Thanks to everyone who left really positive comments and likes....  Kind of exhausted tonight or I'd mention all of you by name.....   A friend of mine agreed to help me get some work done today, ended up working close to 10 hours outside, so turning in for the night.    Happy Father's Day to all !   

Jushavnfun, Lighting changes everything! Turned out looking nice! Well done job!

Leroof, NICE! Have fun today!

Chris, Maybe you should take today off and relax for a little bit! You have been busting your rear on this layout! Take a breath and enjoy Fathers Day!

chris a posted:

Managed to salvage my mine run road made of rigid pink styrene insulation... It was way too fragile after spray painting it with Camouflage "Sand" color..... Brush painted it with the same California AllFlor flooring paint I used on my train room concrete floor, then after it dried, weathered it with India Ink/Alcohol wash, then took the air brush out to blend and smooth the transitions....  

Been adding trees and vegetation to the hillside, not done yet, but I find it's better if I put things in place and come back the next day to finalize what trees belong where.  Then moved on to the rural gas station scene at the bottom of the mine run hill....  

 

Looks great!

Well I got 6 ft of the ceiling up and 2 lights moved. I don't where you can get 200 sq ft of ceiling for $65.00. I like it and think I will do the entire basement ceiling with the stuff.Most important is the wife likes how it looks and the price the best. I will have to order 2 more rolls to finish this side of the basement but want to finish drywalling the HVAC ducting first. It really brightens up the room.

My son & two grandsons came over after church and we climbed the ladder to the train "loft" and ran some CNJ & EL trains loud and fast !  It was a good test for my trackwork & superelevation done with popsicle sticks !

Continued to paint the built up rock formations along the track.  Base coat done and highlights soon, maybe even tonight.  

Hi guys- Happy belated Fathers Day to all. Everyone is doing lot's of great stuff. I'm still doing yard work.......and not that kind of yard either.

Ran trains a bit this weekend . I was pinch hitting for Rich over on Switcher Saturday. If you missed it check out all the fun here

Had a little fun with my 3 MTH 0-4-0's

   gonna need a beer train out to the pool tonight,  a hot one out there today

Laying GG & Ross with a goal to eliminate the annoying track joint clicking noise.   I have been taking out all the track pins and just touching them on a fine grinding wheel to remove 99% of the centering tab.  Careful visual checking keeps the pin centered.

Meticulously trim all track pieces so as to have perfect touching interface for each rail end.

Second step is to taper file / chamfer the tops and inside edge of all of the rail head ends.  Considerable  noise elimination.

If anyone is looking to add some pizzaz to his/her layout while retaining realism, try reproducing the scene from this old photo. It was a runaway in 1895 at Gare Montparnasse in Paris:

Cheers!

oops

Thanks guys. Sorry I didn't post Friday, I had to hold my left arm still at dialysis, to keep the alarm from going off constantly. I've got an appointment to get that fixed on the 28th. Today things are going better. All quiet, just the way we like it!

Mike - I'm always happy when someone finds something they can use, in what I'm doing.

Bob - Finding the photo was easy. I have my files pretty well organized. That early stuff isn't in with the modern stuff from the last six years. When I started the layout, I picked a half dozen locations, from which to shoot. When I restarted construction, after a 5-1/2 year cancer break (the dark years), I changed my strategy as the aisles were closing in. Now I just take pictures of what I'm working on, with the occasional overview shot. As for the Tide pods, of course I was joking. What a bunch of stupid nonsense, all to get hits on YouTube. Do something constructive, DUMMIES!

Paul - My mind is always turning when it comes to finding junk to use for the layout. I had a box full of these little pine trees, which I bought thinking would use them at enterTRAINment. Never got around to it. They were cake decorations, and I found them at the surplus store, so I bought them all. I was going to have a hillside in the back corner where they could be viewed at a distance, so their small size worked in my favor. I have no use for them now, so I brought the box over to my Sunday get together, where there are a bunch of N scalers. Four guys took about half the box. I was happy to see them go to good homes. That was a few weeks ago. Yesterday, one of them brought over what he had made with them. I didn't have a camera with me, so I didn't get a picture. Let me just say, they were beautiful! He had taken them apart, flocked them with some WS, and reassembled them, using 2 or 3 of them to make one, and threaded the pieces onto painted bamboo skewers. They were the most magnificent tall pines I've seen in any scale. Fantastic detail in the plastic molding. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN!

