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It's closer than you think...

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It's closer than you think...
Posted by Penny Trains on Monday, October 3, 2016 7:45 PM

Angel  The Holiday Season of course!  Angel

So, have you given any thought to your holiday layouts yet?  I have!  I started last May!  Laugh  Here are a few of the things I've done and as always, SHOW US YOUR WORK!  Big Smile

Disneyland: Autopia.

Disneyland: New Orleans Square.

Disneyland: Temple of the Forbidden Eye and Jungle Cruise improvements.

Disneyland: New fully lighted Main Street Station.

Postwar layout: New lighted sign for Howard Johnson's.

The sign is printed on vellum and resides in a "holder" made of a heavy card backing cut to shape and trimmed with 65lb card painted with acrylics.  The "light bulbs" on the arrow are glass seed beads.

Remember, you heard it here first!  Wink  The holidays are on their way!  Laugh

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by overall on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 6:58 AM

Beautifully done as always Becky. Thanks for sharing.

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Posted by Bob Keller on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 11:42 AM

More amazing work! 

Bob Keller

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Posted by Firelock76 on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 8:42 PM

When Becky shows her latest handiwork it's as much as a harbinger of the approching Christmas season as the Star of Bethlehem!

Bravo Maestra! You keep sending us back to school!

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Posted by Penny Trains on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 6:26 PM

Thanks guys!

I always wanted to make the "lost safari" scene but never had the space.  Originally I built the Temple at the size the kit was designed for.  But it was just too big.  This time I reduced it by approx. 40% which not only gave me something closer to O gauge but gave me more real estate around it to work with.

On the right you can see my attempt at Spanish Moss.  I made it from cotton balls based on an article I remembered about Cypress Trees in an old issue of MR.  However instead of carving "Cypress knees" out of wood, the trees here were made using my hot glue over steel technique.  As are the figures of (not)Indiana Jones and his helpers.

Forgot to mention the "light fixtures" I put down the station platform ceiling.  I cut faceted plastic beads in half and bored out a bit of the inside to let a 12 to 16v g.o.w. bulb fit.

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by overall on Thursday, October 6, 2016 10:54 AM

Becky,

You are very ingenious in the way you can take everyday materials and make them work on your structures, such as the light fixture above. I would have never thought of your solution for the light fixture that you described in your last post. You must have picked up some machine shop skills somewhere along the way.

Thanks for sharing

George

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Posted by rtraincollector on Thursday, October 6, 2016 10:23 PM

I've said it before and will say it again, Becky you could make a nice sum building these items and selling them. You are awsome in your handiwork. 

Life's hard, even harder if your stupid  John Wayne

http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/

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Posted by LL675 on Saturday, October 8, 2016 3:28 PM

your Disney looks just like the real thing!

Dave

It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody  from Toy Story)

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Posted by Billwiz on Saturday, October 29, 2016 4:03 PM

 My church is having a Polar Express and Craft Event in December and we will have a number of train layouts.  I am building a small layout for it using O track.  Will probably run my pre-war American Flyer O loco. 

 

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, October 30, 2016 6:49 PM

A snowy town like this with lights aglow is what I think of when I hear Silent Night.  Nice work!

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by phillyreading on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 11:17 AM

Very nice work, like others said it looks like the real Disney park.

Lee.

Interested in southest Pennsylvania railroads; Reading & Northern, Reading Company, Reading Lines, Philadelphia & Reading.
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Posted by Toy Trains FTW on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 3:57 PM
Wow Becky! I love that station the most!
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Posted by Penny Trains on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 7:09 PM

Toy Trains FTW
Wow Becky! I love that station the most!

Thanks!  If you want to build your own: http://www.disneyexperience.com/models/station_model.php.  It's challenging, but not so much once you get the hang of it!

PS: Layout #1 is finished!  Photos soon!  Big Smile

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Wednesday, November 9, 2016 8:17 PM

Layout #1, the 4 by 6 in my bedroom.

Besides the new HoJo sign, I also made an A&P sign for the K-Lineville super market...

A light-up Sinclair sign for the K-Lineville gas station...

And a pair of lighted trees for the apartment house.  General Electric has been using trees of this design for many years at their Nela Park facility on the east side of Cleveland, not far from where the NYC Collinwood roundhouse once stood.

I found a nice photo on the net of this type of tree at a pior year's display and did a bit of photo editing to get just the tree I wanted the right size which I then printed on cardstock.  These trees have a large bulb in the center of a reflective ring.  To simulate that look, I punched small holes where the bulbs were on the photos and over the hole I glued clear glass seed beads.  The rest of the tree is just cardstock painted black.  Since this experiment worked well, I now know how to add a lot of light to Main Street USA....next year.  Big Smile

I added popsicle stick ties to both the S and O rights of way.

