When did you begin your layout?

[Anonymous]

Hey Doug Do you mean a digital camcorder? I do have a 8mm projector. I am just wondering if there was a service out there that can do that so that I could just send them the roll of film and they could make up a disk. Then all I would have to do is get in touch with this place called You Tube and see what they come up with. Felix [:D][^]

[cnw1995]

Felix, you have to get a digital image of them. Film them with a digital movie camera as theyr'e projected - if you can still find a projector. Then post the digital file on someplace like YouTube.

Jim, I think the radon guys will be done in just a day and I'll restart the layout as soon as I put everything back in the garage and in the basement - and get a gander at what the top of the crawl looks like.

[mitchelr]

My current layout was started in October 2005. Several other layouts of a more temporary nature over the last 17 years. Most were plywood on saw horses or plywood on a table top. The current layout, as small as it is, is the first with real benchwork.

Mitch[swg]

[Sturgeon-Phish]

Ran onto the reciepts yesterday, paint for the wall murals dated 01/31/05, so that was the first step of the layout.
Jim

[Anonymous]

HI guy's [:D][?] I just found a reel of 50 ft of 8mm film that I took of a set of lionel's F-3 Santa Fe trains. These pictures were made in 1953. How can I go about getting them on this fourm to show them. Felix

[Frank53]

I've been on my permanent layout for about seven months. COnservatively, I would say it is about 10% finished in it's totality - benchwork, track, wiring, and full scenery.

From a stand point of being able to run trains, I still can't run anything more than 20 feet, but I expect to cross that hurdle by finishing the top level in teh next sixty days.

[FJ and G]

I've noticed a recent surge in old posts surfacing. Suffice it to say, my outdoor layout is progressing nicely and judging from Sunday foto fun, so are a lot of other nice layouts.

[Jumijo]

Doug,

What do you intend to do while your home is being worked on? Are you going to have a temporary layout set up?

Jim

[cnw1995]

Wow, this is a proverbial blast from the past. Do forumites really browse this list going back to last summer? End of current layout: April 28, 2006

[traindaddy1]

I started my first layout (Marx) the year that the Korean War started. (I remember listening to the battle field reports on the radio and pretended to run the train through 'enemy lines'.) I can't recall, however, what ever happened to the layout and trains as the family moved.

In 1958, I started with HO. On and off, through work, college, the army, marriage etc., the layout (or should I say layouts) was always there and growing. The end of the HO era came around five years ago.

So, the answer to your question: This present layout (O27) started around 2001.

Now, aren't you glad you asked? I am.

[palallin]

UPDATE: I've gotten about 35' - 40' of track laid. I test each new section as I lay it. I had to go with Gargraves in order to get track down in anything like a reasonable time. Each rail has its own feeder, and all are soldered together. I have finished part of the sub-roadbed for the narrow gauge branch. I have decided to add an On18 mine tram up on top. The On18 will feed the ore out of the mine into the On30. The On30 will in turn feed the standard O gauge.

[FJ and G]

Doug,

O 3-rail it is. For outdoors, it's like using N scale compared to the huge garden trains.

The biggest chore I'll have will be constant maintenance of the locomotives to ensure they are clean, lubed etc. G has better plating on the underside (but they still aren't waterproof either!). I don't think it prudent to replate O as it may end up sealing in the heat and cooking the motors. I'll probably just run 1 or 2 locomotives for a year and see what happens and what improvements need to be made. If the loco lasts just a few seasons, I figure I've got my money's worth and can then make dummy units out of them. I'll be posting photos as work progresses but it'll be 10 days before the rails arrive.

[cnw1995]

Wow, all this layout building activity - is the earth moving or what? Rich, I like to think my layout'll never be done, but I wish I did a better job of recording its milestones.
Jim and David, I would love to see pictures of your work
Ogage, congratulations on your new train room - and you get a house too!
David, by the way, is your outdoor layout going to be O or have you abandoned us for the dark side...

[andregg1]

Hi
My layout always grew so I always feel like the first day.
Andre.

[Anonymous]

"When did I start my layout?"

Well, it seems like it was started just after the Earth cooled.
I'm only about 25% done. So, as near as I can firgure, electricity will not be around when I'm done.

But, I'm having fun in the mean time.
Rich

[FJ and G]

today. About 30 seconds ago to be precise.

I just ordered 300 feet of rail from Right-O-Way, code 148 nickle silver, spikes and rail joiners. As soon as it comes in I'll start laying track. In the meantime, I'm going to be ripping redwood and cedar ties and dipping them into preservatives since the whole kit-in-caboosle is going in my backyard.

I'll post photos of course, ad nauseum.

