Or "pressed for dough" windows, lol.
Beats my large "cue tip" container by a couple inches of length not to mention about 5 times the width.
This past weekend I removed the access hatch to the back of my very large mountain and had dislodged a de-railed Plymouth switcher. This loco had been in the mountain since last February. 
As it didn't block the track, trains could still run thru the tunnel so there was no rush for me take the time to retrieve the little critter.
Doing all this allowed me to rearrange and spruce up some scenery at the base of the mountain, all of which made a nice overall improvement. The main thing is that I had fun doing it which is very cool
I also ran trains which was BIG FUN!!
trumptrain posted:This past weekend I removed the access hatch to the back of my very large mountain and had dislodged a de-railed Plymouth switcher. This loco had been in the mountain since last February.
Is it a rule, in our hobby, that dictates trains must specialize in derailing in tunnels whenever possible? And do such "little critters" get improved "rail cred" when they can manage to do so in the most inaccessible mountains and corners? I'm beginning (and it's taken PLENTY of training [ yes, pun intended ] to get me to this point) to wonder if there's some sort of conspiracy out there among all of 'em , devised just to see us squirm, thus proving our loyalty to them . Eh? Huh? Wha' ?
FrankM, a fellow in the brotherhood of tunnel-divers
I am still, slowly, kit bashing this Bar Mills Majestic kit. Now has two elevators and the intent is to make it look like a jumble of gables and pipes like the one in Terre Haute, and others.
Moonson posted:trumptrain posted:This past weekend I removed the access hatch to the back of my very large mountain and had dislodged a de-railed Plymouth switcher. This loco had been in the mountain since last February.
Is it a rule, in our hobby, that dictates trains must specialize in derailing in tunnels whenever possible? And do such "litter critters" get improved "rail cred" when they can manage to do so in the most inaccessible mountains and corners? I'm beginning (and it's taken PLENTY of training [ yes, pun intended ] to get me to this point) to wonder if there's some sort of conspiracy out there among all of 'em , devised just to see us squirm, thus proving our loyalty to them . Eh? Huh? Wha' ?
FrankM, a fellow in the brotherhood of tunnel-divers
Frank - I chuckle as I read your words for they are so true! If there is going to be a derailment on our railroads, one can bet it will happened in the most remote and most difficult to reach area such as inside a tunnel .... despite how many hundreds of test runs were made before closing the mountain!
I guess this kind of catastrophic event ( tunnel derailments ) can qualify as prototypical operation?
I always love your imaginative sense of humor!! Thanks for the chuckles!!
trumptrain posted:Moonson posted:trumptrain posted:This past weekend I removed the access hatch to the back of my very large mountain and had dislodged a de-railed Plymouth switcher. This loco had been in the mountain since last February.
Is it a rule, in our hobby, that dictates trains must specialize in derailing in tunnels whenever possible? And do such "little critters" get improved "rail cred" when they can manage to do so in the most inaccessible mountains and corners? I'm beginning (and it's taken PLENTY of training [ yes, pun intended ] to get me to this point) to wonder if there's some sort of conspiracy out there among all of 'em , devised just to see us squirm, thus proving our loyalty to them . Eh? Huh? Wha' ?
FrankM, a fellow in the brotherhood of tunnel-divers
Frank - I chuckle as I read your words for they are so true! If there is going to be a derailment on our railroads, one can bet it will happened in the most remote and most difficult to reach area
...I always love your imaginative sense of humor!! Thanks for the chuckles!!
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Thanks, Trumptrain, and that's a yes, yes, and yes for your assertions (!) Here are shots (excuse me if you've seen them previously) of the most challenging areas on my layout for my layout spelunking. I don't even allow anybody in the trainroom when I am tip-toeing around atop the layout
to rescue "little critters," and any idea of anybody crawling around under the layout behind me as I make my way to being able to reach up under those hills is totally taboo as it would have all the charm
of following a 16-wheeler in slow traffic (I'm sure you get the dubious picture.)
Yet, such is life, in, around, and under the miniature landscapes, huh. It's all play, but I do wish I could remember, when I do have to go layout spelunking, where those evil screws are that penetrated too far through the track and well beyond the 3/4" plywood depth. I don't know anybody else who has screw point wounds on the top of his head. Yet, there they are, occasionally, looking like late-adolescent acne scars that have been picked at.
