What did you do on your layout today?

Brian, looks good, but from the pictures I think you might have had more fun then work! LOL

Ran trains last night before bed time.  Nice and calming watching those mini steel beasts run about  the layout.   Short freight on the Mountain Division, a work train on the lower inside main pulled by a WbB scale 44 tonner.  A B&O mail/express train pulled by a set of WbB F3s, and of course a trolley doing its thing.  Turning out the lights and watching all the action is such a pleasantly relaxing  way for me to enjoy and appreciate my trains. 

trumptrain posted:

Ran trains last night before bed time.  Nice and calming watching those mini steel beasts run about  the layout.   Short freight on the Mountain Division, a work train on the lower inside main pulled by a WbB scale 44 tonner.  A B&O mail/express train pulled by a set of WbB F3s, and of course a trolley doing its thing.  Turning out the lights and watching all the action is such a pleasantly relaxing  way for me to enjoy and appreciate my trains. 

Man, that sends so good!  As a lad really enjoyed running my trains in dim light.  Must say envy you this pleasure.

Ron

trumptrain posted:

Ran trains last night before bed time.  Nice and calming watching those mini steel beasts run about  the layout.   Short freight on the Mountain Division, a work train on the lower inside main pulled by a WbB scale 44 tonner.  A B&O mail/express train pulled by a set of WbB F3s, and of course a trolley doing its thing.  Turning out the lights and watching all the action is such a pleasantly relaxing  way for me to enjoy and appreciate my trains. 

My wife came down into the basement one night. I had all the lights off and just the trains running to illuminate the room. She thought that I had totally lost my mind (I think she's right).

One of my favorite ways to run too!

My son loves Chuggington, more than he loves Thomas. Didn't know anyone made Chuggington trains until I stumbled across an eBay listing for a Bachmann train. Grabbed it, and now Brewster will run alongside Thomas.  As an aside, does anyone have the October 2013 edition of Classic Toy Trains? There is a 5x9 layout in that issue that I'd love to get my hands on, because that's the size of the table I'm making. Right now, I have plans to run two tracks (outer O36, inner O31) on separate transformers (until I can get a larger transformer that can operate two trains, along with switches which don't come cheap in FasTtrack) and a stretch of tubular that will run my trolley ... but that layout looks pretty cool. Thanks.

Deuce posted:

My son loves Chuggington, more than he loves Thomas. Didn't know anyone made Chuggington trains until I stumbled across an eBay listing for a Bachmann train. Grabbed it, and now Brewster will run alongside Thomas.  As an aside, does anyone have the October 2013 edition of Classic Toy Trains? There is a 5x9 layout in that issue that I'd love to get my hands on, because that's the size of the table I'm making. Right now, I have plans to run two tracks (outer O36, inner O31) on separate transformers (until I can get a larger transformer that can operate two trains, along with switches which don't come cheap in FasTtrack) and a stretch of tubular that will run my trolley ... but that layout looks pretty cool. Thanks.

Deuce;

I don't have the magazine, but I do have the CTT First 25 Years CD. The article you mention is only two pages. I printed it off and can mail it to you if you'd like. Send me an address - my e-mail is in my profile.

UPDATE: was just able to scan the article to my PC, so I could e-mail it to you if you send me your address.

Apples55 posted:

Deuce posted:

My son loves Chuggington, more than he loves Thomas. Didn't know anyone made Chuggington trains until I stumbled across an eBay listing for a Bachmann train. Grabbed it, and now Brewster will run alongside Thomas.  As an aside, does anyone have the October 2013 edition of Classic Toy Trains? There is a 5x9 layout in that issue that I'd love to get my hands on, because that's the size of the table I'm making. Right now, I have plans to run two tracks (outer O36, inner O31) on separate transformers (until I can get a larger transformer that can operate two trains, along with switches which don't come cheap in FasTtrack) and a stretch of tubular that will run my trolley ... but that layout looks pretty cool. Thanks.

Deuce;

I don't have the magazine, but I do have the CTT First 25 Years CD. The article you mention is only two pages. I printed it off and can mail it to you if you'd like. Send me an address - my e-mail is in my profile.

Paul,

Thank you very much! eMail incoming.

Tom

U33C showed up!

