What did you do on your layout today?

@RSJB18 posted:

My lawn is pretty brown at the moment. 28 degrees with snow forecast for tomorrow 😂😂

Thanks @lee drennen

Same here. I’m sending you all the rain we had today as snow 😂

@RSJB18 posted:

This is starting to look like a labor of love Carl. I'm impressed with your perseverance to get it right. 👍

"Perseverance" is the right term.  Starting over after the initial two were deemed unsatisfactory at this stage, then going from 2 to 4 domes after joining a train club with a large permanent layout, has strung out this project.

I need to come up with a work flow/area that allows me to keep working on something else while the paint dries, literally, for my various paint projects.

Yes Lee you sent us lots of rain Sunday and today.  Icy stuff all yesterday evening during the playoffs and continued rain all day Monday and still raining.

I have missed a great opportunity to work on the Pennsy Stone walls today.  I have everything in place with exception of the smaller sized paint brushes. Those are ordered and on there way.  I will be practicing on cardboard so not to waist an expensive wall section from Scenic Express.  

My project beginning tomorrow is based upon the photos and instruction from one very thorough and talented Chris Ambrosini.  To whom of which I am very greatful.

I fell in love with Chris's layout and his walls from seeing the photos in our thread in February - March 2020.

@Pingman posted:

"Perseverance" is the right term.  Starting over after the initial two were deemed unsatisfactory at this stage, then going from 2 to 4 domes after joining a train club with a large permanent layout, has strung out this project.

I need to come up with a work flow/area that allows me to keep working on something else while the paint dries, literally, for my various paint projects.

Carl, Yes A permanent work area is truly wonderful.  I have learned that painting inside and outside both have their drawbacks.  The breezes outside and overspray inside are two major issues while working on projects that are performed in stages and last several days.

I am fortunate now have have a workshop and worktables.  But the painting continues to be a major issue.

Your cars appear to be looking great from here.  This time you should be pleased with yourself.

Technically I didn't work "on the layout" rather, above it.  After nearly 60 years I rediscovered the fun of building models. My brother flew P-38s and other multi-engine aircraft in WWII so I decided to build one and hang it.  I did have a challenge though. Folks hang them from the ceiling. That's tough for me because of the width of my layout and the very narrow space between walls the layout. So I decided to sting a line diagonally across the layout. Then I used fishing line leads with barrel swivels so I could easily slide the model anywhere along the line.  So far, the P-38 has stayed airborne. 

I hoped the nose art on the P-38 matched one of those on the Menard's boxcars in the background...no luck.

Ed, The P38 looks great!!  I'm glad it is still airborne and you did not become airborne hanging it. 

You did a beautiful job on this Ed.  Your brother would be very proud of you'.. And boy what a fabulous collection you have with a great layout room'...👍👌⭐😁

ToledoEd: Great work and chuck full of fun stuff on your layout and matched by the rolling stock on the shelves.

I was at Menards last week buying lumber and they still had their train display out. I grabbed one of the multi purpose buildings for my layout. I'm using it as a REA depot. Fit's in pretty decently.

Morning guys, things are looking very nice and fun!

Ed, wonderful solution to your situation on hanging the P38! Way to think out of the box!

Lou, The REA depot looks outstanding on your layout!

Well the last couple mornings before day light and between digging 20 post holes with a bar and post hole diggers I was able to gets some more road installed on the layout. I had to move my crane, but I think its going to really add to the layout. I still have to have the paint crew come out and puts a center line down. Here are a couple photos.

I am still debating a guard rail, but its just something else to knock over or break when trying to work on things further back on the layout.

I hope you all have a great day and find time for your layout and trains! Most of all I hope you have fun!

As for me its setting fence post in the snow! LOL

Installed the shelving that separates the layout from the rest of the rec room

Great looking layouts guys!  Toledo Ed...great layout and display area along the wall above...nice to see the P-38 above keeping things safe

Lou, nice alternative use of the building...the ruffage area looks fantastic, and the lighting tops off the scene!

Mike G...realistic industrial area...I recall seeing an "engine house" facility just like yours to house the Boston Metro engines...

Terry, I need to get out the tools and make a storage cabinet like yours...perfect...!

Good reading of all the things you guys have been doing. I finally got to the roof on the machine shop. Glued all the pieces down and put weights on to hold it all in place till the glue dries. Pic.................Paul 2

You guys are doing good work and inspiring me to work on my layout to/do list. I was going to run an operating session today, but I decided last night it was time to tackle scenic work on an unfinished part of the layout. Today I installed an additional support post so I could cut out an 18 inch piece of 1 X 3 that was a non bearing and unnecessary cross support. It has been on my list for a long time and gives me more room to work in this popup area. I cut to size pieces of left over quarter inch foam as templates for one inch foam pieces to make four scenic inserts that I can pop up to work on hard to get places. Years ago I experimented with a mockup scene for the area but it was out of character for the area. I will need more pine/spruce trees that I enjoy making.

