Hoping to get a few things done today when my son, Jim, comes over.  Trying to get all the changes to the track plan completely done before he completes the new control panels.  Have some Tortoise machines to install, a faulty Atlas Non-derail board to replace, and want update the track plan in RR software.  Also would like to get started on getting more retaining wall completed, but I have to make much of this remove-able for access to switch machines and wiring.   

I posted a few pictures of last work session in my layout update thread.

Art

Lee, congrats. Have enjoyed the progress on your layout. You got it to the point where it will now be enjoyed by more them just us on the forum..........Paul

Well this morning while having breakfast Mr. Brown dropped off my package from Plastruct. So now I can get busy on the fence around the scrap iron yard. Gave up for the time being trying to get my last mainline to work with DCS. I have one more package with paint to paint my Coaling tower from Lionel. Got the paint from Minuteman scale models. I am sure glad they picked up the Weaver paint line................Paul

Pat Kn posted:

Congratulations Lee on your inclusion in the two magazines. 

Mark Boyce posted:

Lee, That is terrific you are going to have articles in those magazines!  Very deserving, and it will be good to show your skill and passion to a wider audience!  Congratulations!

paul 2 posted:

Lee, congrats. Have enjoyed the progress on your layout. You got it to the point where it will now be enjoyed by more them just us on the forum..........Paul

Thanks a lot guys! Like many modelers, it was always a dream of mine to not only have a layout anyone might think worthy of a magazine, but also to have an editor agree.

I would challenge the rest of you to think about doing this yourself. Your layout might not be what you envisioned, but what layout is? I have seen a lot of really good stuff here on the forum that I doubt has ever been in print. It's not that tough and you all probably have pals in the hobby willing to help out.

Get your work out there, as the internet is cool but nothing, to me, is as good as having it in print!

More paint on the walls.  One more coat tonight.  Tomorrow I will wire up 3 more can lights and hopefully start benchwork on Sunday. 

Not much on the layout today. Went down to Menards to pick up my order of the new die cast trucks and while there I picked up another LED shop light for the basement. If the wife has a game tonight I'll be working on the fencing for the scrap iron yard..............Paul

Shipping Test

I don't know how they met or even when for that matter. Somehow the universe introduced Dad to Gene Austin. Gene has done it all from running a printing press to defending our country. Somewhere in there Gene decided to try art. He likes to make little scenes and photograph them. When Dad started building his model railroad empire, Gene stopped by and was quite impressed. Inspired, Gene bought a Rico Station kit and bashed it into a railroad museum and a Dewitt Clinton Lionel train. After he took a picture, he gave it to Dad. That's where it all began. Gene suddenly became an O-Gauge modeler. He made a barn. He made a gravel pit. He made Jurassic Park. He started making it all and I got to see it all in cell phone pictures from Dad. Last week, in the middle of a training course, my phone rang...and rang...and rang. I guess it's an emergency. So I excused myself from training to answer the phone. It was Dad desperately trying to get my address. He made it all the way to UPS and forgot my new address at home. You see, he was in the middle of a Shipping Test for Gene. Last night, after a fun evening with my model train club ripping out the old coal mine and brainstorming some new buildings for the new citiscape corner, I got home to a rain-soaked box in my driveway.

A shipping test would soon be complete. On my best day I couldn't make something half as nice as this. The universe introduced my Dad to Mr. Gene Austin. The universe wanted me to have these.

They just barely fit on my temporary layout. I was more interested in getting track down and didn't worry about landscaping and buildings (much to my wife's dismay).

 

 Little did I know I had room for not just one, but two Gene Austin originals. I'd say it was a successful shipping test.

John,

Maybe Mr. Gene doesn't give up his secret formula!

I hope he does though!  Very nice indeed!

Today I split layout dusting, track cleaning and loco wheel cleaning in 2 sessions. Some of the track was cleaned with denatured alcohol and then wiped dry. But I noticed some residue. The track was dusty from recent scenic work. Dry scotch brite pads worked best today. I'll try to finish tomorrow. Finally ran a 4 passenger car train through the town tonight. Felt good. I need some traction tires for an Atlantic steamer. I'll call local store to see if they carry them. 

Great Story and great work!

More painting.  Last coat just went up on the walls.  Heading to Home Depot in the next hour or so to get the lights and wire.  Will spend the next few days putting up new lights and cutting new ceiling tiles to go up.  Still on track to start benchwork on Sunday.  

I went to the railroad after lunch with the intent of crawling under the layout, but when I got there I decided to run trains since my 2 sons and 2 grandkids are coming this weekend.

Spent the morning cutting the panels of corrugated siding to scale 8' high lengths. Sheets did not quite make four strips but the small bits left over will make another strip and give me enough to fence in the scrap yard. Worked on cutting the fencing that will go across the track. Not quite sure if I want two sections or one.  Now I have to cut the strips into  8' foot lengths and the tubing I bought into fence posts. On top of the posts I would like to string barb wire but I don't know if it is made in O gauge................Paul

Not much on the layout, still working on the finishing touches on the CAD file while I am waiting on parts ordered to build the elevated line. . Still a few things to fix but it is getting there.

