What did you do on your layout today?

Cleaned and lubed Lionel Atlantic and Consolidation engines. Ran each around the mainline with track cleaning car. Decided to retire and pack up some K-line PRR heavyweight cars except for the diner car that I ran with a Lionel coach and GGD RPO. Nice pics folks.

Morning guys, I am sure you all have heard I might have fried one of my engines. So everything is off the tracks till I get a chance to rework the wiring under the layout and add more protection. The only problem is its a total pig pen under the layout. so I spent part of yesterday and this morning cleaning things out that I don't need. Here is a couple photos. Enjoy! LOL

The first couple are the end of the layout I haven't gotten to yet.

The next 2 are of the end I have already cleaned. You will notice I also added light rope so I don't have to wear that darn miners lamp on my head.

I will do more later today when I get back from the doc. I hope you all have a great day and please be safe!

Oh and if you can please find time to have fun with your layout and trains!

I made this typical urban Main Street type building (store below, apartments above) from my Plasticville junk box.

Bottom front is from the 5 & 10, Top front and sides from apartment house, part of top back from side of bungalow with peak cut off, top valance from post office as are the bottom back and sides, roof from supermarket, antenna from colonial house, top front door from motel, center sign from advertisement, front spotlights are pop rivets, "glass" is from packaging, balsa trim. Tan and primer spray paint, home printed "Warrenville Arms" signage.

John, that's great looking! Very nice work!

LeapinLarry :  Wow What a passenger train...a Big Boy + tender and over 19 FEET of passenger cars!  That would go around my layout twice I would have to double it up for track space!!  Great pictures.

John great work, your innovation in combining otherwise perhaps parts that would not be used is really great.  Looks great as well.

Sincerely

Don

A quick happy snap of a WIP for the A&M museum layout:

The 2245 has been languishing in a display case at the museum since we got it.  Recently, I acquired some K-line Texas Special cars, so I brought the F3 home to see what needed fixing.  Got a replacement bike horn on order and replaced the broken front electromagnet coupler with a fixed coupler from the parts box. 

Anybody got spare K-line Texas Special cars so I can finish the consist?  I have an RPO, diner and Pullman and would like a dome car and observation so we can put this train back into service on the museum layout next year...

Plans are to commence the Razorback Traction rebuild after New Year's. 

Merry Christmas, all!

Guys,

Thanks for the kind comments about my fun little Plasticville bash project.

Mitch,

I frequently run this guy behind my 2245's. It was made by Lionel for one of TCA's divisions several years ago.

Miggy

I have a question, how do you keep the train on the elevated track...??? Go Slow - apparently. My transformer has two speeds............. and will never make it around turn one without "CRASH"... roflmao

my thoughts

i generally elevate your outside rail in the curve.
I use pop sickle sticks in the centers of the curves on the outside rails.
Slight amount of height going into and leaving  the curve and then the highest in the center.  

I’m certain there are other ideas and suggestions but the sticks do not conduct rail current.

I too back off on the transformer volts on my z4000 while the engines are in the elevated tracks and curves...

Seth

Finished the subway car repair facility on the first level of my station project.  Now I need to paint the sidewalk in front of the facility and lay some mud down in front before working my way up to the second level and installing the fencing and stairs to each platform. Then, i’ll hit the third level and start cutting up my mth banks to make the station.b

Strap Hanger - nice work on the subway. Platforms look to be 2 cars deep?  One of these days when I have appropriate room, I'll do something similar.  Merry Christmas.   Jeff

This past week, I’ve been back on the layout. Even though I have heat in the woodshop, it’s cold enough outside that I don’t want to go out unless I have to ( I really dislike the cold!!)

Anyways, I got most all of my detailing done on my station platform. A couple small things left: the “continuation” of the stairs (my wife the artist is working on that for me), trash cans, and a vending machine or two.

I’ve realized I need to just focus on small areas at a time, instead of the whole thing, with one project here and another there. It gets easier to keep track of your ideas that way!

The next section is the town area above the platform. I searched for a Miller sign that I last saw about 18months ago, for almost an hour today. I guess Mike has the right idea, time for some under layout cleaning!!

Happy Holidays to everyone, hopefully I’ll be back next week with more progress pics!!

Strap Hanger, amazing work !

Mo, You and your wife are doing outstanding work! I am like you and hate the cold but I have heat both in the garage and train room so I am all good there! LOL

Just do your best to have fun!

Annddd...... from under the treeeeeee, carpet layout, new headlight and marker lights and "A red bulb in the FireBox!" My problem is that this little guy, Lionel 8042... 242.. Prairie style has solid rollers for pickups and bangs pretty hard through the 022 switches.... and... AND, is there a trick to keeping the front trucks under the steamchest, On the Tracks ? I was going to try LEAD, but not much room. Perhaps glue a black nut for a little weight?

