I've completed the buildings that I wanted to build before starting the layout. I purchased heavy duty adjustable feet and attached them to the painted legs and have painted the beg bracing.
Greg DeMayo helped me out by producing a CAD drawing of the benchwork that I use to determine what lumber I need. I have purchased the wood for the first 2 modules that go against the left wall of the trainroom. Unfortunately the humidity and rain the last 2 days have stopped progress since I need to build the modules in the driveway.
CAD drawing
Legs waiting to be used.
Curt,
You are on your way to PRR #2. I'm following along and this will be fun to watch.
Tom ;D
Following along as well. :)
Sound the starters gun, the race begins.....I hope you have a ton of fun with your PRR ver. 2..... :)
Curt,
Count me in. I like the leg levelers. I drilled the bottom of my legs and used Tee nuts for leveling the layout. I like the brackets you used much better. If I had only known before I did my legs...
Looks to be a good start Curt.
Mike
Thanks for following and the encouragement Tom, Lynn, Greg, Jerry, and Mike.
Today I decided to heck with the weather and started the framing. I had to cut the boards in the garage then carry them upstairs to put them together. This required many trips up and down the stairs and although the garage door was open the humidity just sucked the energy out of me. Needless to say this module took about double the time it should have and I still need to add the legs.
This is about as good as I get with woodworking. Obviously not up to many of your standards but it's solid.
Hey Curt:
Looks just fine to me.
Karl
Oh boy! A new layout is starting to come to life. You know I'll have my eye on it Curt. ;)
Curt nice start.
Great job on those legs.
Jerry
Quote from: PRR Modeler on June 08, 2020, 03:58:05 PM
Thanks for following and the encouragement Tom, Lynn, Greg, Jerry, and Mike.
Today I decided to heck with the weather and started the framing. I had to cut the boards in the garage then carry them upstairs to put them together. This required many trips up and down the stairs and although the garage door was open the humidity just sucked the energy out of me. Needless to say this module took about double the time it should have and I still need to add the legs.
This is about as good as I get with woodworking. Obviously not up to many of your standards but it's solid.
Curt,
Isn't FL great, you can loose weight and sweat your booty off all at the same time.
Tom 8)
Afternoon All,
Bob I'm sorry I somehow missed your name. Glad to have you along.
You're right about the weather Tom.
Today I started out adding the legs and attaching them with 3 screws each, but I just didn't like the loose feeling of the legs. After removing them I made a trip to Lowes for bolts then reattached the legs with 2 bolts each which gave it a much sturdier feel.
I then added the back drop support thin plywood. The cardboard strips will attach to them with a glue gun at a later date, and then I drilled out 3 holes in the cross beams to facilitate wiring runs.
The first picture is for Tom ;D
Hey Curt:
It's looking real good. Keep the pics flowing.
Karl
Looking good Curt!
John
Curt
I love seeing a new layout getting started. I will be following your progress.
Nice work, Curt.
Cheers, Mark.
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl, John (Cuse), John (S&S RR), and Mark for your kind words and following along.
Today I finished up the second module and connected it to the first. A potential future issue with the feet is the bottom plastic disc. It slides very easily on the vinyl plank floor that's in the train room. I'm hoping that with everything together and the plywood attached that the weight will be enough to stop that. If not I see some thin rubber in my future. On a positive note as far as I'm concerned the feet paid for themselves today with the ease of adjustment.
Tomorrow first thing is a trip to Lowes for the wood and hardware for the next 3 modules. As you look at the picture of the 2 modules the next 3 will be on the right side and complete that "arm" of the layout bench work.
Imagine what you could get done if it stopped quit with all the rain.....I see by that Tom has had an effect on you with the photos of the level. ;D
Congrats on breaking ground on the build
Looks great Curt,
Being on the level is a great way to do anything. Just saying.
Tom ;D
Thank you Greg, Pain Train, and Tom.
Greg- I have been cutting the wood outside and taking it inside to put together and I will continue that because the heat and humidity just drains my energy.
Tom- I'm being very careful about being level. On my first layout at the beginning I built 4 large tables and bolted them together without making them all level which caused me significant issues for quite a while. I was on my own and just starting out then.
Today I went to Lowes to get the lumber for the 3 next modules, and after getting home I discovered That I had bought 1x3x8's instead of 1x4x8's. So back to the store, get a refund then get the right boards of which they had a crappy selection. Needless to say by the time everything was unloaded I was over it. Tomorrow I plan on painting bracing until I run out of paint.
Afternoon All,
Today I built and installed the 3rd module. It's a short one (5 ft.) so it only has one set of legs. When you look at the picture it looks like the front right corner is drooping but it's not. You can also see that I have started moving boxes under the completed sections to facilitate access to the walls. Tomorrow I'll be working on the next 6' section.
Curt,
Moving right along. I enjoyed building bench work as much as the rest of the layout.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom for following along.
Today I finished the 4th module. It takes me about 4 hours to do a rectangle module. Tomorrow I'll start the end module on the right side which later will have a mainline loop around and a loop around reverse loop. It's the first one with different than 90 degree joints in 2 locations.
Hey Curt:
WOW!!!! `It's really coming along nicely. Can't wait for track & scenery. Especially buildings.
Karl
Great job on the framing. Looking forward to the next stages of the build.
Jerry
Hey Curt:
I love your work table. Looks like it came right out of the living room.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl and Jerry.
Karl- My wife would shoot me :o. It's actually a heavy duty folding table that we keep in the garage that only comes out for large family get togethers (kids table). I put a old sheet on top of it. It's too hot and humid this time of year to put the modules together outside.
Today half the day was spent chauffeuring the wife around and this afternoon I got the basic module framework put together. It's orientated in the picture the way it will attach.
You're creeping up on Greg Speed.....looking good Curt. 8)
Curt,
I don't know if you are approaching "Greg speed", but steady progress is being made. I am curious about the lack of bracing between leg pairs. Are you planning to add it later, or is the benchwork stable due to all the sections being connected together?
Afternoon All,
Thank you Greg and Jerry.
Jerry I have straight bracing on the rectangular modules towards the bottom of the legs. Those legs are only 28.5 inches from outside edge to outside edge and there are 2 bolts connecting each one to the framework. On the module today I added cross bracing between the legs because the measurement is 4'11". If it becomes necessary I can always add bracing but I honestly don't think it will be needed. Thank you for your question...it got me thinking about it.
Today I finished the right side framing and realized that I am halfway through the framing process. Tomorrow I'm hanging photos on the walls (I have lot's). I figure it will be easier at this step instead of later when I have to be extra careful. I did do the workbench wall today.
Curt,
Looking very nice. Track laying is getting close.
Tom ;D
Thank you Tom. Probably not so close ;D.
Today with son's help I got all my pictures put up and able to get rid of 3 boxes. Afterwards I moved everything away from the left wall.
Hey Curt:
Looking just great. You have A beautiful room for your RR.
Karl
A lot of PRR pictures, but what about the subs? :o
Good Afternoon,
Thank you Karl and Greg.
Greg- If I put up anything it would be the shadow box I received when I retired from the Navy. I haven't decided on it yet. It's like blowing your own horn.
Today I made a trip to Lowes for wood and screen spline. After getting home I made the next module, a short 4 ft. one. All the same work except extra bracing and a second set of legs. Luckily Lowes got in a shipment of new 1x4x8's so the wood was in good shape and I didn't have to go to another store. I am working down the left wall now.
Not blowing your horn.....it's the memories. ;)
Speaking of shadow boxes: In one of the videos of the late Paul Scoles' layout, the camera passed by a box on his wall with some medals in it. I had to rewind and freeze to see what was in the box. 2 Silver Stars and 2 Purple Hearts, among other things...
dave
Afternoon All,
Thanks for following Greg and Dave.
Greg- I did decide to put up my shadow box. Two things of note are the dolphins are the set I earned on my first boat (you have to requalify on each boat) and the flag was raised over the Arizona Memorial.
Today I built a 6 ft. module. After attaching it I moved stuff on the floor around since I decided that I would be smarter to do the 2 module peninsula before the end module since I would have more room to build in. The current plan is for the peninsula to be 10'6" long but I may cut that back a foot or so to give me walking space on the end of it.
Probably no work tomorrow as we are going bowling with the grandkids after lunch.
Looks good Curt.....looking forward to see it in person and hearing some of the stories..... :)
Curt.
Looks great and level.
Tom ;D
Good Afternoon,
Thank you Greg and Tom for following and your support.
Today was supposed to be a non layout day and was supposed to go out with the grandkids but that fell through because as my daughter put it they were acting like buttheads...ah, the teenage years. So after lunch I built a 5 foot peninsula module and mounted it. The second one is supposed to be the same size but I'm going to make it a foot shorter to give me more room getting into the center of the layout. The peninsula is 39" wide compared to the 30" against the walls. There is between 27'' and 28'' between the peninsula and other modules.
Great progress Curt. :D I'm jealous. ::) Jealous of anyone who has room for a layout that is. :P
Good Afternoon,
Bob thanks for following and the support. I lucked out with a large interior room (loft) that was not really being used for anything.
Today I finished the peninsula. The finished length is 9'6'' instead of 10'6'' on the plans. It will have my yard, a second reverse loop. and possibly a business (undecided). I also attached 2 angle boards to ease the 90 degree angles on the back corners.
Today I hit one of the milestones for the layout finishing the framing portion of the build. ;D In the photo the wide ends are 3 foot apart and the closest distance from the corners of the peninsula is 27 inches. From the end to the wall (next to camera taking picture is 4 foot. This has better access than my last one that you had to "suck" it in to walk down the edge or get to the center which makes me happy.
The next steps will be running the main buss, reverse loop wiring, accessory buss wiring, and loconet wiring. The fun stuff :-\. It will probably be Sunday or Monday before I start.
Looks terrific, Curt.
Cheers, Mark.
Great job with the bench work Curt.....hope you have the track down by the 18th when we all come over to run trains. ;)
Curt
The benchwork looks great. I'm looking forward to seeing this RR come alive.
Great progress Curt! Benchwork can be very satisfying that way...no other aspect of the hobby can fill a room so quickly!
John
Looking forward to the next steps of your RR.
It looks like it going to be a fun project!!
Jerry
Curt,
Looks good, pulling wires is always fun.
Tom ;D
Curt - Very impressive bench work. I will regularly stop by and view the progress. Will there be a dock for submarines?
Good Afternoon,
Thank you Mark, Greg, John, John (Cuse), Jerry, Tom, and Bill for following along and your support
It's been a little bit since I've posted. Today I finished wiring the main buss, mounted the brackets for the base station on the end of the peninsula, and wired inline a DCC circuit breaker. I'll test the buss tomorrow before progressing on. The pictures are pretty crappy.
Hey Curt:
Looks like you are moving right along. It looks just great so far.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Karl thank you for your kind words.
I hit a couple of major steps today. I put the permanent end on the middle pier that the base station will sit on. In the photo I have my DCS-51 (3 amp) hooked up for main buss power testing. The snake pit of wires is from my old program track. I tested the mains at the farthest point away from the base station as I could. On the right side it read 12v and on the left side it read 11v. Of course this is without and current draw.