Squared away some  wiring on my layout.  Had a short which was a nuisance which made tear apart some of my Standard and O gauge track.  I had bought some new, modern Lionel lock-ons because they are lighted and have posts to connect the wires to.  Found out they are really cheap, flimsy and the plastic is brittle. Broke one just snapping it on to the track. Got everything working OK and salvaged the busted lock-ons by gluing  sheet plastic to the underneath part.  Still have to nail down the track to keep it from shifting and reinstall the strips of carpeting between the O gauge rails.

Put the latest acquisitions on the track to test them.

One out of three ran the other two need a good cleaning. The NYC crew car ran well, the Chessie S-2 and the Lionel Lines truck were less than cooperative. Guess I know what's on my "to do" list this weekend.

Placed the last bldg (for now) in problem corner scene. Going to clean more track and loco wheels and do some test runs.

RSJB18, is that S-2 a K-line?

Still adding touches to the CAD file and waiting on stuff for the elevated loop.

pennsynut posted:

Placed the last bldg (for now) in problem corner scene. Going to clean more track and loco wheels and do some test runs.

Building looks good, but now it looks like it missing something between the buildings!

Ran trains for about 30 minutes, replaced some MTH coal loads with new custom loads, crawled under the layout to organize and search through some boxes ( It seems I have an entire trains store underneath my layout&nbsp and having much fun while doing all this!!!

Dug out my California Zephyr passenger cars and found three cars I had not detailed yet: a CZ "Silver Café" Diner and two dome Amtrak cars.  Finished the CZ "Silver Café" and took for a run with 14 Amtrak cars.  The Lionel GG1 #4935 did a nice job moving the string of 15 cars.

I bought an extra Observation, Baggage, Diner, and Dome Lounge for the CZ and Amtrak trains. I wanted a backup in case these important cars were ever damaged. I am impatiently waiting for the Atlas O F7 engines.

The California Zephyr cars look very good, John!

Mike G. You are very observant.  I need some parked trucks and cars, and maybe a hot dog stand.

Trumptrain. What a fun train layout to watch! Busy and lots to view.

Tonight I finally got most of the track cleaned or so I thought.  There were a few areas where the track was still dirty and the pick up rollers really showed it.  Eventually I was able to make a continuous run with a consolidation pushing my track cleaning car without a hiccup. I guess I will disguise my track cleaning car a little better so I can run it with all my freight trains.  Probably a good idea to clean the wheels on my rolling stock as well.  

KRM posted:

RSJB18, is that S-2 a K-line?

Still adding touches to the CAD file and waiting on stuff for the elevated loop.

Yes it is. I have a K-line MP-15 in PRR too. Very nice engine, its jack rabbit quick though. I am considering adding a string of diodes in it to reduce the voltage to the motor. I hope to get the S-2 cleaned up  and running today. I will post a video later if I am successful.

Thanks

pennsynut posted:

Mike G. You are very observant.  I need some parked trucks and cars, and maybe a hot dog stand.

Trumptrain. What a fun train layout to watch! Busy and lots to view.

Tonight I finally got most of the track cleaned or so I thought.  There were a few areas where the track was still dirty and the pick up rollers really showed it.  Eventually I was able to make a continuous run with a consolidation pushing my track cleaning car without a hiccup. I guess I will disguise my track cleaning car a little better so I can run it with all my freight trains.  Probably a good idea to clean the wheels on my rolling stock as well.  

I notice that you are using Atlas track also and seem to be battling the track cleaning problem.  I can't believe how often I have to clean my track.  I have a Centerline track cleaning car, but it does a fairly poor job.  I use a Scotchbrite pad to clean mine.  I have tried alcohol and etc. with poor results.  Is it the flat topped rail that causes it to get so dirty?  Did I overlube my engines?  Do traction tires leave gunk on the rails?

Whoever can design an effective track cleaning car for Atlas track will be a hero in my book.

Art

Art, I'm having the same kind of problems with GarGraves. I was thinking of creating my own fleet of track cleaning cars, using the very heavy MTH gondolas with scrap load as the base. The cleaning surface would just be a chunk of Masonite. As for mounting it, it just occurred to me, a piece of foam rubber cut to the proper thickness, might be the answer. I would keep them in trains at all times, letting them circulate.

Thoughts?

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

Art, I'm having the same kind of problems with GarGraves. I was thinking of creating my own fleet of track cleaning cars, using the very heavy MTH gondolas with scrap load as the base. The cleaning surface would just be a chunk of Masonite. As for mounting it, it just occurred to me, a piece of foam rubber cut to the proper thickness, might be the answer. I would keep them in trains at all times, letting them circulate.

