What did you do on your layout today?

Morning everyone, Sorry I don't have time to comment on all the great work! But I handed out a lot of likes! I haven't had any train room time so nothing for me to tell you. But I did get a chance to put together a priority list of things to do. I hope to start on the list if I ever get back out there! LOL

Brian, I really want to come to your house! Plus Great looking Auto-Ramp! LOL

Everyone have a great week and please find time for your layout and trains! But this time run them a little longer for me!

Glued end pieces and decided to glue a couple of extra pieces inside to make the dock more sturdy. Added the spackling to any gaps. When that is dry I can start applying the concrete paint. Pics..........Paul 2

Working on another 24 Preiser 65602 Seated People.  24+24+24+24.  I finished a box of blue, pink and yellow dressed women.  Working on green.  Next are lavender, blue and pink.  Three more boxes left.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

Laid down some streets and put in some ground cover. Also we finally have a few buildings with lights. We need to do some more detailing and add some people.

Looking good John, Paul, SuperChief!

Bob, Thank you!

Paul, what paint do you use for concrete?

Super Chief, how did you make the great looking road?

Finally got to cleaning up all of the ribbon wires for the new switches. Unfortunately the layout though isn’t as clean as the wiring....

John Rowlen posted:

Painting Preiser 65602 Seated People 24 pack.

These are a few of the pictures for the post on painting the Preiser 65602 figures.  I am showing pictures and leaving notes today on issues I want to discuss as I revise this final post. 

The Four Unpainted Sprues sell for an average of $37.50 (US) in Preiser 65602 24 pack.  If Preiser painted them, the five factory packs total over $150.00 for the 24 people.  This is why I paint my own figures.

Tamiya XF-15 "Flesh" flat acrylic paint.  Paint should dip downward and run up into the brush by capillary action.  When paint pushes downward only, like a drumhead, it is time to stir or shake the paint and rinse the brush.

Quality brushes yield a quality paint job.  I have used Atlas brushes for years and recently switched to Tamiya brushes at $10-12.00 each.  87153 - Ultra Fine,  87154 - Extra Fine,  87155 - Fine.  As the number increases, the bristle length is longer.  Ultra Fine for ties and repairing final inspection errors.  Extra Fine for most painting of figures,  Fine for painting the interior of passenger cars.

The 24 figures have received the first coat of XF-15 Flesh flat acrylic paint.  Mold parting oils can cause open white unpainted spots to appear on the flesh of the figures.  Check for needed touch-up.  Avoid too heavy a coat of paint on faces - the eyes can be filled in and detail lost due to too much paint.

Paint neck ties, walking canes and Ultra Fine details of clothes after flesh is dry.  (Opps, sloppy painted ties and brown cane and purse will be trimmed by white shirts and blue dresses in next step.)

Paint shirt on either side of neck tie.  Paint Coat on either side of dress shirt, or paint dresses.

Paint hair and shoes.

There are very fine lines molded into the Preiser 65602 figures for hairlines and act as guides when painting.  The similar figures from China do not have these fine lines, or eye and face details, and need an extra coat of paint to cover the China figures.

I will be updating this post until all ideas are recorded.  Any questions are welcome.  Picture updates of the 24 figures will be pictured here as I paint them, step by step: ties, shirts, coats, hair, then shoes.  

UPDATE: 2/16/20 - I painted Women in BLUE clothes.  Next box will be Pink, Yellow, Green and Lavender pastel colors I mixed.  The men will have light grey and tan suits.  Hair colors will be Earth Red, Sandy Blonde, and Rust Red with some Grey for older figures.  It is time to pull figures off the Sprues to continue painting.  I use an emery board to sand the sprue points off the figures.  (The Dremel Tool is to severe and creates a scratching that does not paint well.)

The figures are off the sprues and getting painting of clothes, hair and shoes.  Anyone can do this painting of Preiser 65602 Seated People when taken one step at a time.  It is time to do the final inspection and touch up.

UPDATE: 2/17/20 - I have started the second box of 24 Seated People in Pink and Grey clothes. The Pink are ready to come off the Sprues.  Yellow will be next.

Have a good week.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

Those look good John 

Don. The shelf’s look great 

Bob your layout has came along way you’ve done a great job and your buildings look good as well

Paul. I like that loading  dock.  

Mark. Your buildings look good too I like that color for the trim 

Brian. Hope to see some progress soon 

I added the Reefer to the Layout roster this evening 

This will be my next rail car to be added to the roster. It’s a gondola car with a UH-34D Helicopter in it. The Helicopter is a 1/48 Revell model kit and the gondola is a vintage Atlas O scale. I will repaint it and I’m going to decal it in Nickel Plate Road. I’m now waiting for parts and decals for the gondola 

Lee,  The refrigerator and gondola will look great. Nice work.

