What did you do on your layout today?

Hi Guys, was able to get out to the train room today and did some mock up for future building I plan on picking up at Menards when we make our trip to North Dakota next month. I plan on getting the fire station and Police One Plaza. So I had to do some clearing and mark out future road way. Also the CEO wants a park so I moved my pass over stairway to its new location.

Here are a couple photos. Here is a before photo.

Then after.

Then something special for in front of the Police Station!

I am going to have to redo the light on the left and it got to much blue paint on the LED.

I hope you all had a great weekend and found time for some fun! Please take care Everyone!

@mike g. Your layout is really shaping up well. Keep the photos coming!

Mike, You are soon going to rival Dad on a Menardsville layout!    Have a great trip to North Dakota; it is almost next month!! 

@mike g. posted:

Paul, Wonderful Steam parade! I only have one steam engine that is from my grandson and it just sits cause I never can get it to run right.

 

Mike;

I missed this somehow...thanks, it was actually a lot of fun playing with the speed to insure I didn’t have an expensive accident!!! 

Now, as to having only one steam engine, I am shocked, nay a-Paul-ed... looks like we are going to have to make a concerted effort to drag you over to the dark side  

Did some small repairs to my Ameritowne building over the weekend.  I just received the replacement lights from Evan Designs this morning so I can finally put it all back together.

Bob

Got some plaster work done and planted a herd of puffball trees.

Bob - Glad you got your replacement lights, should be good to go in no time.

Mike - Street lights are looking good.

Stay Safe,

Scott

Randy, than you sir, I dont get much time to work on it but when I do I spend all day out there!

Mark, No way dad has everything Menards has ever made! By the time I get done I will have a total of 17 Menards buildings and 5 lighted cars, maybe more cars when I get back from ND. LOL Just dont tell the CEO.

Paul, Maybe someday when I get rich and famous~! LOL

Bob, I am glad you got your lights already! I cant wait to see the building back on the layout!

Scott, thank you sir! The plaster work and trees look wonderful! I should be doing that so I dont have to move buildings, but I like a challenge !

I sure hope everyone had a great weekend and got alot done! Remember its all about the fun of things!

Well, after considerable abuse, I changed the signage on one side of my quickie bus project.  The two best 1970s rock stations In NYC are now fully represented. 

@mike g. posted:

Mark, No way dad has everything Menards has ever made! By the time I get done I will have a total of 17 Menards buildings and 5 lighted cars, maybe more cars when I get back from ND. LOL Just don't tell the CEO.

 

Mike, yes I know he has everything!  However, you pay pass Paul as Number One Son!     I only have 3 buildings, 9 boxcars, 2 flatcars, 2 gondolas, 1 tank car, and 1 free Joe Isuzu cab-over box truck in NS-PRR Heritage.

Don't worry about me!  I won't tell the CEO! 

@Strap Hanger posted:

Well, after considerable abuse, I changed the signage on one side of my quickie bus project.  The two best 1970s rock stations In NYC are now fully represented. 

As long as Scottso is still represented. 

Looks good 👍

P L J was OK but couldn't touch

N E W! 

Can't forget WLIR and the great concerts at My Father's Place. 

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

As long as Scottso is still represented. 

Looks good 👍

P L J was OK but couldn't touch

N E W! 

Can't forget WLIR and the great concerts at My Father's Place. 

BoB

 

Totally agree, RSJ. Muni was a legend. However, lots of album rock format fans in my social circle that demanded some wPLJ representation. Jim Kerr and Carol Miller kept it acceptable over there so I caved.  WLIR definitely comes in third but that signage will have to go on the back of the bus in some down the road project! 

@Mark Boyce posted:

Mike, yes I know he has everything!  However, you pay pass Paul as Number One Son!     I only have 3 buildings, 9 boxcars, 2 flatcars, 2 gondolas, 1 tank car, and 1 free Joe Isuzu cab-over box truck in NS-PRR Heritage.

Don't worry about me!  I won't tell the CEO! 