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Here are some shots of Freddy. Gotta remember to let him breathe by loosening the blue cap.

In truth, my daughter is the better artist, but this is still cute after all these years.

Pig's Eye yard was full of cars, now it's almost empty.

Shoreham yard (upper deck) is mostly done. The mains near the backdrop are all that's left.

Working around from 35th Ave.

All glued here.

Almost all spread.

Saturday, I got the last section of mains painted at Pig's Eye.

I've got to get the ballast and glue dams in along here so I can finish.

The ballast is now connected, one small section left to glue.

While I had the airbrush out, I got in the hole and finished Cottage Grove.

I Hate to say it, but my son never went downstairs. He was too busy showing me his latest video game. We did have a nice lunch though. He's in Mark's neck of the woods today, and will be heading toward Paul tomorrow. He and his buddy are doing Halls of Fame. They did baseball and hockey already, and are moving on to football and rock and roll. Can't remember which day he's coming back, but his truck's in my driveway (dripping oil).

Tom Tee posted:

Laying GG & Ross with a goal to eliminate the annoying track joint clicking noise.   I have been taking out all the track pins and just touching them on a fine grinding wheel to remove 99% of the centering tab.  Careful visual checking keeps the pin centered.

Meticulously trim all track pieces so as to have perfect touching interface for each rail end.

Second step is to taper file / chamfer the tops and inside edge of all of the rail head ends.  Considerable  noise elimination.

Tom Tee,

That sounds like a tedious job!  Interesting.  The track joints are the one track sound I like.  Even with ProtoSound running I can hear the old clickety clack as the train goes by!

I had the oddest op session ever, yesterday. I was off-loading my WW2 Jeep from its trailer, returning from a 3 day display at a regional air show. A neighbor I'd never before met came up and started talking to me. He was either out of his mind or high as a kite, I can't tell which. He wouldn't shut up and did NOT at all seem to get I was at the end of a long and grueling day and had a lot yet to do.

There's another guy down the street with a HO layout (I'd talked to him a couple of months ago and told him he could come see my layout if he wanted) came riding his bicycle up and asked to see the layout right then. Note that I'd never seen this guy on a bike before and I think he saw me out in the front yard talking with the other guy so he came up because of that. Neither seemed to notice I was in a (very sweaty and dirty) WW2 uniform and looked like I'd just run a marathon.

Not wanting to be rude to either of them (especially the HO layout guy), I walked in head of them, to a surprised wife as she wouldn't have expected for me to have anyone with me after coming home from an event like that.

They wanted to run trains, the crazy one not really understanding anything and just saying the most random stuff all the while (for example, I'd mentioned the layout taking place in 1943 and gas rationing came up. the HO layout guy knew about that but the crazy guy lost it. He actually said, "I'm going to have to talk to my congressman about that but that's unacceptable!" even though we both reminded him that it was over 70 years ago). Frankly, I'd have rather he never got to see the inside of the house as I'm certain he'll tell anyone who'll listen what I have in the house now. He struck me as the type who has no conversational filter.

I finally got out them on their way and all my stuff put away and a much needed shower, WAY later than I'd intended. All I'd wanted to get the Jeep in the garage, the trailer put away in the back, a shower and change of clothes, then go to dinner. That all happened, but a lot later than I'd wanted.

The whole thing was quite surreal.

Mark, admittedly,there is a nostalgic charm to the  loud sound of hollow tubular  track on metal ties but as time rolls on my tastes have scaled out.  I prefer weathered shades to colors and distinctive  background whispers to dominating room filling  sounds.  

With this Ross - GG effort, I really wanted to add eye level three rail to my two rail pike but when I did a test run the  clickety-clack  was disappointingly overpowering.  The standard rail ends  are like a loud boisterous neighbor with my childhood non sound trains being the biggest villain.  Once completing the aforementioned tune up and adding PS-2 to everything it is now a welcome addition.

The work only sounds more tedious then it really is. 