Shes a happy engine, pulls well, Smokes well and the kids love her.

I suppose I can leave the front trucks off...... (run the diesel, run the diesel) OR add a flat circle and extra transformer?

@ScoutingDad posted:

Strap Hanger - nice work on the subway. Platforms look to be 2 cars deep?  One of these days when I have appropriate room, I'll do something similar.  Merry Christmas.   Jeff

Thanks Jeff. Yes, that was all the room I could spare. Unfortunately,  we don’t have any basements down here in Florida. The third level is fully removeable and all lighting there will be connected to detatchable blocks. Eventually, I’m going to install a couple of switch tracks to the second level’s two middle platforms. However, since it’s only two cars deep, I figured it could wait. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well!

Mike G, Thanks! Hey, I’ll trade you my Florida heat for one of your cold basements or attic’s any day. My world is limited to a 14x9 spare bedroom.

Mo985, outstanding work!

@Miggy posted:

is there a trick to keeping the fron trucks under the steamchest, On the Tracks ? I was going to try LEAD, but not much room. Perhaps glue a black nut for a little weight?

2-4-2, right?  Make sure the front truck is bent down to the right angle.  When dangled in the air, the front wheels should be about 1/4" or a bit more below the drivers on the bottom... 

Mitch

Well Christmas Eve is a good time to clean track & run some trains 🚂. First I fired up my US Army 44 Tonner with 2 track cleaning cars to clean the short line and then the main line. When that was finished out came my MBTA Genset with MBTA double deck commuters & mail cars from siding #3. After that came the veteran’s SD-60 with the hospital train. Last I brought out my Pan Am F7 excursion with Amtrak & PanAm passenger cars from siding #7.   Tomorrow I hope to celebrate with a couple long freights.

Merry Christmas to all, & to all a good night! 💤

Be safe & God bless!

                         Merry Christmas !   have a good night everyone !!

@briansilvermustang posted:

                         Merry Christmas !   have a good night everyone !!

Hey Brian... Good to hear from you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Bob

Well, today was clean up and tune up day so the trains will run perfectly for some young Christmas visitors.

My wife helped out with some touch-up painting while a set of post war F3's race past...

Merry Christmas from Finland.

Merry Christmas everyone! Today I was able to get the other end of the layout below the bench work cleaned out and ready for my wire inspection and repairs where needed! I plan on going over every inch, making a list of what I need. I am in no hurry as I want to make darn sure I have it well protected this time! Here are a couple photos.

It's funny I found stuff I forgot I ever bought and I found more stuff to sell! I found these containers I forgot I ever bought from Andy!

Started a small layout for my 3 year old grandson who absolutely loves trains.......

@gandydancer1950 posted:

Started a small layout for my 3 year old grandson who absolutely loves trains.......

Very cool I hope you both have a wonderful and Merry Christmas!

Mike g., very nice cleanup under your cool layout. I remember what it’s like to re-do the necessary wiring as about 7 years ago I had to do the same. My next project is to adjust all of my turnouts to be sure the switch machines Snap open/closed so I can begin Routes. I’m happy you’ve found merchandise you had forgotten about... Gandydancer, that’s a fantastic project for your grandson, and he will always remember your time and generosity. Toy trains are fun, they provide a Lifetime of enjoyment. Great work. (A handsome lad) Happy Railroading Everyone and Merry Christmas...

Mike, Very nice job!!  I’m glad you had somewhere else to put all that stuff.  Did you have to leave the car outside of the garage?  When I make room under the layout, it is only a section at a time, and it all goes in my 6’ x 4’ operating area or the 8’ x 27” access aisle into the room.  You will see when I add the TVS’s and lever terminals and post photographs.  Fortunately I can still access a lot from the topside.

Gandydancer, I’m glad you have a good time with your grandson and trains!

Merry Christmas everyone!

MERRY CHRISTMAS:

http://webmail2.cincinnatibell...id=223806&part=2

========================

Best Christmas ever had or will ever have.

I was seven.  Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, we had Higbees, May co and Halley’s down town department stores.  After Thanksgiving, each would have an entire floor full of toys.  Of course the best was the train area where there were Lionel and American Flyer layouts set up.  I’d stay there for hours watching them run and, of course, there were free catalogs.

Mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I pointed to the Lionel SF diesel  A-A and 4 beautiful aluminum passenger cars and said ‘that’.  At 90 bucks, mom said we can’t afford that.  Dad worked at Midland Ross steel and, if he made that in a week, he was lucky!

