Thanx sooooo much Lary C*.,.....

It's nice to feel like I did something right; I know there shouldn't be any question about the 'order of the priorities',...   .....but sometimes it's still a good feeling when someone else notices, THANK YOU      ..........................................

I called this afternoon to see how long it would be before Gages' glasses came in   We ordered them last Friday about noon....from the the Vision Center in Walmart ...we also did the eye exam at the Optometrist in the Walmart....they said it would be about 5-10 business days so we had them put a rush on it (at no extra charge).....    

I took Gage to pick up his glasses this evening THURSDAY @(6:00PM) he is beside himself with joy at being able to see again.....
              .....he says "Everything's in H.D."             ......

Here's the before and after......



I love him so much; it just makes my heart soar forever....                  

Thanx again for all the input and comments fellas, and to you Larry C*. - a special thanx for 'speaking' the words you typed above............         ..........all for now.............stay tuned............see ya.................        

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Howdy fellas...  
Thanx Larry C*., thanx Phillip, and thanx to all those that grabbed a quick glance at the IMMR & T Co.....

After looking at the budget for the rest of the month, (we're on a fixed income)...the repairs to the kitchen, (new disposal and faucet plus instalation/labor) and Gages' eye Dr. appt. along with new lenses and 2 pair (one for backup) of frames shot a hole of right at $1000.00 in the 'discretionary' funds...           oh well these things happen, so no pink foam till the first of the month....   ...but I've got stuff to still clean up and prep ....so the project isn't on hold ... it's priorities have changed a little....     I can deal with that...     besides; living without a disposal and next to no water pressure (bad faucet) was driving all 3 of us bonkers            .....so you do what ya gotta....and Gage is thrilled to have new glasses...it's been 16 yrs..       poor kid....he's so glad to be able to see again....         .....

Here's a little schematic map I did of the IMMR & T showing the interface/interchange with the D&RGW...


This all happened because the D&RGW needed to get up a very steep mountain;   ... and so when the IMMR & T Co. was formed...to get at the MYTHIUM / BS       ...a deal was made ....       ...the IMMR & T would build the bridge at Harrison, and the D&RGW and the IMMR & T would split the more expensive costs of the tunnels ....one for the D&RGW 'loop'60%...and the other for the IMMR &T switchback 40%...         ...the D&RGW would also get a 'break' on the price of the BS that that it purchased from the IMMR & T;....If the D&RGW had used their heads, they could've made off with a small piece of the profits to offset the 60% cost of the tunnels.....     but that's why they went under         ........."A fool and his money".........           ............. 

The IMMR & T / D&RGW interface/interchange is actually very similar to the Georgetown Loop RR; we just added a sort of 'switchback' so a train can come down from the mine going forwards and after clearing the D&RGW cutoff begin backing down, taking the IMMR & T back down to the yard at Harrison; and the D&RGW can go up or down it's main line at the same time without any interference... so, the IMM & T is basically a switchback operation that after connecting to the D&RGW interchange, completes a 'continous' loop...           ...is that as confusing as it sounds ?......       ......

Oh well all for now.....stay tuned and thanx again for stoppin' by......see ya......          

KYLE CREEL
IMMR &T Co.

Thanx Larry C*., thanx Michael, and thanx Jeff....also thanx to the ones that wandered in to catch a peek at the plan....      

I've decided to not move the 'sideways bookcase' into the garage....it would just add more 'clutter gathering' options out there         ...besides - I can use it where it is, but slide it down a bit towards the right side of the floorplan...and use it for 'tucked away' storage (indoor clutter grabber) under the layout       ......

I should be getting the 4x8 x 2" pink foam sheet next week....I'm only gonna really need one for the base, since it'll be sitting on a light weight bench work frame (1x3's) and there will be no (or extremely little) plaster used...     , so the weight won't really be a factor...     .....and there will be limited 'carving of terrain'    so 2" should be sufficient for my needs...     ......all the scenery and rockwork will be carved from the 1" and 2" pink foam that I saved from the old layout      ....

I adjusted the track plan a smidge to insure there will be no "unwarranted or unneeded expansion"..       ...I'm determind to keep this layout small and 'under control    ....(for the time being) I even cut down the piece of 'real estate' that is on the left hand side (if facing the layout) at Peau-Dunque Jct. to get off to a 'clean start'     ....I may widen it out at the top, (and narrow it to its' current size coming down to the corner) by about 6".....but that's all         .........I also moved the Phartz & Schmelling Odorizer Production (BS) facility to the center on the upper level (6-1/2" elevation) and moved the TT over to the right side of the engine facilities, the ARCH rock formation is now in the left center next to the PHARTZ & SCHMELLING Co....and almost everything else is in about the same location...     ....