The 18th is getting closer..... :)
Greg I hope you're not holding your breath butty! ;D
Ya know Curt....when you're laying track if you were to super elevate the curves to about a 14% banking Greg would be able to have some real fun running trains on your layout. Just sayin'..... ;D
Bob I would probably need banking like NASCAR! LOL :)
Quote from: PRR Modeler on July 07, 2020, 08:03:50 PM
Bob I would probably need banking like NASCAR! LOL :)
;D :D :D 14 degrees is the banking of turn one at Pocono Raceway Curt. ;) Greg would be thrilled (though he'd probably prefer Daytona's steeper banks.
By the way the bench work looks wonderful. Great progress my friend.
You're making great progress. Smart move to inset the ends of the platform at the ends of the peninsula so you don't catch them going around the corner.
Jeff
Daytona it is..... ;D ;D ;D
Hey Curt:
Benchwork is looking just beautiful. Can't wait to see some track, scenery and buildings. Keep up the good work. Nice RR room too.
Karl
Quote from: PRR Modeler on July 07, 2020, 06:46:48 PM
Greg I hope you're not holding your breath butty! ;D
Tick.....tock.....tick.....tick.....tick..... ;)
Rainy Afternoon All,
Thank you Bob, Jeff, and Karl for your support and kind words. And of course we can't forget Greg ;D.
Don't know if I mentioned it that on Thursday I finished installing the lighting buss and hooked it up to the new power supply that Tom gave me several weeks ago. It's been tested and I have 24 volts at the end of the peninsula and 23 volts at the farthest point away from the power supply. Probably no train room time until Wednesday because of family commitments.
I have also ordered 2 spools of 14 gauge wire for the 2 reverse loops since I ordered 20 gauge in error and discovered the issue Thursday ???.
This is the mounted power supply. Tom gave me some direction over the phone for electrical hookup. Thanks Tom for everything. I thought I had saved a photo of the power supply but I guess not. I will post one next time.
Curt,
Your benchwork has really come together. Compared to how long it took me, you built this at "Greg speed" and then some. Awesome progress, won't be long until the track hits the layout!
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry for following along and the kind words.
Today I hooked up 2 PSX AR's to the main buss and tested. The correct lights came on :). The reverse loop buss wiring is waiting on the14 ga wire to arrive. The silver box is the lighting power supply mounted that Tom gave me.
Hey Curt:
Looks great.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl for your support and kind words.
Today had some ups and downs. I started out mounting the 4 UP5's I had previously. After that I installed their power supplies. I tested the UP5's by plugging in a throttle (without battery) to see if it powered up. Three of the 4 work. One UP5 will not power up regardless of the power supply used and separately one power supply doesn't seem to be working either. So Friday I need to go by the LHS after visiting Tom.
There will be 2 more UP5's on the peninsula (getting from Tom Friday) with the "new" base station (5/8 amp). I tested the UR92 and it powers up but I didn't want to mount it until the new base station is placed in it's location because I want to mount it next to it.
I also strung loconet cable for most of what is needed. I still need a 15 ft and a 5 ft cable. Probably no train room work until Sunday afternoon or Monday due to family commitments.
Curt,
Looks like its coming together nicely. I'll have all the stuff you need tomorrow.
Tom ;D
Hey Curt:
Looks like you are getting more wiring done.
Karl
Good Afternoon,
Thank you Tom and Karl for your support and kind words.
It's been 6 days since posting last, but there was a lot of family projects interrupting my MRR time. :'( I have the old "new" Digitrax DCS-200 system in place, all panels are working and today I was able to move a loco on a test track remotely with a DT402D throttle ;D. The only thing left to do with the DCC system is to hookup 2 UP5 power supplies on the peninsula, and they are supposed to arrive tomorrow via UPS.
I cleaned up all the power cords from 6 UP5 (includes the 2 I'm waiting on), 1 UR92, and 1 base station power supply into 3 wall plugs. Because of the lightning and associated power surges issues here, I always completely unplug the layout from the wall when not in use.
On the wiring front all I have left to do is run a buss for the second reverse loop (wye). The PSX-AR for it is already installed.
I would like to take a minute and thank Tom for his advice, time and generosity which means a lot to me. I would also like to thank Greg for his volunteering to run the layout through his CAD system. I used his plans directly for building the framework, also for keeping it "real" (me) as to what would work T/O wise.
Hey Curt:
WOW!!! you not just messing around. Beautiful job so far.
Karl
You're welcome Curt.....weren't we all supposed to be at your place to run trains on the 18th? ::)
Karl and Greg thanks for following along and your support.
Greg- I am running a train now (a loco anyway) about 12 inches in forward and reverse. :o
Progress is a wonderful thing!!
Jerry
Quote from: PRR Modeler on July 20, 2020, 07:29:53 PM
Karl and Greg thanks for following along and your support.
Greg- I am running a train now (a loco anyway) about 12 inches in forward and reverse. :o
That's a start.....keep up the great work. 8)
Good Afternoon All,
Jerry thanks for your thoughts and following along.
Greg- Whew! the pressure is off! ::)
Today I put in the second reverse loop buss and hooked up my programmer to the power supply and base station. Sitting here I realize that I had meant to extend the main buss in the peninsula but forgot to :o. The UP5 power supplies haven't come in yet either.
Impressive Curt! Benchwork looks neat and well constructed.
Not sure 12 inches is enough to bring 'em up to Greg speed though. ;)
Hi Curt.
You are making some great progress! I really like the purple colour. A bit different.
Cheers, Mark.
Bob and Mark thank you for following and commenting.
Mark it's actually has more red in it than the camera shows and darkens as it ages. The idea behind it is Pennsy Tuscan Red.
Afternoon All,
Just a quick update. Today I installed the 2 power supplies for the UP5's and added the extension for the main buss on the peninsula. Afterwards I did a retest of layout wide power levels and functioning of the DCC system and everything is good. Famous last words! ::)
This part of the wiring and DCC install is complete. Tomorrow is train room cleanup. :(
Afternoon All,
Today I started mounting plywood to the framework. I'm using 15/32 sanded plywood (not cheap but nice). I'll need another trip to Lowes to finish but I still have 6-4x4 and 1-5x4 pieces left in the garage for tomorrow.
Getting the pieces attached is a slow process. I carry a piece of plywood upstairs, mark it for cutting, do a quick level check, then carry the board to the garage, cut the board, carry it back upstairs, and attach it, and finally a serious level check. Then start over again. The picture represents about 4 hours.
I stopped at this point (picture) because I was dehydrated, back was getting stiff, and biceps feel like I had a workout.
Looking good, Curt! Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in a room that size will give new meaning to "selective compression!" We look forward to the ribbon-cutting when the first train makes a revenue run.
Evening All,
Thank you Judge for your kind words.
I got a lot done today with the plywood. I finished the right pier and the peninsula then placed one more sheet on the left pier. I have 2 more 4x4 pieces so I will need one more sheet to finish it (better than I thought).
Curt,
The bench work and decking is really looking nice. Well done sir.
Tom ;D
Hey Curt:
Oh my you have mad quite A bit of progress. Next thing you know you will be laying track. Can't wait.
Karl
Coming on very nicely, Curt.
Cheers, Mark.
Good Afternoon,
Thank you very much Mark, Karl, and Tom for your very kind words. It is greatly appreciated.
Today I finished adding plywood and got the end piece leveled correctly. The problem was a combination of the end piece and the piece next to it, but I figured it out finally. After that I decided to start with the TT/RH/engine servicing area. I figured this would be the most difficult portion of the layout.
First I laid out a 27 in track radius around the left end module (I figured 28 in hand drawing) then moved around the installation diagram of the Walthers 130' TT and the 3 stall RH bases until I was comfortable with it, then cut out the hole for the TT pit. I did have to move one frame brace as I thought I would have to.
Next step is to work on the engine servicing facilities and connecting track to the TT. This is where it starts to pay off building the structures ahead of time.
Do I see track coming in the near future.....looking good Curt. :)
Afternoon All,
Thank you Greg for your kind words. Maybe the 16th of September is possible.
Today I started laying out the Engine Servicing area. I think I like the plan , but I'm letting it percolate in my brain for a bit. The T/O's are #5 PECO Insulfrogs (from previous layout). Going through my box of buildings (all bubble wrapped) I noticed that the diesel servicing platform must of been thrown away (I wasn't happy with my modifications) and the sanding towers were in bad shape. I bit the bullet and ordered the Walthers Sand House (Only using the towers) and a Wathers diesel fueling platform (the light piece of wood are the correct dimensions). They're supposed to be here Monday.
Originally I was planning on doing the layout in steps of all planning, all track laying, all wiring etc. but have decided that will just burn me out. Instead I'll do it in stages thru completed track testing then move on to the next section. I figure the first section will take the longest since it has the TT and RH.
Curt,
It is looking very good my friend. It's obvious you pout a lot into the planning of the new Bellevue Sub.
Great stuff here.
Tom ;D
Looks your ready to make progress. Looking forward to this.
Jerry
Curt;
I just hopped in to see what was up. Really first class workmanship. That is going to be one really nice layout. It has me thinking about an L on my little layout. We'll see, think I will watch a pro at it first. Great work.
Jim D
Hey Curt:
Wow!!! thing are really coming along. Can't wait to see what you do with the turntable & roundhouse.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom, Jerry, Jim, and Karl for your very kind words.
Today I finalized the track layout for the engine servicing area (third variation) and laid roadbed around the future facilities. The radius ended up being 27.5 inch. On the inside facing framework I will need to glue some blocks to the existing framing when putting up the fascia to give a little more room.
I still need to sand the roadbed and verify that everything is level. In the past I used latex caulk to hold the cork, but today I used Elmer's. I'll see how it holds tomorrow. I should of laid down cork for the initial 2 turnouts but forgot to. Everything else will be glued to the plywood in this area. That means a trip to Lowes tomorrow for brown paint before gluing track down later this week.
My SIL is coming out next weekend to router out the black rectangle in the photo which will be the ash pit. I plan to fix it up similar to what Tom has done on his layout.
Looking good, Curt.
I think its a good idea to bounce around a bit from job to job. Enjoying watching your steady progress.
Cheers, Mark.
Good Afternoon,
Thank you for your kind words Mark and my thoughts also.
Today I sanded the cork, made sure it was level, added the turnout cork base and sanded the edge down to board level. After a trip to Lowes I painted this section.
Probably no layout time tomorrow since I have a project outside tomorrow.
Curt,
Well done!
Tom ;D
Nice progress Curt
Doug
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom and Doug for your kind words.
I decided since I have the Walthers Sand house and Diesel servicing kits in hand that I would build them first before laying track in the Engine Servicing Facility (ESF). I finished the 2 sand towers today. I'm not building the buildings since I previously made them out of wood. I should start on the Diesel facility tomorrow. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to leave the base whole or cut it into 3 sections (leaning towards cutting it).
Although the towers don't look like it I sprayed the parts light grey before assembly and the bases are a mix of concrete and aged concrete from Model Master paint. The mixture cuts back on the yellowish coloring of aged concrete. Nothing special about the towers. I'll probably brush some black weathering powder on them later.
Hey Curt:
It's coming along nicely. Can't wait to see the turntable and roundhouse.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl for following along and your always kind words.
