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Bob, backdrops make a world of difference!
Brian, Nice photographs
Paul, Sounds like you need to add an American slight and Power station to generate some more megawatts!!
Went to see Al Graziano and picked up my Korber power plant he reworked for me had time to set it on the layout awesome job he did wait to see what he does for me next
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Now it all makes sense. Al was rewording it for you, Mike! I thought he was doing it for himself, then I saw you had it!! It all looks great!!!!!!!!
Mike the reworked power plant is incredible ! Thanks for posting. Had to enlarge and zoom into the photos for a while, to see and appreciate all the amazing details.
Added a few cars and bought my first switcher
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Lee, Very nice cars! That switcher runs real smooth!
Mark Boyce posted:Lee, Very nice cars! That switcher runs real smooth!
Thanks mark
Ive been wanting one of these for years it does run well for being 67 years old the guy I bought from said it was made around 1950-51
I have the 621 switcher from 1953. My daughter found it at a thrift store a few years ago. It’s 3 years older than me and gets around better than me! LOL
Great switcher Lee. I have the 623 also and it's one of my favorites. Runs nice and smooth and can pull out tree stumps. Was one of my first purchases too when I started up a couple of years ago. The only work I had to do on it was replace the pick up rollers. They were almost worn through.
Bob
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RSJB18 posted:Great switcher Lee. I have the 623 also and it's one of my favorites. Runs nice and smooth and can pull out tree stumps. Was one of my first purchases too when I started up a couple of years ago. The only work I had to do on it was replace the pick up rollers. They were almost worn through.
Bob
Bob
very nice! I’m thinking this is going to be my next favorite also they are very nice hard to believe this thing is that old and runs so smooth. Thanks for posting yours.
RSJB18, The backdrops really make a difference for sure, they look great! I love those old Lionel switchers, too. I have a UP at my Dads place in the old train room, in a box somewhere, I want to find it. It was a Christmas gift when I was maybe five years old.
Rusty
Mark Boyce posted:I have the 621 switcher from 1953. My daughter found it at a thrift store a few years ago. It’s 3 years older than me and gets around better than me! LOL
Mark I’ll be 50 next month I know the feeling LOL
I kept the old rollers as a souvenir. Gotta be some serious hours on this loco to wear them down that far.
Thanks Rusty- Been wanting to add something for a while. I have a small layout so its almost impossible not to have a wall in a photo all the time.
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Hi guys, I know I am a day late and a dollar short, Been a little busy around here! Got some crazy guy scaring the girls at our Mom and Pop Store we run, so I have been spending a lot of time there the last couple of days!
Now to the stuff I enjoy,
Bob, the back drops look just fine, and for free you cant beat the price! Just keep going with it!
Brian, you always post some nice photos! The pads in the water look like Pac-Man! LOL
Mike, Great looking power plant! Al sure does some amazing work!
Lee, I am with Mark on this, nice cars and the train runs very nice & smooth. But don't forget to ease the grade to the road crossing, or your going to have a high center and a train crash! LOL
I had an N engine slowly disintegrate as I ran it and attempted to correct each issue. First a rear wheel wiper snapped off on it's own... work hardened from overheating sometime in the past, it snapped on darkened metal.
Then the brittle plastic frame lost near 25% of the pilot beam and front foot board on the fireman side being pried apart by needle. Then the other rear wiper fell off from being flexed with a needle tip just enough to clear the wheel flange.
The motor was also popping out of the mounting, loosing gear mesh. Reseating it, the retaining pin on the tab snapped on one side. Wire bread tie kept it seated, but without the rear wipers, contact from track to the lighter front end wheels proved to be too weak to run; needs weight.
It may end up as an O gauge's powered mine sled if I get bored, but it is just one more reason I have to add to my list of why to avoid small gauge trains. You know, that's 5 engines in N for me and not one has lasted more than 15hrs of run time. This was the first used one. At least this one was cheapest per hour 
...the cars roll real nice by finger though 
...the cars roll real nice by finger though 
Mike, sounds like the N gauge Book of Job.🚂😏
RSJB18 posted:I kept the old rollers as a souvenir. Gotta be some serious hours on this loco to wear them down that far.
