What did you do on your layout today?

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Re-sodded Yankee Stadium:

Arnold

Arnold,

The ball field, the bridge, the train and the buildings in the back all make this a fantastic scene.

Is there any place (website?) where I can see more of your layout?

My birthday was yesterday and my folks, my fiancée and my soon to be in laws got me some real nice stuff. I spent my morning putting it out. I haven’t gotten the 397 hooked up but I’ll get it this week. Hope everyone is well!

Berkshire, they seem like a wonderful family. 

How does that crane in the first photo work?

Like Mike G, I handed out likes in lieu of comments.  Fine work everyone. 

I will throw in a couple of comments.  Mayor Magoo, that water scene looks great!  I think you did a fine job on the water!   Arnold, the new turf looks great!  I think that is Roberto Clemente at bat in the 1960 World Series!!  My all-time favorite player.  

Well two things.  Wednesday, I had to take a hike down my dad's hill to see what was done in the woods on the sewer tap in project before putting Dad's, Grandpa's, and my boyhood home on the market.  Shed a tear.  It's been a good run of 131 years in the family.  The sewer line is an over 500-foot run we have to put in, and the hill and woods were rough walking for the bad knee.  I spent so much time down there growing up!!  I wasn't expecting the pain to stay this long, but so it has. 

Thursday, I got my knee replacement scheduled for November 8th.  (Good thing I gave up on going to York a couple of weeks earlier!  I'm trying to get a few things done before that, but take care of the knee in the process.  I also have to check in on my parents and aunt who are now in homes.  Aunt is in temporary (I hope) nursing care.  Also, there is a project I am going to help (no, I'm going to supervise at our younger daughter and son-in-law's house this fall.  In addition, there is work needed at our older daughter and son-in-law's house for them to put it on the market.  I think his dad and I are both going to supervise as he is getting a knee replacement a week before I do.   We both did a lot of work there, but we are going to have to start handing over the batons.

All that to say, I don't think there will be much done on the layout until after New Year's.  I do have to make it a priority to gather up everything I will need for building my Carolina Craftsman Kits Thomas, West Virginia station while I am hobbling around recovering.

Keep up the good work, and Mike, take it easy on the tree cleanup!!!!

Thank you, Mark.  I am pleased the way it came out as well, never sure that the execution works out anywhere near the vision.

Best of luck with your knee.

Arnold, love your baseball field!

Happy belated birthday, Cody,"BERKSHIRELOVER726" You received some nice stuff! Everything looks great, but, I really like that coal loader and side dump!

Rusty

Played around with building placement.

Diverging Clear posted:

Happy belated birthday, Cody,"BERKSHIRELOVER726" You received some nice stuff! Everything looks great, but, I really like that coal loader and side dump!

Rusty

Thank you Rusty! I’m a big coal railroading fan so it was nice to get one. My dad and I have a permanent layout at his house where the 397 and the coal ramp are that dad has when he was a kid. 

Vince, thank you and the crane is actually a 397 coal loader. To use it the way I have it shown the car just dumps the coal into the bin at the front and when the loader is turned on the tray moves back and forward. There are steps in the tray so the coal walks up and then it gets scooped up into the belt and then back into the car. 

Randy Harrison posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Re-sodded Yankee Stadium:

Arnold

Arnold:

I love your baseball scene. The new turf looks GREAT! Does your Yankee Stadium also have a Monument Park? Also, is that Dimaggio at bat?

I'm delighted you like it, Randy, and it was easy to do.

My Yankee Stadium is from the 1950s and 1960s when the monumets were on the actual playing field in center field. As a kid, I thought that was so cool:

Since the scoreboard shows Don Larson's 1956 World Series perfect game, Mickey Mantle, not Joe Dimagio, would have been playing for the Yankees in that game. 

The grass in the last 2 photos are Woodland Senics Blended Turf. 

The recently re-sodded grass in my original post this morning is Woodland Scenics Fine Turf, which is a brighter Kelly green color. I think it looks more perfect. Whenever I first see the real grass entering Yankee Stadium, it always looks perfect to me. Arnold

Lionelski posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Re-sodded Yankee Stadium:

Arnold

Arnold,

The ball field, the bridge, the train and the buildings in the back all make this a fantastic scene.