Today I built the diesel fueling facility. The photos seem to wash everything out. The office is a light brown, the concrete pads were first spray painted light grey then painted over with a mix of MM Concrete and Aged Concrete. Of course there will be a lot of details added later. I just put the track in the picture to show what it will look like and the facility is not in it's correct location. The grated areas were placed on the edges because I liked the way they look and are areas for diesel fuel leakage.
Hello Curt, I really like the way your engine servicing area is shaping up, can't wait to see it finished. Jeff
Hey Curt:
The diesel fueling facility looks just great. Can't wait to see it in place.
Karl
Curt,
Service area looks great, well done SBG!
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jeff, Karl, and Tom for following and your kind words.
Today I made a piece of the fascia. It's wider than normal to support the UP5, a toggle switch, and the control box for the turntable (yet to be installed). Yesterday I glued blocks and clamped them to the plywood overhang to support the fascia. I also glued the ash pit edges in place and stained with Hunterline Creosote stain. The 2 separate pieces will support the rails going over the pit.
I also made a trip to Lowes for 2 cans of clear flat spray which will be used for the roundhouse project starting tomorrow.
Afternoon All,
A couple of days ago I painted all the RH parts their respective colors (walls dark brown, windows and doors sage green, wooden beams dark brown, and concrete interior pads sand color, outside concrete MM aged concrete). All the spray colors are flat including the clear spray.
Over the course of 3 days I did the following on the walls (pictures in order)
1. Paint the walls dark brown (started out red) and sprayed with flat clear.
2. Applied a diluted mortar wash (craft gray and Tamiya white mixed and diluted with water). After a heavy coat it was wiped off with T-shirt pieces slightly damp several times then sprayed with flat clear.
3. Bricks painted 6 or 7 different colors (I forget) then sprayed with flat clear.
4. MM aged concrete applied to exterior trim, then applied a 2.5% A&I wash, after that dried I applied gray then black weathering powder.
5. All the colors I have used so far.
This is the first time painting individual bricks and I have mixed feelings about it.
Afternoon All,
Today I figured I better install and test the turntable before getting serious about the roundhouse. I started out reaming the hole for the pit since one side wasn't laying completely flat. After hooking everything up electrically I couldn't get a power light to come on the control box. I switched the 4 leads in case they were reversed and nothing again. I took the control box apart thinking maybe there was a battery in it-nope.
It was at this point that I learned that the bridge has to be in place to complete the circuit :o. The 130' TT is the DCC one that came out several years ago, but has a older control box. I gave up on DCC programming after issues with the provided controller losing it's memory 3 times.
I now have a working turntable installed, on to the roundhouse.
Hope you caught the discussion on John Siekirk's S&S thread a couple pages back where we talked about aligning roundhouse tracks with a turntable.
This is coming together very well!
dave
Afternoon All,
Dave thank you for commenting and reminding me of John's RH installation and I did go back and review how he did the track alignment. It was very helpful :).
The one day job of laying track and powering it in the roundhouse floor to the turntable bridge ended up being a 2 day job. I was making great progress yesterday then started having a intermittent power issue that I couldn't figure out. I called a knowledgeable DCC friend (Jon Shubert) and he gave me a couple of things to check today.
Everything started out properly then the power issues started again. I started messing with the turntable area extension buss and discovered what was most likely a bad solder joint. I cut it out, spliced in some new wire and everything works.
I started out testing the 3 RH tracks with a Genesis FP7 and decided I better try with my largest steamer (2-8-8-2) and it worked fine. I ran the steamer 3 times on each track in and out of the RH tracks onto the bridge without issue so I consider it successfully tested. Tomorrow I plan on starting the actual RH build.
Curt,
Nice job on the turntable. JS has saved my bacon on more than one occasion.
Good progress my friend.
Tom ;D
Looking good, Curt.
Nice progress.
Cheers, Mark.
My plan for various engine terminals is to have each storage track with an on-off switch. It would be A Bad Thing to have a bunch of locos parked in the roundhouse all drawing DCC power (and making noise) when most of them should be sleeping. :D
dave
Hey Curt, I'm glad you got the turntable working to your satisfaction. You are not the first and you won't be the last to have this problem. Can't wait to see your roundhouse build. Jeff
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom, Mark, Dave, and Jeff for your kind words.
Dave- I plan on having 1 switch that will kill the power for the entire RH/TT area. That's what I had before and was happy with it (wiring is not my friend!).
Over the last 2-3 days I put the walls and windows together. I had issues with MM model cement (what I normally use for plastics) actually holding the walls together for some reason. The next try was with CA (hate to use it on buildings). It held better but not great so I taped the pieces tightly together (painters tape) overnight and that looks like it worked.
Today I mounted 2 amber lights in the RH. I figure with the walls in place you won't see the wiring. I also mounted details on the concrete pad. Tomorrow I'll start mounting the rear walls (background of picture). I can't put the foreground walls up until I get the welding light kit in. These will go into the hole around the welding details.
Curt it's starting to take shape. Nice work.
Jerry
Wow Curt! You're really making a lot of progress in a short period of time. I bet you're anxious to get trains running again. ;)
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry and Bob for the kind words.
Today I started putting on the RH walls that I can until the welding lights come in. I also glued down the WS inclines (currently at 2.5 inch going to 4 inches). After that I glued the smoke jacks and stacks on the appropriate roof pieces.
Then it went to crap. I decided to do another test of the TT/RH with a loco. Guess what? It's back to not working again >:( >:( >:( >:(. I did a meter check and the bridge and 3 RH tracks all show 12V on the rails. It has to be the AR unit in the bridge that is only working when it wants to because the engine runs fine on the bridge and the RH tracks. It dies as soon as the leading truck either touches the bridge track or going in the opposite direction when it touches the RH tracks.
Jon S. also suggested the other day of placing a PSX-AR in line with the RH/TT buss. He mentioned he did that one time to get the system to work on another layout, so I will try that tomorrow. I have one that is wired into the layout but it will be months before I get to that part of the layout. If this doesn't work I'll be looking seriously at getting rid of the TT/RH and go to straight storage tracks.
Afternoon All,
Today went much better with the layout. I started out wiring a PSX-AR into the RH/TT buss. After that I tested the setup 3 different times each time for each track I did 6 times on-off without issue, so today each track was tested 18 times. I'll keep testing for a couple more days to make sure it's really fixed.
In other news I put plaster cloth on the WS risers that were glued down yesterday and built about half of the Walthers Cinder Tower structure (last structure for the engine service area).
Curt,
The roundhouse walls look great. As for the turntable electronics, it sounds like you have the problem solved. I only tested mine a few time and it still works. I also needed to install the PSX-AR on the outbound turntable tracks for it all to work correctly.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Tom- Thank you for your kind words. I agree that sometimes DCC seems like magic.
Today I continued testing the TT/RH tracks. Did each 18 times and they had no issue except when I didn't line the tracks up properly :o. I also ran the bridge 360 degrees twice.
I also painted the plaster cloth I put down yesterday and finished up the Walthers Cinder tower after modifying the base. The tower photo is a representation of how it will be placed.
That's odd. My turntable is DC/DCC so it reverses via an old-style split ring rail. But what I've read lead me to believe one AR module feeding the bridge rails would do the job.
Curt - Good start. Greg's Cad will no doubt be helpful. The turntable will be trouble. At least ours was. Computers, even small ones, can be a PITA.
Afternoon All,
Thank you James and Judge for following along and your insight into our computer driven hobby.
Today I finished the RH finally. After putting in the welding lights that came in last night I finished putting together the rest of the structure. I spent 30 minutes trying to get the damn doors in place but finally gave up on them. I knew there was a reason my last RH didn't have them on. I also noticed that the roof sections are flimsier than before and don't fit quite so good as previously. I'll have to do some thinking on that, but possibly some weight glued on the inside will hold the one panel down.
I also managed to do the last test runs before calling it done. Each RH track had 44 on/offs over 3 days. I think my next step is to layout the TT staging tracks, but I'm taking tomorrow off.
I bet you're glad the roundhouse is substantially complete.....good job Curt. 8)
Curt,
Looking very good sir. Great progress as well.
Tom ;D
Hey Curt:
Turntable & roundhouse look great so far.
Karl
Curt very nice. A great job!
Jerry
Afternoon All,
Today I put in 5 storage tracks on the left side of the RH (facing the front of the RH). They are powered and tested. It went fairly smoothly until the last track power hookup. I couldn't figure out why the last track wasn't getting power since it was hooked up like the last 4 (thankfully before soldering). Using a flashlight I discovered that the wire stripper didn't completely pull the insulation off the one buss wire :o. No problem after that.
I'm only putting those in until the rest of the engine service facility is laid down and track from there to the TT is in place. No sense putting something in then having to rip it out.
Curt,
Look'n good my friend.
Tom ;D
Curt,
You have done a lot of work in just under 3 months !
Fantastic progress on your railroad empire.
Tommy
Afternoon All,
Tom and Tom thank you for your support and following.
It's been a couple of up and downs the last couple of days. I think on Sunday I ordered some shale rock faces from "Rubber Rocks" which I have used before and like their products. I plan on trimming them in half which will give me a 64" x 3.5" per rock face. I ordered 2 of them. Monday morning I realized that to be able to use the new rockfaces I would have to move the WS Risers that were pushed up against backboard. :(
So I tried moving the existing risers after spraying with RA but ended up destroying some of them so I just went ahead and put a new set in, plastered and painted like before. I now have 2 inches to the edge of the riser and another inch to the edge of the roadbed. I also realized that because of the way the feeder wires for those tracks needed to be wired (both going toward the back of the layout) that the roadbed and track will need to be in place before the back drop is finished.
Although I wouldn't normally solder 3 pieces of flex track together but because of the location and pre soldering the feeder wires it would be easier to do it all together. Although in the picture it looks wavy I did run a Ribbon Rain straight tool and it ran the entire length without issue :o. I attached and soldered the feeders to the main buss and tested without issue.
There are a few straight track segments on my layout where I accidentally left some waviness; they're hard for visitors to notice but they do show up in photos.
Good Afternoon,
James-thanks for following. I think after the backdrop is in and the track being ballasted a lot of the waviness will visually lessen.
Today was a busy and productive day. I started hot gluing some smaller rubber rocks I had on hand below the level of the track. (It's hard to see the details in the photos.)
After that I laid out Atlas Code 83 flex track from the bottom of the incline around the RH/TT/ESF until I joined up with the ME #6 TO that starts the track into the ESF. After that I soldered the rail joiners and 5 sets of feeder wires to the track I laid but did not connect them to the main buss.
Hey Curt:
The turntable and roundhouse look just great. Can't wait to see it with some scenery added.
Karl
Shaping up very nicely. Looking forward to the next steps.
Jerry
Hey Curt.....things are really shaping up.....you do know that it is especially tough high balling it on wavy track. ::)
Good Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl, Jerry, and Greg for following along and your kind words.
Greg- Since this a coal industry based RR there will be no highballing to worry about ;D
Today I put in the cut down rubber rocks on a cardboard lattice then plastered above the rock faces. Tomorrow I'll paint the plaster cloth brown.
The rock faces (2) came 32" x 7" each which I cut in half lengthwise turning them into 4 pieces 32" x 3.5" (about). In the mounted photos there are 3 rock faces. In hindsight I probably should of cut the backdrop boards shorter in this section.
Darn..... :(
Afternoon All,
Greg- Sorry ::).
