What's the next Addition to Your Layout?

Not really an addition but going to get subway level wired so I can actually run some subway cars while I build the stations. 

Disney World on a mountain with Monorail...

My town is getting electricity and some residents are finally getting a paved road!

 

Make sure that if you see any citizens of Plasticville, Pennsylvania, you make sure to welcome them into the 20th Century!

Ballast.

A 4x4 extension to the long side of the "L" so that I have a place for the Grand Central Terminal when it arrives.  Not doing too much on the layout due to summertime contractual obligations (pool and yard work that is).

waiting for my GCT.  

   A turntable

After reading Don McQuaig's great article on Catenary, particularlly the catenary that the Milwaukee Road used, I'm bound and determined to build a catenary system for part of my Milwaukee Road insprired layout.  I bought about 20 4' long 1/4" dowels, a tube of 1/16" brass uncoated brazing wire and a box of Marklin catenary for the trolley wire. 

 

This will be THE project for the coming fall.  I'm just finishing up the interiors of a string of seven 21" passenger cars and when I clean my workbench, (?) the very next project is to give some real reason for the four Milw Rd electrics that I own.

 

Paul Fischer

brave you, paul  

Well it's either a Nike base or an Amish dairy farm.  It all depends on which one I have everything for first. I have an on going rainy day project making 35 PRR style catenary columns out of brass - 6 down and  29 to go.  Maybe by next spring they'll be finished.

 

 

 

 

 

Teslavill was found to have some "bad snow" so it had to be removed and is being rebuilt and Dr Tesla is helping by bringing electricity to the rest of the town.  Also Dr Who has showed up and help.  

Bought the Sawmill Machinery hardware series "WP" from Sierra West. I will be doing this as a 60's/70's retrofit using structural beams, angles and channels instead of wood beams. Have the Kits now, working on ordering the Plastruct parts. Building will be last, planning on tin roof with open walls and modern vehicle equipment (forklift, loader, trucks.....)

With the exception of the occasional modification or change scenery wise, I'll be tearing it down in the coming years. 

Will be working hard this week to get the expansion on the layout for the hiding staging and the car ferry.  I only have to Saturday afternoon to get it done and I work all week.  Luckily the kids and wife are still in NJ and I can work all night.   Just wish I got home in time today to get some lumber to get started.  

Making room in the basement for a frame with legs to eventually replace the carpet empire.

If they're the boxcabs, what other reason aside from they're cool do ya need?

Most likely an On30 steamer. I want to add a narrow gauge logging and/or ore line to feed the larger O gauge lines.

TIN-PLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

- walt

More Proper Benchwork for the new version of the layout.

Some of the old Benchwork shall not be mentioned...

I am (slowly) working on a D-223 display layout (with Super "O" track) as a 5'x9' peninsula-extension to my main layout.

 

I assigned the station name of "Half Moon" to the premises, in honor of a town on the (old) Wilkes-Barre & Eastern Railroad. A name like that should be remembered!

 

I painted the legs yesterday and will frame it up in the next few weeks. i have most of the appropriate accessories (some I bought on the OGR buy/sell forum), ready to go.

 

 

Improving my elevated line. I am not happy with its look or operation.

 

Steve

More benchwork and getting ready for my first trackwork.  I am building a 14x34' attic layout. I have already finished off about 2/3 of the attic as the train room. The remaining portion will remain unfinished for storage. The tracks will be passing over the stairwell, through the unfinished area and back into the train room. This will provide an extended time where the train is "gone". At the far end of the unfinished area, the tracks need to make a 180 degree turn.

 

I just received 8 sections each of 0128 and 0138 curves. The curves will be mounted to three sections of 3/4" plywood and attached to the wall studs with shelf brackets. Just placed an order with Micromark. On the outter edges of the curves I will be gluing 1/16x1/4" basswood strips to provide superelevation (banking). The strips will also be glued to a portion of the straights leading into the curves.

 

This looks like it will be the most difficult portion of the layout to construct. With this done, I'm hoping the remainder of the trackwork is easier. Hopefully by using the largest curve possible with superelevation, the likelihood of derailments will be nil.