John Rowlen

lee drennen posted:

I added the Reefer to the Layout roster this evening 

How are the body mounted couplers working out on tight curves?

Looks nice btw.

I ran the longest train ever on my layout, with the smallest locomotive.

14 cars!

https://youtu.be/uCvJUXo2YcY

My steeplecab project is on hold for the nonce.  Instead, I'm working on using the trucks to repower my oldest O scale trolley (in both senses of the world; the car itself dates back to the early 1940s, and I've owned it since 1978 or thereabouts).   Still deciding whether to mount the steps back on the carbody, or mount 'em on the trucks in the interest of sharper turning radii.   Floor is a former GG-1 floor, heavily sculpted.  

If anyone is interested in a set of chain drive scale flange trolley trucks (front), drop me a line.   

Another concept occurred to me this evening:  I've got derelict Atlas Brill shells and derelict RailKing bump and go chassis, so why not combine the two?  

This may look rather goofy, but long-wheelbase four- and six-wheel radial trucks were tried under double truck carbodies back in the day. 

https://www.midcontinent.org/r.../builders/3-axle.htm

They didn't work out terribly well, but it does make for a unique looking model... 

Mitch 

Lou. I will let you know soon when I take it for a test run 

Mark Boyce posted:

Looking good John, Paul, SuperChief!

Bob, Thank you!

Paul, what paint do you use for concrete?

Super Chief, how did you make the great looking road?

Hey Mark,

Thanks! The road was made with a mixture of water putty and black paint. Once we had a base, we used some weathering chalk to give it some wear. I made the mistake of trying to seal with water/Elmers mixture we were using to put the ground cover down. We had to start over with the chalk. I hate using a spray sealant inside, but it looks like that's our only option. 

Mornin' all!

LeeD- the cars and heelo look great.
Lee P51- very nice. I bet that train was fun to break up at the other end of your layout.
Alex- Nice wiring. I bet we'd all like to see more pix of your layout. Looks nice.
Mitch- I see the evil wheels are turning again.....

I spent a little time in my shop painting the building last night. Put the first coat of white on the rest of the windows and did a coat of red on the caps at the roof. I took a couple of pix to share today and didn't see this until I looked at them on my computer this morning.

Interesting study in how lighting changes the way we see colors. I have a lighted magnifying work light on my bench. The light in this is a 5000k LED. The overhead lights in my shop are 3500K fluorescent. Notice how the two panels look different under the different lights. The light sources being different is not an issue but the color temperature of the lights is. Be mindful of this when adding lighting over your layouts. This topic has been discussed numerous times on the forum and is something to consider.

Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin. Lower numbers are in the warm end of the spectrum (red), higher are in the cool end (blues). I'm sure we all remember ROYGBIV from school....

Right wall under fluorescent, left under the LED

right under the LED.....

The lights over my layout are 3500K so the colors will look like what I want when I put the building in place.

Bob

All I got to do yesterday was look over some colors for the trim on the building I posted Sunday.  The colors on the box are gray with a little red on the keystone shapes and the doors.  I decided I didn't want gray.  Lee Drennen suggested the same color as the mortar, and I see that is about the color Bob used above.  I hope I get a chance to paint them today and see how they look.  For the use of this building as a company store, it wouldn't be very fancy.  Now comes the decision on the stone foundation which is identical to Bob's just above.

Mark Boyce

Mark- going by the approximate "age" of the building I'm probably going to paint it gray. For the architecture used on the model, the block would probably have been granite. I might play around with some black washes after its painted to age the foundation.

Bob

decoynh posted:

RSJB18 posted:

It occurred to me today that I missed the 4 year anniversary of my layout.

1/31/16

Today

Everyone have fun with your trains today!

Well Bob, buy the layout flowers and chocolates and you should be OK.

You have come a long way with the layout Well done IMHO

WE took a break from the layout on Saturday and went over to the North Carolina Transportation Museum for the day.  The Virginia Museums J class 611 is wintering with us. It is going through its annual inspection. This is done by volunteers dom both museums and others with a liking for the locomotive. . The J is in the roundhouse with some friends, ie Atlantic Coast ine 10 wheeler and in the foreground, the Seaboard "Russian" Decapod. 

There was a nice presentation and slide show covering the most recent restoration to operation and some of the trips the locomotive has made on recent excursions including its time at Strasburg during Fall 2019. To complete e the experience we went on a tour of  the cab. And yes , we climbed the engine steps using both sets of handrails. So here is what the inside looks like and heres me at the throttle, 

A couple more photos of the J in here winter home

The Museum has a train ride which runs the length of the Museum Grounds. The consist was powered by an N&W GP-7 in passenger colors and several Norfolk Southern coaches which are restored from the trains such as the Powhattan Arrow. 

