I went under the table and dug out a Girder & Panel kit. Built a nice little oil refinery with it. It has valves and everything. It's designed to work with water, so I'll just dye the water brown or black...
I have to say it looks great. I would weather it a bit, if you like scale stuff.
Haven't posted in a while. Haven't really made much progress on my layout.
Last week I bought plane tickets to spend Memorial Day Weekend at my Dad's to help him wire his layout. I'm really looking forward to it. It's been three years since I last helped him on his layout and most of that time was spent trouble-shooting his first PLC. Now it's time to go hard on wiring to get it ready for landscaping and models. I plan to take and post a ton of pictures! If you remember my earlier post "A shipping test," you'll remember Mr. Gene. He's going to get to work making more models for Dad and the wiring is lagging.
My layout?
I'm ready to start serious planning. I had an electrician over Saturday to look at the basement. Next Saturday he'll be coming back to add a sub-panel and run the main electrical to the future home of the railroad. We decided on 2 20A feeds for power. That should be enough. We're going with a sub panel for future flexibility. I believe I can use the lighting I have for now, but I might want to add another circuit just for light. I'm using about 25% of the basement for trains but all of the lighting is on the same 15A feed. If I build walls and make the train area it's own room, it might be more convenient to make lighting it's own breaker.
We're also adding receptacles to the corner of the basement where the treadmill and elliptical are. Going to add a TV and mini-fridge to hopefully help us get through the workouts easier (and hopefully more often!).
Here is a picture of the construction in progress on my mountain:
Anthony K posted:I was testing DCS signal tonight and running a few trains.
Here a B&P local running light is passed by a CR empty slab train.
Very nice Anthony! I'm glad to see local trains and am glad you have progressed enough that you can run them.
RETINPA posted:I finished the roof and the windows in my church. As I posted previously, the shake shingles are from Wild West Scale Models. The stained glass window inserts came from a web image. I altered the aspect ratio of the original image to fit my window openings, and made minor alterations to the perspective. Then I copied and pasted the image to get 8 copies per sheet, and printed the result first on paper, adjusting the printed size until the images filled the window openings. Then I printed it on transparency film. Once installed in the openings, I had another of those "art imitates life" issues to deal with: I could see into the church even though the prototype window is translucent. I fixed that problem by placing a piece of matte (invisible) tape on the inside of each window. Interior illumination is from a pair of GOW lamps suspended in a wooden "beam" about 16 scale feet off of the floor, high enough that there aren't any hot spots in the windows when the room lights are off. This was a lot of work but IMO the result is totally worth it.
I've had this kit since about 2007 and it was high time I finished it. Now I have but one Plasticville house to work on, and then I will run out of excuses for not starting my scenery.
Joel,
I think the church looks excellent! It reminds me of one we went to when we went to camp when I was a child!
MaxSouthOz posted:Some more sea. This time down at the slipway end.
DerSuhrhersagten0868 posted:I went under the table and dug out a Girder & Panel kit. Built a nice little oil refinery with it. It has valves and everything. It's designed to work with water, so I'll just dye the water brown or black...
I have to say it looks great. I would weather it a bit, if you like scale stuff.
Mitch
#JOHNF "I love the Mountain..... I bet the first time you tried it, it was something like this..."?? (Please Please tell me you did... and that someday, some where, I will have a mountain like yours...... oh and some very tiny folks to get in and rescue my Gi-Raffe when they derail....... IN the mountain,
#JOHNF "I love the Mountain..... I bet the first time you tried it, it was something like this..."?? (Please Please tell me you did... and that someday, some where, I will have a mountain like yours...... oh and some very tiny folks to get in and rescue my Gi-Raffe when they derail....... IN the mountain,)
Thanks Miggy. My first attempt at a mountain was a total disaster. This is my 4th layout, and I am finally getting a little better.
I got DCS 5.0 and then 6.0 installed. It went smoothly once I found a solution to the "device cannot be started" error from my recently-purchased RS-232 to USB adapter. It turned out that the current driver won't work with older Prolific chips at Windows 8 and above, which led me to believe my adapter was manufactured in the Windows 7 era. Per an entry in someone's tech blog, I had to replace the driver with a 2008-vintage driver that for reasons I don't understand is compatible with Win 8 and higher. If not for that, I might still be getting the "There are no COMM ports installed on this PC" error from the DCS loader program.
