Shadowlands and Tellynott

[Philip]

The carpentry and sweeping track work are wonderful. 

[Michael Hohn]

Very impressive, Mark.

[PRR Modeler]

Mark your layout is coming to life. I missed your previous track posting somehow.  Everything looks top-notch.

[Jerry]

Great progress shots.  The track all looks nicely laid in place.

Jerry

[Mark Dalrymple]

Love seeing all the progress.
Looks like very neat track work.

Thanks, Rick.

At box four of Peco flexitrack, I'm starting to get into the swing of things...

Cheers, Mark.

[deemery]

Love seeing all the progress.
Looks like very neat track work.

Thanks, Rick.

At box four of Peco flexitrack, I'm starting to get into the swing of things...

Cheers, Mark.

There's the famous Pennsylvania Dutch quote, "Too soon old.  Too late smart!"

dave

[Mark Dalrymple]

Howdy Mark,

That's a lot of track replacement, and it looks terrific.  Trains should glide smoothly on those rails. 

Have fun,
mike

Thanks, Mike.

Its not track 'replacement' though.  Sorry if I some how mislead everyone...  I had the cork glued down to the polystyrene, but track was not yet laid on any of it.  I decided to rip all the polystyrene (except for that one small section without any turnouts on it) out, and the MDF underneath, and then ripped some joists and put in some new MDF at the correct height.  I spent considerable time before laying track, centering the track and marking the front of the sleeper on the cork with a fine marker.  That way, once the glue goes on, the difficult job of pinning it down in areas of pour visual and difficult access goes much quicker.  It can be lined up quicker.  I put one spike each end of about every tenth sleeper.  Once done, I check alignment and give a little tweak this way and that from the side with a nail punch.  The glue is still not quite set at this stage, so manipulation of the track is still possible.  The tacks can re removed and reused once the glue has cured.

Cheers, Mark.

[Mark Dalrymple]

The carpentry and sweeping track work are wonderful. 

Thank you for your kind comment, Philip.

I have put in a lot of curved turnouts and several wyes, as I like the curves so much.  I love the way those curved lines lead the eye into the scene, and also the unusual shaped sites that are left behind for landscaping - especially for building structures.  They force you to think outside the box and kitbash or scratchbuild in order to fit in with the trackwork.

Cheers, Mark.

[Mark Dalrymple]

Very impressive, Mark.

Thank you, Michael.

I still have just over two full boxes of flextrack to go (and might have to buy a few more lengths).  I'm just on half way through the turnout installation.  I believe I have put in 37 so far...  Its been a few years of chipping away at buying those to spread the cost.  Things have just gone up significantly, so I'm please to have bought most of what I need already.  One of our local hobby shops recently had a 25% off sale and I managed to get the asymmetrical 3-way turnout for a great price.

Cheers, Mark.

[Mark Dalrymple]

Mark your layout is coming to life. I missed your previous track posting somehow.  Everything looks top-notch.

Thanks, Curt.

Yes - slowly getting there.  If you're referring to this area, the track was never actually laid the first time.  I've been getting in some good long evenings out in the layout room recently.  Ticking off jobs, one by one.  I have a plan of my layout where I am highlighting the track with a yellow highlighter as I lay it.  There are some good long stretches laid, now.  I still have all of Tellynott to do - that will take a while.  I think there are around 20 turnouts and a box of flexitrack to lay here - as well as the redoing of the baseboard.  Also some big bridges that will need to be built before the summit track is completed.  These will be a few years down the track, but the layout will be able to be operated without the continuous run option.

Cheers, Mark.

[Mark Dalrymple]

Great progress shots.  The track all looks nicely laid in place.

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry.

I try to give a coherent order with my photos, without going overboard.  I find the photos with captions tell the tale and explain things much better than words alone ever could.  I tell you, the positions I had to get into to sight and lay some of the track under there were pretty extreme!  One in particular where I had to get my arms in the hole first, and then force my shoulders through at an angle.  Then I had to stand with bent knees.  Kneeling I was too short, standing I was too tall.  I could only stay in that position for a short while and I had very sore knees after I had finished in there!

Cheers, Mark.

[Mark Dalrymple]

/quote]
There's the famous Pennsylvania Dutch quote, "Too soon old.  Too late smart!"

dave
[/quote]

Too true, Dave.

A lot of this work under here I am pleased to be doing now - likewise the building and painting of the bulkhead above the garage door mechanism.  Give it another decade or so, and I might not be able to do that sort of thing anymore...  Hopefully I am young enough and smart enough to get the job done.

Cheers, Mark.

[Mark Dalrymple]

Hi guys.

Next up was the mining and logging town of Wilmot.

Photo 1 - Shows the view from partway along the town.  There will be some fun building sites here!


Photo 2 - The same view from the end.


Photo 3 - A view from the outside end of module 10.


Photo 4 - An overall shot so you can orient yourselves.  I plunged cut the sides of the trackbed for the bridge using my skill saw.  I will glue modified Tichy Train 30' girders to the side of the baseboard and ballast the track above.


Photo 5 - Using sectional track to mock up the track arrangement for the sawmill.


More soon, cheers, Mark.

[nycjeff]

Hello Mark, you sure are making a lot of progress on your empire. My back hurts just from reading about what you have gone through to lay your track. Excellent work.

[ACL1504]

Mark, Cheers,

I see track and lots of it. This is coming together nicely. I also see you've elevated the curves, love it.

Well done Mark.

Tom