Tom Tee posted:

Mark, admittedly,there is a nostalgic charm to the  loud sound of hollow tubular  track on metal ties but as time rolls on my tastes have scaled out.  I prefer weathered shades to colors and distinctive  background whispers to dominating room filling  sounds.  

With this Ross - GG effort, I really wanted to add eye level three rail to my two rail pike but when I did a test run the  clickety-clack  was disappointingly overpowering.  The standard rail ends  are like a loud boisterous neighbor with my childhood non sound trains being the biggest villain.  Once completing the aforementioned tune up and adding PS-2 to everything it is now a welcome addition.

The work only sounds more tedious then it really is. 

It was time well spent to make it more satisfactory for you!    Perhaps, I will get tired of the clickety clack, and will be filing down my track pins too.  Now my only concern is seasonal expansion on the layout.  Some folks have trouble with it, and others do not!  

Elliot, I am glad you are scheduled for a tune up so you don't have to be concerned with setting off alarms.  I for one can attest to the fact that even the most dedicated dialysis nurses don't like alarms!!  

Do you know where the location Pig's Eye got it's name?  I love stories like this.  Just like the stories of how the town I went to High School got it's name -- Mars, Pennsylvania!  

Your son is like my two sons-in-law, if they aren't looking at their phones for Pokemon Go guys, they are researching some new game.  The younger, who is a videographer by trade, also does a podcast on the latest in gaming.  I have to hand it to him, now the game companies send him new releases to try out and review online.  They just paid for him and his friend, The Mayor of Butler, to go clean over to LA to the big E3 extravaganza.  This isn't the first time.  Just tonight both couples were over for a late Father's Day, and they kept talking about that stuff, and I was lost.    Never fear, they and their friends think I am cool.    Must be something in that La Croix water they are drinking!  Glad your son came through our area, he can take the one day heat wave with him; back in the 70s again tomorrow.

Ran some trains yesterday for a few minutes.  It was short and very sweet

I should let Elliot answer but I can help.  Pig's Eye was the original name for St Paul, MN, named after an island in the Mississippi inhabited by a local character named Pig's Eye Jackson.  (Hope I got the last name correct!)  We even have a local brand of beer called Pig's Eye to commemorate him.

When the Catholic Church decided to build its Cathedral of St Paul here the name Pig's Eye was thought to be too colloquial and a "more suitable" name was applied.

I'm not a native Minnesotan although I've lived here almost half my life.  I've probably condensed and interpreted a little of the above so I'm hoping Elliot will correct or clarify where necessary.

Yeah Mark, at dialysis we call it the "F" word, but it's not what most people would think. It stands fistulagram. I had one back in December, and they used a balloon to open up the blood vessel, way up in my shoulder area. My guess is that it has collapsed again, and may require a stent to prop it open. Can't keep doing this every six months, and I sure don't want problems on our trip.

In reality, the proper name of the ex Milwaukee Road yard, down by the river, east of St Paul, is St Paul yard, but everybody calls it Pig's Eye. The yard is center right in this screen shot. The thing bottom center is the waste water treatment plant, also Pig's Eye. So is the lake lower right.

So, who was Pig's Eye? I'll let Wikipedia take it from here.

Elliot, I am sorry your son didn't take time to go visit the train room, But it sure sounds like he and his buddy are having a great time on there road trip!

The ballast is looking great, I would think your almost done with all the ballasting! You must have a couple hundred pounds of ballast on your layout! 

Just q quick question why did you take most of the cars off of the Pig's Eye area?

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

Yeah Mark, at dialysis we call it the "F" word, but it's not what most people would think. It stands fistulagram. I had one back in December, and they used a balloon to open up the blood vessel, way up in my shoulder area. My guess is that it has collapsed again, and may require a stent to prop it open. Can't keep doing this every six months, and I sure don't want problems on our trip.

In reality, the proper name of the ex Milwaukee Road yard, down by the river, east of St Paul, is St Paul yard, but everybody calls it Pig's Eye. The yard is center right in this screen shot. The thing bottom center is the waste water treatment plant, also Pig's Eye. So is the lake lower right.

So, who was Pig's Eye? I'll let Wikipedia take it from here.

