What did you do on your layout today?

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

mike g. posted:

Elliot, you have some skills! I don't think I have it in me to go the distance you have! Love the work!

Thanks Mike, I'm not sure how much more of that I have in me. It was a real wrestling match with that floor. I started with the saber saw, but ended up with the Sawzall to get through the bottoms of the 2x4's. It was awkward to say the least, and I couldn't get any leverage on the base of the Sawzall, so it took forever. I have no upper body strength anymore.

I feel you I have the same problem with upper strength. But always find some way, it may take longer but still get done! You are really an inspiration!

Thanks guys for all the kind words.  Sometime you just have to run some trains.  Eliot and Brian are under some time constraints or deadlines.  I still have a lot of work to do in the Yard area, but I'm in no hurry.  O gauge Jim, hope the initial run of that "beautiful train" went well.  Post pictures if available.

I didn't do anything on my layout but on my Dad layout we have been working on wiring cars and trucks and also Miller Signs. 

It's going to look nice when we get done...

Running trains as I write this. LIRR MP-15 pulling a couple of box cars and ATSF 0-6-0 running the high line.

OH- and a cold beer too

Hm, glued down some roadbed (ceiling tiles cut to fit), painted the rest of the outer loop of track (it was 65F outside today) and "installed" my duck-under to enable outer loop completion. Good thing my wife's a chiropractor !

I update some of my switches on my layout to make the fly around work. Instead of buying new track I was able to use some of my old track for San Diego that my nephew  returned. 

This is the left side of the fly around and I am tying in the Scale Trax to the Real Trax. Ya I know it is not what some folks would do when money is tight you got to do what you got to do!!!

This is the completd first step.

This is another view....

From start to finish it took me two days and everything worked. 

Gone for a few days and great to see so many working on layouts and posting their work. Elliot, I am with Mike G. Even if I was younger I don't think I could of gotten as much done in the time you have. Hope you get all you want done to show your layout off next year. DANSGNRR, two days work looks good. Got home from seeing the grand kids this afternoon so once I unloaded the car and with the wife going on her computer to catch up I went down and started adding scenery to the mountain. With the way it is going I did not buy enough trees so before I run out I will have to add them to an order of supplies I need from Scenic Express. Anyways this is what I got done so far. Pics............Paul

DAVE, I like what you have done so far. Winging it does work better then doing the track plan on paper first sometimes. My basement layout is free style. There are a few spots where I will change the track plan. But I like trial and error LOL. The few changes I am doing actually will make it better. Sometimes you do not see a problem till after you are building it. So keep up the pace. Before you know you will be into the scenery side of building.............Paul

Paul you and Dave are doing great work! The trees look wonderful, but you are right a few more trees, maybe some campers with tents! LOL

Dave I like how your upper level is looking, I might have asked this before but I have short memory. Are the 2 levels going to be tied together?

Dave, with you and Paul and all the others building its hard to keep up sometimes! You know you have Briansilvermustand, Big Boy, Decoyny, RSJB18, Danagner. Its a lot to keep up with!

mike g. posted:

Paul you and Dave are doing great work! The trees look wonderful, but you are right a few more trees, maybe some campers with tents! LOL

Dave I like how your upper level is looking, I might have asked this before but I have short memory. Are the 2 levels going to be tied together?

Dave, with you and Paul and all the others building its hard to keep up sometimes! You know you have Briansilvermustand, Big Boy, Decoyny, RSJB18, Danagner. Its a lot to keep up with!

We ALL have to TRY and keep up with Elliot! Seems impossible these days. He's a man on a mission!

Elliot- sometimes no amount of upper body strength will help with a sawsall- just the nature of the beast.

Paul and Dave- love the progress.

yea- I'm trying to keep up as best as I can Mike. Now once Mark gets started.....I don't know...

DANSGNRR- Nice use of the excavator for the track work!

Haven't heard much from Brian today.....

Now where did I leave my beer......