Over the last several days I put in the plaster above the rock faces and painted it. Today I put in 4 tracks in the engine servicing area. After fitting I glued them in place with Elmers. When dry it has a good grip and after ballasting it will give additional hold. If you look at he tracks from the TT area the furthest left track is #1 and so on to #4.
#1 track- Hoppers will use it to pick up ash from the ash tower. Since I'm not sure yet if this track will go to the TT, I only glued to where the marker is. Further down the track you come to the first right hand (RH) T/O. This will lead to the Coaling Tower, Water Tower and Sand House. This track may go to the TT also. All the way back is another RH T/O which will go to the coal dump for the Coaling Tower.
#2 track- Track for the ash pit dump. This track may be extended to the TT. It's only glued to where the marker is.
#3 track- Track to Diesel Servicing platform.
#4 track- Second track to Diesel Servicing platform.
Tomorrow I plan on connecting power to the track and if I have time to start testing it.
Afternoon All,
The last couple of days I put in all the ESF tracks (except to the TT). Everything is powered and tested. Part of what I did today was a "dress rehearsal" by putting the facilities in place. I had to take out 2 PECO T/O's (used on last layout) that I discovered the track ends had cone loose. I don't know if I just did it or if it happened during layout teardown. It might be the cost of recycling T/O's. I've tried gluing them with CA in the past without much luck.
Curt,
Coming together nicely and looking very good.
Tom ;D
If you need to salvage the Peco turnouts with loose rails, you could hold them in place with spikes long enough to reach through the cork roadbed.
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom and James for following.
James- Thanks for the idea for the PECO T/O's. I will definitely give it a try.
Today I finished testing the engine service area links to the TT and the new storage tracks. I tested with a Genesis F3 first then a Heritage Steam 2-8-8-2.
I did find something strange or maybe it's supposed to be like this. In the picture you will notice that 3 tracks are on the right. In between those tracks and the rest of the tracks is the dead zone on either side of the TT. To get the 3 right sided to work I had to switch the feeders from the normal buss wire to the opposite wire (blue to green and green to blue). I don't remember having to do this before?
Anyway as long as it works I'm happy. I have one more small detail to add then the ESF/RH/TT are done for now (scenery later). and it's time to move on to the next section.
Curt,
If I remember correctly I had the same issue. I did the same for one of the tracks and it worked. I don't question + or -, if it works, that's all I need to know. :-\ :-[
Tom ;D
The way that works implies that, somewhere inside the turntable, there is a 'split ring rail' setup providing power to the bridge. The split is long enough that the power pickups don't short across the two sides, which causes the dead zone. In many ways it would have been simpler to just provide separate terminals for the bridge rails and require the customer to power them via an auto-reverse. Is this TT supposed to work on both DC and DCC?
Hello Curt, you're making some amazing progress on your empire. You tackled the hardest part first- meaning the engine servicing area with turntable and roundhouse. If you got all that working correctly, the rest should be a piece of cake. Good luck, can't wait to see the rest of your layout. Jeff
WOW! Lots of progress in a short time. Lookin' good!
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom, James, Jeff and the Judge for following along and commenting.
James- I started out with the TT that was the "new" DCC one several years ago. I could never get it to program and keep it's memory (probably my fault) and after awhile moving the bridge manually (on the control box) it started having issues of only moving when it wanted to. Very frustrating. I was talking to a friend (Jon Shubert) about the issues and he had a older TT he wasn't using and probably never would so we traded bridges and control boxes. I have used the current one on 2 layouts and move the bridge via my finger on the control box. I am happy with this method. I figure it has to be DCC to work on a DCC layout but I may be wrong.
Jeff and Judge- It's easy to make progress when you work on it 2-3 hours a day almost every day. :)
Over the last 4-5 days I have been working on the first back corner and the 2 sides that connect with it. To do the plastering in the corner I had to climb up on the layout to reach it (about 5 ft.) No problem with the woodwork but hard on the knee's. I added the rock faces after painting this time around. I also added a siding going to the power plant for a coal dump. The unpainted square more to the left will be a power substation later on.
In the pictures on the flat section everything past the wood seam is new and on the incline everything past the long strip of stone seam on the left hand side is new. I'm stopped on the track work until the bushes come in and get mounted so that I'm not climbing on them, but still have plenty of planning still to go.
After looking at the pictures that I believe Tom posted of Howard Zayne's mountains I'm going to try his method with the bushes. Sunday I ordered 4 different colors that I will mix together before applying. I ordered them from Scenic Express which I generally prefer over WS.
Moving right along! Looks great!
Jerry
Curt, How did you make the incline behind the rocks? Dennis
Afternoon All,
Thank you to Jerry and Dennis for following and commenting.
Dennis- I am using Woodland Scenics 2% Risers. In 16 ft. I have a 4 inch height. I've used 3% before but wanted less angle this time. Then I use cardboard strips and plaster cloth to build around it. I'm not much of a carpenter so this is what I have used for 2 layouts.
It's been awhile. I was sick for 3-4 days and the scenery so far has taken 3 days. It is very slow and tedious and there is a lot of it to do behind the elevated track.
In the curved back corner I'm not sure if I will fill the slope with trees or bushes like the side. Trees would be easier. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
The photos start behind the RH and run about 20 ft. I'm waiting on clump foliage in the mail to finish the RH side of the back drop. Probably no modeling this weekend due to family commitments.
It starting to look like Pennsylvania to me and I've been there time or two before. ;D
Hope you're over what ever it was that ailed you Curt. Glad to see you're back at it!
Well Curt, You are doing a beautiful job!!!!!Dennis
Both the upper and lower main lines are sceniced like they're on the slope of a fairly tight river valley. If you have room in front of them at the corner, you might want to show some of the river there, like it was a wide spot in the valley.
Curt
Looks great! It looks better with every layer of detail.
Hey Curt:
Coming along very nicely. Can't wait to see what you do with structures on this RR. Also just went through all the pictures to refresh my memory. Turntable area will look great when it it finished.
Karl
Great progress Curt..... 8)
Ciurt - I found this while surfing on the Web. Thought you might enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmtvA0yJyTU&t=12s
Good progress on the layout.
Afternoon All,
Thank you Bob, Judge, Dennis, James, John, Karl, and Greg for following along and commenting.
Judge- Thanks for the video :)
James- Interesting idea about the river. I will see if I can make it work with the current plan.
I have been "planting" bushes for several days and I'm glad that I'm done with that for at least a little bit. I did finish the upper left side. It took around 9 bags of break apart clump foliage to do what is mounted so far. I figure I'll need around 12 more bags before I'm done with the back and right side. I have 3 on hand.
I also got some more "rock" faces for my future progress. I now have the track mounted, powered, and tested around the back right corner. I'm going to try something different than a slope in the right back corner...more to follow. Tomorrow I will probably prep the rock faces for mounting.
Afternoon All,
Since the last post I have mounted 2 rockfaces that are 30" x 3.5" and a rockface that is 24" x 7" (on the right hand back curve). I also "planted" bushes until I ran out today (more on order). I still need to place tiny bushes along the track to fair in the larger ones.
I also realized today I forgot to reorder the PSX-AR that I pulled out of the wiring for the TT. It was placed 2 plywood sheets over from where I am currently working and has to be replaced (ease of mounting) before the planning and installation of the 210' ME steel viaduct bridge.
The photos today are taken of the back of the layout.
Hey Curt:
WOW!!!! very nice so far. Can't wait to see what you do with buildings and track.
Karl
Good Afternoon,
Thank you Karl for following and your kind words.
The "bushes" came in today so I finished around the rock face (after photo) and I have about 18 inches to do tomorrow. After that I think I'll either start on more track work (lower left) or maybe paint the upper rails. I use a flat latex called rusty rails (Lowes) applied by micro brush. Today I mainly ran my 2-8-8-2 to make sure scenery wasn't a issue. I ran it in 4 directions without issues. I also ran the TT parking that locomotive and the 2-6-6-2.
Hey Curt:
Turntable & roundhouse looks great.
Karl
Curt,
I've been lurking as Jim's stuff has kept me very busy. The progress is looking very Pennsylvania like. Very nicely done.
Tom ;D
Gotta love those steamers.....looks great on the turntable. 8)
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl, Tom, and Greg for following and commenting.
Greg- You have no idea how great I feel about large steamers having no issues. On the last layout the TT/RH track work was so bad I had issues with 4 wheeled diesels derailing.
Today I finished up what I could with the bushes and started laying out the mainline (far right track) and the 2 Interchange tracks that bend around the center peninsula all the way to the right side of the layout. Tomorrow I'll start painting the upper track. I just wanted to work on something that didn't require a step stool :o.
The T/O's are PECO #5 Insulfrogs recovered from the last layout. I discovered yesterday by laying a PECO #5 on top of a ME #6 the physical track geometries are the same. Obviously the #6 was longer in length on both ends but that surprised me.
Tomorrow is 4 months since I started constructing the benchwork.
I've been mentally arguing with myself about ballasting the upper track especially both curve areas and the track in between them. I'd like to test them more but am afraid it's going to be really hard to get to them after I put in the lower track.
Curt looks wonderful. Great work. A pleasure to follow along!
Jerry
Way to go, Curt! Looking good!
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry and the Judge for your kind words and following along.
Spent about 4 hours working on the layout today getting the area for the ME viaduct bridge ready. I test fit the bridge this afternoon and had to trim the brick parts that the bridge shoes sit on. I'm not sure why because they worked fine on the last layout. I also was glad to note that the footers I need to make tomorrow are actually not that tall to support the bridge bents.
Tomorrows goal is mounting the bridge. The opening is right at 30".
Hey Curt:
the scenery looks great. Keep posting Pics.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Karl thank you for your kind words and following.
Today was a bit frustrating. More on that later. I got the bridge in, powered and tested with the 2-8-8-2. It took about 3 hours to get it completed. The footers are fascia boards cut to 3/4" x 2 1/2" and painted with MM Aged Concrete. The bridge is a ME 210' Steel Viaduct.
I noticed/realized that on the right hand back curve where the rock face comes down to track level the 2-8-8-2 was sticking against it about 50% of the time. I ended up pulling it off, cutting it down and reattaching the upper portion in it's original location then filled around it with bushes. I will test it tomorrow, but it should be fine now.
The first photo was the original rockface setup and the second is how it is now.
Curt,
Great progress on the layout, Bellevue Sub build. I like the smaller trestle, nice job.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Tom thank you for your kind words and following.
Since the last post I put in the right hand risers (descending), plaster clothed them, painted them and finally glued the rock faces on. Yesterday I did some mock up planning for the private coal trestle. Next step is "planting" the bushes.
Afternoon All,
Since the last post I "planted" 6 bags of WS clump foliage. I think I have 1 more day of stuff to do then the right side upper scenery will be complete. :) I did paint and install the 2 pieces of fascia that go to the right loop around. It's mounted higher than normal because of the raised track elevation.
The bare corner in the photo that is surrounded by bushes is where I will put down ground cover and my hobo scene goes. My wife asks frequently about it. ???
Very well done Curt....Dennis
That sure is a heap of bushes Curt.....looking good. 8)
Afternoon All,
Thank you Dennis and Greg for your kind words and following along.
Greg- You have no idea about the bushes :-X.