Yes, I recall fistula from my wife's dialysis days.  Well, I'll be praying they get the new one done and all fixed up for long lasting service!

Excellent history on Pig's Eye!!  It wasn't what I was expecting, but old Pierre reminds me of the Western Pennsylvania history a generation earlier or so that lead to the Whisky Rebellion!!  Thank you!!!

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

Here are some shots of Freddy. Gotta remember to let him breathe by loosening the blue cap.

In truth, my daughter is the better artist, but this is still cute after all these years.

 

I Hate to say it, but my son never went downstairs. He was too busy showing me his latest video game. We did have a nice lunch though. He's in Mark's neck of the woods today, and will be heading toward Paul tomorrow. He and his buddy are doing Halls of Fame. They did baseball and hockey already, and are moving on to football and rock and roll. Can't remember which day he's coming back, but his truck's in my driveway (dripping oil).

The late great Harry Chapin, "Cats in the Cradle"!

 "We'll have a good time, Dad".  My oldest son (no kids) was here this weekend from CT.  My younger son & Grandkids, also from CT, called on Sunday, grandson spring football & granddaughter basketball camp.  "We'll have a good time, Dad".  Circle of life, it's great.

You're welcome Mark. I love Wikipedia. I throw them a few bucks every Christmas when they ask, to help keep them going.

Not to worry Mike, if he doesn't come down when he picks up his truck, he'll be here again in July. Then he's moving back here in October for good. He'll probably stay with us, in his old room, for a while, til he finds a job and gets his own place. I'll get him to help with the trains. I had to move all the trains out of the way so I could reach back in there to paint the rails. That involved laying on the tracks. The second reason was to stop the glue solution from dripping on them when I did the upper deck.

Time to get to work.

Thanks Elliot for explaining the missing cars! It sounds nice that your son will be living with you for a little while, enjoy the time you get!

Well today was suppose to be a rain day but that was not the case so I had to do some watering. I still managed to get down in the basement later in the afternoon and after dinner. I got a few more flats done. I also see in the pics I will have to touch up the bricks where I got concrete paint on them. Guess I am not as steady with a brush anymore. Tomorrow I have an order of Scale Coat paint coming. More concrete paint and railroad colors. Tomorrow I hoped to get some more flats done. Couple of pics.....................Paul

Paul, we got all your rain.  I have a terrible time painting neatly.  I have to mask everything.

1.  Wired three Menards buildings to run on layout (transformer) power, instead of wall warts.  I used:  AC/DC to DC Buck Converter Step Down Modules 1.5 volt to 27 volt output.  These things work great!!  About $7 a piece, and you adjust the output to the 4.5 v DC needed by the Menards buildings.  

"How To" write-up attached!!

Shipped 10 days from China.  I have had 100% good service and 100% working units and LEDs from this outfit.  

e-Bay Seller :

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bought a mint lionel 11540 in the box for $100

Mike

GREAT INFO THANKS🤗

Mike Wyatt posted:

1.  Wired three Menards buildings to run on layout (transformer) power, instead of wall warts.  I used:  AC/DC to DC Buck Converter Step Down Modules 1.5 volt to 27 volt output.  These things work great!!  About $7 a piece, and you adjust the output to the 4.5 v DC needed by the Menards buildings....

UPDATED the attachment 7:15 am EDST Thur. June 21.

Paul, the flats are looking great!

Mike I also want to thank you for the information, very interesting!

Brian, Nice pic's of the Cotton Belt!

I've been absent a lot of late ... primarily due to vacations and business travel. It's meant I haven't had much time to work on the layout (or buy anything, either). However, in a brief moment of peace, the oldest asked to run the "outside trains" (since they're in my workshop, he considers them "outside"). So out we went, and for about an hour we played trains.  I'm glad to see that he continues to want to play with them. Wife came out with the youngest, and immediately started asking about things on the table ... but since I haven't even been home (pretty sure the two weeks I spent in Asia prohibited me from working on the train table located in North America), I'm not sure how I could have managed such a feat *sigh*.

However, the youngest is finally able to see over the table (when standing on a stool) and actually liked loading up one of the gondolas. So looks like there may be more time spent at the train table with both of them in the future.