Morning Mark, Just for the fun of it I will try and get a count of what Menards stuff I have. You might be really suprised!

I hope you have a great day!

I have been doing cement work  The next few days of rain will give me time to detail another passenger car.  Winter is coming to Cleveland, and trees are changing colors. The leaves and small acorns are falling on my cement work.  The deer and a racoon have imprinted my cement.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

Hmmm Heavy cement work, having it being autographed by nature vs Trains? Nope I am in for trains. Cement work is way to hard. Wait! I don't have steady hands anymore so train work is hard too. Naw I don't ache after trains plus I am usually a lot happier and calmer!

I have been researching PRR passenger cars and Pullman cars leased/purchased to PRR. It is interesting to read about P58 car 1651, P70s, P70FARs, FOM, repainting and headend cars and modeling challenges but there is SO much information. I confess I have been looking at GGD's P70 coaches in particular for the non striped versions to run on my layout. I even made a mockup of a 20 inch car with freight trucks to see if I had scenery and bridge approach clearances. But as beautiful as they are, I will pass, for now, and enjoy imagination with K-line passenger cars.

So I switched my ocd to commencing operating session no.3. Ran PRR 460 E6 with a GGD RPO and three passenger cars through town and toward next destination stopping for a signal. The through tanker train is paused on the arrival yard lead before cutting out the empties cars for switching to the refinery. 

Tomorrow, more orders. 

Hello everyone! Hope everyone is staying healthy and having a good week so far. Today, I finally got the track screwed down and the electrical sorted and was able to run an engine up the grade. Sorry for the poor camera work, not my best work, and for the clutter. Thanks for reading/watching and happy railroading!

@Trainmaster04 posted:

Hello everyone! Hope everyone is staying healthy and having a good week so far. Today, I finally got the track screwed down and the electrical sorted and was able to run an engine up the grade. Sorry for the poor camera work, not my best work, and for the clutter. Thanks for reading/watching and happy railroading!

 

Trainmaster;

Your “poor camera work” is better than my best - don’t be so hard on yourself (trust me, there are plenty of people who will gladly do it for you  ). Nice job on the elevation... one comment - I remember one of your videos included a BigBoy. At the top of grade, it looks like the track takes a jog toward the wall. Have you checked the clearance with BigBoy??? Looking forward to seeing what sort of scenicing You are planning for the sides of the elevated track against the back wall.

@Apples55 posted:

Trainmaster;

Your “poor camera work” is better than my best - don’t be so hard on yourself (trust me, there are plenty of people who will gladly do it for you  ). Nice job on the elevation... one comment - I remember one of your videos included a BigBoy. At the top of grade, it looks like the track takes a jog toward the wall. Have you checked the clearance with BigBoy??? Looking forward to seeing what sort of scenicing You are planning for the sides of the elevated track against the back wall.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I do have a big boy but it is only limited to my inner yard loop. When I designed this layout I wanted to be able to run anything that needed o 72 but the space I was given cannot accommodate O72 on all of the layout. Instead I made the main section, where I do all my videos, have an inner loop of O72 and the main line be O36. In other words, sadly no my Big Boy will not be going up the grade since the track cannot accommodate it. On the scenery, I plan on working from the back to the front so that I can access the back wall much easier. I also had to make the layout this way due to space. Hopefully I will get the downhill part done and be able to complete the loop and then be able to work on the scenery. Thanks again and happy railroading!

Got my plywood cut for my upper level the past couple of days. Today it got raised up and track out down. Putting cork down tomorrow and securing!

@pennsynut posted:

I have been researching PRR passenger cars and Pullman cars leased/purchased to PRR. It is interesting to read about P58 car 1651, P70s, P70FARs, FOM, repainting and headend cars and modeling challenges but there is SO much information. I confess I have been looking at GGD's P70 coaches in particular for the non striped versions to run on my layout. I even made a mockup of a 20 inch car with freight trucks to see if I had scenery and bridge approach clearances. But as beautiful as they are, I will pass, for now, and enjoy imagination with K-line passenger cars.