Since the last post I finished the scenery below the back elevated track. Originally I had planned the back high T/O to go to the private coal trestle requiring a decline run of around 16 ft. After some thought I decided to instead have the incline (In this case) from the right hand reverse loop only requiring a incline run of 6 ft. and does not run in front of the viaduct bridge. The existing T/O was too hard to remove so I put in a short siding where helpers could go after helping trains. Not a perfect solution but workable. At some point I may cut back the siding and put a tower in. I'll see.
The wife is pushing hard for a pond in front of the viaduct bridge which I'm pushing back on because I've put in 3 or 4 water features and they all looked like crap.
I also modified the track behind the RH. It had a very noticeable S curve. The track was originally laid after the RH was in place. I played with it and was able to make the S curve shallower. Before the 2-8-8-2 would have some wheels come off there when running at 25 smph. The repair allows the loco run through at 40 smph without derailing (I usually run at 25 smph). The loco is happy so I'm happy. I'll finish the scenery tomorrow around it then I can start on the lower track work.
I've decided to wait on ballasting until the main line is completed and tested. I have about a third to go.
Curt - Good progress my friend. I particularly like your forest, although it is difficult to see because of the trees.
Afternoon All,
Thank you for following along Judge and the kind words.
I tried posting the other day but forgot to resize 1 photo so I lost the entire post and decided I was done at that point.
Today I'm posting the track work I've been working on the last week. The mainline is now completed and I finished the 2 interchange tracks that sit at the head of the peninsula (where the yard will be).
Picture 1: The left side T/O ladder. The mine in the background will be sitting in that area.
Picture 2: The foreground track is the mainline. The T/O in the foreground goes to the future yard and possibly a couple of business's, the T/O in the background will go to the mine.
Picture 3: The right hand T/O ladder.
The 3 tracks have 6 sets of buss feeders and have been checked electrically but not with locomotives yet. I plan on doing continuous running to do testing now that the mainline is complete before ballasting the upper level track.
As you can tell some of my roadbed is wonky and needs fixed :o.
Coming along nicely butty Curt! I sure hope I can get to see it in person some day. :D
Hello Curt, you sure are making great progress. It's a lot of work, but it will all be worth it in the end. Jeff
Butty Curt,
I agree with the others, moving along nicely. The track work looks very smooth, great job.
Tom ;D
Curt, I agree with the rest. Look's like your getting ton's done...Dennis
Afternoon All,
ReadingBob, Jeff, Tom, and Dennis thank you for the compliments and following along.
Today I started testing the mainline trackwork and the 2 interchange tracks will all my diesels. I ran each loco (or consist) in 1 direction for 3 laps then reversed for 3 laps for a total of 6 laps and did the same thing for the interchange tracks. The great news was there were no issues other than what I caused flipping T/O's. ???
Here is what I tested:
Athearn Genesis F3 ABA, FP7 ABA, GP7 AA
Bachmann BF16 AA, 44 Tonner
Athearn F7
Walthers H10-44
BLI NW2
Tomorrow I hope to do my steamers.
Curt,
Very impressive roster of motive power! Looks good and congrats on the runs.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Thanks Tom. I really appreciate it.
Today I did the same type of testing with my steam roster. I did discover 3 issues when running large steam. On both loop arounds I had to do a little track fiddling and on one T/O going to a interchange track I needed to anchor it down better. I was pleasantly surprised with the interchange track T/O's having no issues with the 2-6-6-2 or 2-8-8-2 except the one T/O.
The steamers I tested were:
LL Heritage 0-8-0 and 2-8-8-2
Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0 and 4-6-2 (K4s)
Bachmann 0-8-0 and 2-6-6-2 (both are my Dad's)
On a strange side note the 4-4-0 always ran like crap on my last layout and I almost didn't test it (but I did) and it ran beautifully. I don't know if it was higher track voltage, better track work or a combo of both.
All the locos tested (diesel and steam) except for 2 have sat for close to a year and all ran great. I was really surprised.
Next up is track painting then ballasting the upper level track.
Afternoon All,
Today I painted the remaining installed track and did a sample ballasting of track.
I'm using WS Med Mixed Gray with WS Cinders mixed in since all my track is in a division off the main ROW. I've also seen pictures of track with a edge of cinders.
Jeff,
I like the pics of the motive power in front of the rocks. The rockwork blends nicely with the greenery. Your ballast reminds me of the Erie Lackawanna line past my grandfather's farm. It never had anything but cinder ballast until dieselization. Then came the stone on top of the cinders, so a nice touch with your approach. To this day the line still shows cinders on the shoulders of the right of way with the stone ballast around the ties. (The line is now operated by the New York Susquehanna and Western.)
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry for your kind thoughts and remembrances.
Since I've posted last I have ballasted the elevated track and retested it, and today I gave the track in the Engine Service Area a black wash then cleaned up the track and T/O's.
This morning I was laying in bed and a idea came to me how to make a reverse loop on the peninsula. Originally I was planning on doing a wye but just didn't have the width for it. The issue was getting the 2 entrance T/O's far enough apart for it to work. Then I figured since that was out I would just have a stub track yard.
This is what I came up with. Obviously this is just a concept drawing with incorrect T/O geometries. Also the loop around is tight at 18" radius (max width is 39").
This will give me 3 reverse loops. The TT, inside the right hand loop (follows it around), and around the front of the peninsula.
Another plus is I already have a PSX-AR wired in and a reverse loop buss run down the peninsula from when I was still planning on a wye. :)
Sorry for the crappy drawing and photo.
I like it Curt. Dennis
Curt it's looking real fine. Nice looking scenery.
Jerry
Afternoon All,
Thank you Dennis and Jerry for following along and you're kind words.
Since the last post I've put in the sidings for the first coal mine (Walthers New River). After taking the pictures I gave the tracks and surrounding area in a black wash. I'll clean the top of the rails tomorrow. Later I laid out (pencil and a yardstick) The reverse loop inside the right hand loop around. It looks like it's going to be a 22" radius.
Photo 1- Test train. F3A with 4 Penny H21 hoppers.
Photo 2- I'm leaning towards putting the mine like this. This gives me the outside track for a shifter. The area to the right of the 2 load tracks would become a truck load site.
Photo 3- The way the mine is intended to sit.
I also plan on building a long conveyor that will go from the right side of the main building that runs above the high mainline to the back drop.
Hey Curt:
Looks just beautiful.
Karl
Curt great job your doing.
Jerry
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl and Jerry for your kind words and following along.
Today I laid out the the cork roadbed for the right side reverse loop. I also figured out how I'm going to layout the B.T.S. mine that I built earlier this year. It will have 2 load tracks, 3 storage tracks, and 1 shifter track. The white WS risers (not glued down) are going to a AMB Pennsy style coal dock (private business) that I saved from my last layout.
The coal mine, associated tracks, track reverse loop, and coal dock will all be powered by the electrical reverse loop.
Curt,
Track looks good, flows smoothly. Seems like you have a clear plan and I am impressed with how much you are getting done.
Nice progress, Curt.
Looking good.
Cheers, Mark.
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry and Mark for following along and the kind comments.
Today I wired and powered a small section of track and a ME #6 T/O then painted them. I did the first time fitting of the B.T.S mine that I built earlier this year. After that I glued down the cork roadbed that goes under the tipple.
Curt, Very nice indeed ...Dennis
Hey Curt:
Great looking model. Can't wait to see it installed on The RR.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Dennis and Karl for your kind words and following along.
I've been working on the second coal mine area since the last posting. All the track is in, leveled, powered and tested. The bare cork road bed is the loop around reverse loop. All of the mine trackage is powered electrically on the reverse loop buss.
The buildings are just temporarily placed to give a idea of what the area will look like.
Curt great job on that coal tipple. Your progress is amazing.
Jerry
Looking good Curt..... 8)
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry and Greg for following along and your kind words.
Today was productive. I started out doing a black wash over the track and surrounding area of the B.T.S. Mill Creek Mine and after it dried I cleaned the track. Later I laid out the main cork roadbed in the yard including the reverse loop crossover.
Where you see the T/O's sitting on the cork (yard) will be stub freight car sidings. The bottom left T/O will go to my programming track. On the right side the track ends in the background (stub) I plan to put in a freight house I scratch built for my last layout. Everything below (left side) the crossover will be the East yard and everything past the crossover on the right side will be the west yard.
We need to talk.....................
Dennis thanks for following along but I don't understand the comment?
Curt,
That's an impressive amount of work you've accomplished in such a short period of time. :o The layout is really taking shape. ;) Looking good!
Hey curt:
Love the layout pics. Keep em coming buddy.
Karl
Curt, Your running the same DCC I need to ask a few questions about....Dennis
Afternoon All,
Thank you Dennis, Bob and Karl for following and your kind words.
Dennis- Send me a PM and I'll try to answer your questions, I'm no DCC wizard but I can usually figure out the issue with enough time.
The only progress I have made is painting the bare wood in the yard and right pier (brown) and did a black wash in the Engine Service Facility.
Curt,
You've made some impressive progress since I last visited. Very nice looking layout.
Tom ;D
Hey Curt:
The RR is looking just great and I really like your RR room. Keep the pics flowing.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom and Karl for your kind words and following along.
After 4 or 5 days of no progress today I did a test of the ground cover that I plan on putting in the engine servicing area. The black is WS Cinders and the brown is Scenic Express dirt (ground up gravel). The glue darkens the brown. Instead of doing blobs of cinders I think the streaking is the way to go.
Afternoon All,
I did a second test of the "dirt" since I didn't really like the color of the dirt after applying thinned glue to it. The lower section which I like much better has a layer of Elmer's first then I sprinkled the dirt on it and left it to dry. It still holds nicely without the thinned glue.
Afternoon All,
Today I hit a milestone by connecting the first reverse loop to the main line and everything working like it should. I did run into intermittent starts and stops when testing with the F3. I had previously metered everything so I know everything had power. After cleaning the track twice and cleaning the loco wheels everything worked fine.
I did realize that I had to split the track on both sides of the T/O going from the main to the reverse loop because of the dead frogs in the T/O (PECO Insulfrog) as seen in the first photo.
Afternoon All,
Today I finished the main track of the first reverse loop (still have a stub track to do). It's been electrically hooked up and tested on both ends. 8) Tomorrow I'll probably start with the last set of WS risers for the coal business.
You've been busy Curt.....looking great. 8)
Good Afternoon All,
Greg thanks for following along.
I've made a lot of progress since the last post. I put in the cork and track on the WS incline. In the one picture the coal trestle is in place but not permanently.
In the yard I added the reverse loop crossover and the 3 left stub tracks. I put them in yesterday but was not happy with the connection points so I pretty much ripped everything up and redid the trackwork again. I'm much happier with it now. The closest stub track to the camera will also be my programing track. Nothing has been hooked up electrically yet.
The track laying is almost complete. I have 3 or 4 (haven't decided yet) on the right side then it's done.
Curt,
Yes, you have been busy for sure. The layout is looking good - well done my friend.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Tom thanks for following along and your kind words.
Since my last post there has been several days of nothing then I cut down 2 Chooch flexible small stone walls and attached them to the painted WS Risers with gorilla glue. I wanted a glue that would stand up to ballasting on top of it. I clamped the edges for 24 hours as recommended. Afterwards I gave it a craft paint black wash and wiped most of it off. This was followed by a medium brown then black weathering powder.
