Is anyone else really disappointed that this thread is evidently over? I looked forward to each and every update. Bummer☹️
Santa Fe all the way! Is anyone else really disappointed that this thread is evidently over? I looked forward to each and every update. Bummer☹️
I think earlier in the thread he mentioned his job is pretty involved at times. Plus, judging by the photos on his website link in his signature, he's got quite a few hobbies.
Hopefully it's premature to say it's over. But I also looked forward to updates. Pretty cool setup to say the least.
T e d
personally tried to geta (i'm still here) from him, nadda. One of the troubles with online forums and their small comunitys is you never really know the person and unless you get an online connection to a freind of theirs, you never know as someone can be here one day and disapear the next. The answer can be anything from work to things we don't want to consider.
I had a friend of mine who knows Doug and has been to his house several times send an email to try to find out what's going on. He didn't get any response. Don't know what to make of it.
Michael
The Breitenbach - Rosenheim Railroad V3
Does seem odd that he would be so involved in building a big layout and then no postings in so long?
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
railandsail Does seem odd that he would be so involved in building a big layout and then no postings in so long?
Not only was it a big layout but the quality seemed like it was heading to the top.
I always had the impression that the Onewolf layout, as well as the Michael Rose layout, were too big and moving along too fast to keep their builders from exhausting themselves. I suspect that is what happened - - layout burnout.
Rich
Alton Junction
The post at the top of the previous page said he was taking time for other projects until December.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Again, obviously there are lots of possible reasons, some not to pleasant to consider.
BUT, posting detailed info on the internet is time consuming, no mater your typing or computer skills.
Maybe it is as simple as he is busy with other things, and layout progress or no, does not have the time for posting - sometimes our priorities change......
Sheldon
MisterBeasley The post at the top of the previous page said he was taking time for other projects until December.
rrebell MisterBeasley The post at the top of the previous page said he was taking time for other projects until December. Wrong, he was talking about last Dec.
Wrong, he was talking about last Dec.
Even so, he has taken breaks before. So hopefully that is it, and not
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I don't think it's time to panic just yet. There are literally hundreds of routine, mundane tasks that need to be done on a layout this size; tasks that might fall under the category of grunt work. Most of these tasks are not very photogenic, and describing them won't do much to advance the narrative . . . "Well, I spackled 47 recessed screw heads in the deck today so that I could apply ground foam." Not too exciting. That famous post from last December contained a ton of new info, covering many aspects of the layout build. Maybe the next post will as well.
He mentioned that work and domestic duties were calling, as they always do. I, personally, have to waste a lot of time every week at my day job, so I can understand how layout progress might get a little shunted sometimes.
I see no particular reason to assume he is doing no work at all or had abandoned the effort entirely. I find it hard to believe burnout has occured. Certainly no reason to contemplate . Dang!
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
Just spent the past few hours reading this thread! Amazing layout, Hope to see him around soon!
Joe
Modeling:
Providence & Worcester Railroad
"East Providence Secondary"
HO scale
Maybe he said something controversial and got banned?
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
No if you read the thread you will find someone tried to contact him personally, nothing, even in his neigborhood.
it's alive....
I'm getting back to work on the layout after a prolonged sabatical. Back in May/June I was spending 100% of my time preparing for new job interviews and interviewing. I started my now job in early July and I found that I needed to focus completely on the new job while I came up to speed on completely new domain (DOD modeling and simulation) and technical/development stacks. But now I'm ready to get back to work on the railroad. All the live long day. Or at least an hour or two per day. :)
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
That's a very interesting job. One of my old managers was in the Utah Air National Guard. His job was to go sit in the big radar dome above Hill AFB and monitor the jets as they trained in the test range in Utah's West desert.
So good luck with the new job and I'll go back to lurker mode watching for new layout updates. I live along the Ogden subdivision in Cache Valley, so I'm curious to see how this all turns out.
Onewolf it's alive.... I'm getting back to work on the layout after a prolonged sabatical. Back in May/June I was spending 100% of my time preparing for new job interviews and interviewing. I started my now job in early July and I found that I needed to focus completely on the new job while I came up to speed on completely new domain (DOD modeling and simulation) and technical/development stacks. But now I'm ready to get back to work on the railroad. All the live long day. Or at least an hour or two per day. :)
Welcome back Onewolf. Was a bit worried.
I've been at a stand still on layout building after moving house and having to focus on it and a new job during this year. I finally got a permit pulled and the wall outlets are in and other things, rough-in inspection passed and started drywalling last weekend. Wife in an accident so having to hunt down a replacement car.
In the mean time I've decided to choose Peco electrofrog turnouts for the new layout, code 100 large in staging and code 83 #6 visible. I was surprised when I bought some and compared the frogs and lengths. Here is a comparison of the two Peco's along side Atlas and Shinohara #6 and #8
riogrande5761 Welcome back Onewolf. Was a bit worried. I've been at a stand still on layout building after moving house and having to focus on it and a new job during this year. I finally got a permit pulled and the wall outlets are in and other things, rough-in inspection passed and started drywalling last weekend. Wife in an accident so having to hunt down a replacement car. In the mean time I've decided to choose Peco electrofrog turnouts for the new layout, code 100 large in staging and code 83 #6 visible. I was surprised when I bought some and compared the frogs and lengths. Here is a comparison of the two Peco's along side Atlas and Shinohara #6 and #8
A permit for a basement trim out? Wow, nobody around here does that and the local government has niether the time or resources to care.
Maybe things are not that bad here in the peoples republic of Maryland after all. No matter, I'm here to stay now, bought the retirement house and planning the new layout. As a retired electrician, I will handle my needs without any "help".