So I switched my ocd to commencing operating session no.3. Ran PRR 460 E6 with a GGD RPO and three passenger cars through town and toward next destination stopping for a signal. The through tanker train is paused on the arrival yard lead before cutting out the empties cars for switching to the refinery. 

Tomorrow, more orders. 

Thanks Pennsynut, 

I have always wanted to perform actual/imaginary operating sessions but it seemed like I could never get enough guys to my Basement to run the switch lists simultaneously for an operating session. I guess I just never thought hard enough to consider running a session over multiple realtime days, performing a switch list or two each day. I always wanted the comradery of friends along with playing with my trains. 

You're welcome Jim. It helps me change engines, rolling stock and keep imagining what railroads do everyday, but especially during the steam era. I have recently found great interest in passenger trains especially the heavyweight cars. I remember taking a night train with high school friends north from Milwaukee to Hurley Wisconsin to snow ski at Indianhead mountain. The engine was an F3 or F7 and we were in a two or three car train with heavyweight cars. It was cold. We had to stop in very rural area in the middle of nowhere after the train was warned that some hunters got stuck in the snow covered grade crossing ahead. We eventually made it to Hurley and the train had to back into the station in a wye. We were in the end car and the conductor opened the rear door and the train backed into the snow packed station. A sweet memory for me.

Edit Oct. 2, 2020: I was talking to one of my brothers tonight and recalling life for us back in the mid 1960s in Milwaukee and the ski trip. I decided that the station may have been in Ironwood, Michigan close to Hurley, WI. A photo of a postcard I saw on web research showed a snow covered street with folks walking in the street because the sidewalks were piled with snow and reminded me that we had to walk in the street as well to our little hotel. 

Here’s an update for the week!

https://youtu.be/zWRcwCke7_0

Lots of great looking projects everyone! 

Wesley, the layout looks great!  Does the track lift out or up where the track crosses in front of the door?

@Mark Boyce posted:

Lots of great looking projects everyone! 

Wesley, the layout looks great!  Does the track lift out or up where the track crosses in front of the door?

Mark i plan on making it lift out. Probably a project in the next coming weeks

On the WVRR, where elevation to the upper level on the Main Line is gained, there was a "S" jog with O54 curves around the main control panel. Over the last 5 days I fixed this and gained about a square foot of layout space at the same time.

I replaced a O 54 curve at the beginning of this 9 foot section with two O 72 curves, and two O 54 curves on the right with another O 72 curve. This eliminated the "S" jog but brought this section over a corner of the control panel, so I removed 4 accessory switches (now being relocated to the front of the panel) and added a triangle shaped piece of plywood (this is where WVRR gained a square foot) to the top of the control panel where the accessory switches were. This is the area behind the row of Switch Track controllers shown the the first pic below.

Under the straight section I made a long girder type bridge from plastic floor tile edging sprayed with red primer. The repaired scenery includes Native Americans hunting a poor buffalo and getting the fire ready for a buffalo feast. My heros, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, are arriving to join them for dinner.

By the way, the LIRR engine was a derelict PostWar GP 7 that I repaired and painted

Ran a local passenger train, with newly acquired GGD RPO and three K-line pasenger cars through town. Made mail train with a GGD B70 baggage express, another GGD RPO, 2 PRR B60s, a New Haven B60 and a K-line PRR dinner.

Started construction on a Great Lakes ore boat for my harbor area. She will be 92 X 10 inches which scales out to 368 X40 feet. Got the plans on line for $20. All wood construction,  hand formed bow and stern. 

After I shape the stern, I will start on the hold, adding bulkheads for strength before attaching the deck. Everything will be sheathed with styrene before painting. Might take me the entire fall to complete. 

I finished my BAR X350 side dump car.

