Ok Guys, I have track 1 and track 2 prewired, color coded! Here are a few picture of the back of the power cart.                                                                                                   But I have another question. Has anyone used this and would it be good for my switches, it has an AC  &  DC output. The AC is around 16.75 and the DC is right at 18. What do you guys think?                                          One thing I know is that it's probably older then I am! LOL

Worked on my All Nations Reefer car this evening.  Added some vintage Atlas trucks and Scale City Design ice hatches. The sub frame is a Weaver. Going to paint and add the door latches and kadee couplers next. 

Had some down time in the shop today while waiting for some knifes to cool after quenching. Was able to cut the two pieces of  facia and got them painted. Nice to see how much of a difference it makes. 

 I don't know exactly what I'm doing yet, but I removed the tree holder from my old 30x50" Christmas tree support to sit under my small Christmas table loop. At 30 x35 now, it sits on the feet and between the 2x6", ⊥ shaped legs.

↓Front ↓    ↓Side↓

   -I---I-      --⊥---l ←wall

←30"→    ←35"→to wall

. The 0-27 track (27x30" oval) fits around the legs. Square to the wall the excess offset will keep the table top away from the wall as the pilot overhang clips the wall (and snags some curtains) I'm thinking one leg area gets a small girder bridge, the other a tunnel or signal bridge.

Drought conditions all year now this, Water in the basement from weekend of rain 12" so far in 2 days, put some boxes that weren't on styrofoam up on table

1 small pinhole in wall let in 50 gallons, plugged up now.

Thank goodness for shop vs & fan.

Had the opportunity to set this up last night 

https://youtu.be/j0pXHFuajcQ

JUSTHAVNFUN, good news to hear nothing got water damage. Amazing how much water can come in through a very small hole. Chris, track laying using a cad program is a learning process when putting it down on wood but also seeng it in front of you, you can make changes before permanately securing it down and the new section is looking mighty good. Yesterday I got the final wiring done in the scrap iron yard. Getting the crane to work will be a learning process for me. I hooked up the sound shed but I have to find the booklet on that. Hooked it up to power and it is on all the time. Got  train luncheon today and it is Tuesday so another Tuesday night train get together. Wednesday I'll work on the layout..............Paul

Lee, The reefer car turned out looking great!

Nate, Nice work on the facia!

ADRIATIC, sure looks like you have a good plan there! Please keep us posted!

JUSHAVNFUN, I am so sorry about your water leak! I am glad you were able to get it fixed and hope nothing got damaged!

Kon, very nice run bye's! Nice looking trains on a great looking layout!

Wow, so much good stuff!

One that is bad and good.  Jushavnfun, I’m sorry you got water in that little hole, but am glad it wasn’t worse!

Adriatic, Looks like a great start.  You will come up with a great plan.

My wife surprised me with this addition to a caboose.

Personally I’m rather indifferent to Halloween decorations, but I brought down from the attic the box of Halloween layout items she bought over the years.  I never put any of it out last year, so I cleared off a place for them and got thinking of how to lay it out.  I’ll get out the Hogwarts train to run around the track.  More to come later.

LOL looks good Mark! I am sure if you get stuck you can ask the wife for help where to put everything!

Oh yes Mike!  She finds great places to put humorous things she gets at the thrift stores!  I never know what I’ll find!

Thx Mike G., Paul 2, & Mark Boyce and everyone.  The more repair the better. Still able to do a little track work. Thankful for lots of pink styrofoam  under majority of boxes. Everything dry.

If they get wet I'll trash them, remember last winter I burned 100's of standard every day freight car boxes since I really can't keep them all.

With the  facia up finally up was able to do some and ons. Made a couple extras form one of my orders a while back. Railroad spike end knobs and a spike shelf.

Very imaginative Nate!!