Is there anyplace (website?) where I can see more of tour layout?

John, you can see more photos of my baseball scenes by doing Searches on this Forum for the following:

Baseball & Trains, which is a thread started by me on 12/9/17, and 

Baseball Field, which is a thread started by GIP on 6/11/19.

When you visit and look through the above threads, you will see more photos of my Yankee Stadium posted by me. Arnold 

trumptrain posted:

Last night while running trains, I re-sceniced my lake scene.  Wanting to hide the plywood/homosote straight edges, I used real stone to give an effect such as you might see around the edge of quarry type lake or pond. I also added in some lichen between some of the stones.  Not sure if I like this outcome so I will sit with it for a few days before making any changes.   I'm sensing that I'll change what I've done with it, however, as I said I'll sit with it for a few days before making a decision.  Here are some before and after shots.  If anyone has any ideas/suggestions, feel free to chime in!  Thanks!  

Patrick, I think the issue you raise regarding dealing with seams in scenery is an important one.

I would have done the same, or something similar, to what you did, but I think there may be other modeling techniques for dealing with seams. 

Hopefully, others will chime in with their thoughts. Arnold

I see others have already chimed in regarding Patrick's lake scene. Arnold 

Arnold

I wish I had space on my layout for a ball field.  Excellent job!

This weekend I was able to get a ton done.

1st order of business though was to fill the belly.  With me having the house to myself I smoked up a rack of baby back ribs.

I am still stuffed! 

2nd I went down to the basement and finished wiring up the transformers.  They are both mounted to the side of the layout.  One is a CW-40 that will power all my lighting on the layout.  The other is a CW-80 that will power the track and accessories.  The TMCC command base is mounted right under it and when I get some funds I will mount a Lionel Powermaster under it.

3) Ran to one of my favorite stores and picked up some more wood to make the last part of the facade.  It is all mounted and just finished staining it.

I really hope my backdrop comes on Tuesday.  The company I ordered it from said it shipped last Monday so I am very surprised it has not arrived yet.   It is really holding me up from putting the layout back on its base and running some trains.  

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

trumptrain posted:

Last night while running trains, I re-sceniced my lake scene.  Wanting to hide the plywood/homosote straight edges, I used real stone to give an effect such as you might see around the edge of quarry type lake or pond. I also added in some lichen between some of the stones.  Not sure if I like this outcome so I will sit with it for a few days before making any changes.   I'm sensing that I'll change what I've done with it, however, as I said I'll sit with it for a few days before making a decision.  Here are some before and after shots.  If anyone has any ideas/suggestions, feel free to chime in!  Thanks!  

Patrick, I think the issue you raise regarding dealing with seams in scenery is an important one.

I would have done the same, or something similar, to what you did, but I think there may be other modeling techniques for dealing with seams. 

Hopefully, others will chime in with their thoughts. Arnold

Can you pour another layer or two of the water.  Keep the rocks in their place while you pour.  This will make them look like they are sitting in the pond, not on top of it.  

Otherwise excellent job.   I am still a ways off from pouring my river, but your pond inspired me. 

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Randy Harrison posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Re-sodded Yankee Stadium:

Arnold

Arnold:

I love your baseball scene. The new turf looks GREAT! Does your Yankee Stadium also have a Monument Park? Also, is that Dimaggio at bat?

I'm delighted you like it, Randy, and it was easy to do.

My Yankee Stadium is from the 1950s and 1960s when the monumets were on the actual playing field in center field. As a kid, I thought that was so cool:

Since the scoreboard shows Don Larson's 1956 World Series perfect game, Mickey Mantle, not Joe Dimagio, would have been playing for the Yankees in that game. 

The grass in the last 2 photos are Woodland Senics Blended Turf. 

The recently re-sodded grass in my original post this morning is Woodland Scenics Fine Turf, which is a brighter Kelly green color. I think it looks more perfect. Whenever I first see the real grass entering Yankee Stadium, it always looks perfect to me. Arnold

 

The 1950-1960's is my favorite Yankee era with Mantle in center field, Don Larsen and Whitey Ford pitching and Casey in the dugout. Your monument plaques look GREAT! Bravo, from a life-long Yankee fan.