FrankM.
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I sold my display, went out the door yesterday.
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Started back on the wood work for the upper level on the Cabin Lake & Western Railway ... only to discover I need more sheets of Homosote! And it's raining so can't haul it in the truck until the roads dry. So we'll work on the Williams Big Boy antenna problem ... :-)
It's always something ...
A couple of things Made another video.
Picked up 3 Max Gray TOFC and had to replace the 2R trucks with Weaver 3R trucks,
and planted some more trees.
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Great looking video, and I like the tunes! The cars and treat turned out wonderful I just love the winter wonderland! I always look forward to seeing updates from you.
mike g. posted:Great looking video, and I like the tunes! The cars and treat turned out wonderful I just love the winter wonderland! I always look forward to seeing updates from you.
Mike thanks and glad you liked the music. Some times I think people expect to hear Dean Martins rendition of Winter Wonderland instead of Bands like Europe or Modern Talking. If I can find a bigger snow removal truck( The current one is an UMOG) then I will put you in the cab of that one with coffee in hand..
Getting the wiring completed on the 3' x 4' addition. This includes an additional spur where I can store another short train.
On a 4' x 10' water wings layout I can keep up to 4 trains on the layout even though I can only run one train at a time.
suzukovich posted:A couple of things Made another video.
Picked up 3 Max Gray TOFC and had to replace the 2R trucks with Weaver 3R trucks,
and planted some more trees.
Again, your winter scenery is SUPERB! Your stellar layout is an inspiration to us all. Thank you for the video. It brings your great layout to life. Bravo!!!!!!!!!!
Our Tuesday night train crew had a Saturday night outing at Uncle Ray's Trains in Avon Lake Ohio. While there I was able to add another two Weaver flats with Navajo trailers and they were different car numbers. And while cleaning up the porch I came across two more ore cars. So today on the layout I added the flat cars and ran trains. Pics of the cars ....Paul
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Applied what I learned fixing the Sunset SP&S 902 TMCC antenna problem to the old Williams Big Boy which was converted to TMCC by Weaver and never worked, after receiving it back literally in pieces.
From 4 years on the shelf to running on the layout flawlessly made my day.
Very smooth running locomotive. Heard it was actually made by Samsongha (sp) ? Anyone know if it was?
Well last night I turned off the air conditioner and turned the furnace on. Yesterday was run trains with the Detroit Three Railers
clem
Impressed by my humble 4.5x9 layout, I accepted an invitation and visited a new neighbor who claimed to have a 'small" layout and ran his HO Lionel's while contemplating a design for the center on his request. His "tiny" layout is also 4.5', but 25' long! I think a hump yard, grain elevator plant, and coal harvesting operations will suit his stock well. The HO Lionel's? Smooth and slick. I don't see why they didn't sell more; must be an HO mental block.
Today I finally completed the 3D mock-up for my bridge railing and ordered 4 prototypes pieces (actually the 3rd set of 4 piece prototypes, had to keep making adjustments). Hopefully the 3rd time is the charm and everything will fit nicely. Then I can move ahead with the grate style roadbed, one on each side of the bridge. All comments, criticisms' and suggestions are most welcome.
Thanks,
bd
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BD, Looking good, What are you going to use for the grate style roadbed?
Kerrigan posted:
Checked out the fit of the now-running Williams Big Boy on largest ROSS turntable ... just fits ... 1/2" from wheel to end-of-rail both ends.
Looks good. Makes you wonder if the had the same issues in real life when UP started taking delivery. But looking at it do you plan on shortening the draw bar which would be more prototypical. If nothing else you would gain an inch and remove the overhang on the tender.
I have read that the railroads did squeeze some long engines on their turn tables at times.
jim pastorius posted:I have read that the railroads did squeeze some long engines on their turn tables at times.
It dose make you wonder. As engines got bigger so would the turntables How did they do it without interrupting ops and maintenance since they would have to enlarging the pit and adjust it location due to the RH..
Mike, I have built one of the two needed and used a heavy Sanding Screen for the grating. It comes as close as I could find. bd
BD, I have some really tight metal screen, If you would like I can take a picture of it tomorrow. If it's something you like I can give it to you. I have a roll of it 2' wide and about 200' long.