Everyone, lots of great work, Mike g., I’m glad your finding a little time to do road work on your nice layout, Toledo Ed, Wow, you have a nice layout and the plane looks very nice hovering over your accessories, really neat, RSJB18 Bob, I love your artistic work on your mountain with the cool tunnel portal, the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, so to speak.... Yesterday, we visited Dr. Jack while near Nashville, the pictures are of his progress. I love his artistic work very much. Happy Railroading Everyone

I finally got these lights soldered and installed. They get shrink wrapped once I feed them through the table. Now I'm waiting on some park benches with people which are in the mail. I plan to place the benches and last two lights along the back end of the lot.

@leapinlarry posted:

Everyone, lots of great work, Mike g., I’m glad your finding a little time to do road work on your nice layout, Toledo Ed, Wow, you have a nice layout and the plane looks very nice hovering over your accessories, really neat, RSJB18 Bob, I love your artistic work on your mountain with the cool tunnel portal, the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, so to speak.... Yesterday, we visited Dr. Jack while near Nashville, the pictures are of his progress. I love his artistic work very much. Happy Railroading Everyone

Beautiful pics Larry

Dug out the PW F units for my passenger train paint projects.  Nothing very significant--filling in some of the seams on the sides; adding a second headlight; and brass horns.  Previously installed brass O scale 45 degree number boards, and enlarged the portholes to accept scale lenses; and, added a third porthole to the B unit in the background.

One of the A shells will be for the NP North Coast Limited and will be twin motor to pull the 8 car train; the remaining ABA shells will be used for the Great Northern Empire Builder.

Morning guys , sure is a bunch of nice work being done!

Terry, Nice job on the shelving,

Paul2 , great work on the roof, I bet the guys in the machine shop were getting tired of the rain and snow getting in! They will be happy once you have it installed!

Pennsynut, Looks good I wish I could do the pop ups, but the knees say NO! LOL

Larry, you have to be the luckyest guy I know! You have one of the most amazing layouts that I have ever seen pictures of. Then on top of that you get to go and visit other amazing layouts! I thank you for sharing the photos with us!

Rick, the lights look great! Wonderful work!

Carl, That sure looks like alot of work, but I know they will look outstanding when your done!

Nothing  form me today maybe tomorrow . I hope you all have a great day and have fun!

I added a small spur behind my yard tower, to hold two or three rail cars.

Mikeg: I have two duck under areas that I have to get to to run the town switching orders in my operating sessions. After years of crawling under on the basement floor, I spent $6 on knee pads. They work great for me.

Pennsynut, I'm glad the knee pads work.  They did for me 10 to 15 years ago.  Now I can sort of use one, but the other knee can't.  Everyone should take care of their knees!  I didn't.  Now I am smarter!!!

Mike, I like your road you put in.  I think it would be safer to bump cars on your roads with your elbows than stationary guard rails.  The cars will move, the guard rails will soon look like those here, all bent up from you repairing them.

I did some preliminary work on putting in the mike g. lift bridges by removing the wood lips and alignment screws that held the lift out section in place.  I also did a bunch of measuring and drawing to figure what to cut to build a similar arrangement as Mike's.  Nothing much to photograph yet.

Laid the final pieces of track, my missing switch arrived and track is all down and secure!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Laid the final pieces of track, my missing switch arrived and track is all down and secure!

John, whats your "GOTO" for testing "All track laid and switches too?" Do you have an engine named TIMEX.... that take a licking and keeps on ticking? (Share the video Share the video) <smile>

Congrats John!!

I'm slowly working my way up to the scratch build station project on the third level of my subway station. Today, I finished the scratch built platform stairs, fencing and sidewalks on the lower levels.

@Pingman posted:

Dug out the PW F units for my passenger train paint projects.  Nothing very significant--filling in some of the seams on the sides; adding a second headlight; and brass horns.  Previously installed brass O scale 45 degree number boards, and enlarged the portholes to accept scale lenses; and, added a third porthole to the B unit in the background.

One of the A shells will be for the NP North Coast Limited and will be twin motor to pull the 8 car train; the remaining ABA shells will be used for the Great Northern Empire Builder.

Nice job smoothing out the mold lines on the shell. Looks 100% better .