DerSuhrhersagten0868 posted:I went under the table and dug out a Girder & Panel kit. Built a nice little oil refinery with it. It has valves and everything. It's designed to work with water, so I'll just dye the water brown or black...
I have to say it looks great. I would weather it a bit, if you like scale stuff.
Nice still, I mean refinery. Of course now it has me thinking about some of the coaling towers people's layouts. 
MaxSouthOz posted:Some more sea. This time down at the slipway end.
That came out great and the lighting really makes the scene pop. 
Thanks. I'm still faffing about with it. 
I've finally got to the end of making sea - still faffing with the beach.
And now with the working table back in place.
The right hand half is plate glass for making structures. The glass is removed for operating sessions.
Well, I made "something ". At least it's off the floor. 
The 4 x 8 table will likely become 6 x 8 before anything else is laid out. The entire point of this is to play with different ideas until I finish the basement. To that end, everything will stay away from the walls and be temporary sections.
For now this is my first ever o72 loop, and I just didn't foresee how much room they take up in the corners.
A fine start, JH.
The track looks like it's good and smooth.
Ran trains! Did a bit of a switching operation and took a few photos. Put my new Atlas O ( new to me via eBay ) pulpwood flat cars on my Mountain Division. They look awesome in humble opinion
Can you see the water on the rocks, just past the breakers?
Not even by squinting?
Max, Max, Max.... YES!! I Can see the water on the rocks, and to think this was started because you saw a very COOL �� Boat! Very well done, I look forward to your posts and, I must confess, I did not see the water �� on the rocks , even when squinting, on the first go... I'm on my third scotch and now, it quite clearly presents itself . (Salute)
He he! Thanks, Frank.
Now I know what to do.
. . . where's that bottle? . . .
Installing grade crossing signals. Still have to hook up the wiring....tonight I hope.
OK so I had "helpers"
I got in a couple of never seen before Model T Ford models, in plastic, that will be painted and severely weathered, to be sunk down to their axles behind a gas station or at an old mine. Also got in a Matchbox Model A wrecker for this or other gas station. It will be relettered for Frontier Oil or other regional oil co. Much time was spent researching a future railcar project kit bash. Looks like models exists, that can be bought at an affordable price, that will be much easier to modify, and l can use original planned power chassis for something else. This is a future effort, to fill a square, and won't happen fast.
Been a while since I posted here, but not for lack of working on the layout. On the contrary, I've been very busy getting ready for hosting on our NMRA division layout tour. Ballasting operations wrapped up for this first batch about a week ago, so track could be cleaned and returned to operation.
Walt came by last Sunday, and we ran trains. It was a good thing too, because right out of the gate we ran into a big problem. One block on the upper deck had a short. But this one was extra tricky. Using GarGraves track, I have one ground rail, and the other outside rail is for detection. The detection rail has three segments, one at the east end (3'), one at the west end (3') and the middle (in this case 24'). It took a while to realize that the train was making it past the east detection OK, but shorting out when it hit the middle detector. We did a visual inspection of the track, and couldn't see anything. Finally, I started cutting the wire that was tied to each 3' section of track, as well as the pins in the rail. After three cuts, the search was narrowed to a single 3' piece. Then I found it, a black 2-56 screw, the type I use to connect the knobs on the manual switch throws, was wedged between the detection rail and the center rail. The strange part of this was, I had run trains through that block at least 30 times without trouble. Thank god we found it during the test run. Something like that could have ruined my day Saturday. Fingers crossed!!!!
Not only did the train room need cleaning, but the room between the stairs and the train room, where I had my chop saw set up, really needed cleaning. There are no before pics, but here's what it looks like now.
Chad (Chester7) made this beautiful sign for me. I think this is the perfect place to show it off.
There's a story behind all of the signs I have. I'll have to tell the one behind the Burlington Route sometime. For now, suffice to say that's where the chop saw used to be.
Scott (Miggy) helped me finish ballasting Interstate last week.
Still lots to do before Saturday. After that, I think I'm going to collapse.
Marvelous stuff Elliot! looks great.... see you saturday mr Elliot!
"DAWGS, git ur Hot Dawgs...>" Yessir, I'll take two.
Fun photo sir.
I don't think my caption stuff got inserted. I had some fun with my Frosty Bar, my favorite Plasticville piece, based on a place in Mackinaw City Michigan which has a 60 foot long hot dog on their roof.