The Backshop building is now fully open and there are extensive displays of Railroad equipment, carriages, fire engines, automobiles , milk trucks and even a Piedmont Airlines DC3 being restored bt a group of enthusiasts who were not old enough to have experienced flying Piedmont Airlines .The DC-3 was named "Potomac Pacemaker" All Piedmont ships carried names in a Pacemaker series. The airline was run more like a railroad with airports referred as stations and there was a published timetable for routes with intermediate stops.

The museum has a full annual schedule of activities during the year and is worth your visit. Its right off of I -85 in Spencer North Carolina.  

Well back to some layout work. I started with some foam structural work for the various levels of the railroad. . I sort of had the udea of a highway bridge coming out of the upper level and crossing over the lower level. I can see a couple of buidings , warehouse and shop type buildings on the right side of the bridge in the team yard on the lower level. I like the idea as a scene break between the yard and the rail lines leading to bridges that cross the water feature. 

Heres a ffew pics l

Today I got a second coat of concrete on the loading dock and decided to stain the bottom of the wooden loading dock. Once they dry I can glue them in place and maybe start laying track........Pics .......Paul 2

Looks good Paul 

RSJB18 posted:

Now comes the decision on the stone foundation which is identical to Bob's just above.

Mark Boyce

Mark- going by the approximate "age" of the building I'm probably going to paint it gray. For the architecture used on the model, the block would probably have been granite. I might play around with some black washes after its painted to age the foundation.

Bob

Bob, I think gray with an 'aging' wash is a good idea.   There would have been no reason for anyone to have painted them on a real building for this purpose.  I'm hoping to get some painting done later today that I can post.

LIRRSteamer :  Loved the pictures from the No Carolina Museum, esp those of the 611 loco, thanks for sharing.

For me...I was able to continue on my shelving project with the fun part.  Started putting trains on the shelves!

From Top:

Lionel 256 with 710/710/712 NYC Passenge Cars.  The "Big Mogul" outfit from 1924-1929

Lionel 259 E (Gunmetal) with 654 Oil and 657 Caboose.  Outfit from 1936-37 (missing 651 flat)  Sharing shelf with Lionel 248 (late Black) with 1679 litho box, 1680 litho tank, and 1682 litho caboose (factory promotional set - circa 1940)

Lionel 262 with 615 Baggage, 613 Pullman, 614 Observation from 1932-1934 sharing shelf with Hornby type 51 clockwork and goods set from the 1950's

Lionel 249E with "Ives Transition" cars, 1717 litho gon, 1719 litho box, and 1722 litho caboose - uncataloged set from 1938 sharing shelf with 6376 Circus Animal Car and the Hornby Brake Van (Caboose)

Lionel 224 with 2440 Pullman's and 2441 observation from 1947  Sharing shelf with 152 Lionel electric with 901 "Lake Shore" gondola and 801 Wabash caboose from outfit 290 of 1926

Finally my "ready track" shelf where I am currently keeping loco's I run on the layout but can't store on the layout. Then include 2332 GG1, 2240 Wabash A-B F-3 , 2338 Burlington GP-7, and 1776 "Jerima O'Brien GP-7

So one shelf to go ... maybe i will leave it empty to encourage" future" buys !!!!

Happy Tuesday

Don McErlean

Hi` nothing today, had a Honey do List to work on, lol, how ever, tomorrow i`ll be finishing the wiring of accsesoriys on my layout, after some test running to make sure all is working well i`ll post some pics and maybe a short video, `bye for now, Phil

Don McErlean posted:

LIRRSteamer :  Loved the pictures from the No Carolina Museum, esp those of the 611 loco, thanks for sharing.

For me...I was able to continue on my shelving project with the fun part.  Started putting trains on the shelves!

From Top:

Lionel 256 with 710/710/712 NYC Passenge Cars.  The "Big Mogul" outfit from 1924-1929

Lionel 259 E (Gunmetal) with 654 Oil and 657 Caboose.  Outfit from 1936-37 (missing 651 flat)  Sharing shelf with Lionel 248 (late Black) with 1679 litho box, 1680 litho tank, and 1682 litho caboose (factory promotional set - circa 1940)

Lionel 262 with 615 Baggage, 613 Pullman, 614 Observation from 1932-1934 sharing shelf with Hornby type 51 clockwork and goods set from the 1950's

Lionel 249E with "Ives Transition" cars, 1717 litho gon, 1719 litho box, and 1722 litho caboose - uncataloged set from 1938 sharing shelf with 6376 Circus Animal Car and the Hornby Brake Van (Caboose)

Lionel 224 with 2440 Pullman's and 2441 observation from 1947  Sharing shelf with 152 Lionel electric with 901 "Lake Shore" gondola and 801 Wabash caboose from outfit 290 of 1926

Finally my "ready track" shelf where I am currently keeping loco's I run on the layout but can't store on the layout. Then include 2332 GG1, 2240 Wabash A-B F-3 , 2338 Burlington GP-7, and 1776 "Jerima O'Brien GP-7

So one shelf to go ... maybe i will leave it empty to encourage" future" buys !!!!