This afternoon I attached 9 sets of feeder wires that will be powered by the normal main buss and then soldered the rail joiners for those tracks. I have things to do tomorrow so probably no feeder wire hookup to the buss.
My wife is getting this fabric made for a window curtain in the train room.
Curt,
I really like the coal trestle and the use of the Chooch stone walls on the grade. Your multiple track elevations really add interest to the layout. I'm looking forward to your continued progress.
Curt,
Lots of progress since my last visit to this thread 4 months ago.
Keep the fire going and thanks for sharing the new updates of your railroad.
Tommy
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry and Tom Boyd for following along and commenting on the thread.
Since my last post I have finished laying track in the yard (peninsula). In a nutshell the left side is wired into the regular main buss and has been tested. The right side has the feeders attached to the rails but not to the reverse loop buss yet.
Over the last several days I have been running diesel powered trains in both directions (main line trackage) without issue for more than 2 hours. Today I started running a train with the 2-8-8-2. It made 6 complete laps then started derailing on the right hand side incline loop around. I messed with it for awhile, thought I had fixed it but no. I noticed late today that there appears a dip where the derailments keep happening. You can only see it in one viewing spot. The front 2 wheel guide wheels are what's derailing. I'll give it another go tomorrow.
The milestone today is the track laying is now complete (just need to fix what's already down. :'( The building is a scratch built freight house that's a couple of years old, but I need to rebuild the platform it sits on.
Nice work Curt. :)
I'm jealous. I haven't seen a model train running in almost a year! :(
Hey Curt:
Wow!!!! looks just great. Can't wait to see more scenery and buildings.
Karl
Curt,
Congrats on the finished track laying. The freight house looks great.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Thank you Bob, Karl, and Tom (ACL) for following along, your kind words and encouragement.
Since the last post I have hooked up the reverse loop and tested with the F3 and large steamer without issue. I was pleasantly surprised how easily the large steamer negotiated the 18" radius loop around section.
Today I hooked up the programing track and changed the F3 address to 95 then back to 9503. I can't take credit for the wiring of it. Back probably 4-5 years ago Jon Shubert wired everything together for me at his house and I installed it on the old layout. I was careful removing it so it could be used again. It is connected to a PTB-100. Afterwards I painted the remaining rails on the peninsula.
At this point the only electrical work to be done is building lighting and signals (not looking forward to it). Trackwork is complete except ballasting and roads. Today is 9.5 months since I started the benchwork.
Tomorrow I'm starting to build everything for the company town that will be in the back right corner. It will also give me a break from layout work. None of the kits are big enough to enter the build contest so I'll add the photos here as usual. I have 6 Bar Mills company houses and general store, a AMB (Laserkit) small gas station and church, and from Wild West Models 8 outhouses in 3 styles. I also have a Walthers Substation to build. As you can tell I'll be busy for awhile.
Sorry for the poor photos. If you blow up the track photo there is a green LED that indicates normal power to track. It's off while programing until CV's are changing then it flashes.
Looking really good, Curt.
It will be a nice change to get back to some structure building.
If you wanted to I'm sure any of those builds would be big enough to enter the build challenge. I've seen a scene on a peanut butter lid take out best in show! Deservedly, I might add. It was a scratch-built cabbage tree and some flaxes on a hillock. The scenery was quite simple exquisite.
I even managed a bronze award for a scene on the base of a film canister. There is a chap in NZ that does brass etchings of native birds (Marks model works) and so a special competition with trophy was set up for a scene incorporating one of his birds, on a film canister base. The brass etchings are filled with solder and then the bodies and wings caved with an engraving tool. Two of the entries achieved a gold award. At the awards dinner a high quality photograph of the winning entry was blown up and displayed on a projection screen. Even at that magnification the detail was extortionary. I was with Barry (the winner) when he was working with the engraving tool and he spent a full 10 hours on this alone. The birds are S-scale, BTW.
Enjoying watching your progress.
Cheers, Mark.
Great progress Curt.
Well done with the completion of the track work Curt.....time for some SBG test runs. 8)
Quote from: GPdemayo on January 11, 2021, 08:52:26 AM
Well done with the completion of the track work Curt.....time for some SBG test runs. 8)
I echo the sentiment. But beware of Greg running Greg speed on the layout! ;)
Mike
Good Afternoon All,
Thank you Greg, Mark, and Mike for following along, kind words, and insight. It is greatly appreciated.
Since the last post I have finished the Blair Line Company Store and weathered it. The light makes the roof brighter than it actually is. I substituted corrugated roofing for the tar paper that came with the kit.
I made my first video of the new layout. I should of ran it a little slower and I don't know why it's not a sharper image.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W8LUYexxxs
Next up to build is the AMB rural church.
Curt,
The layout is looking very nice my friend. Love the company store, weathering on the roof looks great.
Tom ;D
Quote from: madharry on January 11, 2021, 11:27:38 AM
Quote from: GPdemayo on January 11, 2021, 08:52:26 AM
Well done with the completion of the track work Curt.....time for some SBG test runs. 8)
I echo the sentiment. But beware of Greg running Greg speed on the layout! ;)
Mike
Hey Mike.....I'll try to be good when we get over to Curt's..... ::)
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom (ACL) and Greg for following and your kind words.
Greg- Running speed on my layout will be regulated, Not like what Tom let's you get away with. ;D
Today I finished the Laser kit Xpress Church kit (beginners). I got it because I wanted a small church for the company town. Let's just say it's not my finest build. For some reason I just couldn't square the walls which of course threw off the floor and roof. I put shake shingles on the roof and put in stained glass windows (I got the idea from Tom). This is definitely a "2 foot" model.
I also started on the very small same style gas station kit. Hopefully this one will go better.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 19, 2021, 04:37:45 PM
Greg- Running speed on my layout will be regulated, Not like what Tom let's you get away with. ;D
what ?..... ???
Greg- Just teasing you.
Hey Curt:
It will look just fine once installed with scenery around it.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl and Greg for following and your kind words.
Today I finished the gas station and started on the first of six company houses.
Curt,
Nice little gas station.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Tom thank you for the kind words.
Today I finished up the first of the company houses ( I have too much black on the back wall) but spent about 4 hours correcting a section of track that I didn't like the geometry of. Of course after was all said and done it involved moving 2 turnouts and 3 tracks...isn't that always the way? The other thing I have to watch for when wiring things back up is that everything is on the boundary of the reverse loop.
Curt,
I feel your pain. I find getting track work finessed to flow can be one of the most frustrating part of the hobby. On the plus side, I built one of those gas stations a few years ago and found it to be really cool. Hope you enjoyed building yours as much as I did mine. How about putting a burn barrel or outdoor fire pit next to that dark wall on your company house? Problem solved, IMO!
Hello Curt, you have been very busy, bet you're glad the trackwork is over. Now you can get going on the fun stuff. By the time you get all six company houses built you will be able to do one in your sleep. Looking forward to buildings and scenery with your trackwork. Jeff
Coming on nicely, Curt.
Cheers, Mark.
Curt,
Well done, you seem to be moving at my old speed on the layout/structure work.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry B., Jeff, Mark, and Tom for following along and kind words.
Jerry- That is a great suggestion and I'll be doing that.
Jeff- You have that right about being finished with track work...fingers crossed ;)
I've finished 3 of the houses (6 total). The routine I have is the day before paint the parts then the next day put it together, weather it then paint the next kit for the following day and so on.
I've discovered that I need to cut my own front porch roof supports from strip wood because the ones provided in the kit are so thin and flimsy that I'm guaranteed to break 2 of the 4 each time.
I also figured out to put the tar paper on the main roof before attaching the legs which is reversed in the directions and put the tar paper on the porch roof before attaching the roof to the house.
The third thing is the stair stringers are very flimsy also and break very easily putting them in the provided jig. Each house has 2 sets and I have 4 completed with 2 thrown away because of broken stringers. I'll build them when my NESL order comes in.
Nice job on those houses.
Jerry
Curt - Those "company houses" look like "cracker houses" to me. Did they have such things that far "up nawth?" They would fit right in on the Atlantic & Southern.
Company houses are very common in mining and mill towns throughout the Northeast.
dave
Nice job on the company houses Curt.
Mike
Curt,
The company houses look great. Nice job my friend.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry, Judge, Dave, Mike, and Tom for following along and the kind words.
Judge- Yes, they would fit right in on Tom's layout.
Today I finished up the last 3 company houses so the town will have 6 houses, a gas station, a church and a store. I'll start on the outdoor plumbing (outhouses) tomorrow. I have 8 of them from Wild West Models to build, but should be easier than the houses.
I was looking online yesterday for hand water pumps because I was going to say that the houses have no water or sewage but the costs were ridiculous. The cheapest price I could find would be around $27 + shipping for 6. After telling my wife that she said her grandparents had a house with a outhouse and a water hand pump in the kitchen next to the sink. So that's my story. They lived in Bluford WV and he was a coal miner that died from Black Lung.
My wife also said there were many houses with red front doors for religious reasons. Of course she told me that while working on the last house so I painted the door red (far right house).
Hey Curt:
Those cabins came out great.
Karl
Great job on the cabins Curt..... 8)
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl and Greg for following along and your kind words.
Have a very short update today. I've completed the 8 Wild West Models outhouses with 3 different styles. It took about a day and a half to do. Next up is the Walthers Substation that goes with their power plant (already built).
Although I still need to scratch build a platform/deck for the freight house and a covered conveyor for the New River Mine I will wait until I get to those parts of scenery. After the Substation I need to start working on installing my signals and components. A major pain in the butt, but nothing says Pennsy more to me than Pennsy signals. I just hope the signal bridge held up to the move.
That's a plethora or outhouses.....neat. 8)
Curt is on a roll with those outhouses ;D ;D
dave
Looking good, Curt.
Cheers, Mark.
Hey Curt:
Looking good. Love the outhouses. All you need now is A 2 story one.
Karl
Hello Curt, I really like your company houses and the outhouses. Can't wait to see all of them in a finished scene. You are making good progress with your empire. Jeff
Good Afternoon All,
Thank you Greg, Dave, Mark, Karl, and Jeff for your support and kind words.
As I mentioned before I've started the Walthers substation and I'm probably 40-50% done with it. The directions leave a lot to be desired, but it is a Walthers kit :o. I have to keep going between the instruction drawings and the box photo to get stuff right.
Everything was sprayed in flat automotive grey primer. If I need to touch up I use Hippo Grey craft paint since the color is almost a perfect match. The painted insulators are Brick Red craft paint.
Nice work
Doug
Curt,
I really like that substation. Looks great.
Tom ;D
Quote from: PRR Modeler on January 19, 2021, 04:37:45 PM
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom (ACL) and Greg for following and your kind words.
Greg- Running speed on my layout will be regulated, Not like what Tom let's you get away with. ;D
Today I finished the Laser kit Xpress Church kit (beginners). I got it because I wanted a small church for the company town. Let's just say it's not my finest build. For some reason I just couldn't square the walls which of course threw off the floor and roof. I put shake shingles on the roof and put in stained glass windows (I got the idea from Tom). This is definitely a "2 foot" model.
I also started on the very small same style gas station kit. Hopefully this one will go better.
Late to the party (there's another first).
