The temps came up into the mid 30's today with sunny skies. So with the repaint and reseal of my station, and completion of my platform and canopy, the station area got redone. I moved 3 LGB street lights over, fastened all the buildings/platform with the canopy down so the wind cannot blow them off the layout. I had to shorten the siding to the engine house(still need to find a 1/2 straight to finish that. The engine house area will be changed this summer to be outside the loop to aid in steaming up live steam locomotives without reaching over the main line. I may also retrack the whole layout with Marklin gauge 1 track vs the LGB/Piko track with its girder size rails. The station got its trim painted green and a fresh coat of cream. This helps give the station more of a Southern (UK) Railway look. Here are some day and dusk pics of the station. Enjoy. Mike
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
Further changes will come with spring weather. The grey LGB platform will go away and new UK style platforms made from treated lumber will replace them, along with a different proper gauge 1 brick station. For now, I am using what I have as money is tied up in the shift from 16mm/LGB to gauge 1. The signals and most of the other buildings will remain for some time to come. Mike
Looking good, Mike! Station looks great!
Paul
Mike,
Looks great! Thanks as well for outlining your thought process as you phase the RR from one look to another. I know I am not the only one guilty of thinking "it all has to be done now," and I've chatted with a handful of folks who think they have to go from their Christmas set to multi-acre finescale empire in a weekend. If I could convince one of them otherwise, I wouldn't be so lonely out here!
Eric
I prefer the British way of doing garden railways. Get a nice locomotive and a few cars, then start building a railway. And keep building as funds permit. While some might have the wallet to go whole hog from the start, most do not and if you want to go the live steam route, there are lots of choices and none are inexpenise. But then neither is anything new from LGB. They tend to keep things small and simple, usually one live steam locomotive or a battery powered diesel if live steam is beyond the budget at first. Not having to deal with track power, wiring, transformer ect for an outdoor railway, along with only having to clear sticks and leaves from the rails before running is priceless. Along with running a live steam engine, no need for a fake/canned sound system like in smaller scales, just honest real sounds, especially with alcohol fired engines which lack the noise of the gas burner. A recent to current era Roundhouse gas burner is nearly silent once steam is up to pressure and the gas rate turned right down for the run. With proper setup, one can keep both an alcohol fired and a gas fried engine in steam for as long as you want. Topping up water, lubricator and fuel as needed. This is all part of running the railway. When I run my alcohol fired Aster Schools class, passenger stops at the station is my time to service the locomotive, oil running gear, top off the fuel and water. Just like the real crews are doing while stopped. Mike
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