower.  

Rearranged some of the vehicles throughout the layout.  Placed a couple new vehicles. 

Re - installed the Artista hot dog cart and man selling hot dogs.  Found some customers for the guy to serve and realized I was very hungry.  I forgot to eat lunch ... been in the train room all day.

Its now time for me to eat dinner LOL 

 

 

 

Feature in OGR!!  Congratulations!!  I'm looking forward to seeing that!!

Thanks so very much Mark!

A few photos from today's work on the railroad.

Putnam Division posted:

Wired this baby up:

Peter

 

 

Ive always wanted one of those. I think Gomez Addams Addams had the post war one on the layout.

   It's one of those elusive things that never appears at the same time money appears in my wallet. 

A conflicting schedules

B F King posted:

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

Brian,

I found the following printable train signs in my train file.  I do not remember the source, but found it on the internet.  Note the "Uncouple Here" sign face could be posted by your uncoupling tracks.

Dave

I tried adding my GGD SP Daylight passenger set to the TILE & CARPET CROSSING, but they were too finicky to handle my uneven 49.5-inch radius track work. So we added a couple Radiator Springs building to the Tile Flats section!

Congratulations   trumptrain on the OGR photo shoot.  As usual a lot of great work and I agree with Woods. This thread is always full of ideas.    fl9turbo2 nice work on the layout. I bet that you will discover that you have more room once clear that area of buildings.   WP,  Soap Creek Pass is coming to rather nicely. Dumb question What's a donkey engine?  Well,  I guess it never ends with a layout. Always room for improvement. Speaking of which. 

This week I realigned the streetlights and extended my sons track on the layout and in the proccess  I was able to increase the deep snow effect. This morning I weathered the track with snow so it will blend in with everything else. Then ran a couple of cars  to give it the driving in snow look on the street. The more my son runs his cars, the ruts will blend in over time. 

Put some longitudinal braces under my bedroom layout so the Homosote doesn't sag.  Tried using a KW transformer but the Standard gauge doesn't like it so will put the ZW back on.  Hot & muggy to work much, we just had  more rain.

fl9turbo2 posted:

Well construction of the new layout continues I have the trains running and hope to move to the next phase is lighting and electronic just bringing down the buildings and getting them ready 

Lots of nice angles and the various ways the platform has been situated, here, make for an intriguing adventure ahead. It appears, IMHO, you have built a good foundation for creative use of the real-estate made available by you. I'm much looking forward to how this all develops. You sure have my attention.

FrankM.

Take your time and enjoy, right?

suzukovich posted:

Congratulations   trumptrain on the OGR photo shoot.  As usual a lot of great work and I agree with Woods. This thread is always full of ideas.    fl9turbo2 nice work on the layout. I bet that you will discover that you have more room once clear that area of buildings.   WP,  Soap Creek Pass is coming to rather nicely. Dumb question What's a donkey engine?  Well,  I guess it never ends with a layout. Always room for improvement. Speaking of which. 

This week I realigned the streetlights and extended my sons track on the layout and in the proccess  I was able to increase the deep snow effect. This morning I weathered the track with snow so it will blend in with everything else. Then ran a couple of cars  to give it the driving in snow look on the street. The more my son runs his cars, the ruts will blend in over time. 

 

 

 

Hi, Suzukovich:

Thank you! You're right a layout may never be finished. It's not a bad question ("What's a donkey engine?"). 

It's a steam driven pulley (first ones in 1890 by Dolbeer). They put them on home made skids and by using the winches, the engine could be pulled around from place to place. Here are some pix. 

Today I measured for the control panel. Decided on making it the same footprint as the table top and instead of doing a flat top I am making it slope from back to front. Was going to cut the wood for it  in the garage but it has been raining off and on for the better part of the day. So I changed out engines and ran trains. One of these days I'll changed out freight cars if I can find their boxes...........Paul

Mark Boyce posted:

NSRailfan100 posted:

Didn't do anything to the layout today. However I did decide to go to my local train shop, Brady's Train Outlet. I just wanted to see the MTH Norfolk Southern SD60e's. They really are beautiful! Also I just got done posting a video on YouTube of my Railking PRR Mikado running on the layout! Here's the link!

https://youtu.be/xi2UWejKCEk

That was a very nice video!  Brady's in Greensburg?  I've made the trip from Butler a few times!  Nice shop and nice folks

Yes, they are always very friendly!

Just load a new video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISvLg-cS0XA

NSRailfan100 posted:

Didn't do anything to the layout today. However I did decide to go to my local train shop, Brady's Train Outlet. I just wanted to see the MTH Norfolk Southern SD60e's. They really are beautiful! Also I just got done posting a video on YouTube of my Railking PRR Mikado running on the layout! Here's the link!

https://youtu.be/xi2UWejKCEk

Great store.  John is a great guy!

Paul about time I see you posting again, better hurry up as the Tuesday night group will be starting up again shortly.  As for me I got the supports in that will hold up the city.  Instead of just painting them I used some photoshop and web images to come up with this.

This post is really a recap of activity on the layout over the past week as opposed to just today.

Last weekend I mentioned on here taking delivery of new MTH Sunoco tankers to round out my Sunoco facility scene. That is the first part of my layout that I would start to call finished. The accessories are in place and wired, there is some scenery around the facility, and the spur that serves the facility has been ballasted (though the track is not weathered). I need to finish out the service entrance road, add some additional vehicles and get some figures in place.

During the past week I also took delivery of a new Lionel RS-11. There is a video introducing the unit here. It's not review or anything like that, just a brief overview of my new addition to the family. Know that I mistakenly gave credit in my earlier post and in the video to the wrong hobby shop. It actually came from Tom's Trains out of Ardsley, NY.

I spent Friday night and a good chunk of time yesterday cleaning up wiring. I have a lot more to do. This is my second layout, and while I applied several lessons learned from my first layout, installing well-organized and labeled wiring was not one of them. In reflecting on my situation I have determined it is because I didn't put the effort into a wiring plan like I did with my track plan. It's a mistake I will not make a third time.

I also spent some time looking at your postings and admiring your work. There are some creative people out here.

Finally, last night I vacuumed. Yep, you read that right: I got out the vacuum and did some housekeeping. It's not as glamorous as working on other parts of the hobby, but occasionally it needs to get done.

That's about it from this end of the line. 

Have a good week everyone.

Installed the first of 5 ITT sound boards. Nice stuff.

Got my wood cut for the control panel. It is going on top of where the Z's once were. Pieced it together and painted it. Then I painted the Luan board too. Couple of pics............Paul