What did you do on your layout today?

mike g. posted:

Mark, I think it might be better for Bob to help me from his nice warm house with a drink in his hand! LOL

Paul, not only me but everyone else that is reading this is so PROUD of you for taking that big leap! Great start!

Great idea, Mike!  Bob appreciates it!!

Paul, that is a great start!!  I have been contemplating a similar idea of putting all my connections within easy reach!  It is now obvious I will have to learn to manage my osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.  I don’t want to set myself up for issues with the layout down the road!

Bought the last of the wood for my layout bench work at Lowe's  plus two 6 X 8 ft green ECO carpets there that will be used to cover the layout. Still need Homasote but that will be later. The hardest part wll be to find a nice warm sunny day or two  to cut lumber outside.

Jim, sounds like your one a roll! Please post pictures as you go!

                      " morning run..."

OK Mike- Here's the deal. I will provide all the assistance I can from home. Just don't ask too  late in the day. The bar opens around 4PM eastern daylight time.

Besides- My service call rates are $125.00 for the first half hour, $75.00 per hour after. PLUS MILEAGE!

Mark- I put the GP 7 on my test track last night. Very cool having the sounds and crew talk. I put the 9V battery in too so it goes through the full shutdown now. I found a manual on line as well.

You may have created a monster though. Now my old conventional stuff just doesn't cut it all the sudden.

Paul- I found these on Amazon saves time on making the jumpers.

https://www.amazon.com/Positio...QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Bob

RSJB18 posted:

You may have created a monster though. Now my old conventional stuff just doesn't cut it all the sudden.

Bob

Mark - YOU are an enabler  

and as for you, Bob... Repeat after Mr. Simon...

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin

Apples55 posted:

RSJB18 posted:

You may have created a monster though. Now my old conventional stuff just doesn't cut it all the sudden.

Bob

Mark - YOU are an enabler  

and as for you, Bob... Repeat after Mr. Simon...

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin

Paul- I never ever met a cliff that I didn't go over.....I'm already at the bottom looking up

Sounds fair Bob, but just so you know I wont be calling! LOL As far as the 4 PM EST that makes it 1 PM PST either way I find that I do some of my best thinking after 4 PM and a couple beers!

I guess my first question is 1 Z4000 enough power? I have other transformers for acc.

Mike, you will do all right when the time comes time for wiring.  Ask the questions and you will get your answers. Mark thanks for the pep talk. This morning I am still at it. I did wiring this morning. In the area I am working on I got all the power leads hooked up. After lunch I hope to get all the ground leads in. I have to keep at it because I offered to host a Tuesday night crew night after York so I would like to have at least a small portion of the layout running. Pic............Paul

Nice Paul! next thing you know you will be running trains! I thank  you for your vote of confidince in me and my wiring!

                                                    " down by the station..."          

briansilvermustang posted:

   

 

                                                    " down by the station..."          

Sure is a sweet looking superliner!

         thanks Mike...

Just FYI  terminal strips and jumpers on Amazon, If you look for them on

ebay they can be much cheaper, just take longer to get to you

Fruitful day today. I got all the ground wires hooked up. And then made up the next two terminal blocks and screwed them on to the side of the next table. So all set for either later tonight but the wife would like to go out for dinner which I will take her because she is the best CEO I ever had. I will be wiring again after grocery shopping tomorrow morning. Pics .............Paul

Looking good Paul! Keep plugging away and you will be done in no time! Have a great dinner!

Barracks and eating facilities seem to have sprung up overnight around 

Flamingo HQ. Rumors are rampant...........

RSJB18 posted:

OK Mike- Here's the deal. I will provide all the assistance I can from home. Just don't ask too  late in the day. The bar opens around 4PM eastern daylight time.

Besides- My service call rates are $125.00 for the first half hour, $75.00 per hour after. PLUS MILEAGE!

Mark- I put the GP 7 on my test track last night. Very cool having the sounds and crew talk. I put the 9V battery in too so it goes through the full shutdown now. I found a manual on line as well.

You may have created a monster though. Now my old conventional stuff just doesn't cut it all the sudden.

