What projects are you working on this summer? Engines, rolling stock, etc.
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Florida's "winter weather", i.e. hot & humid is in full swing, so I stay inside and work cooler projects in the heat of the day. This summer I have converted 25 passenger cars from incandescent lighting to LED lighting using gunrunner john's constant voltage power supplies and string led's purchased off the internet.
I also conduct routine maintenance on my engine fleet as needed.
My biggest "to-do" project involves kicking myself to get more scenery completed. I am slowly making progress on that front which is my most challenging while I figure out what will work and what I need to purchase regarding scenery materials. With no local hobby shops of note with a good scenery supply stock, it involves ordering online and awaiting receipt of materials to continue.
Having bought the first run of menard's 24 flat cars package, I am fixing the couplers on about 20 or so still undone. Some for my grandson who wires all kinds of things to these cars.
I'm still in the process of converting my Lionel Southern Mikado No.4501 to ERR Cruise, fan driven smoke with Super Chuffer, new LED lighting, and RailSounds 5. I've already gutted the old electronics, and painted the locomotive's tires white. I've gotten most of the parts, and should be done in mid August. 
Creating a rushing stream for the AGHR On30 line. Based on a series of posts on the Railroad Line Forums (made into a book; posts no longer available 
)
Working on a cure for my 3rd Rail T-3 receptivity problem.
https://ogrforum.com/t...j-switchman-s-shanty
This project is in the real train realm, and has taken much of my summer thus far. I had wanted to begin a garden layout, but that may not happen yet again.
Don
I'm tearing down my old layout, cleaning out the basement and then will build a new layout.
Lots of work to do to get the basement cleaned out - it's truly amazing how much crap you can accumulate over the years.
- Greg
I'm working on adding a second layer to my layout. My idea is to put a small hill/mountain in the two back corners of the table and have an O27 bent figure 8 bridged over the layout. Should add a little more variety/action and actually free up some space if it ends up like the image in my head (yeah right!)
Some stuff I have in the works that I'll probably leave until winter when i'll be stuck indoors:
A 2046 and early 2026 that are running, but need a cleaning and overhaul to run smoother, smoke, and whistle,
A 2056 and later 2026 that are barely running, so they need to be cleaned up and repaired so they can be sold.
A 2025 that is not running. Haven't decided if I'll sell it yet, but will try to repair regardless.
A couple small accessories that need tuning
The joys of owning and operating postwar!
All this and I do have my grandmother's 1946 Signer sewing machine and cabinet ready for restoration and a vintage pearl drumset that needs to be cleaned up so I can sell it. I've got two other drumsets that are older and nicer, but this was free from a family member who's moving, so I agreed to take it. More stuff taking up room in my basement!!!
I'm finally getting close to finishing converting my Lionel 4-8-2 (ex Southern RR) to BPRC. Had to make a Vanderbilt tender and move the sand dome and lines, the front part of both sides of the running boards and 2 air tanks, replace the bell with one mounted on top of the boiler, and make 2 new air tanks.
Once the paint dries and the decals are on then installing BPRC is a breeze (already have the hole "machined" out for the board on back of the engine).
I bought 5 of the kits from the Lou Cross estate so that'll give me something to do in the fall/winter!!! Also may convert my Williams E7 to BPRC.
I am trying to fabricate some eye catching cars for a xmas layout for children (old and young). None of it will be prototypical or realistic. I'm just concentrating on things that can catch your attention with movement or lights. So far it is much more involved than I thought it would be, but still entertaining to me. Primarily on engines, flat cars, hopper cars, box cars and cabooses. I haven't thought of anything I can do to a tank car yet. The warmer Texas weather tends to force me indoors much like the snow up north.
haven't made it downstairs for a while. I have some projects I want to do, but The Boss asked for a remodel for her pond for our anniversary next week, so I've been after that in between my 12 hour shifts.need to get some lumber and tin for the roof to replace the tarp.
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I plan on getting a forest of 'super tree' sprigs done and "planted" on my layout with foliage on them. I must admit I've never worked with that stuff before, so it'll be a trial-and-error at first but once I have a technique down, the assembly line for trees should go fast. I have a relatively small layout, so 100+ trees should look pretty impressive when bunched together like I plan.
Once that's done, I'll be getting onto some serious photography of the 'finished' layout and then writing an article for our favorite O magazine...
Building rolling stock.