Fixed Lil' Stinky II's smoke! 

https://ogrforum.com/...witcher-smoke-piston

Mitch

AMC Dave 

Like those curves . You mentioned 21in cars so I thought I would share a photo from my layout showing the Atlas California Zephyr on Gargraves 089 curves . That is probably near what you are achieving. 

Today was a real good day. No outside work to do so I had the day to work on the layout. And if the wife watches her Cavs game tonight I got the evening to work some more. I got all the rough pieces of foam in place. Now I just have to do the final contouring of the foam and maybe add some small pieces here and there. If that goes well I can possibly start applying the plaster wrap. The section on the left was not glued down so I could pull it out and work on most of it. Then slide it back in and tie it in to the rest of the foam. If not I have part of the day tomorrow till I go out for Tuesday night Train group. Pics of the work so far...........Paul

Got some ornament boxes at Container Store.  If you het the 16 ornament box, take out 2 cross dividers.  Room for 8 O-27 or AF cars.

paul 2 posted:

Today was a real good day. No outside work to do so I had the day to work on the layout. And if the wife watches her Cavs game tonight I got the evening to work some more. I got all the rough pieces of foam in place. Now I just have to do the final contouring of the foam and maybe add some small pieces here and there. If that goes well I can possibly start applying the plaster wrap. The section on the left was not glued down so I could pull it out and work on most of it. Then slide it back in and tie it in to the rest of the foam. If not I have part of the day tomorrow till I go out for Tuesday night Train group. Pics of the work so far...........Paul

Paul, you have some nice looking work there! Dad would be proud of you!

That looks like that will be a great tall mountain when you are done, Paul!

Working on a new layout. Thanks to JDStucks for the inspiration. 

RSJB18 posted:

trumptrain posted:

Ran trains last night before bed time.  Nice and calming watching those mini steel beasts run about  the layout.   Short freight on the Mountain Division, a work train on the lower inside main pulled by a WbB scale 44 tonner.  A B&O mail/express train pulled by a set of WbB F3s, and of course a trolley doing its thing.  Turning out the lights and watching all the action is such a pleasantly relaxing  way for me to enjoy and appreciate my trains. 

My wife came down into the basement one night. I had all the lights off and just the trains running to illuminate the room. She thought that I had totally lost my mind (I think she's right).

One of my favorite ways to run too!

You haven't lost your mind, you were just running the "Night Train," which is also a great song performed by James Brown.

With the wife watching the Cavs I got the mountain trimmed out so tomorrow I can start with the plaster wrap. Mike, I told Dad I would do some mountains for him in return for knowing what is up Menards sleeves ahead of time but he turned me down "SIGH" I tried LOL.....Pics.........Paul

Looks good Paul. Dad is a tough guy! Lol

Tonight I let the trains run while I weathered this MTH Premier B&O war emergency hopper.  Although the weathering job is not complete, here's how she looks so far. 

Nice job on the hopper, Pat.

trumptrain posted:

Tonight I let the trains run while I weathered this MTH Premier B&O war emergency hopper.  Although the weathering job is not complete, here's how she looks so far. 

The weathering looks very realistic, as it is, Patrick W, and the boy riding his bicycle in the RRyard and running his hand along the hopper is very real, too, because I have done that (!) as a boy. Very nice modeling.

FrankM

                                                 getting a little farther....

                                                     still a long way to go....

Looks good Brian! Every piece of track you put down gets you closer to the end, your moving right along!

My Polar Express Layout in my Office.

The layout looks great Skip.

This morning before work, I adjusted post war Lionel signal bridge so green light is on when there is no train near the weight triggered activator, and planted on layout an O scale sized tree that I got during one of my walks in the FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights, NY over the weekend. Great way to start the morning with a cup of coffee before my wife wakes up.

TedW posted:

Bought a 1” x 8” x 10’ for a front/side fascia that I painted with chalkboard and will have someone more creative than I draw a steamer and cars on the 8’ front section.  I started dismantle to make the move up to family room for display in a week or so.  Kinda sad to move trains off.

 

I have always been torn about whether to change the scenery in my layout to the winter with snow. I love the look of snow along the track, in the roads and on pine trees.

The problem is that I also love my baseball field  with baseball figures and figures with fans seated in the bleachers made of painted and glued Popsicle sticks that I made with my children when they were young 20 years ago.

The obvious solution is to have one end of the layout have a winter scene and the other end a summer scene with the baseball field. However, my layout is not that big, although it is in the modest sized playroom, goes through a tunnel in a wall and continues into the laundery room. The baseball field is in the laundery room. I could out the winter scene in the far end of the playroom. 