[Anonymous]

Just tore down the 23X12 L shaped layout in the house we are selling. The house we are looking at does have a nice finished basement with a "rec" room and a 13X13 "office" room. I'd like the bigger room for the trains, but I'm not so sure I will be successfull, darn kids! I have saved all of the "good" 2x4 legs and some other stuff from the old table and will be ready to go as soon as we move in. I've been draggin around a box of oak ties I cut and stained for years now and will use them to spruce of the tubular track I'll use. I hope to be in the house before christmas!

[Jumijo]

As I mentioned earlier, I started on 8/13/05 and have since enlarged the table slightly to accomodate more track. The table is now all built and the 2" foam panels are glued to the plywood. All the seams have been covered with plaster cloth and joint compound. A river was cut into the foam and covered with plaster cloth. Next step is to construct a mountain/tunnel. I liked Doug's idea of a removable tunnel, so that's what I plan to make.

Many structures have been built and painted already, including a coal tower, 2 water towers, a barn, a diner (all Plasticville), a Lionel freight depot, and a scratchbuilt passenger station. I've also been busy painting figures to populate my small layout. For laughs, I bought a Lionel O27 reefer and re-painted it inside and out. New decals were then created and added in our ficticious J&M Dairy livery. It's moving along slowly but progress is taking place.

Along with the scenery construction, I'm also scratchbuilding a girder bridge, have a truss bridge kit on order, and may have come up with a new method of creating realistic pine trees for pennies/tree.

I'd take photos of all this, but I'm sure no one would be interested in seeing them. [:-^]

Jim

[laz 57]

First started on the basement floor on carpeting, (like CHIEF EAGLES) then after not running them in the summer and the tracks begining to rust made my layout 34 inches above the floor also bought a dehumidifier to take cfare of the moisture problem. That all took place back in 2000.
laz57

[palallin]

Last night, I brought home a sheet of Masonite, began cutting it into strips, and started gluing/clamping them together: construction of my roadbed has begun. The 1/4" material doesn't bend very well, but I really don't want to cut the number of strips it will take to make the bed wide enough out of 1/8".

[Anonymous]

Thanks Buckeye and David. I'm not familiar with the terms "x braced and knee braced", but if I saw a picture of it I'm sure it's something I've seen before. Does one of them mean braces run from leg to leg?

Joe

[palallin]

Update to my post above:

The basic benchwork is virtually comlete (I have to wait to add one last riser because I don't yet know its length). I have begun gathering the materials I need for laying track and have started laying out the subroadbed. I'm trying to see if I can find a way to take some pics.

[FJ and G]

Buckeye,

My layout is on 4 inch diameter wheels I got from Home Depot. I'll post pictures this week. The wheel idea is pretty cool

[FJ and G]

Doug.

Began about 3 weeks ago and it is now complete except for some grass and trees, which I'm scouting the forest for this week.

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jobiwan


My latest idea - use casters on the legs so I can slide it out away from the wall to work on the back half of the layout. Any thoughts on doing that, or any other suggestions?

My layout is on casters so that I can move it to work on the backside. Make sure the legs are x braced and knee braced. Purchase casters that can handle the weight of your layout. That's about all there is to it. Very simple.[:)]

[zwbob]

January 2004-benchwork

March2004-double track man line in place and powered,able to run trains

Spring and summer 2004-put in sidings and started ballast(on rainy days)

Fall 2004 to present-scenery

[Anonymous]

I did my first layout with my brother, gave it up in 1971. I just got back into things, and I'm in the planning stage of a layout in our living room. Here's some pics:

http://guzdziol.tripod.com/mrr.htm

My latest idea - use casters on the legs so I can slide it out away from the wall to work on the back half of the layout. Any thoughts on doing that, or any other suggestions?

[Anonymous]

I've had my layout up since 2002 it was 75% complete and running fine. Then i decided to tear it down and wait till my daughter gets married so i could take over her huge room to expand. My layout was outside in a 12 x 19' shed to seasonal i want to move it indoors.

[RRCharlie]

I am on my 4th layout. First from 1948-1962. A 4x8 table that grew to take up half the basement of my childhood home. Second from 1963-1966 in a spare room in an apartment about 8x8. Third from 1967-1971 in the home I bought in 1967. Fourth was begun in 1971 in a room 8 x 9 feet. Crawl under to get to center of room. 2nd level added after a couple of years. 3rd level a little later. Fourth level built on 2x4 frame hung from chains from the ceiling to run old Lionel pre-war standard gauge. Fifth level built on top of level three when Century Club Niagara arrived and I needed wider curves. Put in the lift bridge. Moved it a year later in preparation for the swing bridge. Had to cut hole in paneling and plaster to make enough room for swing bridge to operate. I run Lionel Pre-war, Lionel post war through present, American Flyer S gauge, HO gauge, N gauge, Z gauge, and LGB. Oh yes--it's not finished yet. Have two loops side by side above windows and doors in dining room with two more loops to come suspended underneath. My wife approves which is the greatest!!!