Brian is probably sitting on the couch with his girl and Izzy having ice cream watching a movie!

LOL< Very cool Dave!

RSJB18 posted:

Elliot- sometimes no amount of upper body strength will help with a sawsall- just the nature of the beast.

Thanks Bob, of course it didn't help that started with an old blade, which I subsequently threw away. But even with a new one, the task was still a bear.

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

mike g. posted:

Elliot, you have some skills! I don't think I have it in me to go the distance you have! Love the work!

Thanks Mike, I'm not sure how much more of that I have in me. It was a real wrestling match with that floor. I started with the saber saw, but ended up with the Sawzall to get through the bottoms of the 2x4's. It was awkward to say the least, and I couldn't get any leverage on the base of the Sawzall, so it took forever. I have no upper body strength anymore.

looks good I am from Waverly MN and if you Gary Bassh he was my sons father  in law till he passed away in 94..

decoynh posted:

Mike Wyatt posted:

I added a cemetery to my church building scene.

Mike - I'm planning to do a cemetery next to my church.  Did you make your own monuments or buy ready made?  Any pictures?

I bought a kit-  12 or so grave stones-  I painted or weathered them in different ways (they all started as grey plastic),  Also a "concrete mausoleum" and about 3 feet of (plastic) iron fencing, w/ gates.  Nice kit.  I'll take pics tomorrow and post.

Dansgnrr posted:

looks good I am from Waverly MN and if you Gary Bassh he was my sons father  in law till he passed away in 94..

Thanks Dan. I've been through Waverly, but not in a looooong time. Used to turn off at Montrose to drop off the kids at their mother's house in Buffalo. Sorry, that name doesn't ring a bell.

decoynh posted:

After shoveling off the DECK; Ran trains!  MBTA Genset passenger run.

Nice layout! Really like the store fronts in back. 

decoynh posted:

After shoveling off the DECK; Ran trains!  MBTA Genset passenger run.

Layout looks great, Matt!!

decoynh posted:

Thanks guys for all the kind words.  Sometime you just have to run some trains.  Eliot and Brian are under some time constraints or deadlines.  I still have a lot of work to do in the Yard area, but I'm in no hurry.  O gauge Jim, hope the initial run of that "beautiful train" went well.  Post pictures if available.

You are right Matt!  I understand Elliot's and Brian's desire to complete the layout to a certain level before the deadline.  Elliot and Brian, just don't push yourself too hard.  At 61, I have to pace myself more.  Maybe things like arthritis is a good thing because it forces me to stop more often.

Thanks for the comments Mark.  Are you pumping oil yet?

Jeff - The store fronts that you are talking about are printed on colored paper from a b&W laser printer.  Then I glued them to foam poster board.  I added some advertisements that I found on the net.  The barbershop sign is suspended by a bent paperclip.  That area of the layout needs a lot of work - a train maintenance building that I've had for a year or more, scenery, ballasting etc.

paul 2 posted:

Gone for a few days and great to see so many working on layouts and posting their work. Elliot, I am with Mike G. Even if I was younger I don't think I could of gotten as much done in the time you have. Hope you get all you want done to show your layout off next year. DANSGNRR, two days work looks good. Got home from seeing the grand kids this afternoon so once I unloaded the car and with the wife going on her computer to catch up I went down and started adding scenery to the mountain. With the way it is going I did not buy enough trees so before I run out I will have to add them to an order of supplies I need from Scenic Express. Anyways this is what I got done so far. Pics............Paul

Paul, the forestry department is really growing that forest fast!  It is really starting to look great!

Thanks Mark and all the rest of you for the compliments. Certainly a work in progress. Dave, in your last pick are you using gar graves track and if so are you using preformed curves or are you bending your own. If you are doing your own they are coming out great. Today I had to start under the layout. The floor area. The CEO said I was tracking too much sawdust through the house so I had to vacuum first. I placed a larger order with Scenic Express for more trees this morning and hopefully I will get them in a few days before I run out of what I have on hand. So for the rest of the day I am Johnny apple seed but instead of apple trees I'll be planting fir trees...............Paul

I make it a habit to clean up the floor whenever I am working on anything.  My wife would tell you that I am neater than her, so I don't have to worry.