I cleaned up the office/layout room.   I also hung my Pere Marquette 1225 builders plates on the wall.   

re sodded yankee stadium  GREAT SHOT FANTATIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally got time to get the tracks laid across the stone arch bridge and weather the truss bridge 

I spent time today boxing up steam engines that had a YLB Battery added to them.  I am clearing the layout of engines and cars as I get ready to continue the layout construction.  I had a chance to run the Union Pacific Challenger and Big Boy past each other.

Bought some extra pipettes and funnels on Ebay to make sure all parts are with the engines.  All engines will have module. manual, pipette and funnel, traction tires and wrench too.  I may thin some engines from my collection this autumn.  The good thing is all have been inspected and tested in August.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

marty track posted:

re sodded yankee stadium  GREAT SHOT FANTATIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Correction: the sod for my Yankee Stadium on my layout comes from East Coast Seed and Sod in Pilesgrove, NJ.

Just kidding, that's where the real sod for the real Yankee Stadium comes from. Mine comes from Woodland Scenic's Fine Turf affixed with spray glue, as I said before.  Glad you like my new sod, Marty.

I'm very happy with all the Woodland Scenics scenery materials. There are also other great scenery products available for us who advertise in OGR. That is where I first found out about Woodland Scenics many years ago.

Arnold 

Just checked out the web cam on Virtual Rail-fan at Strasburg. Great view of Thomas in the shed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ejEjn57h3A

Arnold, that is correct all the good stuff comes from down here in SOUTH JERSEY! The REAL SOUTH JERSEY! not Camden or Washington Township or even Mullica Hill, Atlantic City  and other NORTHERN JERSEY places. LOL Have to say that as it is my back yard. Past it almost everyday.

Curtis

Arnold if you need more sod for the stadium and want some from East Coast let me know I wil get some and maybe deliver.

Curtis

I don't know if there is a better feeling in the model railroad world when you do a big electrical project and you try it for the first time and everything works as it should.  Finished the rest of the wiring to my switches on the elevated level and ran back to the AIU.  Everything works perfect!!!  Now they just need to stay that way until I get all my fall layout open houses for my various train groups done. 

Bryan in Ohio posted:

I don't know if there is a better feeling in the model railroad world when you do a big electrical project and you try it for the first time and everything works as it should.  Finished the rest of the wiring to my switches on the elevated level and ran back to the AIU.  Everything works perfect!!!  Now they just need to stay that way until I get all my fall layout open houses for my various train groups done. 

Well I must say that there's many guys in the forum could say an amen right now when it comes to powering up the  non-derailing switches and turntables for the first time.  I must thank out loud to my mentor, Jim Chaney, from Danville WV.

And I would truly enjoy attending your Tuesday group one day....😃

I started adding girders to the sides of my turntable bridge. I need to buy some more balsa wood or styrene for the top and bottom edges of the sides, but that'll come later after the work I did today dries.

Finally got my train station wired up and added lights out front.

Well in 6 hours the glue dried. Added support to the side girders. Still need to add the power arch and control house to the bridge but got a decent amount done today. Trying to build the turntable bridge to look close to this Santa Fe prototype: https://www.sbrhs.org/3751-tur...session/#prettyPhoto

I don't have the skills to make it perfectly scale detailed so close enough "Hi-Rail" will do for me.

Looks great Lou!

Lots of great work by all! I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I got a little work done today and have the ground level finished and secured to the platform. Next is work on the control panel

B&O Fan posted:

Finally got my train station wired up and added lights out front.

Very nice B&O Fan!!! Very beautiful facade!  The lighting is superb!   Love the down under portion too!  Just wondering if this is a prototype B&O station?  

I finally quit puttering around and put in some serious work today. I cleared about 2/3 of my lay-out and washed the (filthy) sheet that is under it.

I'm running out of room, but I set up the elevated switchyard (Thomas the Tank Engine set) and added the Coca-Cola Bottle Cap manufacturing and Repair Facility to it. The new Baldwin Iron Works will build and repair locomotives, rolling stock, bottle caps, and Monopoly pieces.

The structure towers 41" over my lay-out table, and 70" over the floor.