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I am roaming my house trying to figure out where I can put my Standard gauge track so I can get it off the floor. Have already got rid of some furniture and others are marked to go. Looks like my bedroom is where it will go. I only spend a few hours there at night in the dark so what the heck. If I could get rid of the queen size bed that would make a lot more room. Have to buy some curves to help my planning because I gave my son my extras. Pulled maintenance on an Ives Standad gauge engine. Boy!! Was it dirty but only approx. 90 yrs old.
COCA-COLA TRAIN
I bit the bullet finally and plan to install a turntable, a lot of planning and track work to get there
Building a new scenery module to cover a corner and yard lead on our club's modular layout. I'll post pictures as it progresses.
PAUL ROMANO posted:What projects are you working on this summer? Engines, rolling stock, etc.
Too many to name.. I appear to be a gluten for punishment.. lol Right now it's so hot here in SC, I work outside before 10am and after 7pm.. The rest of the day is inside.. I guess kinda like you guys are up North in the Wintertime.. Always learning a lot on the OGR Forum!!
Nothing glamorous, but I am building a new layout and have started the wiring process. In not too many years, I will be too old to go crawling around under a train table! Ouch.
Planing and purchasing items/materials for my future couple hundred feet of garden G gauge layout. 
the new adventure....
Among a couple dozen honey do's.
Larry
PS looking forward to winter already.
I built a 7ft extension The main table is 6x8 with a 4x5 'L'. I added the 7ft to the 4x5. I wired the track with a trunk line and feeder wires and also ran wire for any accessories I will put on there. I'm thinking about putting in a fishing pond at some point.
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@ SCRATCHBUILDER1-48 Wow! Summer time well spent.
At the moment I have a 2026 that needs a new E unit. 2 1110's that needs motors, and THIS is the most heart breaking. I just picked up a 2037, the boiler isn't in too bad shape. Someone dropped it years ago, and bent the right rear driver, ok, I can deal with that. But, at the same time, the left center driver has a broken screw in it, and here's the kicker, the motor is in FANTASTIC shape. One step at a time.
I'm thinking of rejiggering my small (4x8) layout from 2/3 desert scenery / 1/3 mountain to almost all mountain. Hard to find cactus plants that work for me and it has been this way for seven years now (originally the desert portion was Route 66 themed).
I will go to a logging look for the whole thing rather than just partial as it is now.
Shouldn't cost too much to do and pretty easy to accomplish, as well. Plus I'm a big fan of logging!
DennyM posted:I built a 7ft extension The main table is 6x8 with a 4x5 'L'. I added the 7ft to the 4x5. I wired the track with a trunk line and feeder wires and also ran wire for any accessories I will put on there. I'm thinking about putting in a fishing pond at some point.
I just finished the train yard today. Now I can take my time and decide what to do with the end piece. I have to get more ballast and I still have to put a road in.
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Yeah, as I don't live in Florida (mentioned above), but next to it and with the same weather (hot and humid), this is the "stay inside" season. OK, not all days are like that - in fact, I often drive with the windows down unless it's one of those incredibly thick, windless days.
So - messing with locos, as usual. Installing ERR cruise/sound in my recently completed freelance 2-8-8-2. Converting some old 2-rail cars to 3-rail (often harder than it looks; each situation is different). Maybe one day I'll actually run some trains - besides on my layout's "test main".
"Yeah, as I don't live in Florida (mentioned above), but next to it and with the same weather (hot and humid), this is the "stay inside" season. "
You're further South than I am.. Pretty much "stay inside" weather here in SC also.. Waiting on the contractor to ,raise the windows so I can start building my new layout!!
Shhh!!!! Be Very very quiet We's a Hunting the extremely illusive Budd dome wabbit, wrapper.
And if nobody builds their own dome cars anymore somebodys got a whole durn closet full of these things just sittin Still need 3 of these in picture
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- Have two older MTH center beam flat cars I'm 2-railing. One will be loaded and the other empty. Same road and number for a possible loads-in/empties out operation.
- Resumption of work on back-dating a pair of BNSF GP30's into ATSF GP30u's. Need to fix the pilots and put on Kadees.
- Resumption on a switching layout build.
Just finishing up a set of All Nation F units. Stripped, primed, painted DGLE , and lettered in Pennsy single stripe livery. (dang decals are getting harder to find!) I don't live in the South, but PGH can get pretty humid and hot....enough to chase me indoors. Planning a rail fan trip to Johnstown, PA ...my Mom's hometown....with 3 pals this Friday. Re-worked some ancient 2 rail cars....added Kadees.....some repaints, but try not to spoil that well earned patina gained on someone's layout long ago.
