What did you do on your layout today?

More teardown.  The layout itself is 100% down.   Now working on patching all the walls from the rail-rax I had around the layout.  Will sand and paint over the weekend and the old train room will be the new kids play room by next week.  

 

 

    I tried making A brick wall for the grade between the lower and upper level. The idiot that I am I wasted 2 1/2 hours carving the wrong side of the foam board. Well I guess I will throw it out and start all over again. What A waste of 4 FT. of foam board. The dum*** that cant do anything right. Choo Choo Kenny

Nothing so far but will start clearing it off tonight so I can tear it apart tomorrow-then rebuild it. Hopefully better.

Cheer up Kenny, I am sure you learned something that will help you do better on the next try.  I am the man who measures not twice but at least thrice, and then cuts everything an eighth inch too short!! 

So Jim, I have always shied away from attaching benchwork, backdrop or special layout lighting from the walls because of the fear I would have to tear down and patch quickly to sell or that I would be disabled or pass away and my wife would be stuck with a monster.  Would you please tell us how extensively you intruded on the walls, and what precautions you would suggest when attaching layout to the walls.  One suggestion I read several years ago was to put something like carpeting between the wall and the support, then about all you would have to do is put some spackling in the small holes, sand and paint, and it would look like new.

 

No benchwork was attached to the wall on the main part of the layout.  The part where the ferry was used shelf brackets to attached to the walls.   The biggest part was the railrax shelfing I had all over the walls to display my trains that were not on the layout.  Lots of holes to fill there.   

 

Lessons learned, the new layout will not have rail rax on the walls, but attached to the benchwork legs along the edge of the layout.  The new layout will be about chest high with shelfs along the front to store cars that aren't currently on the layout itself.  The walls will have backdrops up to 46 inches above the layout leaving only a little bit of wall showing.  This is where I will display my photos of trains.  

Today the weather is lousy outside and Sunday doesn't look any better here. So this morning I ran trains but while they were running I plastered an area where I found the new Lionel auto racks hit. I thought I had the clearance right on the lower level but I was wrong. So that is not the first time I had to redo an area. Can't keep going on the scenery till friend of mine brings some scrap pink foam board so I can finish the last section of the up down grade, My original plan was to alternate between pink board and flex walls from Scenic Express. I also placed an order for wire so I can finally start wiring all my Ross switches. Steve at Ross Switches was very helpful in pointing me to a wire distributor. I wanted to stay with the color coding on their switches.....Paul

Tip- If your cut right on the center of your lines, that's the issue. The blade might be eating your 1/8" into dust. Cut just to the left or right of your drawn line, never quite touching it. Cut, then trim only if/what you have to.  

Adriatic,

I do appreciate the tip.  I do know what you say can happen, but it still doesn't seem to matter.  One would think I could do this, but...   My solution has been to cut long, and then whittle down so to speak. I get by.   lol

Thank you very much!!

Ah ha!  Yes, my daughter already has a lot of the shelf brackets attached to the walls.  I intend to make use of them.  I like your plan for the layout height and railrax shelving attached to the front legs.  Other guys on this forum have done something similar.  I would have never thought to do it, but theirs look good.  We are as anxious as you to see the new layout start to take shape, but I realize it will be a while.  Thanks!

    Mark thanks for the moral support I cant flip the piece over. If I did the blocks would be running with the grade and the wall would fall down in real life. I looked at the piece of foam board and I can carve the lines on the other side and it will be OK. At least I don't have to waste the piece of foam board. Thanks for the advice and take care. Choo Choo Kenny

I have been working on my new BridgeBoss Elevated track.  It will run through a 12' row of skyscrapers for my urban scene.  Today my 6 year old grandson came over so instead of the track work we built a new skyscraper.  I am kit or scratch building all of these and I believe I will need about 10 buildings.

