Portable Layout Building Log

[PJM20]

Lookin' good Vic!

[vsmith]

Another update, showing the latest videos of the Pizza

A second short video, showing a birdseye view over the layout, just for fun

 

[vsmith]

Some updates on the Pizza:
FINALLy got something done I've been wanting to do for about a year now, and added some details I wanted to do since finishing the anti-child-at-the-controls cardboard box building. 

Bit of a ruckus when Slim and Archie while holding their daily highly illegal poker game on the roof of the drug store, came a 'disagreement' when they both tried playing the identical poker hand...

But that ruckus was nothing compare to over by the Jailhouse ...something was up

unlike Officer Dounught, nothing get by Sparky the Police Dog!

Whats got Sparky's attention, Uh oh looks like theres been a jailbreak, dangin'itall the county should have known better than to build the jailhouse out of that cardboard adobe !

Thats it for now, but a heads up, my photo storage site is getting near full so I have no choice but to start deleting some the oldest pics regarding this pizza building thread, I will keep the most relevant pics but I have so many over the years its just time for alot of them to go.

[OldSF]

Tom and Vic,

From hearing from my vendor in Houston there is only 2 places left you can get real trains. They range from N-O scale but can order the other like G-Z.

If this is fact that Lionel had to much inventory last Christmas and dumped it quickly on Amonzon which a man came to his shop and told him he just bought same set for $100.00 and MSRP $300.00 which slit hobby shop owners necks, very bad Christmas last year.

I came back to the hobby and found most of the links I did like are out of business too.

William

[ttrigg]

My impressions: There seemed to be MUCH more isle space between the layouts than on previous years. As for the lack of new stuff, to me, there seems to have been a lack of new items beginning about 3 years ago across the industry. I blame that on the recession, some say we are recovering but economy growth of 1% or less does not give the manufactures any wiggle room to spend big cash to produce new items. Going out on a limb with this next statement. I'm guessing that 60% to 70% of us in large scale are at retirement age and can afford our hobby, Mother nature has been thinning our group with regularity. Our market group is not that dependable for long term purchasing power that is needed for return on investment by manufactures. Fewer younger hobbyist, except in clubs, means a shrinking pool of purchasers.

I went there with 4 goals in mind, spend a few minutes with you, looking to purchase a Shay and a Climax, and a new "Z" scale engine for my "backyard layout in a backyard layout". For those who have not seen it, it is a 12x18 inch "Z" scale layout that only goes in the backyard of one of the houses on my layout. It only goes out during special runs along with all the "county fair" stuff that is NOT weatherproof. In previous years there have been at least 2 vendors with Z stuff. This year I only found one and he had near nothing in Z, only about 20 cars and one diesel engine, and I'm looking for a 2-6-0 or 2-6-2. 

I found the Shay I was looking for, but not the Climax. Instead I picked up a K-27, both at what I call GREAT prices. The pair ran about 75% of what the K-27 alone would have cost me here in San Diego county. The last year I had saved up for this years show and had budgeted "folding green" for the show. Half the folding green went back into savings for the next show. First time ever to leave under budget. I also picked up some nice "redwood trees" for the garage layout I've been planning. Best looking trees I've seen in years. They look like TREE's and not wire-form skeletons with colored foam. 

Have you heard anything about a show at the Fairplex this year? The show at SD Fairgrounds in December has shrunk to the point that the primary reason for me to go is to see new additions on the Del Oro layout. However, I'm sure you would have fun there as nearly a third of the show is "parts bin" vendors. Example, a standard moving company "book box" full of Lionel goes for around $5.00. Everything from "N" to "G". I picked up a pair of Lionel "searchlight towers", missing the searchlight, for use as a future town water tower, $0.75 for the pair.

I almost went back on Sunday. I spent the entire night thinking about the "photo drone" not too far from where you were at. A 4-bladed helicopter with pan and tilt for a GoPro camera. Video screen on the controller so you can see where you are flying. Got to thinking it would make for some good filming of trains. It had GPS stabilization, so it would stay in one place automatically. Been kicking myself in the "tail feathers" for not getting it on Saturday.