Don't  know if  I'll get to the layout tonight.  Last night I did take some photos while running trains.   Here is a Patapsco and Back Rivers VO 1000 and a couple of shots of the junk load I created for the inside of a B&O gondola.  I actually had all this junk in a pile in the " back o town " section of my layout.  I had been randomly throwing junk in that pile for a few years ... so I extracted some of the junk to make this load.  

I just wrapped up on a review and a how-to video for a modification for the new Bluetooth Thomas set for my YouTube Channel. Hit 103 subscribers and taking a break for the holidays. Ah, what an achievement.

Review: LionChief Thomas the Tank Engine with Bluetooth Set 

How-To: LionChief Thomas Operating Coupler Modification

trumptrain posted:

Don't  know if  I'll get to the layout tonight.  Last night I did take some photos while running trains.   Here is a Patapsco and Back Rivers VO 1000 and a couple of shots of the junk load I created for the inside of a B&O gondola.  I actually had all this junk in a pile in the " back o town " section of my layout.  I had been randomly throwing junk in that pile for a few years ... so I extracted some of the junk to make this load.  

Patrick, I think Mark Diff left something behind in your gondola. 

Lou N

trumptrain posted:

Don't  know if  I'll get to the layout tonight.  Last night I did take some photos while running trains.   Here is a Patapsco and Back Rivers VO 1000 and a couple of shots of the junk load I created for the inside of a B&O gondola.  I actually had all this junk in a pile in the " back o town " section of my layout.  I had been randomly throwing junk in that pile for a few years ... so I extracted some of the junk to make this load.  

Great idea Patrick! gondola and the layout looks good 

Just finished cleaning up after hosting the Tuesday Night Train Crew.  Had about 25 members here and everyone had a great time; good food, drink, and most important everything worked and ran flawlessly.  (I was actually able to fix 2 gremlins 10 minutes before everyone arrived)  Also for anyone who thinks I hold a grudge about Paul's boorish behavior when he hosted I took the higher road and made a welcoming sign for him. Lol

Bryan was a gracious host. Everyone had a good time and there were nothing but compliments on what he has gotten done on his layout. All the time there the trains kept running perfectly. Now as to that picture of the two of us he must of photoshopped the two of us together LOL.............just kidding............Paul

In anticipation for Oly Ops which takes place this Saturday, I created a new run of the guidebooks for the layout, which I hand one to each new visitor.

The cover looks like a timetable, but it gives directions about General handling on the layout, a complete history of the fictional railroad branch, and I changed some things from previous editions to include corrected typos, a list of Publications the layout has since been in, and I changed the front and back covers.

Each one is hand embossed with an original notary stamp from where the layout takes place, used before WW2 and marked for Carter County Tennessee, which is where the layout takes place.

Many are also going to be marked with an original ticket Dater, to reflect the dates of the op sessions themselves.

5-6 inch

 I used some wood putty as surface filler and sanded a bit to clean up the rough plywood suface grain and edge break out since the last shots. Continued with the popsicle sitck/ match stick details. I need to sand it flush on the sides as the match sticks aren't exactly precision cut bass wood.

I ran out of popcicle stick and was stuck rummaging for scraps. The corners suffered because of it. But doing that search I found enough doll house scraps to roof a small platform or depot too. The glue is drying on the roof now.

Far from precision but works to fill the gap.

Ten more inside braces and a small filler on the far inside footings upright and the cutting is done here. Base paint tomorrow. Baking soda & salt rust texturing after that.

Bryan and Paul, I knew you two have just been joking!  Nice poster Bryan.  The photographs look great!  Besides a nice train room, you have a nice place for everyone to gather.

Adriatic, the bridge looks good! 

Lee, professional looking document!  Have a great time!!

Mark Boyce posted:

Lee, professional looking document!  Have a great time!!

Thanks.

I did This yesterday mostly to keep my mind off the storm rolling toward my parents and also some friends who live around north Florida, with that hurricane coming today... 

This is one of the reasons I left the area for good in the 90s.

Lee, Yes I agree it is a deep concern!  I’m praying for everyone there.