@Miggy posted:

John, whats your "GOTO" for testing "All track laid and switches too?" Do you have an engine named TIMEX.... that take a licking and keeps on ticking? (Share the video Share the video) <smile>

Congrats John!!

I have my battery powered Camelback queued up to do a run, just want to charge up my Mobius camera to document the momentous event.

Yesterday and today I sculped the four of the foundation panels for the area I have been thinking about. I placed two with experiments with rock formations that I plan to rework. The other two are on the work table where I am sizing up a rock formation. Much of the time spent was vacuuming the styrofoam beads. Cheers.

Started a new topic -  Twin Pines Railroad.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I have my battery powered Camelback queued up to do a run, just want to charge up my Mobius camera to document the momentous event.

GRJ, I hope that when you add photos/videos/etc. to your layout thread you will take a moment to edit the title to note the date of the update. Doing so alerts folks like me that there is something new to read/see.  Otherwise, your thread pops up due to a reply by someone other than you.

Second ZW4000 installed and trying to finish the grass mats so I can get rolling on scenery details.

@Pingman posted:

GRJ, I hope that when you add photos/videos/etc. to your layout thread you will take a moment to edit the title to note the date of the update. Doing so alerts folks like me that there is something new to read/see.  Otherwise, your thread pops up due to a reply by someone other than you.

Good point, I just put in my last "update" date.   I actually worked on it today, I figured out how to get all the power and switch wiring to the liftgate and hung the wires.  Still have to wire them up, but at least now I know how the power and logic get to the moving part.

Today I made sections of a styrofoam mountain on two panels in the area I am scenicing. I have a little more work to do on one peak and some bolders to make and scatter before I apply hydrocal soaked blue shop towels to the white panels. I will work on the green panel after I refine my plan for that area. Maybe an old PRR classTA MOW car without wheels spotted along the spur repurposed as a tool shed and warming shack. Cheers.

Besides the Twin Pines RailRoad topic, have been fiddling around with how to wall off my elevated sections of town.

Took a piece of foam and worked it on my drill press with a couple of router bits. Not perfect, but after I coat this with a thin layer of grout mix, all this will even out.  I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel - not this tunnel ; )  - but having the layout mostly where I want it, before adding detail.

That foam railing looks like deteriorating, aged concrete. It’s perfect, Jeff! Don’t smooth it out too much.  Nice job.

@gunrunnerjohn, thanks.

My perseverance with the 4 LIONEL dome cars paid off.  While hoping the paint work was done, the dark green paint did not look glossy enough to accept decals and was a bit granular looking.

This same finish issue was present the first go around that got derailed because of problems creating an acceptable white stripe which led to the "do over" of late.

As a last resort to address the finish issue, I broke open a fresh bottle of Scalecoat II NP dark green and voila -- the fresh paint glistened and was glass smooth on the test spray.  So, now all four cars have fresh coats of dark green (after some masking and careful light sanding) and are ready for decals.  Of course, the plastic car ends had to be repainted and were late this afternoon.  The fact that the finish problem was due to "stale" paint was something I'd never encountered or read about in my extremely limited painting experience.

Also completed more bodywork on the F-3 shells and will give them a primer coat to identify where additional work is needed.

Now that most of the company tax prep is done, I got back downstairs.   Started installing Kadee couplers on my Heavyweight passenger cars and some Weaver and Atlas O Boxcars.    Also got my homemade Pennsy Block Wall mold out and cast another 5 wall sections to go along with the seam sealers and some flex walls I ordered. 

Seth thanks for your kind comments... Looking forward to seeing your painting and weathering efforts on your Pennsy Block walls soon. 

Finished a switch repair I had been working on. My trains kept derailing on this switch and while tinkering with it I broke the tab on the swivel rail. Well I rigged up a repair, drilled a small hole and ran a short piece of solid metal wire to tie it to the plastic mounting tab.

Works perfectly and fixed the derailing issue too!

I also had to fix a few trucks on my new tank cars that were screwed in too tight and didn't turn freely. They were causing derailments and shorts on another part of the layout.

Watching some of the virtual railroad hobby show now.

@Jstewart204 posted:

Finished a switch repair I had been working on. My trains kept derailing on this switch and while tinkering with it I broke the tab on the swivel rail. Well I rigged up a repair, drilled a small hole and ran a short piece of solid metal wire to tie it to the plastic mounting tab.

Works perfectly and fixed the derailing issue too!

I also had to fix a few trucks on my new tank cars that were screwed in too tight and didn't turn freely. They were causing derailments and shorts on another part of the layout.

Watching some of the virtual railroad hobby show now.

Assuming the repaired switch on the left- looks like the wheel flanges are hitting the wire ring. You may want to flatten it against the rail.