Yesterday, my doctor told me I should be healed enough by August to go back to work on the brick walls for my new backyard layout. (Broken hip last August.) Looked at my sketches for the garage layout I told you about and the new stuff would not handle the turns very well. Thinking about changing the plans to a sectional layout so I can move it around to get the car in the garage for street sweeper days. 

[vsmith]

Thanks for the vids Tom, glad you got back OK, good to see you again.

What were your impressions of the show? There's been talk on LSC and MLS about the lack of new stuff in G, the only thing besides B'manns big plastic brick of a Toby was Pikos new Camelback (which I am most definetly going to have to acquire somewhere down the line for the harbor layout) and the no-name new all-black version of Accucraft's 7/8" Fairymead, the actual Fairymead itself I thought was by far THE prettiest locomotive I've seen in a long time. Anyway they already announced the show dates for next year, the OCC organizer promised to see if they can put me in a better spot next year. 

[ttrigg]

NKEVEShQeeg

[ttrigg]

First 20 miles was jammed, but open freeway after that. I've got a short video of the Pizza and your little one, what do you call it? Bite Sized Pizza?

[vsmith]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOOxzm5wqg4&feature=share&list=UUrUkVNWoC7txLnsbdfOQFgA

A second short video, showing a birdseye view over the layout, just for fun.

[vsmith]

Just a quick update of video from this years Big train Show in Ontario, Ca. showing the pizza as it is today.

http://youtu.be/a9PNQPj73_4

Tom, nice to see you again, hope the drive home was uneventful. 

[vsmith]

Pics of the changes

New Fiddle Track

 

The rear stays about the same

 

Modified High Bridge

 

 

Instead of jutting out its entire depth, now its tucked tidely into the baseworks.
Just some painting to touch up, a little ballasting and its on to the next project.

[vsmith]

Benchwork on the mobile table is done, slotting the High Bridge into the side of the base turned out on one hand to be easier than I expected as only a few screws held the top down, but harder in other respects, as notching the side of the table and then cutting alot of other notches for the support members took some doing but it was mostly a single nights work. Ended up not being able to remove the entire 10 1/2" taken up by the fiddle yard, ended up with about 3" gap between the pizza layout and the new edge of benchwork. This will be filled with a 1x6 that will slot into the leftover space and act like a locking piece, just as the fiddle yard section did, I will add a section of track here to act once again as a fiddle yard. The new fiddle will overhang the edge of benchwork a little but it will work out just fine. The layout still has the rear scenery insert, but will fit into the garage easier. The reason I am doing this is to clear space for a new endevour

[vsmith]

Looks like this will get another dose of the Shrink Ray

I will need to remove the Fiddle Yard and shorten the base of this by merging the High Bridge into the base, It currently hangs out to one side but I need to shrink this yet once more to make room for "something else  "

so this Pizza will be getting a 10 1/2" shave coming soon, maybe this weekend, the Fiddle Yard will for now be set aside but not discarded, to do this will require a major dismantling of parts of the base and some rather insane cutting, but luckily I have the perfect tool for just such an occasion....no....its NOT a chainsaw 

[ttrigg]

vsmith

if one has sharp eyes there are alot of those mission items scattered around the layout

Vic, Only our CA friends (and fellow avid Michael's CA shoppers) will know of which we speak. I normally drop a "C note" each year on missin supplies. Most of the stuff runs $1.95 ~ $3.50 range.

[vsmith]

if one has sharp eyes there are alot of those mission items scattered around the layout

[ttrigg]

Michaels, during the "5th Grade Mission Season" is indeed an excellent place for accessories. Hay bales, grain sacks, flower pots, spanish tile roofing, single bit plows are amoung the goodies I like to pick up.

[vsmith]

A little frosting for ya Tom

Piddles the cat has finally found something to chase...must be hungry!

The cat is from a toy "CAT-a-pult" that flings these across the room. The birds are repainted doves from the "California Mission Church" building kits from Micheals Crafts. These are a great source for building details if you live in California.