All,
My first post. After rescuing my childhood Lionel trains from my mom's house earlier this year, I subscribed to CTT and OGR magazines and just joined the OGR Forum last week. I've found the OGR Forum to be incredibly helpful for getting smart the "how to" side of the hobby (my dad did most of that when I was younger) as well as a great source for those good deals and unique finds that I just can't pass up.
Based on advice gleaned from the Forum, my summer project is building a 4x8 layout on a piece of rigid foam insulation. Right now, it's a simple Fastrack oval with a couple switches and sidings. The plan is to layout/secure the track and accessories directly on the board and configure the wiring for track power and accessories. Then, I'll remove everything, overlay the board with green felt, and put everything back together using the mounts for the track and the depressed channels in the board to route the wiring under the felt. Right now, my empire consists of two MPC-era diesels, a postwar steamer, and a motley mix of postwar, MPC, and modern cars.
If I do it right, it will be ready by Christmas to complement the tree. I plan to have a few operating accessories on the industrial side of the board (new saw mill, postwar coal loader, postwar water tower, postwar rotary beacon), terminal and Marx Girard station for the passenger cars, and a relatively open space on the other half for changing placement of roads, cars, and residential buildings. I figure we can change this side as we see fit. My wife even suggested we could change the buildings depending on the holiday...for someone who thought the board was for Christmas only, I was happily surprised.
At any rate, I'm happy to be part of the OGR community. I have 2 year old son and 3 month old daughter, so time for the trains is scarce, but I'm finding time here and there this summer and, hopefully, will find myself at York at some point. May even get to the Greenberg show in Dulles, VA at the end of the month.
Cheers,
Oliver
O Fritz posted:All, My first post. After rescuing my childhood Lionel trains from my mom's house earlier this year, I subscribed to CTT and OGR magazines and just joined the OGR Forum last week. I've found the OGR Forum to be incredibly helpful for getting smart the "how to" side of the hobby (my dad did most of that when I was younger) as well as a great source for those good deals and unique finds that I just can't pass up. Based on advice gleaned from the Forum, my summer project is building a 4x8 layout on a piece of rigid foam insulation. Right now, it's a simple Fastrack oval with a couple switches and sidings. The plan is to layout/secure the track and accessories directly on the board and configure the wiring for track power and accessories. Then, I'll remove everything, overlay the board with green felt, and put everything back together using the mounts for the track and the depressed channels in the board to route the wiring under the felt. Right now, my empire consists of two MPC-era diesels, a postwar steamer, and a motley mix of postwar, MPC, and modern cars. If I do it right, it will be ready by Christmas to complement the tree. I plan to have a few operating accessories on the industrial side of the board (new saw mill, postwar coal loader, postwar water tower, postwar rotary beacon), terminal and Marx Girard station for the passenger cars, and a relatively open space on the other half for changing placement of roads, cars, and residential buildings. I figure we can change this side as we see fit. My wife even suggested we could change the buildings depending on the holiday...for someone who thought the board was for Christmas only, I was happily surprised. At any rate, I'm happy to be part of the OGR community. I have 2 year old son and 3 month old daughter, so time for the trains is scarce, but I'm finding time here and there this summer and, hopefully, will find myself at York at some point. May even get to the Greenberg show in Dulles, VA at the end of the month. Cheers, Oliver
Welcome aboard!! Many great people and lots of information on the forum.. Good luck with your layout!!!
My remaining summer project is to organize and document my Hi Rail, 3RS, 2R, and HO collections so I can post a huge HONGZ UNION PACIFIC SALE!
I had been straddling O and HO indecisively for some time and now I've decided to focus only on O!
(David1, if you're listening it might be a good opportunity for you. )
I am pursuing an enhancement to a 9142 Republic Steel Gondola
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I am pleased to announce that I have the 2026, 2037,back up and running. I recently purchased a 1666 that needed a side rod, and the drivers re-quartered, and it is up and running. I fear that finding new motors for the 1110's may be a hopeless project.
I have just set up my 5x9 layout in my garage. I have yet to get 4 pieces of 6 inch Gargraves straights, 1 Ross 031 left manual switch, and 1 Ross 031 right curve for the siding. Hopefully I can find them at Greenberg on Saturday.