Paul- I found these on Amazon saves time on making the jumpers.

https://www.amazon.com/Positio...QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Bob

Apples55 posted:

RSJB18 posted:

You may have created a monster though. Now my old conventional stuff just doesn't cut it all the sudden.

Bob

Mark - YOU are an enabler  

and as for you, Bob... Repeat after Mr. Simon...

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin

Bob, I have two MTH Western Maryland GP7s in the Circus paint scheme.  I don't need two!  

Apples55, To quote Bugs Bunny, "Ain't I a stinker??" 

paul 2 posted:

Mike, you will do all right when the time comes time for wiring.  Ask the questions and you will get your answers. Mark thanks for the pep talk. This morning I am still at it. I did wiring this morning. In the area I am working on I got all the power leads hooked up. After lunch I hope to get all the ground leads in. I have to keep at it because I offered to host a Tuesday night crew night after York so I would like to have at least a small portion of the layout running. Pic............Paul

Paul, Those look like good solid heavy duty connections to me!!  We don't need any wimpy stuff on our layouts!

Bob, I forgot to mention I like those you found on Amazon!!!

Paul- I found these on Amazon saves time on making the jumpers.

https://www.amazon.com/Positio...QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Said I was going to try to get another Zephyr running yesterday. Was dogsitting the

train hating dog so it was postponed. Anyway I took one out tonight, it simply not run

so I decided to eliminate the complicated manual reverse. Still won't run, one wire

from one brush to the pickup, one wire from the other brush to ground, right?

I have a third wire from the field to .........? Any ideas. 

One wire from the pickup to one brush, wire from the other brush to the coil, other end of the coil to ground.  

i don't have that many wires unless the other end of the coil is already attached to the ground

Mark Boyce posted:

RSJB18 posted:

OK Mike- Here's the deal. I will provide all the assistance I can from home. Just don't ask too  late in the day. The bar opens around 4PM eastern daylight time.

Besides- My service call rates are $125.00 for the first half hour, $75.00 per hour after. PLUS MILEAGE!

Mark- I put the GP 7 on my test track last night. Very cool having the sounds and crew talk. I put the 9V battery in too so it goes through the full shutdown now. I found a manual on line as well.

You may have created a monster though. Now my old conventional stuff just doesn't cut it all the sudden.

Paul- I found these on Amazon saves time on making the jumpers.

https://www.amazon.com/Positio...QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Bob

Apples55 posted:

RSJB18 posted:

You may have created a monster though. Now my old conventional stuff just doesn't cut it all the sudden.

Bob

Mark - YOU are an enabler  

and as for you, Bob... Repeat after Mr. Simon...

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin

Bob, I have two MTH Western Maryland GP7s in the Circus paint scheme.  I don't need two!  

Apples55, To quote Bugs Bunny, "Ain't I a stinker??" 

You guys are going to be the death of me.

Seriously- I hear rumors that the CEO has a hit out on me

I think I'm good for a while Mark. I have a RMT Beep scheduled to arrive today. Besides....I'm running out of space on my layout to run them.

Bob

beardog posted:

i don't have that many wires unless the other end of the coil is already attached to the ground

 

Going by the picture, it is.   So, just connect the coil to one brush, the pickup to the other brush, and it should run.  Swap the brush wires if it goes in the wrong direction.    Good luck! 

Mitch 

          a little Easter color...

                                                      have a great Easter weekend everyone !!

Thought before I go down to the basement to work on that word that brings fear to most of us" WIRING" LOL. I thought I would explain the reason for  my method of madness. The terminal blocks make it look like over kill but my idea was to bring a main feed for power and ground to these areas and branch off to the different tracks from there without have to get on the floor to do a lot of stringing of wires. Also on both of these tables I have a mix of Ross switches. Older ones that were not prewired and the ones I have been buying of late already prewired. As I get to other tables the wiring will be less intense because I have used up all the old switches.  Also I wanted to make sure I had no dead spots for Legacy and DCS......Paul

Brian, Easter weekend is for ROOFING! LOL

Paul, you can do it man! It's just a little wire, not like your going to burn the house down!

mike g. posted:

Brian, Easter weekend is for ROOFING! LOL

     Mike, here is some Easter roof decorating ideas for you...

              be careful, and have a safe and Happy Easter !