A little work on the Blue Beauty!   

https://ogrforum.com/...21#76748553601530721

Mitch 

Repaired every last piece of bad wiring, fixed whatever broken rail cars I could, started a TMCC conversion I have been putting off, fixed damage from CATzilla, anything to avoid moving into my discomfort zone of creating scenery.

I thought long and hard on if I should post this here as it's for another model train magazine, but I had a 5-hour still/video shoot on my layout on Saturday. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

p51 posted:

I thought long and hard on if I should post this here as it's for another model train magazine, but I had a 5-hour still/video shoot on my layout on Saturday. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

 

looking forward to seeing the photos!

                                                       busy at work...

                                                   some G N at lunch...

                                                    now back to work...

Excellent break from work, Brian!!

                                                 to bad I had to go back...

                                                        was just getting started....

                                                time flies when you're having fun !!!

Lee, congratulations again. Your layout is worthy to be put in numerous magazines. Drop down to track level and you swear you are looking at the real thing.............Paul

Got another section forested. I decided to hold off on the rest of the mountain till the next order of trees comes in. So I think now a change of direction and start laying out some track on the table I just finish. I know what I want to do but have to see with the room available that it will work. Pics..........Paul

Looking good there Paul. I like the mix of trees..very realistic.

Bob

love the trees. are they drilled and glued to layout

paul 2 posted:

Lee, congratulations again. Your layout is worthy to be put in numerous magazines. Drop down to track level and you swear you are looking at the real thing.............Paul

Thanks very much, Paul. I've been very surprised how well my layout has been received in general, once I started putting it out there for others to see (in person, online and now in print). growing up, I saw so many layouts in MR and RMC, and never thought I'd have anything that people would want to look at, in a layout.

It's far from the best layout out there (or even on this forum, I'll never be as good as that amazing group out of Colorado for example) but I guess I did okay after all.

gandydancer1950 posted:

looking forward to seeing the photos!

Thanks, me too!

Check out Railpictures.net for a photo of a cool, old L&N RR depot. I think at Cumberland Jct.

Thanks Bob ( RSJB18 ) I try to vary the trees. PENNYWISE 11788, The trees with wire bottoms I glue. The ones that have the tree material all the way down I am able to stick them in the hole without too much problem. The ones that are I glue them. Tonight I started laying out track on the last table I made. Basically it is going to be a grain silo complex but still not sure if I am going to add a building to make it a cereal plant maybe. And to do the track I have to order a few more Ross switches. Stopping there I went back and added some small trees that to me sort of look like scrub trees. I saw them in the Scenic Express catalog and thought I would give them a try. So I am probably done for the night unless the wife can find some sports to watch. Pics.............Paul

Finally finished putting together the postwar Lionel Burlington GP7 passenger set 1562W, circa 1956, with the Red Stripe passenger cars. This was the only set offered by postwar Lionel that included these unique cars which gives reason for the scarcity of the set...

paul 2 posted:

Thanks Bob ( RSJB18 ) I try to vary the trees. PENNYWISE 11788, The trees with wire bottoms I glue. The ones that have the tree material all the way down I am able to stick them in the hole without too much problem. The ones that are I glue them. Tonight I started laying out track on the last table I made. Basically it is going to be a grain silo complex but still not sure if I am going to add a building to make it a cereal plant maybe. And to do the track I have to order a few more Ross switches. Stopping there I went back and added some small trees that to me sort of look like scrub trees. I saw them in the Scenic Express catalog and thought I would give them a try. So I am probably done for the night unless the wife can find some sports to watch. Pics.............Paul

Looking good I sometimes I feel like I want the whole US of A modeled on my layout but one thing for sure I do want a mtn range and yours is killer 

gandydancer1950 posted:

Great shots, I love it!