 

Gilly

Gilly when you're superelevating how far back do you superelevate the straights?  BTW superelevating sure makes a difference.

After my visit to Cape Canaveral last October, I've been reading up on the NASA Railroad and The Kennedy Space Center in general. I've always been mad about space stuff, so combining it with my love of O gauge, I'm planning on building a scene from Cape Canaveral.

I'm waiting for the UPS truck to show with my purchase from Phil Gresho, so I can finish adding a "yard" and Wye down the left side of my layout:

 

Whole neighborhoods have undergone and are undergoing change in Moon Township.

FrankM

I'm using 37" straights. The basswood sections are 24" long. For starters, I plan to try 24" on the straights leading into and exiting the curves. The other 13" I'm going to use 1/32" card stock. I expect to sand the transition point between 1/32 and 1/16 pieces.

 

These curves are BIG. It's a shame that they will be at one of the least accessible sections of the layout! FWIW, I am using stainless rail. From experience with the modular club layout, the stainless doesn't seem to get dirty nearly as fast as the nickel rails.

 

Gilly

By moving my rural train station, etc. (previous thread), I have cleared a teardrop shaped area 35 inches wide (width of the round end of the tear) by 65 inches long axis.  I will build a street into it and build four or five car dealerships and such throughout the area - places/ecuses to put all the diecast model cars I have on the layout. 

Contemplating replacing all the late model K-line and Lionel switches (turnouts) with old metal Marx pieces. Then I can run all of my collection over all of my layout!

Next week I will start on an area that has not been touched yet. Building a mountain in this area. Hopefully will have pictures of completed mountain by the 1st of August.

 

 

We have a small layout, as necessitated by the fact we need to use the downstairs den to also function as a full time playroom for my two biys, and as an occassional guest room. To get everything put of boxes and where we can reach it and enjoy it, I am thinking of creating a small switching layout in our furnace room.  Never done one of these before and thought it could be fun.  it would function as a storage area and I have so much left over track and switches I don't think I would need to buy much of anything.

I hope your not using up all the Brownstones!

Nope. None are involved in the changes, but a whole new row of brownstones (for those who like two sides to a street or longer blocks) is on my workbench and in-the-works.

Thanks, Ben.

FrankM

A package arrived today from Alex, so add to my list the installation of new shed platforms for the upper level of our new train Station complex. This addition should greatly improve the looks of the upper deck. Thanks Alex for all of your hard work. I will post pictures when finished.

Gilly thanks for the reply.  All my track is going to be GG flex on my new layout so I'm going to follow you on the superelevation.  Thanks again.

Burlington:  One of the electrics is the four unit boxcab set from MTH in black, but I also have MTH's BiPolar and a beautiful Weaver "Little Joe".  I also have a Baldwin-Westinghouse steeple cab locomotive in brass.  I know that the Milwaukee never had any of these WB electrics but I doubt that anyone is going to make a GE version, so like Don McQuaig did, I'm thinking of painting the engine for the Milwaukee Road and just putting it in service.

 

I've also been trying to get someone to do a model of one of the Milwaukee's huge Westinghouse Baldwin passenger electrics.  These locos were really huge, impressive and powerful engines and a model would complete the whole story of the Milwaukee's electrification.

 

All of these engines are going to look great under wire.

 

Paul Fischer

Well, I've had a Lionel rotary coal tipple for a while.  My plan is place it and to add an elevated line that leads to it and to my home-made operating coal trestle  The other thing I'm currently working on is putting together a CP Holday Train.

No more engines, no more rail cars.  (I know, I know...LOL.)

 

Early agenda: The 'City' area.  I've been building at the bench as if possessed.  Now it's time to place and finesse.  Just finished the six-story Hotel Parisi to go around a support post in the center of town. I've been thoroughly inspired by all of the city scenes posted in this forum.  Time for some urban development of my own!

 

Besides,....the basement is nice & cool...and DRY!!...of late.  Nice respite!

 

KD

an elevated American Flyer line in a dog bone shape over my Lionel lower level.