Happy Tuesday

Don McErlean

I have a few of the same cars as you and didn't know what set they were from. My In-laws had them packed away in a box along with a gateman, crane, and log-dump car. This find is what got me back into trains 4 years ago. My F-i-L didn't recall when he got them.

Bob

Things are occurring near the layout on my work bench. Thread will follow when completed 

Completed the turret building as a men's clothier business from Baltimore. Pretty pleased with the end result. 

This morning I painted black where the lkoading docks are going to go. Decided to add a back board to the wooden deck so I have more area for glue. Then I did some thinking and while I have to wood sitting around I opted to make a rook for the wood dock. Cutting up a bunch of braces for the roof I am waiting for everything to dry so I add paint to them. Pics....................Paul 2

Little more done this afternoon. Back plate glued and painted and is now ready to be glued to the flat. Once the supports for the roof dried I painted them concrete color. Then I stained the balsa wood in between the supports. When that dries I am going to use aluminum paint for the top of the  roof. Pics..............Paul 2

Canadian Pacific Detailing

I put the Lionel Canadian Pacific Baggage Car together and took some pictures through the small windows.  The doors do not open on this longer CP baggage car.  The details can be seen better by eye than camera. 

I am opening the CP Observation tonight to see the space constraints in the Dome.  The Vista Dome has a lower floor under its Dome.  The Observation does not have the extra room.  I will also plan turn the Dome Floor with seats and face them forward.  They were installed by the factory in the wrong direction.  The Dome Floor is correctly made.

I have five boxes of 24 Preiser 65602 rough finished, not inspected, to begin selecting people for the Dome.  As I select them, I will inspect and correct them if needed.  

I discovered that the Dome Seats were turned the wrong way by the factory installers.  The opening to the stairs in in the rear and lines up perfect when the Dome Floor is rotated.  I did have to lower the seats though by 3/8" by removing the lifter post under the seats.  See the post on the Observation.

Have a good evening.

John Rowlen

I tore down Menardsville #1 and started  a new layout. I'm still thinking what to do, but I'm sure it will be all industrial. Time will tell..

Mods are watching this thread more often because of the alerts we keep getting.  They deleted several posts here because discussion keeps meandering on topics that don't talk about "What did you do on your layout today".  This topic is not intended to discuss tinplate trains and their rarity/value nor is it intended to talk about home repair projects.  Honestly, I don't like to put it this way but those folks that keep insisting on turning this into a "coffee pot" thread are soon going to no longer be able to post here.....you all have been warned several times.  Please help us keep this thread on topic...if you have personal comments about life events...everyday challenges, etc., that are unrelated to the topic, then use email to let your fellow friends know.

I know I have been guilty in the past.  I have been either emailing or using the personal message feature with several who post here.  I'll work on keeping on topic.  Thank you for the hard work moderating!

cabinet Bob posted:

I tore down Menardsville #1 and started  a new layout. I'm still thinking what to do, but I'm sure it will be all industrial. Time will tell..

Bob, so is Menardsville #1 the one you have been posting with all the building additions that I have commented it should be Menards City?  This layout looks smaller, but it could be just that with buildings removed the table looks smaller.  I'll look forward to seeing the new layout take shape!!

I picked up something I've been looking at for a long time...a brand new flux capacitor! (400 gigawatts!).  For the 'what did I do on my layout' part of this, I've moved my two main lines over from the ZW to the Z4000, and some of the accessory/lighting as well.  Now, I have an opportunity to rearrange my power distribution, just need to get under and trace the wiring.

Mark Boyce posted:

cabinet Bob posted:

I tore down Menardsville #1 and started  a new layout. I'm still thinking what to do, but I'm sure it will be all industrial. Time will tell..

Bob, so is Menardsville #1 the one you have been posting with all the building additions that I have commented it should be Menards City?  This layout looks smaller, but it could be just that with buildings removed the table looks smaller.  I'll look forward to seeing the new layout take shape!!

Mark: This is the original Menardsville that was pictured in the Christmas Catalog 2 years ago. it become a hodge podge of different scenes that I didn't like, so out with the old and in with the new.. I'm designing as I go..I'm maybe thinking of a lift bridge between Menard City and Menardsville. the only problem is I need to cut a hole in the wall... time will tell..

Dad, I'm sure it will be terrific! Look forward to seeing your progress!