 

I came across an "American Skyline" kit by Ergo.  I believe these are 60's vintage and no longer available.  They were plastic building block style construction sets and very neat little kits.  I had enough parts to build a reputable Skyscraper.  Here is a picture, it is the one on the right. (2 down 8 to go. LOL)

 

 

Today I completed connecting all the power drops to both loops.  I ran all the wires to terminal blocks and connected the blocks together.  I have three sets of terminal blocks for each loop.  I completed testing both loops and next I will secure the low hanging wires.  I need to put the Big Boy back on the track and test it for final clearance.  Things are coming together.

I tore mine down so I could start over and hopefully a better layout.

Jim,

Do you have a plan yet for your new and improved layout?

ran some then needed more places to park trains so reworked the upper level to add 2 sidings. then figured it was time to finally run the wires for the switches and mount them on a control panel and make the panel . so I spent 3/4 of the day under the layout then My granddaughter wanted to run Thomas so I made a loop under the layout for Thomas to run on and she had a ball with Thomas ended up wiring 6 switches running all the wires to one spot

 

Not much.  I have said I plan to 'Extensivel revise" the layout but I can't muster the energy to start.  

 

This afternoon I set some trains to running and just wrote.  Having finished the second and last 'Streets book, I started on the project I mentioned some time back, the write a "biography" of Veranda Turbine following the "script" of the slide set I've posted a few times, but fleshing out the story with lots of detail. It is turning into one of the most fun, and addictive, projects I have ever done.  The trains run constantly (as now) right beside me, sort of my pets in a way, keeping me company, but I'm concentrating on something else.

Working on a new show layout concept, including an inner O27 loop so I can start running trolleys again! 

 

 

Mitch

I am sticking to the same general plan, 4 loops of tubular track for running and storage but want better bench work(first one was a quickie one), get it off the floor and make room for my accessories.  No heavy duty scenery, just tin buildings, a few scratch built and cars and some people. I love to see the scenery guys have but not for me at present.

Sadly this is all that is left of the old Michigan and Great Lakes RR.   I should have this project wrapped in the next few days.  I know I said I will wait to spring to start the new layout I am biting at the bit to get started!

 

 

 

 

Here is the trackplan for the new Michigan and Great Lakes Switching Layout.

 

 

You like the arrangement, just a stronger benchwork.  It makes good sense.  Your benchwork can never be to strong. I agree, even at 58 getting it off the floor is very appealing!

The patch job looks great.  That didn't take you long at all.  I agree, unless there are other obligations holding you back from starting, might as well get started with the new one.  Thank you for the photos and plan!

Here's what I did today

 

 

 

 

 

Sanding done on the old layout room.  Paint on the wall tomorrow and wrap that project up!   I hope to get a little bit of a start on my new layout in the next few weeks.  

I reached a milestone on my model railroad expansion today. Its L girder open grid with sawn out roadbed and most track is going up or down. If it was a flat table construction it would have been much faster, and me working slow on it doesn't help.
I have had two meandering loops trackwork operating for some time now, 1st I had one loop going so I could run a train. This helps keep interest up no doubt.
I was planning to build a HO layout adjacent to my O but decided to expand the O where HO was planned.
On the new expansion I already had the framework up and now have most of the roadbed in place so now I have to cut into one loop to start making track for the considerably longer loops. So for quite awhile now I'm back to one train.
Its 118 sq. feet, 174 feet of track counting sidings and a small yard, 13 switches,
it'sin my living room. I have a scale blueprint, thats where I get these dimensions.

 

Finished a project that I had wanted to do ever since I read how to do it by another forum member awhile back.  

It was the Polar Express Hobo on top of the observation car with an Evans LED flickering fire.  I liked the way this looked far better than the actual disappearing hobo Lionel offered.

 

 

I think, I enjoy wiring projects more than running trains sometimes (almost).  