BD, I just went and cut a section, painted the right side with flat black paint so you could see it easier. Here is a pic.
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Mike, thank you and I truly appreciate the offer sir. I believe the material I have is even more tightly woven than the screen in the photo. If what I have doesn't work out I'll contact you via e-mail. Thanks again, bd
All I did today on the layout was take the package I got from LOTS and placed them on the layout. For the rest of the day it is a lunch with a group of TCA guys who meet every second Tuesday of the month and then tonight it is the Tuesday night Crew get together. So I won't have much time today for the layout. Pics of the cars and I think LOTS did a great job.....................Paul
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suzukovich posted:Kerrigan posted:
Looks good. Makes you wonder if the had the same issues in real life when UP started taking delivery. But looking at it do you plan on shortening the draw bar which would be more prototypical. If nothing else you would gain an inch and remove the overhang on the tender.
The drawbar does have a hole 1/2" back, but I didn't hook it up as I wanted to test "stock length".
When we turned the SPS700 on the Brooklyn turntable we could only turn it one way or the tender overhang would allow the coupler to either hook a trailer parked by the turntable, or rip out a section of fencing. But we managed.
A big gap for more prototypical operations; that's priceless. ROTFLMAO 
op session 10/11/16
Connor and me had op session and we switched between conductor and engineer
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Today I continued working on detailing several big factory style buildings on our club layout. Made a bunch of vents from 1/4 round wood dowels painted metallic silver/chrome, installed some blowers I built a few days ago and added some dock workers to one of the scenes. I also painted the vertical ladder I will install on building over yard entrance. Was a good day. Hope to get more done tomorrow
I finished the kit bash of the Bar Mills Majestic as a complex of two adjacent elevators and a large metal grain bin. Footprint is not small. I do need to print and add signs, before I can take photos. I
I took photos and will post. Bar Mills Majestic grain elevator kit bash done except for company name signs. Takes a lot of shelf space.
Added a new MTH Model Train Store and a whitewashed wood fence (coffee stirrers) to a corner of the layout.
'Looks as though the neighborhood kids have already created a way to sneak through the fence....
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Having finished this elevator, bashing it from the Bar Mills feed mill (looks like I'll have fresh fodder for another in this announced H&H "feed mill"), I will take a break and work on an engine project. In addition to Heisler and 2-4-4-2 articulated that there is not a snowball's chance to be commercially offered, are a steam coach and an inspection engine. I have accumulated Marx 999 power chasses to power these, and for the steam coach, based on the photo in VT 's Shelburne museum, I finally figured out how to suspend the Marx power chassis within the coach body so that it turns like a truck. So this project is off and running.
Today I made 30 bottle brush trees. I have previously installed about 160 bottle brush pine/spruce trees. I posted some photos on my "not quite a complete redo" thread. (I model an imaginary mountain area on my PRR pike) I have another 22 painted earth brown ready for green ground foam. With the 30 I made today I have 114 ready to paint. I estimate I will need another 100. I don't pack them very tight the mountain area has a lot of space to scenic. I have the cost down to less than 30 cents per tree which is lot of money for the number of trees I need but not as expensive as having a huge city scape to build.
Ran trains for 10 minutes when I got home from work. FUN TIMES!!!
I painted a gondola to go with the kit car I picked up from Mike G a while back. Its not really O, just a toy that happens to work. It may be S gauge I'm not sure. But it stays on O well with some weight added. Couplers are dummies, not lionel but familiar. I'm not sure who used them, Kusan? AF? Marx? With some creative use of heat on the knuckle opened more for shape, and shaft too, for height adjustment, it works with Lionel's couplers now.
The silver was added long ago, red,brown, and a green wash are new. I began with just black vinyl letters on the yellow body but hated it. This,I like. Some woodgrain detail on the lettering and black wash over all of it, before I'll call this done. The crude, rustic, font of the logo, allowed me to rush this freehand too, no masking or sketching, just quick freehand craft acrylic, a Sharpe, and some dry times, a couple hours total at best, including dry times. (Strange, the word "families" keeps appearing at random in my text today)
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