                                 don't work to hard...

          and here's a couple Easter baskets for you...  enjoy 

                    got a little more cleaning done on the new storage area...

                 a little more cleaning and another coat of paint on the floor...

                                          then some cabinets and shelves...

mike g. posted:

Looks like a good trade to me brian! When you get done with the new layout, you can build one in the trailer! Lol        

   nmp...            here's the new layout built in the trailer idea Mike...

briansilvermustang posted:

mike g. posted:

Brian, Easter weekend is for ROOFING! LOL

     Mike, here is some Easter roof decorating ideas for you...

              be careful, and have a safe and Happy Easter !

                                 don't work to hard...

          and here's a couple Easter baskets for you...  enjoy 

Lumber store didn't have enough roofing! So now I have to wait till tomorrow! But I did get the framing done so that's good!

I hope you have a great Easter also!

briansilvermustang posted:

                    got a little more cleaning done on the new storage area...

                 a little more cleaning and another coat of paint on the floor...

                                          then some cabinets and shelves...

mike g. posted:

Looks like a good trade to me brian! When you get done with the new layout, you can build one in the trailer! Lol        

 

   nmp...            here's the new layout built in the trailer idea Mike...

Brian, the trailer looks GREAT! I also love the idea, when you start that don't forget to take pictures! 

You know if you copy that bridge lift I built you, you could have a around the trailer layout! LOL

Mike: You get all the good presents... can't you share with your dear Dad? .... PLEASE....

Presented without further comment.

Mitch 

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

Presented without further comment.

Mitch 

REALLY?

Matt - Thank you! That's one of the great things about the forum, being able to share my layout with everyone, even if they can't visit in person.

Mark - My wife has been very helpful over the years, doing a wide variety of layout related tasks. This latest one is not nearly as bad as an archeological dig. First, it's climate controlled. Second, it can be done while seated, and third, we're not looking for anything. We has the Twins game on while she sifted, and I carved the foam on the upper part of the bluff . In all, a very constructive afternoon together.

Bruce - Give that man a cigar! That can lost over 4000 feet in altitude coming to Minnesota. That begs the question, had the trip been in the opposite direction, would the lid have popped off in transit? I'd say probably yes, since a little more than half the paint was gone.

Dan - Yeah, I wish there was an easy way to vacuum seal paint. I wouldn't have to throw so much of it away. Thirty seven years is just crazy. Now that I've opened it, the clock is ticking. BTW, for me, a few years to keep paint is nothing. I have a huge batch that's 25 years old. Some went bad, but others are still viable. The paint I used on my house is now 18 years. Some people have wine cellars, me not so much. If you're looking for vintage paint, I have plenty. May I interest you in a 1981 vibrant green?

---------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday, I carved the foam uppers using a couple of tools. For the angular top section, I put a special knife blade in my saber saw. Dang, was that slick! Zero mess. Then I used a heavy duty hot knife from Micro Mark to carve the lower section.

It's nice having the photo right there for reference.

One of the trickier parts, is getting the primer in to every crevice.

A base coat of color is where I left off last night...

there are still many color passes left to do. Should finish up this weekend. I still have to build two more sections at the far left. Now that I have my tools figured out, foam work is rather fun.

cabinet Bob posted:

Mike: You get all the good presents... can't you share with your dear Dad? .... PLEASE....

Now a days I only get them like that on the computer! Havent had something like that since my 50th birthday! LOL

The bluff is looking great Elliot! I am glad your having fun carving, it's better then dreading it! Keep up the wonderful work and have a great EASTER!

         that is looking GREAT Elliot !!!

Thanks Mike and Brian. I'll be working on it both days this weekend, as well as doing the monthly update tomorrow night. There are no holidays in my world, just non-dialysis days. Next Friday we have our fourth annual modelers retreat, so I need to clean up, so I can take a full set of pictures to show the progress from last year. Should be a dandy! I'll share the before and afters somewhere on the forum.