Big_Boy_4005 posted:Been a while since I posted here, but not for lack of working on the layout. On the contrary, I've been very busy getting ready for hosting on our NMRA division layout tour. Ballasting operations wrapped up for this first batch about a week ago, so track could be cleaned and returned to operation.
Walt came by last Sunday, and we ran trains. It was a good thing too, because right out of the gate we ran into a big problem. One block on the upper deck had a short. But this one was extra tricky. Using GarGraves track, I have one ground rail, and the other outside rail is for detection. The detection rail has three segments, one at the east end (3'), one at the west end (3') and the middle (in this case 24'). It took a while to realize that the train was making it past the east detection OK, but shorting out when it hit the middle detector. We did a visual inspection of the track, and couldn't see anything. Finally, I started cutting the wire that was tied to each 3' section of track, as well as the pins in the rail. After three cuts, the search was narrowed to a single 3' piece. Then I found it, a black 2-56 screw, the type I use to connect the knobs on the manual switch throws, was wedged between the detection rail and the center rail. The strange part of this was, I had run trains through that block at least 30 times without trouble. Thank god we found it during the test run. Something like that could have ruined my day Saturday. Fingers crossed!!!!
Not only did the train room need cleaning, but the room between the stairs and the train room, where I had my chop saw set up, really needed cleaning. There are no before pics, but here's what it looks like now.
Chad (Chester7) made this beautiful sign for me. I think this is the perfect place to show it off.
There's a story behind all of the signs I have. I'll have to tell the one behind the Burlington Route sometime. For now, suffice to say that's where the chop saw used to be.
Scott (Miggy) helped me finish ballasting Interstate last week.
Still lots to do before Saturday. After that, I think I'm going to collapse.
Looking Good Elliot. Your in the home stretch now. Hope all goes well Saturday and I certainly hope you will be posting videos of the op session.
Finding a little black screw under all that ballast was pure luck
Bob
KRM posted:At last,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Here is the completed elevated level less the Lockon wire up. That will come in the next few days as they are calling for rain.
Also the new back up ZW.
Bet your grandson can't wait to run trains on the new line! Looks great!
Bob
Miggy posted:Marvelous stuff Elliot! looks great.... see you saturday mr Elliot!
Great job! So you are checked out on ballast. If you come visit my layout in planning in a 130 sq ft room, you could probably ballast the whole thing in a day!
RSJB18 posted:KRM posted:At last,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Here is the completed elevated level less the Lockon wire up. That will come in the next few days as they are calling for rain.
Also the new back up ZW.
Bet your grandson can't wait to run trains on the new line! Looks great!
Bob
Thanks Bob, The word is he is coming out on Friday so I had to put it on push!!!
At least it is all up and running. Last night wifey and I ran trains for about an hour before bed. Works great considering there is only one power tap for now.
Work continues almost daily on the new club facility mostly by Harold, the proprietor. His 'style' of construction has made it quite difficult to get any decent photos of progress due to the mess, but we are coming along nicely.
Last evening we shot a few photos for our new business card and brochure so we cleared off a space near a MTH station and shot this old PW 773 Hudson.
Our lady graphics designer will 'light' the headlamp and use this in her work for us. She's a smart, nice-looking blonde Trump supporter who is painting all the wall murals and likes trains!
Thanks guys!
Bob - This isn't an operating session, at least not the way I see them. This is an open house for a specific audience, with display running. An operating session is when a small group of people come over and trains are made up and broken down, with cars being switched at industries. I hope to host at least one of those before 2018. 
Good luck Saturday, Elliot.
Looking real good C.Sam.
Big_Boy_4005 posted:Thanks guys!
Bob - This isn't an operating session, at least not the way I see them. This is an open house for a specific audience, with display running. An operating session is when a small group of people come over and trains are made up and broken down, with cars being switched at industries. I hope to host at least one of those before 2018.
As long as trains are running Elliot you have been successful! Good luck.
Bob
Thanks Pat.
Bob, that's the real trick. Murphy's Law of model railroading: trains don't run when guests are present.
(Hope I didn't just jinx myself)
<crosses fingers, toes, eyes and knocks on wood>
Big_Boy_4005 posted:Murphy's Law of model railroading: trains don't run when guests are present.
Too true.
The last op session I had, I had tested everything that morning and when people showed up and I hit the master switch, nothing. Turns out, one of my throttles was causing the DCC system to re-boot, and was an easy fix. Thank goodness the guy who wired my DCC originally was one of the people running that day!
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