Since I'll have a strip that's 10" wide by 8' long after cutting the 4x8 sheet down to 6' by 38" ...I'm going to turn it vertically onto its' 2" side, and have the 10" height to carve rockwork into and attach it to the backdrop as a 2" buffer or border that fits between the wall and the edge of the layout and blends them together without making the layout 2" wider... ...I'm serious about the 38" width, it can't come any further out into the room than 40" from the wall, this way if I ever have to move, the layout itself is still only 38" wide by 6' long...           ....here it is.........

Whadda ya think ?......



ALL comments, suggestions, jeers, hoots and raspberries, along with any and all inspirational, corrective, creative or flatulent             offerings are encouraged and appreciated...    

Thanx again for stoppin' by and ya'll keep those cards 'n letters coming....have a great day.....see ya....      

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Hi fellas...     it's Sunday and I spent last night working on setting up my music recording, mixing, and  mastering equipment...       ....I still need a couple of adapters and some cables in order to do any real creating, recording or editing, but at least I know it all works and fits like I'd planned...   ....The next step towards the start of construction is to move the large book case that's on its' side in front of the windows, into the garage...then clean up the whole area and go purchase the pink foam board(s) that'll be the base of the layout.....I'm going to use either three - 1"x4'x8' pieces, or one 1"x4'x8'and one 2"x4'x8' which ever is cheaper, in order to have a 3" base to work with....     .....

Here's the "studio" portion of the room......   ...........




Here's the 'soon to be gone' book case...............



That's all for now........thanx again for stoppin by...stay tuned...see ya....        

KYLECREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Thanx Larry C*., thanx Jerry, and thanx Ron, also thanx to everyone that checked out the progress...     ...much appreciated....

Today I decided to take it a little easy, there's been lots done in the last 2 weeks   ......

I re-examined all the measurements, and found a few extra bits of floor space;.... If I slide the RR layout down to the opposite corner (from left to right when facing the 10' wall - top to bottom in this drawing)...     ....The bed sticks out 38" from the wall its' on ...and the desk/dresser is only 20" out from the wall it's on; opposite the bed...   ...so if I move it, that's 18" more open area around the end of the layout diagonally to the desk;      because the layout will be an additional 18" further away from the nearest piece of furniture.....the desk/dresser...       .....so I also moved/rotated the PEAU-DUNQUE JCT.'bump-out' to the top right corner against the 10' wall/backdrop so it isn't sticking out into the middle of the room (where it would have been)            .....

A picture's worth a thousand words........
The blue outline is the new location, the yellow outline is the old location; the red arrow denotes the distance from the layout to the desk corner, in the new location.....the green arrow shows the distance from the layout to the corner of the bed, in the old location.....The square/dashed line box is a possible chair location......also the small (dashed-line) vertical rectangular box under the top right corner portion of the layout is a 2 drawer (short) file cabinet, the other square under the layout is another chair, and the other (vertical) rectangle is a 4 drawer(short) dresser for RR supplies.......the other rectangle (horizontal) that kinda 'crosses it' is a possible pullout shelf....but I ditched that idea in favor of the short dresser......         

Here's the modified PEAU-DUNQUE JCT. 'bumpout' in its' new location at the top right corner of track plan...........


Hope it all makes sense....       ...thanx again for all the input an suggestions.....see ya....        

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Thanx Mike, and thanx Phillip - as well as the 'passers by'...     it's much appreciated..........    

It's all over but the rest of the clean up...   ...I swept the floor in between the bed and the desk / 5 drawer dresser...     so I wouldn't 'track' dirt and 'crud' all over the house..     ...keeping Mama happy (keeps everybody happy)..         ............

The almost 'blank canvas'...     .........


The desk / dresser area.............






This is how it looks from the entry..I measured it, and this wall is 10 feet across but it seems narrower.....


OK... I'm 'beat to a frazzle'...     to quote my fraternal grand mother....     ..... it's 10:45PM ... and I'm gonna crawl into the sack and watch some model railroading video channels on YouTube on my TV with Roku...       ....it's sooooo cooool..........all for now ...thanx again for checkin' things out....ya'll stay tuned......see ya............         ................

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Had lunch,    , the 'prep work' is done, ....nothing much left but wood...      



 ......BUT    ....it's NAP TIME...                 ..'see ya later alligator'..........'after while crocodile'                   .............bye.........  