Thanks Rusty- Been wanting to add something for a while. I have a small layout so its almost impossible not to have a wall in a photo all the time.
That looks like a random roller from my childhood
I've sawed rollers in two and carved slots in shoes with Super O. (Bigger slots in shoes used on tube track too) I think my Super O had the center rails replaced two or three times at least before I got moved to 0-27.
....ahhh, good times, good times 
RSJB18 posted:I kept the old rollers as a souvenir. Gotta be some serious hours on this loco to wear them down that far.
Thanks Rusty- Been wanting to add something for a while. I have a small layout so its almost impossible not to have a wall in a photo all the time.
That’s some serious ware
mike g. posted:Hi guys, I know I am a day late and a dollar short, Been a little busy around here! Got some crazy guy scaring the girls at our Mom and Pop Store we run, so I have been spending a lot of time there the last couple of days!
Now to the stuff I enjoy,
Bob, the back drops look just fine, and for free you cant beat the price! Just keep going with it!
Brian, you always post some nice photos! The pads in the water look like Pac-Man! LOL
Mike, Great looking power plant! Al sure does some amazing work!
Lee, I am with Mark on this, nice cars and the train runs very nice & smooth. But don't forget to ease the grade to the road crossing, or your going to have a high center and a train crash! LOL
Thanks mike
Yes I will fix that grade thought I would just sit that road on it to see what it looks like. Don’t need to wreck that new switcher I barely have the new wore off it. lol
Been decaling and working on some All Nations Boxcars this afternoon
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Made a bunch of progress on the highway leading to the station, decided to repaint all the pavement around the station to match the concrete highway....
Finally got that retaining wall capped and anchored. Started using cork roadbed to make caps for the hand carved retaining walls, has the perfect texture for concrete...
Ready to install crossing signals and ballast the main....
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The rolling grassy hillside is fabulous, Chris A.
FrankM
Hey Frank, thank you.... I am glad this section is done, it was getting really old, looking at the open frame work between the 2 levels, and it's pretty much in full view when you enter the layout room...
Chris, The whole scene comes together great! I am really impressed!!
Working on Tankar gas station. Using Micro-Mark shingles as Inselbrick siding remembered from childhood. Have the office and tank car done. Need to put them together and car up on scratchbuilt trestle.
Finished a rough track layout today. Loosely based on the Tehachipi loop and also the Chicago loop at Marreson, Ill.
Features a 120" loop crossing over itself minimum curve 63" radius, this will mostly feature long freight trains. Elevated loop has maximum height if 12"
The outer loop is 072" radius and designed for passenger trains. The section in the center of the loop may end up hidden from view if I raise the loop basin
Track plan. 
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Mark, thanks very much..... I am itching to clean up the basement from all these scenery projects and start the expansion into the next room. I built the leg assemblies and L-girders for the next section before surgery. Got to get through a couple more PT sessions before I start moving boxes. How's construction of your new layout going ?
Jushavnfun, The initial placement of track and the plan gives a nice overview of what you have in mind, Big hills to climb on broad curves, looks great to me! Thank you for the photographs and plan!
chris a posted:Mark, thanks very much..... I am itching to clean up the basement from all these scenery projects and start the expansion into the next room. I built the leg assemblies and L-girders for the next section before surgery. Got to get through a couple more PT sessions before I start moving boxes. How's construction of your new layout going ?
Chris, That is good to clean up the mess and move on! I’m glad PT is progressing well enough that you can get doing heavier work soon.
My layout has been at a standstill this summer. I knew it would. I’ve only been working 3 days a week for a year, and had 6 weeks off due to the company scheduling snafu mid-summer, but I used the time clearing out a bunch of stuff from my parents’ empty house, doing repairs on their 1888 vintage house, and mowing. Also, I have to run errands for them and my aunt who are in different personal care homes in different directions. I had hoped to get Mum and Dad out some, but they aren’t hardy enough for the heat and humidity any more.