One of my buddies in college was a pre-ministerial student and served several rural churches in western Kentucky. I've attended a few that look very similar to yours and recall one or two of them being architecturally "non-plumb", also in need of major repairs.
Don't think any of that makes any difference if God is in the house.
Quote from: deemery on January 29, 2021, 09:43:34 AM
Curt is on a roll with those outhouses ;D ;D
dave
Has he reached his tipping point yet?
Evening All,
Thank you to Doug, Tom, and BandOGuy for following along and your comments.
This is my third attempt today to be able to post on this thread :(. I sent a message to the person that gets the problem messages.
Today I finished the substation. I am really glad it's complete. It was a tough build for me with how it went together. Some changes that I had to make on the kit since the last post:
1. Had to ream out the vertical post holes.
2. Had to change the gate since the hinges did not work.
3. Had to use some Tichy Phosphor 0.20 wire for 2 horizontal braces. Not enough wire provided.
I added Tichy Phosphor 0.15 wire to simulate transmission lines. At some point I plan on connecting the 3 upper lines to the power house for added realism.
I noticed in one photo that I need to trim the "chain link" on one side. I originally sprayed the fabric with a metallic paint but found it too sparkly so I applied grey weathering powder to it to dull it a bit.
I have kind of a strange situation. For 1 of my mines I was planning on using the Walthers New River Mine (was on my last layout). My wife was looking online and said that she really likes the B.T.S Cabin Creek Tipple and I should build it. I looked at the dimensions and I can make it work in the space I have, I'll be thinking about it this weekend. I knew I was going to change it at some point so I probably will, but I wasn't expecting another 2 weeks building a structure.
I just realized why I couldn't post. I never resized the photos. :-X :-X :-X. I'll resize them then post them here.
Here are the resized photos. ::)
Hey Curt, great job on the sub station, especially the chain link fencing. I've tried chain link a couple of times on my layout and it is not an easy thing to make look realistic. Good job. Jeff
Curt,
Very nice power/sub station, well done. I'll need to find a place for one on the A&S RR.
Tom ;D
Hey Curt:
Very nice job on the sub station.
Karl.
Well done Curt.....don't forget to ground yourself before you grab any of those power lines. ;)
Quote from: GPdemayo on February 06, 2021, 08:32:46 AM
Well done Curt.....don't forget to ground yourself before you grab any of those power lines. ;)
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwiltonambulance.org%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F07%2FSKELETON-WITH-ELECTRIC-SHOCK.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
What a great job on that sub station. Perfect fencing also.
Jerry
Evening All.
Thank you Jeff, Tom, Karl, Greg, Jerry, and Dave for following along and your comments.
Today was locomotive wheel cleaning day. Afterwards I ran my BF16 A-A coal drag. The locos are standard Bachmann that are hard wired together and with a draw bar. The sound decoder is a QSI.
Curt,
Love those Baldwin Sharks. Layout looking excellent.
Tom ;D
Nice looking coal drag (says the guy formerly from the anthracite coal region in PA). ;)
Ditto on those Sharks.
I've got a pair that might see D&H decals someday.
Bernd
Hey Curt:
the locos look just beautiful. I will assume you added the antennas yourself. Back in the day when I custom painted locos and freight and passenger cars I used to do all that stuff. I was great fun. Also just love the bridge with all its scenery. Kep up the great work.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Tom, Bob, Bernd, and Karl. Thank you for following along and you're kind words.
Karl- Yes I did the train phones using Cal Scale supports and Tichy Phosphor wire.
Bernd- I know a guy at the club (when I was a member) that had D&H Sharks. They looked sharp.
I started with the signal install yesterday getting everything unwrapped and tested. Unfortunately 1 target head on the bridge only shows the caution signal (no clear or stop). I'm going to have to live with it because trying to fix it will no doubt destroy it.
Today I mounted the (2 locations) power supplies, power regulator, and logic boards. I also verified the power supplies and regulators are working.
I also received in the mail the Cabin Creek Mine from B.T.S which I will have a separate thread in kit building. I'm actually happy my wife pushed me into getting it. I also received 4 HO scale skunks. Man are they small! I'll probably get started on the kit Sunday or Monday. I will be absent Feb 20-26 while my brothers are in town (delayed because of weather)
Curt,
I can no longer keep up with you on layout work. Great job and the new coal tipple is a nice addition to the Bellevue Sub.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Tom- Thank you for your kind words from so long ago! :)
I decided not to post construction pictures of the BTS Cabin Creek Mine since the photos are in their own kit building thread. Yesterday I gave the mine tracks a black craft paint wash and a cleaning.
Today I cleaned the track again and test ran my H10-44 (assigned shifter) over the track without issue so I decided to ballast the track. It's drying now so I'll do touch up later along with track cleaning and testing again. The blank spots are where the mine footers will rest. At final install I'll cover them up.
Hey Curt:
Track work and scenery look just great.
Karl
Looking good, Curt.
It will be nice to se the mine planted and blended into the scene.
Cheers, Mark.
Afternoon All,
Well it's been around 6 weeks but I actually did some work on the layout today. Family events and requirements have been taking up my time.
Thank you Karl and Mark for your comments so long ago.
Today I spent about 90 minutes painting the ballasted track between the rails with Tamiya XF-63 German Grey which to my eye looks like a old grimy surface.
Looks good Curt.....keep those photos coming. 8)
Good Morning All,
Greg- Thanks for following along.
Yesterday I spent several hours working on the sub-structure for the coal mine parking lot which will be elevated. Beyond this I'm having a hard time visualizing the landscaping around the mine and outer buildings. I don't just want all black like I did on the previous layout. Oh well I guess I have more time to think about it.
Curt,
Nicely done on the ballast around the mine tracks. I would suggest leveling the ballast some though.
Tom ;D
Hey Curt:
Looks just great so far. Can't wait to see more.
Karl
Ballasting looks good, I'd like to do some ballast but just not 100% confident with my track work yet.
Afternoon All,
Thank you for following along and your comments Tom, Karl, and Lynn.
I continued work on the parking lot and access road. First I decided to take the easy way out with asphalt instead of concrete. Today I painted the framework with WS Asphalt color. After that I cut "for sale" styrene signs to fit the roadway and parking lot (not glued down) and finally the 3 wooden road crossings (Blair Line) that I previously put a coat oh Hunterline Creosote were dry brushed with Tamiya XF-63 German Grey like the rest of the track.
I plan on giving the styrene pieces 2 coats of rattle can flat black then brush on a coat or two of WS Asphalt.
Not very exciting but at least it's progress.
Hey Curt:
You are quite welcome. Parking lot and street look great so far. Can't wait to see what you do with it.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Karl- Thank you for your comments and following along.
I noticed in my last post that the styrene road bows inward in-between the tracks so I fixed that. Today I spent several hours trying to get the lighting to work.
Let me backtrack. Reading Bob was kind enough to make 3 light boards for the mine which I put in and soldered together. After testing they worked.
After that I mounted 2 exterior lights and cracked a wall in 2 places on the third one. I attached the goose necks to the walls, then attached them to the boards and cut the gaps in the tape. Didn't work. Swapped leads and still didn't work. I pulled the lights off the mine and tested them and they worked.
Of course at this point the interior lights weren't working because I had cut gaps in the tape. I went ahead and soldered jumpers and the interior lights work again.
Now I have to decide what the heck I'm going to do about the lighting. I figure that I have 3 options:
1. Only have interior lighting (dummy exterior lights)
2. Pull the interior lights out and wire everything individually.
3. Keep the interior lighting and try wiring the exterior lighting separately.
I have a week to decide. All in all a pretty sucky MRR day.
Afternoon All,
Today I finally figured out how to make the 4 exterior lights work with the light boards so I only needed 1 hole through the build to hook up to the lighting buss.
Thanks again to Reading Bob for making the light boards for me.
You're welcome Kurt! Glad you got things working. Looks like there's more than enough light there. 8)
Neat..... 8)
The mine lighting looks great! Well done Curt and Bob.
Tom ;D
Curt~,
Wow, I like the lighting on the mine. Animation (i.e. illumination) is just awesome with bringing all this great work of gluing and painting to life. 8)
Thanx Thom...
Hey Curt:
All looks just beautiful as always.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you Bob, Greg, Tom, Thom, and Karl for following along and your kind words.
Since I posted last the mainline and interchange track ballasting is complete. After that I started on the ground cover around the mine. After some mis-steps I finally have the base layers down.
I'm using Scenic Express Medium Soil and Dirt (very heavy compared to WS products). The problem with it is when it is sprayed with RA and thinned glue that it dries looking wet although it's dry. The fix is to brush straight Elmers onto the surface sprinkle the soil directly on the glue then pat it down. It then retains it's color. I added small areas of dark green ground cover and cinders. I still have static grass (new for me) and grass clusters to put down.
Hey Curt:
Your ground cover looks just great. can't wait to see more.
Afternoon All,
Karl thank you for following along and your kind words.
Today I made my first foray into static grass. I have the WS applicator, power supply and the WS low power vacuum for recycling loose static grass.
Today the first layer was a 7mm straw, followed by a 12mm light green, and finally and a 12mm dark green.
Note to self: Tape off areas to assist cleanup and I need to fix some ballast areas.
Hey Curt:
Great photos. Love the 3 way turnout and the scenery looks great around it. And you are quite welcome.
Karl
I like the look the static grass, I need to try the process one of these days. ;)
Good job on the static grass Curt. I bought the same WS applicator after looking at a number of different models. I'm itching to try it but I'm afraid I'm no further than the Plywood Central right now.
Doug
Good job mixing the colors/heights. Remember the 12 mm grass is over 3 foot tall in HO, don't use it for someone's lawn. Though I do have a neighbor... :)
Jeff
On the "wet dirt" look. You can also "drybrush" some of the fine soil onto the top to lighten it.
Jeff
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl, Greg, Doug, and Jeff for your kind words and following along.
Jeff- Thank you for the suggestion. I used it today.
Today I finished the BTS Cabin Creek Mine and "planted" it onto the layout. The stairs from the tipple to the boiler house had to be finished on the layout. I may add more people and vehicles later. Next on the layout will be the power plant and distribution yard (both
are Walthers kits and already built).
I took the lighted shot obviously before detailing last night.
Hey Curt:
Great pics. Thanks for sharing.
Karl
Looks good Curt! Especially all lit up. 8)
Quote from: ReadingBob on November 13, 2021, 04:45:21 PM
Looks good Curt! Especially all lit up. 8)
Curt,
I agree! Two thumbs up from here.
Tom ;D
What Bob & Tom said.....well done Curt, great scene, 8)
Looking good Curt, I have the same setup with the ws static grass applicator, I tried it once and also quickly learned that the green painters tape is your friend.
Afternoon All,
Thank you Karl, ReadingBob, Tom, Greg, Lynn for your kind compliments and following along.
Today I finished the next section containing the Walthers Northern Power and substation. It's quick when the structures are already built and everyday is Saturday except Sunday.
The next section will have the FOS kit Hendrix Type Foundry in it with a tree area between the two areas.
Hey Curt:
Looks just beautiful.
Karl
Good Afternoon,
Karl- Thank you for following along and your kind words.
Today I finished the FOS Hendrix Type Foundry section that also includes the Monster Modelworks Tower (has interior and lighting). I moved the wood structure addition on Hendrix's to the side instead of on the back (lighted also). The tower sits at the entrance to the engine servicing area with round house.