Gage and I will take this down later this afternoon.......then all that's left is clean up.....     ...... 

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Thanx to all the folks that grabbed a peep,        , it's appreciated....

I've begun the phase 4 demolition        .......


I'll be removing the last 2 sections in a little while    ....break time right now though....   ...
all for now....."thanx again for checkin' in"......see ya..........        

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Thanx Dave, thanx Michael, thanx Karl, and thanx Phillip...also thanx to those that just popped in for a glance at the progress.....      

Today (Tuesday) I added some color to the trackage lines on the 'semi 3D' track plan that I posted earlier...Orange is the D & RGW, Purple is the I MMR & T Co. ,..the black lines are yard tracks and the green (kinda hard to distinguish from the black) are sidings....     ......I also added some labeling to the features.....     ....

Here it is..............


I also decided to use the 15-1/2" TT I put so much work into 'customizing' instead of spending $100.00 or more on a 12" or 13" TT.....     Thanx again for stoppin by   ....hope it looks OK....let the comments, suggestions and any other input begin....     .....it's appreciated, inspirational and needed, .....all for now....see ya......        

KYLE CREEL
I MMR & T Co. 

Well well well.... here we are at phase 3....               ....."Presto change-o".....    

Look Ma....NO BENCHWORK!!!!!!!!!!          



All of this will come down in phase 4........stay tuned..................          


Then we can start the new RR... The I Me Mining Railroad & Transport Co.

Thanx for grabbin' a glance at the project...I really appreciate it...     , ya'll are very inspirational; the comments, suggestions and interest is fuel for the fire......         ......
all for now ........see ya...........         ..........

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Phase 2....                 ..................

"Get that old crap outta here"...             .....
I was assisted by .........
My esteemed and wonderful helper....GAGE... MY BELOVED GRANDSON...          






Thanx for checkin' in, yall stay tuned............

Phase 3 to follow.....         .....all for now......see ya.........        

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Thanx Dave, and a big 'ol thanx to everybody that stopped by to look in on the progress....     ...
sorry there's not been much til now......        

Let the destruction begin, "And the removal of the old benchwork began"......

Phase 1.............







Phase 2 in the next post....................       ...all for now.....see ya....        
 
KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

Thanx Dave;.....

Hey fellas, I've begun the disassembly of the RR....   ...I'll post shots of the process later this week....     thanx to all the window shoppers and those that just peeked in for a second...     .... it's all appreciated...

Dave - I've been giving some serious thought to your comment/suggestion about the lower left corner          ...I think you're on to something....so I made some adjustments...   I shortened the layout from 6'-2" by 3'-4" down to 6' even by only 3'-2"....   ....

1. I moved the 'town' to the 'right side edge'..
2. I moved and "shrunk/simplified" the I ME MINE..
3. I swapped out the sector plate for a 12" TT-and located it where the town was..
4. I moved the small engine shed from the mining area to the TT area....
5. I relocated the MYTHIUM 'processing' plant from PEAU-DUNQUE JCT.; over to where the I ME MINE used to be..
6. I took your suggestion and now have not only the D&RGW interchange trackage up in PEAU-DUNQUE JCT....but...
7. I now also have the D&RGW running 'THROUGH THE LAYOUT' entering the lower left corner at PEAU-DUNQUE JCT. and   
   exiting in Harrison at the lower right corner, making the IMM & T a branch line off of the D&RGW; going from
   Harrison, COUNTERCLOCKWISE up to PEAU DUNQUE JCT., then using the switchback to go CLOCKWISE to the
   mine, and the processing plant......Through trackage right agreements, the IMM & T can use the D&RGW trackage   
   to (going COUNTERCLOCKWISE) get back down to Harrison; and leave the consist (2 tank cars full of 75 or 
   100%BS) for the D&RGW to pick up.The cars have to be weighed and inventoried at WINDBREAKER ODOR DISTRUBTION.   
     ...Loaded tank cars full of BS can also be spotted on the D&RGW trackage at PEAU-DUNQUE JCT. after they
   are weighed and inventoried in Harrison at WINDBREAKER         
8. I made a 'semi 3D' track plan to show the changes....hope it looks OK....     .....

Thats all for now... thanx again for the suggestion DAVE, it worked much better for the overall layout.. - size, operational opportunities, and train watching....         it don't get much better than that.... ...thanx to everybody that comments, makes a suggestions, (or a Raspberry)            ...or just looks in....it's always welcome and appreciated.....ya'll stay tuned......

Here we go..............the "semi 3D" 'experiment'.......       ....