FutureRail Productions posted:

I just wrapped up on a review and a how-to video for a modification for the new Bluetooth Thomas set for my YouTube Channel. Hit 103 subscribers and taking a break for the holidays. Ah, what an achievement.

Review: LionChief Thomas the Tank Engine with Bluetooth Set 

How-To: LionChief Thomas Operating Coupler Modification

Good videos!  Congratulations on going over 100 subscribers!!

Nate, the spike shelf looks great with the new facia! Fit's right in!

Trumptrain, nice way to find use for old junk! I will have to keep that in mind when my pile starts getting to big!

Bryan, I am glad you had a house full of friends! The poster for Paul show that you are a very nice man! The train room you have looks wonderful and I can tell that everyone was having a good time, even Paul for the smile on his face from the pictures! Just a little side note, who made your shelf? They look nice, clean and neat!

Lee, That is a great idea and gift for who attends your op night! I can't make it down there but was wondering if by any chance you could mail me one? I would be very cool to have to post in my train room for motivation! Also our prayers go out to your family and friends to make it threw the storm safely !

Adriatic, Look at you building your own bridge! Its really taking shape and I bet its going to look just wonderful on the layout!

Adriatic posted:

 I used some wood putty as surface filler and sanded a bit to clean up the rough plywood suface grain and edge break out since the last shots. Continued with the popsicle sitck/ match stick details. I need to sand it flush on the sides as the match sticks aren't exactly precision cut bass wood.

I ran out of popcicle stick and was stuck rummaging for scraps. The corners suffered because of it. But doing that search I found enough doll house scraps to roof a small platform or depot too. The glue is drying on the roof now.

Far from precision but works to fill the gap.

Ten more inside braces and a small filler on the far inside footings upright and the cutting is done here. Base paint tomorrow. Baking soda & salt rust texturing after that.

Love it, Butch! This is what I love about model railroading: not the fancy, expensive, prefab stuff (although they look great) but the homey, do-it-yourself talent,  creativity, and problem solving.

mike g. posted:

 

Bryan, I am glad you had a house full of friends! The poster for Paul show that you are a very nice man! The train room you have looks wonderful and I can tell that everyone was having a good time, even Paul for the smile on his face from the pictures! Just a little side note, who made your shelf? They look nice, clean and neat!

 

Thanks Mike, the shelving is a self made project.  I buy the wood in 8ft sections 6 inches deep and 3/4 thick.  I then cut very thin grooves into the wood so the cars wheels will lay perfectly into the groove.  Paint them a white and hang them with brackets from home depot.  Total cost is less than 8 dollars per shelf and they are very strong.  

Thanks Bryan, I did the same with 1x4 cedar, but yours look much better! I am thinking down the road I will redo mine! Thanks again!

Converted three more MTH Passenger Cars to LED lighting.  

Still have quite a few to do yet.

Larry

   The scrap wood depot may not be a depot after all   

It might be a covered bridge; but I can't tell yet 

We'll see once I extend it's walls by two more boards    

It balances nicely. No glue on the walls yet

Nice work on the covered bridge!

While not much as been going on for the layout itself, I have been working on a side project.  

2 years ago I purchased a Lionel Berkshire and thought it would be a perfect re-paint for the Pere Marquette 1225.  The one big issue was the tender.  It was way too short to make it look correct.  This week I have worked to make it correct.

Here are some pics.

The stock tender and the locomotive

The tender cut and spliced together.  I used 2 different tender shells.  

Here she sits behind the locomotive and on her new trucks.  I still have to fabricate the tender deck, finish filling in and sanding the seam, and paint and re-letter the tender.  

When everything is finished I plan to weather the locomotive and tender. 

I have this whole project in its own thread here: 

Modifying a tender on a Lioncheif locomotive 

Jim, That is a really nice job you are doing on that modification!

Mark Boyce posted:

Jim, That is a really nice job you are doing on that modification!

Thanks it has been a fun project