$90 in 1953 is over $866 in 2020: imagine spending that much on a seven year old, today, for one present!

I remember getting up that Christmas morning and seeing the large rectangular box all wrapped and knew exactly what it was.

As in ‘Christmas story’, that was the best Christmas I ever had, or ever will.

And it still runs great!

Making good progress on Altoona Model Works Nanton elevator. Pulled Nanton, Alberta up on Google and found it has two sets of paired elevators, in unusual colors....screaming bright orange, and light blue.  I found an appropriate color..."summer wheat"..well, winter wheat would be better for a Canadian elevator..  l have the storage shed and truck dock done and am detailing the tower.  These kits, with Masonite shells, are the kits to take a beating in moves on a portable layout. This and a water mill are the only structures l have ginned out during pandemic.  Been goofing off..

Pulled out the Sawmill to cut some logs with the grandson, and we tried to get the E-Unit working in the Lionel 637... no luck, so running the Prairie 9042 and making SMOKE!

Ya'll use MegaSmoke? Whats favorite smell.. ( wife does not like the "Dirty Socks" smell....) Merry Christmas

Everything evergreen

Wow, samparfitt, you even had a Hellgate bridge, too! ... My Dad has a ATSF set of A-B-A's, love those A~A's with the passenger cars. That looked like a fun layout! Thank you for posting your memories, and, Merry Christmas!

Rusty

@Diverging Clear posted:

Wow, samparfitt, you even had a Hellgate bridge, too! ... My Dad has a ATSF set of A-B-A's, love those A~A's with the passenger cars. That looked like a fun layout! Thank you for posting your memories, and, Merry Christmas!

Rusty

Rusty,

All the 'stuff' on the present layout isn't what I had.  I had the two black steam engine sets, the SF AA set and several accessories and switches.  The two steam engine sets were used that my parents got from a friend for Christmas when I was 5 years old.  Other Christmases, I would get an accessory and some other stuff, ie, cattle loader, vibrating freight station, freight cars, etc.  All the other 'stuff' is what I wanted but couldn't afford until later in life (like most of us!).

Especially the culvert unloader.  That was 18 bucks (today $175) which was a lot of money 'back then'.

New Christmas present

New train picture from my daughter who 'cross stitched' it.

@samparfitt posted:

MERRY CHRISTMAS:

http://webmail2.cincinnatibell...id=223806&part=2

========================

Best Christmas ever had or will ever have.

I was seven.  Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, we had Higbees, May co and Halley’s down town department stores.  After Thanksgiving, each would have an entire floor full of toys.  Of course the best was the train area where there were Lionel and American Flyer layouts set up.  I’d stay there for hours watching them run and, of course, there were free catalogs.

Mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I pointed to the Lionel SF diesel  A-A and 4 beautiful aluminum passenger cars and said ‘that’.  At 90 bucks, mom said we can’t afford that.  Dad worked at Midland Ross steel and, if he made that in a week, he was lucky!

$90 in 1953 is over $866 in 2020: imagine spending that much on a seven year old, today, for one present!

I remember getting up that Christmas morning and seeing the large rectangular box all wrapped and knew exactly what it was.

As in ‘Christmas story’, that was the best Christmas I ever had, or ever will.

And it still runs great!

Growing up in Cleveland myself I know those feelings quite well!

Wired my fastrack switches for auxiliary power and I have the bumps on my head to prove it

Worked on a scratch build under layout creeper. Still working on it.

Anyone know if they sell them on Amazon?

@mike g. posted:

Worked on a scratch build under layout creeper. Still working on it.

Anyone know if they sell them on Amazon?

Mike,

I bought one similar to this last summer.  IT has worked well for me under my layout and for doing other jobs.  I needed one with a padded seat after deep bruising my soft kiester sitting on the sidewalk removing rust from the railing.  It still hurts.    One of those things where you hurt places you didn't even know you had. 

Hi Mark, I checked prices and will just finish building the one I started. Thank you though.

@mike g. posted:

Hi Mark, I checked prices and will just finish building the one I started. Thank you though.

Mike, I thought you would be able to build something dandy for a fraction of the cost of a commercial one.  I paid $40 something for the one I got.  It was worth it to me, but you have so many more resources and skills than I have.

My two creepers came from yard sales...one for each side of layout.

My swivel casters I buy at any hardware begins at the cost of $4-$6 each... at least four are necessary so in comparison my two purchases for my two creepers totaled $4.00. I see them estate sales as well.

Too cold today to start up the heat in the train room so I worked on updating my train listing and structures on my excel spreadsheet.  Much warmer inside job.

I truly enjoyed our Christmas visit with our kids yesterday via Zoom.us.  I’m certain others did as well.