I want to do some testing for the ground cover in the ESF before getting started with that section to see what looks best to my eye.
Curt,
The scenery is looking very nice. Looks like you were busy, great job.
Tom ;D
Curt,
Great progress, really like the scenery!
Curt,
The layout is looking great. Very nice modeling !
Tommy
Great job on the structures and scene Curt..... 8)
Hey Curt:
The layout is looking just great. Can't wait to see more.
Karl
Afternoon All,
Thank you, Tom, Jerry, Tom Boyd, Greg, and Karl, for following along and your kind comments.
I decided to start landscaping the tracks and area around the roundhouse before doing the approach track area. The tracks were completed in 4 steps:
1. Tape the area.
2. Put down Scenic Express Fine Sand and glue down with my regular ballast/ground cover glue mixture.
3. After dry give a coat of A&I.
4. After dry brush on grimy black weathering powder followed by another coat of A&I to get it into the sand and give a covering.
The ground cover will be the next step
Looks great Curt! Is that tower from Monster Modelworks?
Steve thanks for following along and your kind words. Yes, that is the MMW brick tower.
Hey Curt:
Looks just great so far. Can't wait to see more.
Karl
Evening All,
Karl thank you for following along and your kind words.
It's been almost a month since I have posted on the build. I have completed the engine service facility except for the dwarf signals that Jon Shubert is building for me. I need to paint the left side fascia that I put up today then I'm taking a break from the layout and will be building the FOS REA freight station for the build challenge. Of course I'll have a build thread. I ordered the paint for it yesterday (selection at LHS is poor).
Here are some more photos. Note the 2 dwarf signals behind the elevated one.
Coming on nicely. Curt.
Enjoy the break from the layout. I'm sure we all will - as we watch your build challenge.
Cheers, Mark.
Great update Curt.....you've been busy. Like the signals, they really add a neat visual dimension to the empire. 8)
Hey Curt:
Beautiful RR. I'm very impresses.
Karl
Curt - Your little part of the Pennsy is really coming along. Looking good! Happy New Year! Tom and I look forward to seeing you on the A&S property after its CEO recovers from surgery.
Hey curt:
looking at the photos again and I really love the roundhouse and all those great locos.
Karl
Curt,
Happy New Year! The layout is looking very good and well done.
Tom ;D
Afternoon All,
Thank you Mark, Greg, Karl, Judge, and Tom for following along and your kind words.
I'll be taking a sort break from this thread to participate in the 2022 build thread.
Hey Curt:
You are quite welcome.
Karl
Looks like you're getting close to having a SBG open house at the Pennsey. ;)
Afternoon All,
It has been quite a while since posting here. Since I don't know where to start I will just post about the latest project.
Tom (ACL1504) has a wooden beam crane sitting on his layout that every time that I visit I stare at it because I really like it. Tom was kind enough to loan it to me as a reference so I could build my own. I also decided to "beef" it up some. Tom also gave me about 100 NBW's that he believes are from Campbells. I'll be returning around 20 of them.
For the structure I used wood and sheet styrene (for sale sign). The wood glue was Titebond and for the styrene I used Gorilla Gel CA.
The wood stain is Hunterline Russet Stain which is the same as the original. I sprayed the styrene parts with rattle can flat black and touch up was Tamiya XF-69 (NATO Gray). The winch was painted rattle can gray and touched up with the Tamiya and gray craft paint.
The shuttle was made from wood and styrene. The wheels are from a broken 1920's REA vehicle (used the tire rims).
The first 2 photos are the original crane.
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OK, I figured how to do photos again. The rest of the photos are of the one I built.
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Continuing.
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And finally on the layout. The current plan is to modify a poorly running 44 Tonner I have to show an engine removal.
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Hello Curt, what a great job on the beam crane. The wood color looks very naturally aged and I also like the metal details. I can't wait to see the rest of the mini-scene with the 44 tonner completed.
Well done Curt.....shaping up to be a nice scene when all the details and little people are added. 8)
Thanks Butty.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on November 27, 2023, 08:22:44 AMThanks Butty.
Hey Curt.....I have a bunch of pre-painted little people "workers" that might help the scene, drop in and check out the stash anytime.
Both your and Tom's cranes look great. Should be an interesting scene with the loco repair and details.
Jeff
Really nice looking crane, Curt.
I like the stain colour and all the brackets really bring it to life.
Cheers, Mark.
Thank you, Jeff and Mark, for following and your kind words.
Greg- Thank you for the offer but I already have some ordered and they should be here by Friday.
Looks amazing. Just caught up on this thread. Just amazing.
Jim
Hi Curt. That looks great! Well done. Well done indeed.
Curt,
Fantastic job on the traveling crane build.
You gave me credit for the build but the Judge built it from a Campbell's kit some 45+ years ago.
Again, very very well done my friend.
Tom
Thank you Jim, Bob and Tom for following along and your very kind words.
Afternoon All,
Well, here are the pictures of my current project. The chain hoists I built are oversized unfortunately. The project is on hold until after the 1st of the year when I'll order a Funaro F22 kit (HD 30' flat car) for the scene. The gondola scene is only to show the motor and generator. On the flat they will be chained down.
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Here is the freebee FOS tire garage.
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Curt,
I like the garage, colors and weathering look excellent to my eye. I read about your thought that the doors were too large for the building. I suggested in yesterday's Baggage car that you might add a sign across the upper windows to lower the height of the doors. After looking again, I think you could add a piece of board and batten siding in place of the right door. If the doors still look wrong to you, use some Tichy garage doors and add a piece of board and batten siding over the top of those doors. IMO that is too nice a structure not to have a home on your layout.
Nice work on the kit Curt..... 8)
What is the width and height of the front door opening in scale feets?
Thank you, Jerry and Greg, for your insight and suggestions. I will take a look at the doors tomorrow and get the measurements. More to follow.
I like how you finished your freebie. I almost thought about leaving the doors open for some interior work but had no idea how they would open. Too big for an overhead door. Do they slide to the side? Anyway, I just glued them closed. :)
Jeff
Looking good, Curt.
Personally, I don't have a problem with the over height doors. I would have thought they would be quite practical - and also that there would be plenty of prototypical examples of tire shops with over height doors.
Cheers, Mark.
Excellent job on the garage Curt! Nicely done all around!
Curt,
Very nice job on the FOS freebie garage. Like Mark, I don't think the doors look out of scale for a garage, even a small one. I've seen auto garages that had doors two stories height.
I also think you did a good job on the Pennsy diesel in cutting away the sides.
Tom
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on January 07, 2024, 09:04:32 PMI like how you finished your freebie. I almost thought about leaving the doors open for some interior work but had no idea how they would open. Too big for an overhead door. Do they slide to the side? Anyway, I just glued them closed. :)
Jeff
Jeff,
In my experience the doors would have worked like the bifold doors on a closet. They could possibly be a trifold with all the doors hinged together, but given their size, IMO it is most likely there would be one hinged door and a bifold door. HTH
This discussion on doors reminds me: As I was looking at the brickworks office, I realized the doors I chose probably don't actually work in that structure. They're designed as barn doors, but there's not enough room for the doors to open left-and-right. Hopefully no one will notice!
dave
Afternoon All,
Thank you, Jeff, Mark, Bob, Tom, Jerry, and Dave for your observations, kind words, and suggestions.
The measurements are 10.5'v x 11.25'h (scale) which is smaller than they look to my eye. It still didn't look right so initially I cut out three pieces of wood to fit in the 3 upper windows but didn't like the effect. I finally cut one piece across all three windows. Before gluing I painted it and put the business sign on it.
After the board was glued down the doors were 7.5'v x 11.25'h.
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Afternoon All,
Today I finished the FOS Lucky 7 Tavern. It has a small footprint that will be next to a FOS Diner (next up) and an FOS manufacturing plant.
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Good job on the tavern Curt.....guess the fire plug is there for the convenience of the patrons and neighborhood pooches. 8)
Curt...I just now stumbled on uour layout site...a very quick run thru and very nice!!!!
Now I better look
Well done buddy
Terry
Very nice Curt , what a sweet little building.
Curt,
Very nice job on the tavern build. Looks good!
Tom
Nice job on the Lucky 7 Tavern, Curt. She'll look great on the layout.
You almost made me break that one out to build but I already have my sights set on a different FOS kit.
Good looking tavern, Curt.
Jeff
Thank you Greg, Terry, Jan, Tom, Bob, and Jeff for following along and your kind words.
Afternoon All,
Here is the final pictures from the diner. Originally called Eleanor's, I changed it to Eleanor's Keystone Diner and modified the billboard sign to reflect this.
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Cool diner. The Venetian blinds are classic.
Jeff
Very neat, Curt.
Looking forward to seeing it on your layout with the sign and outhouse added.
Cheers, Mark.
Good work Curt.....probably find great comfort food at the diner. 8)
Thank you Jeff, Mark, and Greg for your kind words.
Jeff, I screwed up the venitions. I used a black marker on the back sides and it bled through. It looks like dirt or mold to me now. ???
Curt,
Very well done. I like the little diner.
Tom
Nice job, Curt. I like the color choices, too. Are you sure that isn't the diner just down the street from the F&SM where I ate breakfast about fifteen years ago? Looks familiar...
Well done with some nice weathering.
Thank you, Tom, Jerry, and Lynn, for your kind words.
Today I planted the diner and tavern on the layout.
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Afternoon Curt
Very nice addition to the layout. Great looking place to eat for sure!! ;D
Jerry
Great scene Curt.....well done. 8)
They look great on the layout.
Jeff
Afternoon All,
Thank you Jerry, Greg, and Jeff for following along and your kind words.
For about 4 days I've been working on the FOS Wileys Waterproofing. I'm done with the wood portion of the kit. The open back will attach to a hydrocal wall. I put 4 horizontal braces for stability. The hole in the foundation is for lighting access. I have shingled the 2 roofs but they won't be added to the end.
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Afternoon All,
I finished the 44 Tonner scene on the layout.
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You are making some good progress there, Curt.
I think it would be worth 'bedding down' the diner into the ground to hide the look of the foundation floating. Probably adding some more of the road material would be all it would take.
Cheers, Mark.
Afternoon All,
Mark- Thanks for pointing that out and I fixed it.
Today I finished the FOS Wileys Waterproofing kit except for final placement on the layout. I did 3 minor modifications to the kit. First, I left off the main roof cupola because it didn't look right. Second, I cut down and slightly moved the small awning so that it was over the business door and not in the corner, and third since I am not going to use the rear freight doors I "boarded" them up.
I'm holding up on final placement and scenery until I build the FOS McCauleys kit. Both will be next to each other on the layout. They are replacing the Walthers Northern Power and substation.
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That turned out great, Curt. Nice interior detail as well.
Jeff
Hey Curt, what a great job on this kit. I really like the way your hydrocal walls turned out- very nice brick coloring. That structure will look great on your layout.
Great job Curt, I especially like the brickwork .
Thank you Jeff, nycjeff, and Jan for all your kind words and following along.
Hey Curt very nice. Great job on the brick coloring.
Jerry
Nicely done, Curt! She'll look great on your layout.
Well done Curt..... 8)
Thank you Jerry, Bob, and Greg for following along and your kind words.