What is your future Projects for 2005

[TurboOne]

For my 600th Post, I wanted something special. Please share what you want to do for 2005.

Since getting started for the time in 30 years way back on Dec 18th or so I've

1. Cleaned out 13 years of packed garage, when wife said it couldn't be done. [angel]
2. put up the old 4 x 8 on two sawhorses. Also have a two drawer stand for center board support.
3. Found old trains. (Found packed away in first wife's old dresser) [:)]
4. Found old train track. ( Really hard, hadn't seen that since 1994.) [:)]
5. Put up two loops of track, found out only 1 power supply still worked. Gee after 30 years of sitting, why should everything run well? [}:)] Bought two used ones at LHS. Yes honey, they were free. Bought EZ command DCC system. Tried it was free, but she found the receipt, so it was look how much money I saved. [:D]
6. Rolled my favorite engine right off track, table onto concrete. Concrete won. [}:)]
7. Met new old friend. He likes trains. He fixed 1 other old loco by cleaning and oiling so I had a running engine. [bow]
8. Found old Christmas village buildings, and put them, and batting up so I had a Christmas town. Also installed Christmas lights in a chain thing. The work perfect around the layout, in 1 day I had two trains, lights, and a villiage.
9. Santa comes and sets up two Thomas trains under the tree for 6 year old son. Santa and his helper Mrs. Claus, finish setting up trains and daughters computer at 3am. Santa tired. [|)] [|)]
10. During December and January trains cars have magically been showing up here. Something called Ebay. Yes honey they were free !

New projects.
1.Convert 4 x 8 into 14 x 8 with space between edge and track so trains don't roll of table. By the way Christmas lights are staying so far, they keep trains from rolling off table as well as blink pretty.
2. Search thru 8000 books and websites, picked a dual level layout. I have all the track except for a double crossover, will be making that out of 4 switches and a crossover. Update, will be changing track to all nickel silver flex track.
3. Once HO track is finished, need some more magic trains O gauge or G gauge to show up. Yes honey they were free. Also think somewhere in shed in unlabeled box there must be some 3 rail. So its also free honey. Magic. Honest. [:-^]
4. Somehow decide how to add another section so I can start my amusement park with working rides. Yes they are free also honey. Magic. Update: That is covered with the expanded 14 x 8 Layout. Hopefully have all rides by 12/25/05.
5. Spending time with my son 6 1/4, and my daughter 9 3/4, and wife working together on family project; the train layout.

Other than the magical railroad not much planned for 2005.

Take care all. May all your dreams be built. [:o)][:D][8D][:)][:p][bow][:)][8D][:p][;)][:o)]

Tim (Alive throughout 2005)

[Anonymous]

Model Railroad related:
1. Building my first official layout

Any projects whatsoever:
1. Get married
2. Work on our new home

Hmm...I wonder how long the layout will get put off [xx(]

[NZRMac]

Well we've bought another house to do-up and sell so we will be moving from here as soon as we've finished doing this one up.
The idea is to make money so in a few years we can have a train room the size I want with a house round it[:D]
So i'll have to pull the layout down and move it, I bolted it together so hopefully it will be ok.[;)]
The next house has room in the garage too, no insulation or heating but it will do.
We will only be there 6-12 months. I just have to stay focused on the wee light at the end of the tunnel, BIG train room in the house.[:)][:)]

Ken.

[Jetrock]

On the layout, my projects are:

Expand the layout by two more 6-foot modules

Install backdrops--which means putting up insulation and drywall on one wall.

Finally put street in between the rails on my street trackage!!

[Anonymous]

Please visit my website for my plans for this year and beyond.

freewebs.com/brclem/

[CNJ831]

Build Phase II of my HO layout, a massive city scene similar to Art Fahie's city of Amherst on his Niagara & Pearl Creek layout. The kitbashing of the very large structures involved requires about $1,000 with of kits from various manufacturers. I've already started purchasing and fabricating the buildings even though I'm still a couple of weeks away from completing the 12' or so of the benchwork needed.

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

Since the beginning of the year:

Got the basement cleaned out.
Got the decking up for the first room's layout.
Put together the kato and two athearn kits.

This weekend:
Finally get the project car out of the garage (it's been four years) and into the shop.
Clean out the garage, then move all the stuff from basement storage to garage to free up the rest of the basement for future layout.
Work with brother on building the new computer.

2005 Layout Work:
Continue work on my large metro area; had trouble deciding on a city, so decided to combine my two loves: comics and mrr. The buildings will be inspired by artwork of Gotham City, but still have prototypical functionality. Incorporate the HO batman figures I found on ebay (from Mattel's Microverse line, discontinued) without turning the whole thing into a big toy.
Move the workbench from the dining room to the basement to satisfy the lady of the house. Take her out to dinner a few times to make up for months of train mess in our living area.

[SpaceMouse]

The Hogwart's set is nearing the phase where my daughter can take over landscape structures and scenery. Hopefully by mid-march I can start my 11x11 layout. REally looking forward to it.

