My layout as it progresses

I finally got the third loop finished and tested. Ran an engine from the outside loop to the inside without touching a switch. Now I can get going on that figure 8, got all the switches for it installed. In the end I will have at least a dozen blocks and probably 16 by the time I get the rail yards completed. Will make for some exciting times running three engines with coaches and boxcars attached at intersections. Probably my most complex layout to date.



Got the daughters and daughter-in-law constructing and decorating buildings, and my son building kit form railroad cars and locomotives. I tell them I can't do that intricate stuff anymore due to my shaky hands... Working so far.

Got some stuff in today. Buildings and a NIB vintage 4-4-0 American style locomotive. The locomotive has a home town flavor for me. I used to ride the Boston and Maine railroad. The Hinkley, made in Boston during the early 1800's. Holmes Hinkley started the Boston Locomotive Works and made hundreds of these. Only two survive today. One of the buildings is scratch built using balsa. Hooray…..

COOL Getting there with a little help from the family Good to hear ya got one going ,,, I took a friend to the Food Lion and it was nasty outside but helped him (moped rider) But antway i have yet to get there but sometime left ((( if i don't fall out after this bowel of HM chile i am about to have )) I hear Fred has the O Gauge . have you seen it ?

Don't fall out of your bowels whatever you do.

getback wrote:COOL Getting there with a little help from the family  Good to hear ya got one going ,,, I took a friend to the Food Lion and it was nasty outside but helped him (moped rider) But antway i have yet to get there but sometime left ((( if i don't fall out after this bowel of HM chile i am about to have ))  I hear Fred has the O Gauge . have you seen it ?

Nah, Fred doesn't post pictures so I don't know what the Heck he's doing.

It is sure gearing up as a great display in the makings so far. It is nice you got family helping you out with the small details while you figure out the hard parts (or at least they sound like it with my zero knowledge). With what I have seen you do in the past with the engines and such, I am sure your display will also be as great!

Its all good. A train layout or setup is a labor of love and determination. It's truly an art form. The layout will always be in a state of constant flux, never finished as time goes on. Always something to change, modify or add. Truly more than a hobby or pastime. Some may call it a toy of the past, but it is a major part of our culture both past and present. Several decades ago I built the atlas N-18 N scale layout. Double track oval With double track figure eight upper level. I challenged myself to build this layout and found it to be very gratifying. Sorry to say I no longer have the layout. All the best, go for it Guys!!! P.S. If I can find pictures of my setup, I'll post 'em.  Mark

I have been told by a friend who has built dioramas that a mixture of acetone and rubbing alcohol painted onto foamboard can create quick effective grading. It dissolves the foam in a controlled manner as the alcohol is inert in this applicatioon. I do not know the % mix.

He made some nice looking N scale bookshelf displays.

Phil

pkrankow wrote:I have been told by a friend who has built dioramas that a mixture of acetone and rubbing alcohol painted onto foamboard can create quick effective grading.  It dissolves the foam in a controlled manner as the alcohol is inert in this applicatioon.  I do not know the % mix.

He made some nice looking N scale bookshelf displays.

Phil

Thanks, I'm almost into landscaping, - trees, shrubs, etc. also electrical and lighting.

When I was a kid, another kid up the street had a full basement with a rather large HO layout that was integrated to an Aurora Thunderjet "HO" road race set. It had a couple of RR crossing adapters in it and we would stage all kinds of "intersectionality" train wrecks on it. One day his dad caught us preparing to blow up part of it with some two inch firecrackers-- sort of like the crazy basement uncle on the Adams Family.

It's always nice finding an old box full of memories Fred. Dig it out and put it around the tree. Looks like new, but what's in the box? The Lionel forum is quite active, but I don't visit there much.

It was Marks box of trains that got me going again. I was just looking for airplane parts when I found it. Glad it did, it has kept me busy these cold Fall days.

Got the figure 8 completed today, more of a X.

Found dead center of the layout and used a 30 degree crossing. I attached Atlas switches and straight sectioned track, then used flex track to finish it up. Laid cork roadbed first. This stuff is so easy to work with, almost finds the proper curves itself. I just nail it down. Laying track is the hard part, each piece must be custom fit while ensuring correct polarity on each leg. I isolated the inner X and wired them up to the controller/selector. That way I can park a train on a particular leg while operating the rest of the system.

Next is landscape, scenery, and buildings. The use of trees, shrubs, and grass will soften and blend the track into the layout. Last will be a 10"X12' board with buildings and open spaces guided on L brackets behind the layout to add some depth.

Layout and new friend.

It is very nice watching things progress, and I enjoy it. To me, it is also great for learning these things, but I am afraid I have a long way to go. Keep up the good work!

Looks like you been purchasing , does your new friend have a name ? I like the idea of a strip of landscape , lot of things can bee achieved from that . O hea Fred get it out set it up for the dogs anyway

getback wrote:Looks like you been purchasing , does your new friend have a name ? I like the idea of a strip of landscape , lot of things can bee achieved from that .  O hea Fred get it out set it up for the dogs anyway

It's a AHM/Rivarossi EMD-E8 modeled after the real thing.  A favorite of mine.  Made by the ElectroMotive Division of GE.  Used for passenger car service.  The model is smooth and fast.  Double triple trucks powering 12 wheels make it somewhat of a beast.  



$9.97 on ebay BIN.  This stuff isn't expensive.  Seller even threw in a NYC passenger car.

Heck that's cheaper than Cox engines , even Baby Bee's Nice touch !!

getback wrote:Heck that's cheaper than Cox engines , even Baby Bee's Nice touch !!

Price is going down Eric. Just picked this one up on ebay for $5.00. Maybe lightning will strike twice and this one also will be a smooth runner.

Just a question, if I may regarding trains liek yours that you are posting pictures of. Are these all made of metal, or is there also plastic involved in them? They all look very nice, and was just wondering as the detail in them is very good looking.

The immense power and weight of a machine like that NYC engine in the picture is hard to imagine.
I have a 3' piece of railroad track under the table in my shop. I must have intended to use it as an anvil, but I can't even pick it up now... I assume so, anyway, because I'm not going to try, Lol. I have no recollection of where I got it or how I brought it home.

NEW222 wrote:Just a question, if I may regarding trains liek yours that you are posting pictures of. Are these all made of metal, or is there also plastic involved in them? They all look very nice, and was just wondering as the detail in them is very good looking.

Mostly plastic bodies Chancey, provides wonderful detail. The trucks (mostly) and wheels are metal and of course the motors are metal and plastic.

This is a great video about how they are made. Rapido is an upgrade brand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka7LC1jia64&feature=youtu.be

RknRusty wrote:The immense power and weight of a machine like that NYC engine in the picture is hard to imagine.
I have a 3' piece of railroad track under the table in my shop. I must have intended to use it as an anvil, but I can't even pick it up now... I assume so, anyway, because I'm not going to try, Lol. I have no recollection of where I got it or how I brought it home.

Somewhere in my bags of stuff Rusty is a railroad tie spike from a bridge in NH that was being demolished. I sprayed it gold. Got to find it again.

That was a very educating video of the factory where trains are made . yes we will need a long cord to get the transformer to here LOL