I think I solved my problem. The layout is     a long and narrow one and in the same level. I found keeping it in the same level (no grades) makes it easier to have smooth continuous operation, especially with post war conventional equipment. It would be better if the snowy winter scene was at a higher level in a mountainous area.

Arnold, putting a snowy area in the higher elevations is my thought.  I don't know if I will do it though in my new layout room that is 11' 6" x 11' 4".  Time will tell.

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

TedW posted:

Bought a 1” x 8” x 10’ for a front/side fascia that I painted with chalkboard and will have someone more creative than I draw a steamer and cars on the 8’ front section.  I started dismantle to make the move up to family room for display in a week or so.  Kinda sad to move trains off.

 

 

I have always been torn about whether to change the scenery in my layout to the winter with snow. I love the look of snow along the track, in the roads and on pine trees.

The problem is that I also love my baseball field  with baseball figures and figures with fans seated in the bleachers made of painted and glued Popsicle sticks that I made with my children when they were young 20 years ago.

The obvious solution is to have one end of the layout have a winter scene and the other end a summer scene with the baseball field. However, my layout is not that big, although it is in the modest sized playroom, goes through a tunnel in a wall and continues into the laundery room. The baseball field is in the laundery room. I could out the winter scene in the far end of the playroom. 

I think I solved my problem. The layout is     a long and narrow one and in the same level. I found keeping it in the same level (no grades) makes it easier to have smooth continuous operation, especially with post war conventional equipment. It would be better if the snowy winter scene was at a higher level in a mountainous area.

 Since you have used this layout as an example, the reason this is all winter is that it’s a xmas display.  Taken down after the holiday.  Further, you are seeing it post dismantle for moving.  Here is the mountain area that belongs “over” the MOW crew working on the track.  It will be reinstalled onsite.  I agree to an extent with your point about higher elevation modeling for wintery scenes, but there are many layouts containing winter scenes exclusively.  

Starting to get real with layout 

Been pouring in the hours this month. Possibly topped my previous best for a single month, and there are still 2 days left. Sunday night, I went to town on the fascia in aisle one. I got it from where I left off almost two years ago, all the way around the corner.

The seam here was the starting point.

This little dip in the fascia will represent Mississippi River Lock and Dam #2.

I had to add a little benchwork as I went along. There's a new 1x4 behind the Masonite.

I reworked the benchwork on the end by taking out an old angle piece, putting in two new ones...

then using the old piece to span between them.

The fascia dip on this side is the river bank. It will flow under the track between the 2x4 supports of the front track, then off to the right.

All of those 2x4's are holding a backer board to support the 9" tall fascia.

Today I finished the project. I notched the fascia for the Hastings control panel.

It then runs uphill to the Con Agra mill.

And finally the "missing link" where the new section meets up to Red Wing which was done all the way back in 2003.

I just have a little more to do on the upper level, and the small helix, which is going to be complicated but fun.

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

Been pouring in the hours this month. Possibly topped my previous best for a single month, and there are still 2 days left. Sunday night, I went to town on the fascia in aisle one. I got it from where I left off almost two years ago, all the way around the corner.

Elliot, love to view and read your posts.   keep up the great inspiring work!

Dave

Pennywise11788 posted:

Starting to get real with layout 

Looking good Pennywise!  Is that a Sasquatch on the hill??

Mark Boyce posted:

Pennywise11788 posted:

Starting to get real with layout 

Looking good Pennywise!  Is that a Sasquatch on the hill??

Yes, love him and I have a few more ordered. I want to hide them within layout 

Pennywise11788 posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

Pennywise11788 posted:

Starting to get real with layout 

Looking good Pennywise!  Is that a Sasquatch on the hill??

Yes, love him and I have a few more ordered. I want to hide them within layout 

Excellent!

Stop motion animation:

Nice to see that crap finally done, Elliot.

Yesterday, I set up a 4-ft artificial Christmas tree at one end of my Std. Gauge layout. Had to pull off two 444 Roundhouse sections, but it gave me a little extra space around the tree to add some of the newest acquisitions. Today, I added the skirting around the base of the tree. No lights or decorations yet. May do that on Saturday.

Nice work Elliot! Doesn't it feel good? LOL