[ttrigg]

A mouse? Sounds like a "lessons from Ray" episode. Stuck a fork in and it came out dry, must be done. Now it is ready for the frosting.

[vsmith]

Final Updates!

Added back the old old style motorized wagon typical of early trucks

seams to have suffered a break down

scenery finished at the fiddle yard sidings

around the shanty, added the velociped back

reworked the industrial buidling/station a tad, need to find a scale mouse for the cat to be pouncing on

still a few small things to finish, can always add more junk and scale trash but I think its 98% done.
Be nice if I could take it to a show sometime, but my car couldn't carry all of it including the base, would need a van at least. We'll see what unfolds.

Some one stick a fork in it, I think its done!!!

 

[vsmith]

Updates! The fiddle yard track is finally ballasted, and almost all the major scenery is completed

Added the speeder track siding

reconfigured part of the old mine building into an industrial/warehouse building, with the tipple in place

Need to repaint this figure into a lost biker looking at a road map

More layers of scenery added as I go

Again more scenery, more junk behind the drug store

Managed to reinsert the infamous "shell hill" episode from my childhood

Lots of activity down by the station

I was able to reinsert this nice ceramic "ruins" peice back into the layout

The top of the layout, lots of figures added in

I think I am about 90% done, all thats left is inserting additional weeds, plants and rusty junk along with maybe a few more figures and details like mining tools and a few stray dogs, well see-I'm just going with whatever feels right now.

 

[vsmith]

ttrigg

Any plans on taking it to BTS or Fairplex?

Not so far, the last time I took it in 2008 was as part of the MLS booth, but between the changes at the BTS and shifting dynamics within the MLS crowd, we havent had a booth anywhere since 2009 and it doesnt seam like we will this year either. Since the shift to the SWGRS the Fairplex layout has become the defacto redevue point for the group, no booth necessary when you can pitch the website at the best GR in LA. So I have no plans currently. Be nice to let some people see this this though.

edit: date correction

[ttrigg]

Any plans on taking it to BTS or Fairplex?

[vsmith]

Updates! still a work in progress but its getting close

added a scenic element at the rear tool layout area, its easily removable and used up alot of the foam from the wedding cake

ground level view at the front

and at normal eye level

reworked mineshaft, right in the center of the layout

coming around the back at the almost finished scenic element, with a facade mine and the added drug store

more of the rear

Coming around to the other side of the added rear scenery

The side fiddle yard area, with the Bachmann coal/mine tipple, reworked mine into industrial building, made from LGB piers, this whole section is also removable as is the Pizza itself.

the relocated water tower. I've run out of ballast and will have to stain some more Johnny Cat this weekend, its far too cold right now, it would never dry.

Thats all for now

[vsmith]

Thanks, its been moving along since last posting, most of the buildings are modified and set in place, made a small track change at the fiddle yard side. I started assembling an article submission for GR before I had to downsize, I will see if I can salvage that and submit this, watch it end up in Model Railroader.. that would really freak out a couple of the HO scale fanatics wouldn’t it. . Once its completed I have to send Carl Arendt at the Microlayout website an update as well

[PV&W]

Nicely done!

[FoxRunRR]

looks great! 

[vsmith]

Update pics

Begin the crushing!

The Chapel of Sister Mary Elephant has found a new home on the layout

So has the drug store, it actually fits rather nicely in that spot

The mine is now literally the center of things

Tincan Junction had to keep its tin can now didn't it.

Eye level vinette's

Never mind the postrate Mariachi's, one too many margaritas last night

[vsmith]

Finally got the last piece of the puzzle:

Its attached to the portable itself, not the base, its some 1/8" plywood, basswood strips and some cardstock, makes a girder bridge over the old trestle, its not perfect, it still needs a couple tweeks, but at least I dont have to tear out the high bridge, it looks reasonably believable to me and gives it alot of visual interest.

[vsmith]

Update:

 

 

New 1x6 trim boards around and painted, added new cassette on the side, working on making a new girder bridge section to go over the steel trestle side.