Thoughts?

Elliot

I have a couple track cleaning cars with some real weight to them.  One is a depressed flat transformer car that rides low and the other I made from a chassis of a Santa Fe "B" unit chassis that uses velcro to hold onto a ScotchBrite pad.

ScotchBrite works well for me on the tubular track.  Having the Velcro holding the ScotchBrite makes it easy to clean or replace.  Long wheel base cars work ok on 054 & up track.  I'm looking for a bobber caboose to make one for 031 & 042.  Whatever car that you use find some high density rubber to use a spacer between the car bottom and the Velcro.  Good luck with whatever you choose to do.  I run the depressed Flat car all the time as part of the consist on the main line.

PS  Working to achieve "hero status" for Art.

Well, I got a box of old HO scale locomotives that were irreparable. So, in order to let them move freely, I disabled their traction motors so their wheels weren't always locked up. 

I worked on B&O 0-4-0 #98, Chattanooga 2-8-0 #638, a BN geep, and Rock Island 4301.

trumptrain posted:

Ran trains for about 30 minutes, replaced some MTH coal loads with new custom loads, crawled under the layout to organize and search through some boxes ( It seems I have an entire trains store underneath my layout&nbsp and having much fun while doing all this!!!

Pat: These are GREAT videos. The aerial view of Patsburg in the first video is superb. It shows off all levels of the layout including Mount Randolph. I also love the close up of the Maryland and Pennsylvania milk train in the second video. As always, your scenery is OUTSTANDING!

Yeah Matt, I've got a commercially available track cleaning car, that holds the pad by clamping it on the ends. I like the car, but it has design flaws. First the frame is too light. This causes a lot of derailments especially in push mode, which is the way I like to use it, since I'm cleaning the track ahead of the engine. Second is the couplers. they have no centering spring, so again it is problematic to push the car.

I like the Velcro idea, and had actually thought of that as an attachment method for the Scotch-Brite pads.

Just spent the last 1.5 hours with my 11 yr old son running trains.  Today was diesel day.  My son does not like to mix steam/diesel. 

Nothing on the layout yet but after posting this down to the basement do something. Today I went to the TCA show in Parma Ohio. Didn't find anything off my list but managed to find these two items. An old Atlas Bobber caboose for ten dollars and a backdrop for the same price. The Bobber is on the light side so I will see what I can do with it and the back drop is going to go next to my Menards power station. Pics of the super buys. My kind of pricing LOL.....Paul

Well, Been a while since I could post anything constructive here, but in the last couple of days I cleaned most of the junk off my layout and also finished rebuilding a couple of old prewar AF locos and posted some video's of them running and pictures of the process.  I think I ran seven or eight locos today, which is pretty good for me.  Usually if I run at all it is one for a few minutes and then back upstairs for some reason or duty  

Used my mth mountian painted for the SAL rr.To pull some freight and to do some switching out different boxcars.By the time I was done.I had a very different freight train all together.

Well at least I got a little done, very little. I think I figured out a way to attach the fencing I bought to use as a gates in the scrap yard. I cut some pieces to hold the fence up with.  Those pieces will be glued to the fence post. If I am careful when gluing I should be able to swing the fence both directions. I had started to glue the pieces of corrugated siding together to make a larger panel for fencing but I ran out of glue so that stopped that project in its tracks. So I took the backdrop and cut off all the sky. So tomorrow I'll take a run to the Depot and get more glue a another piece of Masonite. Pics of the fence and backdrop..............Paul

paul 2 posted:

Well at least I got a little done, very little. I think I figured out a way to attach the fencing I bought to use as a gates in the scrap yard. I cut some pieces to hold the fence up with.  Those pieces will be glued to the fence post. If I am careful when gluing I should be able to swing the fence both directions. I had started to glue the pieces of corrugated siding together to make a larger panel for fencing but I ran out of glue so that stopped that project in its tracks. So I took the backdrop and cut off all the sky. So tomorrow I'll take a run to the Depot and get more glue a another piece of Masonite. Pics of the fence and backdrop..............Paul

Looks good Paul, Just wondering where have you been getting your back drops from?

There is a house not far from here that appeared to be condemned. I got drawings and photos of it around Thansgiving. 

Fortunately, I discovered last week that work is being done to restore it. 

I have taken some liberty with the paint scheme to model this house as a Victorian Painted Lady. I hope you enjoy it. 

A view through the rear dining room window

The dispatcher's corner is coming right along. I gave everything a coat of primer.

I just got an email from Menards saying my counter tops are in. I may head back down and do the actual paint. It is going to look very different when the walls are black. Then I get to move and hang the TV's, then the counter tops. Hope to wrap all that up by Tuesday.

Alan, man what skills you have just wonderful!
Elliot I am so excited for you to be getting that corner done! Rock on big guy!