Jdevleerjr posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

trumptrain posted:

Last night while running trains, I re-sceniced my lake scene.  Wanting to hide the plywood/homosote straight edges, I used real stone to give an effect such as you might see around the edge of quarry type lake or pond. I also added in some lichen between some of the stones.  Not sure if I like this outcome so I will sit with it for a few days before making any changes.   I'm sensing that I'll change what I've done with it, however, as I said I'll sit with it for a few days before making a decision.  Here are some before and after shots.  If anyone has any ideas/suggestions, feel free to chime in!  Thanks!  

Patrick, I think the issue you raise regarding dealing with seams in scenery is an important one.

I would have done the same, or something similar, to what you did, but I think there may be other modeling techniques for dealing with seams. 

Hopefully, others will chime in with their thoughts. Arnold

Can you pour another layer or two of the water.  Keep the rocks in their place while you pour.  This will make them look like they are sitting in the pond, not on top of it.  

Otherwise excellent job.   I am still a ways off from pouring my river, but your pond inspired me. 

Thanks jdevleerjr and Arnold!  I greatly appreciate you both taking the time to access by lake/pond seam situation and for your feedback.  

The water is actually a sheet of rippled plexiglass over a sheet of painted plywood.... darker blue in the center to represent greater depth and lighter blue around the shore line to represent shallower water.   The lake is  entirely removable dropping down under the layout.  Removing the lake gives me access to a large portion of the back of the layout.  The bridge that spans the lake directly above is also removable allowing me to stand upright.  Because the lake is removable ( at least for my skill level ... LOL! ) I did not use liquid scenic water for the project.  

I'm really glad I put the question out to all of you though, because your answers got my creative juices flowing last night ..... and I came up with another way of doing it. ( hiding the seam bordering the lake ) 

I removed some of the stones around the shore line ( I think I had too many stones surrounding the lake actually ) and used smaller stones as Modeltrainparts had suggested.  I then remembered that I had a jar of sand.   I took my coffee spoon and sprinkled sand directly onto the plexiglass over on the cabin side of the lake which created a small beach area.  I used a short piece of N gauge track as a ladder extended down to the beach from the slightly higher elevation.  Two young ladies in bathing suits were then added to the beach scene.  One is standing on the upper elevation & one on the beach. 

I removed the stones I had originally placed at the base of the brick pier ( Knoch brick paper ) which hid the seem.  I then poured sand along the seam at the pier's base and used only a few small stones.  ( At some point in the future I want to replace the brick paper with a  stone wall from Scenic Express ... but that's a project for down the road ) 

Toward the back of the lake I inserted some lichen where I had originally place stones.  So now there is a variety of lichen and stones there.  Also I added some stones within the lake which seems to ( at least to me ) add a greater touch of realism.  

 So again I thank both of you as well as Modeltrainparts and Mayor Magoo for your inspiration!  It was really all of you who are responsible for the creation of the scene as it now.  Here are some photos which I snapped with my cell phone.  How do you like the couple making out in the Edsel overlooking the lake? LOL!  I did remove the stones next to the canoe after snapping the first photo.   The card for my camera is full so no zoom lens for now.  When I get the new card I'll snap some close ups.  I appreciate any feed back to let me know your thoughts guys/gals.  Thanks again! 

Trumptrain - Looking a lot better. Nice job.

Curtis

Trumptrain  --- WOW - awesome - great looking

trumptrain posted:

B&O Fan posted:

Finally got my train station wired up and added lights out front.

Very nice B&O Fan!!! Very beautiful facade!  The lighting is superb!   Love the down under portion too!  Just wondering if this is a prototype B&O station?  

This is a station that never was. I used another poster's example of using 4 MTH banks to build the station. Some of the cuts to get them apart took a bit of effort because of the thick plastic. Took me almost a year to complete as I got stuck at one point and had to set it aside until I came up with a solution to part of the facade assembly that had me stumped. 

Scott 

Pat: It is amazing how much of a difference subtle changes make. The lake scene looks better than ever! The forum guys are a GREAT resource and your scenery work is second to none!

Patrick, good modeling!

It is your combination of rocks, lichen and sand that does it, and the detail of the person on the beach acts to draw it all together.

Patrick- looks great. Much more realistic. BTW now you gave away a trade secret- I never would have guessed that the lake and the bridge are removable.

B&O Fan- great job on the station.

Lou- the turntable bridge is coming along nicely.

Johnathan- great post war classic you are building.

You are a busy guy Vincent.

Bob