[Anonymous]

I'm working on my first layout. Started January 1, 2005. That's official. I spend the 4 months preceeding that reading MR and everything on the web I could. I dreamed of layout and loco's. I built my benchwork the first weekend of 2005. Spent the next couple weeks trannsferring a track plan to the track bed. Since then I have been full steam ahead...no pun intended. This weekend I will be blasting the upper and lower tunnels on the west end of my 8x4 Rocky Shores Rail Road (R.S.R.R.). In real terms this means I'll be constructing the foam tunnel walls and installing them.

I started out with this layout following Dave Frary's plan for the Cactus Valley RR. Immediately following the completion of the trackbed, I have gone into full customization mode. Because of errors in measurement and the fact that it is not exactly the same size I am now "capitalizing on opportunities" in my layout. The learning curve is huge, but I having lots of fun and find the whole process very relaxing.

Summation: 2005 will be spent bringing the Rocky Shores Rail Road to life. Sadly, I already have plans for expanding the layout in 2006! But ain't that just thenature of the beast?

Trevor
"I swear some day I'll get a really cool tag line."

[Noah Hofrichter]

Well, I have quite a few things on the Block, and here's what I know so far. Many things are sure to come up in the ARK's future plans though.

1. Finni***he curve that I tore out last night. That should be done soon as soon as I get the Roadbed for it.
2. Re-ballast all the track. I had taken most of it out when i re did my industrial area.
3.Scratchbuild a large, and I mean large warehouse like building to be used as a a printing plant on the new industrial section.
4.Finnish new Scenery around new industrial area.
5.Put water in and scenery around my lake.
6.Paint a few rolling stock and Engines, this will happen anytime this year.
7.Start at least one and maybe two moduals to photograph new cars, engines, and buildings on in natural light
8.Scratchbuild a few peices of MoW equipment.
9.Add more details to the layout(On going all year long)
10.Weather buildings and rolling stock.

As I said, this may all change, it's definately not set in stone or anything.

Noah

[Anonymous]

Well, I hate to admit this, but I'm considering dissassembling this layout and starting on another one. This time I will use Peco and/or Shinohara turnouts or maybe hand lay the turnouts. Will use either Atlas or MicroEngineering flex track. More main line running (the current layout is all switching). I may do a dual era thing, i.e. about 1960 and another set of equipment for the mid 70s. I have a fair amount of stuff from both eras already on hand. And I am trying to decide about going to the NMRA in Cincinnati. That's easily $1000.00 or more that would go a long way toward locomotives and cars of either era. On the other hand, those layout tours sound great, the clinics are always informative, and it's enjoyable to meet people you have only met on line or read about in the magazines in the past. I met David Barrow of Cat Mountain and Santa Fe fame at the 1998 NMRA, for example. Gotta decide on this one quickly before all the layout tours I want to go to are sold out.

[twhite]

I'll be continuing to work on the scenery, get the Deer Creek yard to where I really want it, then start ballasting the track and incorporating an icing dock for refrigerator cars, installing a curved viaduct at the eastern end of Yuba Pass, and hopefully taking over the other half of the garage to build a staging yard and engine facilities (turntable and roundhouse). I'm planning on using a four-span through truss lift-out bridge section (crossing the American River) to get to the yard from the main layout. We'll see--carpentry is not among my best skills. Oh yah--I need to re-motor my PFM L-131 2-8-8-2, but the drive train is so weird that I'll probably have to have it done professionally. Don't want to think of how much THAT baby's going to cost!
Tom [:P][:P][:P]

[MACKINACMAC]

I concluded at the end of last year that my current layout was just not adequate for my wants. So this year I'm planning on building a train room in my basement and as of right now all my efforts are planning a new layout. When Summer comes I'll start dismantling the old layout and start on the new one provided the planning is done.

[cwclark]

For 2005 I want to detail ALL my locomotives, get all my train detection circuits in with the target lighting working and be ready to start my scenery by 2006...Chuck

[Anonymous]

Fini***he the planning for the railroad and get construction started. By christmas everything should be considered completed. (it's only 2x8)

Bring all the rolling stock up to par and keep them there. Get the structures built.

Visit other layouts and help run trains.

[RMax1]

I want to get most of the major turf and buildings in this year.

RMax1

[Anonymous]

Finish scenery on existing 8x1 layout. Build another 4x1 module to extend it for exhibitions that will also be usable stand-alone as a micro-layout. Install reclaimed kitchen cabinets in train room with new worktop as a support for the layout (with storage cupboards underneath). Install more DCC decoders. Add a handheld throttle to the DCC setup (probably a Roco Lok-Maus, eyeing their start sets as a cost-effective way to get hold of one, unsure whether to get the cheapest one (£95) or pay the extra £50 for their very nice ICE 2 express set with sound). These are mainly in the order of being able to afford them or getting around to it...

[davekelly]

1. Get married (March 5!)
2. Find employment
3. Decide on DCC system
4. Locate and transfer to a different Reserve unit to serve in (change of scenery)
5. Continue defending my profession
6. Enjoy the discussions on this forum with so many way cool folks.

