What did you do on your layout today?

Today I got in two Mullet River side door caboose kits, a Southern and a CB&Q.  I

need to check but think the Colorado and Southern also ran the CB&Q version, as

well as, possibly, the Fort Worth and Denver, both CB&Q subsidiaries.  This is the the

28 foot CB&Q version.  I commented on these on the Southern and on the CB&Q

postings, and now wonder if the L&N had any side door cabooses?

Almost 24 hours later and more goodies floated in.  Nothing on, but for.  Know how you hunt for something and you know it is rare and you probably won't find it, and

even if you find it, you probably won't pay the price?  Well, I have looked for some

uncommon structure kits from defunct makers, and I just found one.  I like water

mills and I had located another structure kit by a maker who made a stone water

mill kit.  A dealer in the New York area thought he could get the mill kit from the maker, whom he knew, but tried and failed.   His effort was appreciated...and then..it showed up in auction...I wanted it.  I got it.  I have kitbashed and scratchbuilt stone

water mills, but now I have this kit.  I need to get back to work on structures.  This

makes for a good two days, because I just got in two side door caboose kits from a

maker who I didn't think would make any sidedoors.  Talk about opening Christmas packages a month late!  Also got in an uncommon hotel kit, too.  There is one and maybe two other structure kits out there still on my list...I know one was made, not sure about the other.....if this stone mill kit surfaced, patience might bring the other to the surface...  The one I am looking for was by a kitbuilder who operated about 50 miles away...I found one of his kits more like a thousand miles away.  Ain't technology great?

The third day of Christmas, today, I found in the mail another gift...decals, I had made for the Great Western Railway...really fast....I had just approved them, a few days ago. In two colors, for sugar beet gons, cabooses, and locos, and maybe for their one combine at the Colorado RR Musuem.  It has been a good week.  Nothing made or worked on, but stuff arrived.

Bruce:

Your layout is really progressing nicely. You have some great scenes in the works. Thank you for the pohots. The one in black and white is really effective considering the era you seem to be modeling. Keep the photos coming.

Last night the wife worked late so after the kids went to bed I tore out the track leading to the Ross 4 way switch that loads the car ferry.

I tore out all the foam I used to build up the road bed 4 inches off the plywood to bring the track to the proper height.  It was never done well.  I used scrap foam and the track work was very bumpy causing issues with locomotives that had longer wheel base.  

I used ply wood and built up the track properly.  Now it is very smooth and level.

About to put the last parts to this bridge. In another area I removed my Hel Gate Bridge (hated to do that) because with all these mountains it just plain started looking way out of place. Ordered a black MTH steel Arch that I think with fit the landscape better. So now another 4 foot area to re do. Still having fun. What else  it's 20 outside.

I think this is my first post here and I have been meaning to do so but just keep forgetting so here goes...even though I am late to the party!!....

I just finished the catenary in the city area along the south wall. 

Alan

That looks GREAT!!! Is that MTH catenary?

Today I have been laying out more roadways, and deciding where more parking spaces can be added. Tomorrow I’d like to finish wiring the grade crossing lampposts. I need to buy some scale utility poles soon, probable from Weaver Quality Craft Models. Lots of small details still to add to make it come alive.

Glad to see some wiring that looks like mine!!

Nice work!

Randy...thanks!  The catenary is a combination of MTH catenary wire and Pittman poles.  A couple of recent threads on catenary that are probably just a page or two away from this one ( you can do a search by date to find them ) inspired me to get this project done.

Alan

Alan  that is looking good, nice to see electric locomotive with the overhead wire.

WE HAVE LIGHTS!

Nothing, absolutely nothing.  Bummer of a day.

Nothing here either, however I did pick up the two Power House 180s I needed!  One more item checked off the list!

Started two small project.

One small little bridge nothing to special, thinking i might add another support.

my second project is going to take awhile. Making a corn field so i can make a goose hunting scene.

Bought my 4th and final Power House 180W.  May need one more....

I completed a short video on creating a custom 20-foot photographic backdrop for my layout, and mounting it. It shows red-rock country near Moab, Utah. Now, I just need to scenic the rest of my layout to match!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcU51J4GeO0

Bob A.

Bob.... wow, that looks amazing, I love it.

Bob:

The backdrop looks GREAT!!! Where did you get the 1/16" plastic that you mentioned in the video? What, again, is the brand name of saidd plastic? Thank you.

Bob's back drop is incredible.  Really adds to the layout.

Randy - Thanks for the comment. The 1/16" plastic is "ABS" (Wikipedia says it stands for "Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene", which is why it has a nickname).  It comes in something like 4' x 8' sheets.  I used the same plastic, in 3/32", to create the curved 2" band of stripping at the edge of my layout.  I got it at a local plastics store, TAP Plastics.  They cut it to the (rectangular) sizes I needed, and only charged me for the square footage I used. It was $1.55/ sq ft (I got a discount for buying about 38 sq ft).

   Bob A.

Bob:

In what city do you live. TAP Plastics Store sounds familiar. I am from Baltimore, Maryland.

Today, I spent about 1/2 hour on my layout installing a tunnel wall on my middle level and then went under the layout on my mechanic's creeper to organize some wires that were hanging down to the floor. Thank you Jim Barrett for the suggestion in your Backshop article on building benchwork for your suggestion of using "C" shaped pipe clamps, screwed to the bottom of the platform to hold and route wires.

I did not put too much time in due to the fact that I was in an auto accident last Friday and my back still feels a bit tender on occassion. Today was one of those occassions. So I stopped so I could live to fight another day.

Randy - TAP Plastics (www.tapplastics.com) only has stores in California, Oregon, and Washington.  I assume there are other, similar, plastics stores in other locales.

   Bob A.

Bob:

Thank you for your kind reply. I have sent an E-Mail to a plastics store in the Baltimore area to see if they have ABS plastic.

Since the He** Gate bridge had to go. I trying to fill that area with a more appropriate bridge for mountains. Took a few days to get the new bridge . It' going to take a while. First step start chopping some more mountain fill.

Determined I shouldn't lay any more track until I get my roundhouse from Crescent Locomotive Works.

Without it to put in place I don't really have any way to get the roundhouse associated tracks in proper alignment without the actual structure.

Guess I'll just have to run trains until it arrives ....

Layout is looking great Larry!  Like the new bridge.

Work on dismantling it, we are moving.  Here are pictures of the Star Wars corner

applied custom decals made by my new BFF Dave Van to a set of Conrail f units.....yes folks, CR had several F units when PC went belly up!   I also started a kit ....a speeder....and one part is missing! Dang...I hate when that happens!

Nothing, I shoveled snow all day today.

Finally have something to post on this thread!!! I had a very unexpected snow day today. I finished putting the plywood on the bench work in the unfinished side of my attic, got the back-board put up and painted. Tomorrow, the tops get painted. FINALLY ready to start laying track!!!!

Sorry about quality the pics, lighting is the pits on the unfinished side of the attic.

This hole leads to two bridges that will be crossing the stairwell. From track to stair tread, 9'6". If there's ever a crash, it's going to be a whopper!

The far end gets three sweeping curves 0138/0128/0120. The center is a passing siding. 

No pics.....just more wiring.

........and, I'm looking forward to running long trains in Gilly's attic at some point in the future!

Peter