They may be ridiculously tall, but I love using 54mm figures with this layout.  Here are 3 Boy Scouts sitting at the campfire listening to a presentation by the local OA group.

Not all of the scouts are behaving though!  Notice the boat oar!  Big Smile

And not only is this kid trespassing on railroad property, he's shooting quills at a target on the other side of the tracks!

Excuse me.  Can you tell me how to get to the airport?  Huh?

Sure!  You go to the edge of town and hang an "up"!  Big Smile

No room on the board for the airport, it's 5 feet higher on top of the dresser.  Layoutus interruptus?  Smile, Wink & Grin

Well, there ya are.

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Firelock76 on Tuesday, November 15, 2016 6:48 PM

Stunning! Magnificent! Glorious!

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Posted by Penny Trains on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 7:20 PM

Firelock76

Stunning! Magnificent! Glorious!

 

You're a nut, you know that don't you?  Smile, Wink & Grin

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Friday, November 25, 2016 5:51 PM

Better photos to come!  Big Smile

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Firelock76 on Friday, November 25, 2016 6:38 PM

Penny Trains
 
Firelock76

Stunning! Magnificent! Glorious!

 

 

 

You're a nut, you know that don't you?  Smile, Wink & Grin

 

Oh, absolutely!  I went nuts decades ago, it didn't hurt a bit and I felt SO much better afterward!

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Posted by fifedog on Saturday, November 26, 2016 5:11 AM

Wowzers!  That scene really gets you in the Christmas spirit.

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Posted by Penny Trains on Saturday, November 26, 2016 5:51 PM

Firelock76
Oh, absolutely! I went nuts decades ago, it didn't hurt a bit and I felt SO much better afterward!

Remember John Astin's cameos on Night Court?  "I'm feeling much better now!  Laugh

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Saturday, November 26, 2016 5:52 PM

fifedog
Wowzers! That scene really gets you in the Christmas spirit.

...until you derail the train and take out half of Tomorrowland...Oops - Sign  Oh well, got nothing better to do!  Laugh

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Firelock76 on Saturday, November 26, 2016 8:03 PM

Penny Trains
 
Firelock76
Oh, absolutely! I went nuts decades ago, it didn't hurt a bit and I felt SO much better afterward!

 

Remember John Astin's cameos on Night Court?  "I'm feeling much better now!  Laugh

 

Sure I remember John Astin, the REAL Gomez Addams!  Yeah, I'm a geezer, I remember the show from the 60's, although there's a lot about the 60's I'd love to forget.

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Posted by thesiding on Saturday, November 26, 2016 11:03 PM

Don't do what Gomez does with HIS Lionel

 

Why I liked Munsters better

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Posted by Firelock76 on Sunday, November 27, 2016 9:10 AM

thesiding

Don't do what Gomez doews with HIS Lionel

 

Wy I liked Munsters better

 

I would NEVER do what Gomez did to his Lionels!  NEVER!  That's akin to painting a moustasche on the "Mona Lisa!"

On the other hand, I HAVE blown up model tanks that didn't come out right.

I did like "The Munsters" too.  For a vampiress Lily was HOT!

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, November 27, 2016 7:12 PM

There was an episode on today that showed Gomez actually fixingone of his trains.  Couldn't make out much other than it was steam loco and had a wide white stripe along the running board.  Probably a Scout.

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, November 27, 2016 7:16 PM

Here we go!

Merry Christmas!

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Firelock76 on Thursday, December 1, 2016 6:32 PM

Just superb!  Open your home to the public and charge admission!

It took me three days to come up with a half-clever comment on your last post, I was that stunned.

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Posted by thesiding on Thursday, December 1, 2016 8:37 PM

The Munsters DID have trains in one ep the "impression" given was real ones in Grandpa's lab      by sounds

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Posted by fifedog on Friday, December 2, 2016 6:25 AM

That's got to be the best Carpet Central.  Ever.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Saturday, December 3, 2016 4:43 PM

Becky, if you haven't done so already slide over to the "Trains" Forum, go to "Steam and Preservation,"  and check out S. Connor's post "Merry Christmas To All, And To All A Good....Berkshire."  It's a "Christmas Card" starring your hero, NKP 765.

Matter of fact, all here should check it out, it's wonderful!

Wizlish's post on the same thread starring Mighty 611 is pretty darn good too.

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