WOW! Thirdrail...that is going to be a stunning model.  You must have some incredibly large "harbor area" in order to house a model 7 1/2 ft long by nearly 1 ft wide.  That would be about 50% of my entire lay out.  That is going to be quite amazing.  Please continue to post as you make progress.  Thanks for showing us the beginning.

Don McErlean

@Don McErlean posted:

WOW! Thirdrail...that is going to be a stunning model.  You must have some incredibly large "harbor area" in order to house a model 7 1/2 ft long by nearly 1 ft wide.  That would be about 50% of my entire lay out.  That is going to be quite amazing.  Please continue to post as you make progress.  Thanks for showing us the beginning.

Don McErlean

Thanks,  my layout overall size is 22X29 feet. The harbor is 8.5X8 feet in an "L" shape,  individual legs are between 1 and 2.5 feet deep. One leg will have the ore boat and the other a 5 foot long car float.  Already completed the float bridge,  next is the float itself. 

Incidentally the size of the ore boat is not uncommon.  Many old lakers were in the 300-400 foot range. 

Wow! Great work guys. The level of work here is inspiring!

Andy

What have you been up to Andy?

ZW got demoted to accessory duty. Track power now comes from a pair of Lionel 180W bricks. I only run TMCC and DCS, so they work perfectly. 

B6s no. 5244 worked the yard order tonight assembling a switching train for the local town, a collection of 3 boxcars, 3 reefers, a flatcar with 2 farm trackters, and 2 gons an empty and one loaded with retired rr ties. Next crew will move cars from a spur to the yard to assemble a mixed freight bound for distant towns.

I am putting individual cedar shingles on the roof panels for this Oakridge Corp.  "Old Mill" kit that l bashed into a longer building.  That may mean l could run out of cedar sheets to cut and cover. Tedious! If so, rear of roof will get "patched" with other roofing.  I also discovered l had another of these kits l may put on Bay as soon as l finish.  I am also bashing water wheel for a better appearance.

Removed the old barstools/stray piece of board holding transformers and remotes and built a permanent panel.  Now the barstools can be used to sit on and we can use shelf to store said barstools. Also attempted to clean up the rat nest of wires leading to the transformers. Much more kid friendly and looks about 1000000x better.

Before (For about 15 years😬)

After:

Thanks for asking Bob. I worked on the front entry and windows for my current build. If you click on the link in my signature you will find the latest updates. I don’t always remember to post here. 🤪

Andy

I've been spending good bits of each weekend at my parents' place helping to clean out the basement for what will become the new train room. I posted the layout plan in the layouts thread.

Part of that plan meant moving the existing 4' x 8.5' layout (the one dad had since he was a kid) out of the way to make room for the new bench work. Dad is laid up from two recent surgeries, so he's not very mobile, but he was too curious about what I was doing downstairs to leave me alone. He was expecting me to dismantle the layout and put it into temporary storage. Instead, I moved it to the game room, fixed everything up, and got it running for him. Now he has trains to play with while we build his dream layout in the newly-cleaned out train room!

He is super excited, and asked me to set up a workstation for him to take apart and clean up the rolling stock that has sat unused in the RailRax since I moved out 25 years ago! So with his lame leg and his still-healing chest, he set to work helping on the cars.

Photos of the restored layout temporarily in the game room, and just before moving it out of the blank slate train room that we start building in next weekend. Note the TV I put up in the corner... Dad says he needs to be able to watch football while running trains. I'm shocked at how inexpensive a halfway decent TV is these days...

@SuperChief posted:

Removed the old barstools/stray piece of board holding transformers and remotes and built a permanent panel.  Now the barstools can be used to sit on and we can use shelf to store said barstools. Also attempted to clean up the rat nest of wires leading to the transformers. Much more kid friendly and looks about 1000000x better.

Before (For about 15 years😬)

After:

@SuperChief: I've seen all sorts of situations like you had with the transformer... "Let's just put this here for now and we'll figure it out later" turns into " these stools are now full time transformer holders"

Made sure to plan for a permanent space in my Dad's new layout for the transformers and switch boards for just this reason. Nice looking layout too!