.......see ya.......         ..........

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.       

Thanx Dave,     ...

I tried that approach, but there's no fitting the MYTHIUM/BS processing bldg. on the other track - plus I need 2 tracks; one for tank car/ore car holding, and the other for the processing bldg.....

So I put the D & RGW interchange track in Harrison.  It comes off / shares the siding at the very bottom (as pictured above) of the layout in between the bridge support piers........right next to the fuel oil and water spout ......interchange cars will be spotted on the siding, awaiting pick up....       .....

Thanx again for the input, with a little more real estate it would work great up in Peau Dunque Jct. - alas- I've no more land......       ...........

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.

I took down all my previous topics..         ......I sincerely felt like I was taking up valuable site space with topics that were constantly changing and seemingly going nowhere...     .....I wanted to start fresh with a completely clean slate and not screw around with every new idea or possibility that wandered across my (by now) over exposed and weirded out brain (from 'traipsing' down every possible path I saw)...       ...

Suffice to say, this topic is what happens when all the 'noise and chatter' is quieted down and rational thought can take root....     .......

I've spent the last week discarding all the previous track plans and ideas, and have settled on a simple and workable plan that doesn't EXPAND, or TAKE OVER THE ROOM...     .....it allows for John Allens' original 'twice around' concept, has a sector plate, a mining camp at a higher 7" elev. level, a mine at an 11" elev. level,  a D&RGW intchg., 16" radius curves, each with a 6" or 9" long 18"radius easement, and MOST OF ALL almost all of the trackage is visible, save for one 18" tunnel, one 14" tunnel, and one 10" tunnel, all of which are 'clustered together' in the rear/center of the layout with my big arch rock formation in the center pointed towards the front of the layout...the 18" and 14" tunnels are parallel, and the 10" tunnel is in the same mountain but at an angle.....(see the plan below)   ...the layout will be along the 10' wall and NO EXPANSION will be done,   ....my music mixing and recording 'studio' such as it is (pictures in the future) will be along the wall with the ANVIL CLOUD in the backdrop, and a desert diorama with abandoned trackage will be on a narrow shelf above the speakers and mixing gear...         to 'frame out' the bottom of the backdrop       .........

This 'new' venture is called...THE I ME MINING RAILROAD & TRANSPORT Co......It mines the 'little known' mineral called "MYTHIUM"...     after it's extracted, it goes to Peau Dunque Jct. where it's heated;    and the 'refined sludge' known as BS75 (75%BS) , and BS100 (100%BS) is shipped in tank cars to a local 'odor' distributor           ..., sold, and then transported 'off layout' via the D & RGW - to a customer which processes it into a vapor (THAT SMELLS LIKE A HUGE FART)           ..and it is then sold to natural gas companies to be added to their gas pipelines so you can 'SMELL A LEAK"             .....

The mine is named after a George Harrison song called "I ME MINE"..on the Let It Be album by The Beatles....   ...the main town is called Harrison...I'm keeping someone on the forums' idea and using the "PEAU DUNQUE" Jct. spelling for the other spot of note on the layout (where the 'sludge' is produced)   ....I haven't come up with a name for the mining camp yet-maybe ya'll can help out...     ...

There will be 3 locomotives for power at any given time, a Bachmann 2-6-0, a BLI 2-8-0, and a Bachmann 2-6-2t...consists will be only 3 cars long, and an occasional combine will 'tag-along'     ...

I'm determined to keep things simple and work on some areas of the hobby I've not tried to do much with in the past,.....
1. Detailing structures-interiors and lights.
2. Explore building better bridges.
3. Explore some 'operations' of the RR....it is after all a mining RR.....
4. Try NOT to RUSH everything, step back and study each new idea a little before 'plowing ahead'....there is no
  deadline for completion......
5. Don't get 'bogged down' in pointless questioning myself about each and every detail, just try it and see if 
  it works; if not - do something else.......
6. Have fun............. THIS IS A HOBBY....NOT A JOB...............            

Here's the starting point.... the room, it's 11'-6" by 10'.....  
The layout is in the upper rt. corner and is 6'-2" by 3'-4"......
The 'studio gear' is along the top  11'-6" wall......


This is the I ME MINING RAILROAD & TRANSPORT Co. ....              
the plan is turned 'sideways' in this shot, but it will be built as per the above floor plan.......


I hope this hasn't been too much trouble to follow;... all comments, suggestions, and input is much appreciated...
and thanx for the 'space on the forum'......         ............see ya.....        

KYLE CREEL
IMMR & T Co.