I did just spend a bit of time testing, repairing what could be repaired quickly, photographing, posting and shipping some extra items I’m not going to be using on this layout. It helps clearing out some space to work on the layout once the outdoor fall work is done. When I worked full time and collecting my small pension, I accumulated a few extra things when I saw a good deal but realized later I wouldn’t use. After more than 6 years in O Gauge, I still seem to think in HO terms. A lot of the neat commercial buildings I bought are too big for what I want to do. It will all work out just fine.
Mark, think strategically.... many larger buildings can be converted to flats, even MTH buildings can be disassembled, cut and kitbashed into something that may fit the space you have.. So before you liquidate them and go shopping again, see if they can't be re-purposed. I know an OGR forum member named ZEKE made an amazing passenger station out of the MTH public works building sometime back. Link to Zeke's station kit-bash is below for ideas:
Thanks Mark. Been testing with a spine car, now onto to engines and then train testing.
Landscape plans will be mostly desert to mountain, accessories like telephone poles, high tension towers, fairly barren.
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chris a posted:Mark, think strategically.... many larger buildings can be converted to flats, even MTH buildings can be disassembled, cut and kitbashed into something that may fit the space you have.. So before you liquidate them and go shopping again, see if they can't be re-purposed. I know an OGR forum member named ZEKE made an amazing passenger station out of the MTH public works building sometime back. Link to Zeke's station kit-bash is below for ideas:
Chris, yes I see Zeek made a nice long station he called Camden Station. The flats he made work s well as flats. That is great advice! Thank you for the suggestion!
First I have to say this has been one great long running topic with so many posting their progress and all the new ones that are posting keeping this topic ongoing. The fresh ideas learned here with pics and how to videos and just great videos of everyones layouts.
JUSHAVNFUN, that is going to be a great looking and running layout when done.
Chris, your progress through pics and videos just keeps getting better.
Mark. I agree with Chris, instead of selling the buildings use them to kit bash something. And with everything that has kept you from the layout I hope you find that the light at the end of the tunnel is right in front of you.
And to all the rest......kudos. You all keep us wanting to see more.
Me, on the other hand, I have been a procrastinator. Saying I am going to do this. So today I have to unprocrastinate myself and do what I said I was going to do over the past couple of weeks. Build a control panel. So inbetween errands and running around I will make that conserted effort to accomplish that. Maybe tonight I wil have a pic or two to back that up....................Paul
Mark,
What a great son and nephew! Might I also add a great supporter and motivator. If I had to give a top prize for the most compliments on the forum it would be to you sir. I don't think I have ever seen you say a negative word about anything in this forum even when others have. You have always been positive which speaks to who you are. I can't speak for everyone but I will say, for me, there are some special people on this forum and you definitely are one of them. Until you are able to resume more work on your layout know that I appreciate all of your kind words not only for my projects but everyone else's as well. Your family deserves every bit of time you give them for raising such a wonderful man.
Dave
luvindemtrains posted:Mark,
What a great son and nephew! Might I also add a great supporter and motivator. If I had to give a top prize for the most compliments on the forum it would be to you sir. I don't think I have ever seen you say a negative word about anything in this forum even when others have. You have always been positive which speaks to who you are. I can't speak for everyone but I will say, for me, there are some special people on this forum and you definitely are one of them. Until you are able to resume more work on your layout know that I appreciate all of your kind words not only for my projects but everyone else's as well. Your family deserves every bit of time you give them for raising such a wonderful man.
Dave
Bob
Very well said Dave!
RSJB18 posted:luvindemtrains posted:Mark,
What a great son and nephew! Might I also add a great supporter and motivator. If I had to give a top prize for the most compliments on the forum it would be to you sir. I don't think I have ever seen you say a negative word about anything in this forum even when others have. You have always been positive which speaks to who you are. I can't speak for everyone but I will say, for me, there are some special people on this forum and you definitely are one of them. Until you are able to resume more work on your layout know that I appreciate all of your kind words not only for my projects but everyone else's as well. Your family deserves every bit of time you give them for raising such a wonderful man.
Dave
Bob
LOL LOVE IT BOB!
Paul, Thank you! I hope you are right about the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it feels like it is a train!
Dave, I read that, and if in person, I wouldn't have known what to say at first. I guess the best is to just give you a big Thank You.
Mike and Bob, Thank you too!
I find encouragement from what all of you write as well!