[BRVRR]

Here's my list:
1. Add 3-4 structures to the layout.
2. Get the scenery up to scratch.
3. Purchase a BLI E6-7 in NYC lightning stripes.
4. Install a LocoBufferII and get DecoderPro up and running.
5. Build and install a 4-6 track staging area/yard.
6. Detail my SD40-2s.
7.Install automatic grade crossing controls so the crossing lights flash.
8.Replace the handful of low-end Lenz decoders with Digitrax or TCS.
9. Install at least 2 diesel engine sound decoders in F7s.
10. Install an under table, steam locomotive, first generation and second generation sound decoder system.
Almost forgot!
Give my website a facelift.!
A lot to do. I'll accomplish most of it if time and funding remain at current levels.

[AggroJones]

-Detail and paint this undec P2K mallet up like a Rio Grande unit.
-Hand paint 100+ figures to make my groups of railfan standing around
-Make even more conifer trees
-Repaint my BLI 3751 steamer black
-finish glue shelling other side of layout
-begin ballasting track on high lines
-Finish weathering on Union Pacific Challenger
-Rebuild and re-detail my Spectrum 2-8-0 to ressemble an Espee C-28

[trolleyboy]

Hey major plans for the year get the mainline in and up and running(finally changing from the theoretical to the usable)Start planting the buildings and seeing how the scenery is going to look. Rob

[METRO]

1: Put in the benchwork for north end of downtown on the layout.
2: Scratchbuild at least three skyscrapers for said downtown module.
3: Finally repaint some of the switchers.
4: Figure out where the freight switiching line will go on the layout (probably in the new module)
5: Repower some of the older Athearns
6: Replace the mainline track with concrete ties

Yea I'm hoping to get half of that done heh

~METRO

[MisterBeasley]

Today I went to Home Depot and got the wood for the benchwork. The trains that haven't run for 30 years will have a home.

[Anonymous]

On Tuesday, my new 12000-btu heat pump will be delivered. This will be the first step to getting my subdivision [a.k.a., a 2-car garage] climate-controlled. And once THAT's done...

1) Finish benchwork;
2) Lay sub-roadbed;
3) Lay/wire the track;
4) Install decoders in my favorite 12-15 locos;
5) Run some trains, identify track problems before applying any terrain

I can probably get these things done in 2005. Scenery? There'll be plenty of time in 2006 for that...!

[Anonymous]

Join a MRR club.

[Anonymous]

I will finally get off my butt and start building my layout and my oil refinery module, unless i end up moving back to Texas...then i'll have to say goodbye to having a large layout.

I will get my motive power roster filled out when i build a couple of Southern Pacific TEBU's and i stock up on some SD40T-2's, SD45T-2' , GP40-2's, GP38-2's, B23-7's, B30-7's, B36-7's and some odds and ends from railroads other than the SP/SSW/D&RGW.

I might never end up having a layout. but until i do, i am having too much fun building locomotives[:D]

[TurboOne]

Update: the garage actually has a floor. [:D]

My future layout will be 14 x 8. The garage is cleaned out enough to be able to fini***he benchwork. Tomorrow the Christmas village comes down, except for the train station and my favorite church. Then after the benchwork is done, the temp layout come down.

I bought 2 of the 6 #6 switches I need. Once the benchwork is done, I have to see if they have 2" foam anywhere in San Diego, Home Depot, Lowes, Dixieline, non of them have it. I found 1 inch blue foam but I will have to wait and see.

But I don't think the wife has seen that much garage floor since I moved in. Woo Hoo, I am scoring points.

Tim

[Anonymous]

1. I need to get crackin' on my steam locomotives. Tuning them up, weathering, etc.
2. Buy the BLI Santa Fe 3800 class 2-10-2
3. Redo some of my scenery to a higher standard
4. Paint my facsia a uniform color
5. Make some more of those filter conifers

[camarokid]

Cleaning off the layout top that my wife keeps putting stuff on and then complains to me that I never work on the railroad anymore. You can't even see the tracks.
Tear down the portion I no longer desire because of all the hidden trackage.
Build the new portion that will be out in the open with minimal hidden tracks.
Try to keep all the stuff my wife puts on the layout somewhere else. That's an all year job. Ain't it great!!
Archie

[Anonymous]

First of all Thank You Tim!
I needed that reminder or else I, the eternal procrastinator, shall never finish my layout.
1. WORK WORK WORK....then MOOCH MOOCH MOOCH I need $$$
2. Get the benchwork in for my 2nd section; the industrial complex...../.
3. Get DCC......I know, I know......
4. Make a GEVO (!) in N
5. Get to college
6. Make a website for my hobbies (model RR, military modelling, rocketry, astronomy)

Post-2005:
1. Get out of College
2. Dont go into debt
3. Keep the hobby alive by building layouts in annoying places all over my dorm
4. Get married
5. Have $$$ left over from my trains to afford a wedding.

For now however I will focus on at least getting the trackwork down for my layout so that I
can see full length trains run before I move out.....I pray that my mother will keep it safe
LOL