The PECO 83 line is very nice, but I just can't bring myself to spend more for something that I have to modify for my special needs.
I also will not use the Atlas "super switch" like you show in the photo, I much prefer the Custom Line version with its short diverging route.
Onewolf, good to have you back, I kept telling folks not to think the worst.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL A permit for a basement trim out? Wow, nobody around here does that and the local government has niether the time or resources to care.
Here in suburbia, where I think Jim also resides, you have to get a permit to convert studded unfinished space into finished drywall space, as the local government assumes it will now be living space. In my old suburban locale, once you decided to convert the basement to living space, you HAD to install an outlet a minimum of every 12 linear feet of finished wall as to prevent the use of extension cords everywhere.
Yes, an inspection is required prior to drywall to make sure the work is done up to professional sandards, but the homeowner can do it themselves if they have the skill/knowledge.
Getting the permit also allows real estate sales agents to officially increase the square footage of the house, whereas its generally illegal to include unpermitted space in the listing's square footage. It generally goes by tax records.
Of course, the permit allows the government to know you've just increased the square footage, increased the value, which provides a reason to increase your real estate taxes. So there's that angle. And around my particular area of yuppyville, quite a few people skip the permit process and finish their basements themselves to avoid the increase in assessed value a permit would reveal.
- Douglas
Doughless ATLANTIC CENTRAL A permit for a basement trim out? Wow, nobody around here does that and the local government has niether the time or resources to care. Here in suburbia, where I think Jim also resides, you have to get a permit to convert studded unfinished space into finished drywall space, as the local government assumes it will now be living space. ... Yes, an inspection is required prior to drywall to make sure the work is done up to professional sandards, but the homeowner can do it themselves if they have the skill/knowledge.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL
Here in suburbia, where I think Jim also resides, you have to get a permit to convert studded unfinished space into finished drywall space, as the local government assumes it will now be living space. ...
I was doing some electrical upgrade work at my home in NJ and looked at the local electrical codes. It was written in such terms that, if the municipality wanted, they could fine you for not getting a permit to change the wattage of a light bulb in a fixture (not kidding)! When I asked about it, I was told that is pretty typical.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Technically, the laws here say the same things, but they don't have the record keeping or the manpower to inforce it, so, unless you gut and remodel the whole house, minor interior renovations, club basements, etc, all get done without permits, by contractors or homeowners.
You own a house built in 1960. There are no acurate records of when or if the basement was finished or not. They can't come inside to do your tax appraisal. Your real estate agent will list it for sale with whatever features are present. Who can challenge you?
I restored my 1901 Queene Anne in 1996-1998. We got permits for the new garage, reconstructing the missing turret, putting a pool, upgrading the electrical main service. The rest was considered repairs and was exempt from permits.
In 2015 we did a whole house restoration for a client on 1905 foursquare. We needed electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits, but only needed a building permit for one smsll area of structural work. Rest was considered repairs, including the complete rebuild of 900 sq ft of porch.
We had the full cooperation of the town and county who see historic presevation as an asset to the community.
The restoration of both houses were exempt from stuff like 36" high porch railings, stairway widths or risers on back stairs, etc.
Regarding county permitting/inspections for our detached garage/workshop, the strangest inspection (and failure) was the drywall screw count. The 2 most annoying inspection failures were: #1) Our plumbing final inspection failed because we were not allowed to install a deep basin utility sink in the bathroom 2) The main power feed cutoff/breaker box was failed because the main breaker handle was 6'7.5" above the ground and the building code limit was 6'7". The box/breaker was mounted higher than allowed because it was installed before our concrete driveway was poured and the GC and I drew what we thought the profile would be for the driveway and then months later the driveway ended up being formed about 8" lower than we had assumed. There was not enough slack in the 200amp power line between the cut-off breaker box and the interior breaker box so they had to run a new (and expensive) line. And they had to redo/patchpaint the stucco wall where they lowered the main breaker box. Oy.
Just got to ask, why not just change the ground height 1/2". Out here in most places, under $500 dose not need a permit, also only permit value added to assesment. Did a $125,000 add on but my cost was $25,000 so increse was for the $25,000 or $250 a year.
OnewolfRegarding county permitting/inspections for our detached garage/workshop, the strangest inspection (and failure) was the drywall screw count. The 2 most annoying inspection failures were: #1) Our plumbing final inspection failed because we were not allowed to install a deep basin utility sink in the bathroom 2) The main power feed cutoff/breaker box was failed because the main breaker handle was 6'7.5" above the ground and the building code limit was 6'7". The box/breaker was mounted higher than allowed because it was installed before our concrete driveway was poured and the GC and I drew what we thought the profile would be for the driveway and then months later the driveway ended up being formed about 8" lower than we had assumed. There was not enough slack in the 200amp power line between the cut-off breaker box and the interior breaker box so they had to run a new (and expensive) line. And they had to redo/patchpaint the stucco wall where they lowered the main breaker box. Oy.
"Oy" is right!
No tolerence for errors. Too easy to get sued.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Is this main switch outside? Why? There is no NEC requirement for that? Or are we talking about a meter can?
But in 40 years of electrical work as an electrician, job foreman, project manager, I have never had such an unreasonable experiance with an inspector.
The bathroom sink seems equally ridiculous, can't wait to unpack my copy of the IRC and look that up.
As an electrician, carpenter and building designer, I'm not a fan of exterior building finishes going "around" electrical boxes, but then again we don't do much stucco in these parts........
Much prefer electrical boxes/meter cans to mounted on the final siding, or on AZEK backer boards in the case of vinyl siding (which we also don't generally do much of). Most of the buildings we work on have real wood siding, cement board siding, or are brick.