Oh, I am feeling drawn towards lighting mine before the Christmas season.  Thanks for the good photo!

today a recent purchase showed up. 6 Santa fe MTH rail king Yellow Bonnet passenger cars along with the Rail King F3 Yellow Bonnetadd that to the 3 passenger cars and the other yellow bonnet rail King F3 I get a A-A with 9 passenger cars. but once that was running I figured I would get the 4-6-0 running with it's 5 passenger cars on the lower deck yellow bonnet upper deck and then fire up the challenger with it's 5 passenger cars all on the lonely 135 powerhouse what do you think happened as soon as the challenger started to move I here a click yep blew the breaker. so then I figured I have that other 180 watt powerhouse just sitting under the layout I can hook it up to the other channel but then I have the issue of the layout being one block so out comes the dermal and now I have 2 blocks 135 on one and 180 on the other. all 3 trains now run with there total of 19 passenger cars. : I'll upload a video to youtube in awhile but here's some pics

 

 

I learned how to use the new iMovie to make model train videos.

Version - 10.0.5

 

Something!!  Which is after about a month of doing nothing, because of vacation and

then things to take care of at home.  Today I was back to the saloon I was building,

fitting the roof.  But now I can't find my metal castings including chimneys, which I

need for the back of the building.  So...time is wasted while I hunt for those..

Sounds good.  I have not looked into it before.  We will look forward to seeing a movie you have made.

Today I wired some more uncoupling tracks to my push-buttons on my control board.

.....

Dennis

I've been letting the progress build up for the better part of a week now. Matt was over yesterday and did more Tortoises and worked on an engine.

I finished the wye tracks going through the backdrop.

The switch and the two filler pieces are actually done. The photo is already old.


Starting the hump yard with some test rolling.


Light and heavy cars don't roll as well as medium weight cars. I'll have to bring down the scale and check them against NMRA recommended practices. 


This is from two days ago...


Same shot today.



Just gotta keep pluggin away at it.

elliot... didn't the hump yard have a small area of level track before heading into the yard tracks below?

Looking good are all the lower levels functional now?
is this the final level for laying trackage on?

Ray, I haven't started the other side of the hump yet. It will be a more gradual grade with a slight flat at the top. There's a lot of engineering left on this project.

 

Almost, the only thing left on the main level is Hiawatha. The upper level has the Commercial "A"yard, the Midway depot, the Ford plant, the Northtown arrival yard and the roundhouse.

 

The hidden yards are all done.

putting up retaining walls again all the wood will be painted Black and thinking once I get a ground plane in just for safe measure I will put Styrofoam painted black on the ceiling  to hide the wires and cut down on some of the light in the tunnel . u used up all the walls I made last night so I will be spending the rest of the night making more. I also finished a tunnel portal mold and pulled a portal out of it I only needed one. but you never know when you need more. also at the far end of the last picture I have a retaining wall made that is curved to fit there it's drying at the moment I just painted it .

 

Jhainer

The retaining walls are looking good.  I especially like the cut stone look, but the variety of material helps it not become monotonous.  You are really coming along nicely!!

thank you painting them is a lot easier than I thought it was watered down black in a spray bottle theres a lot more walls than I thought what happened last night I put one in there just to hold it while I was working on something else and I saw it and went HMMM that looks pretty good so to the man cave I went (my work Office) and started making more walls I made 4 thinking that would be enough but I think about 2 more should do it.. then I cut them to fit with a hand saw which leaves me with extra for the ramp sides that was an after thought

well here's some photos. I learned how to record and play back with dcs kinda cool train running around switching on it's own and stoping at the station and then leaving again all with me doing nothing but sitting and watching  I did notice that on loop it would gain about an inch to inch and a half the first time it looped then about 3 total on second loop and every loop after it would gain alittle started off with the first passenger car even with the station after the 4th loop it was about 6 inches past the station. oh and I got my hands on one of my wanted passenger cars it was in the wrong box I got the santa fe diner car that sold a few weeks ago for 380 I got it for 72

 

 

Spent a few hours working on the layout today. Cut and painted the service platform that's going across the track from the coal tower. Needs buried in dirt and weathered now. Put in the LAST 3 tracks for the service side of the layout. Storage tracks for caboose, sand, fuel oil, water, and coal cars. Another track with access to the turntable. The goal was to have this side of the layout finished by the end of the year. We're getting close....at least to looking like it's finished.