Jim Apitz's trains

[dbaker48]

Jim, Fantastic pictures of your layout. Looks great! Is it going to grow.......Of course, 1 brick at a time.

[Jumijo]

You're the devil on my shoulder, Chief!

Jim

[ChiefEagles]

Bet it grows. [;)]

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxt30

Seeing that picture, takes me back to when I was 10 years old, & spending hours looking through the Lionel catalogs if I wasn't doing something on my 4x8 layout ! That is still apealing to me today ! Thanks Jim !!

I couldn't agree more, John. When I was a kid, I loved this type of illustration. My mind would be filled with ideas of what I was going to order from American Hobby Center, in what I thought must be the toy train capital of the world -New York, New York! Couldn't wait for the UPS guy to arrive 4 to 8 weeks later with a package. Back then I payed C.O.D. I also remember that he always showed up at dinner time.

Jim

[csxt30]

Seeing that picture, takes me back to when I was 10 years old, & spending hours looking through the Lionel catalogs if I wasn't doing something on my 4x8 layout ! That is still apealing to me today ! Thanks Jim !!

[Jumijo]

I found the following image this morning on another forum. Looking at it, I noticed that there are a lot of similarities between my layout and this one from 1957. The track plans aren't the same, but the size and shape of the layout are, as is the tunnel and river placement. Even the controls are in the same exact spot. Pretty cool!




Jim

[laz 57]

JIM,
I thought I misplaced one of my bears from PA?
Looks GREAT keep up the good work.
laz57

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jonadel

Chief--
Any trips to Dubuque?
Jon

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChiefEagles

Jon, nope. My partner Joe Okada is from WI and is doing those in IA. [:(] Do not know about the Cabela's Walleye Classic. Cablea's is real messy with getting their dates out to us. We still do not have all of their show dates.

Jon, Why do you get all the breaks!!!!!

[Jumijo]

Ballasting track. Another reason I opted for FasTrack! You've got over 100 feet of it to ballast? Do it the same way you would eat an elephant - one bite at a time. [;)]

Jim

[csxt30]

Jim: thanks & I should get some better progress pictures soon, as I do have a new camera due to arrive tomorrow ! I think I will also make scenery a more important priority now . Buckeye just gave me some ideas. The one problem I'm looking at is over a hundred feet of track to ballast so far. I just can't figure out where or what to start first !
Thanks, John

[ChiefEagles]

It will grow. I bet. [;)]

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by laz 57

Nice layout JIM, should have had a box of GRITS on the billboard?
laz57

Laz,

Up here we don't know what a box of grits looks like. Can't draw something I never saw!

You didn't happen to notice the 800 lb (scale) bear roaming around my layout, did you? Looks like he's heading for the river to do a little fishing. Would love to add a scale moose.

Thanks all for the compliments, guys. John, I'd love to see progress photos of your layout. I saw the one with the plaster white mountain a week or so ago. My layout is what it is. The Chief was trying to put expansion ideas in my head, but wifeypoo might not dig that. Besides, I have all I can do to scenic what we already have.

Jim

[laz 57]

Nice layout JIM, should have had a box of GRITS on the billboard?
laz57

[ChiefEagles]

Jon, nope. My partner Joe Okada is from WI and is doing those in IA. [:(] Do not know about the Cabela's Walleye Classic. Cablea's is real messy with getting their dates out to us. We still do not have all of their show dates.

[jonadel]

Chief--

Any trips to Dubuque?

Jon

[ChiefEagles]

No bad smells from the Apitz house. BTW, two raids into OTTS land. The Columbus raid in March [Wheeling WV 17-19] and then the great Davis Trains raid [Cincinnati June 8-11]. [;)] Should come home with a lot of Yankee booty from those raids.[}:)] [;)]

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Buckeye Riveter

I noticed that OTTS member Jim hasn't had time for a reply. I assume he is still counting the silver to see how much is missing. [(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]

Chuck, start cleaning old Betsy because we are in for a world of trouble this spring.

OTTS member Jim finally checking in. Busy day at work yesterday. Here late and didn't have time to visit the forum.

Sorry to have to cut our phone conversation short yesterday, Chief. I was in a meeting when you called. I sincerely apologize.

As you can see, our layout is still in its infancy. I started the scenery with the river and tunnel and learned as I went along. As Chief said, a lot of the stuff is scratchbuilt, which takes a normal person time to do. It takes a snail like me 4 or 5 times as long to accompli***he same amount.

The tunnel's portals are scratchbuilt from pink insulation board, as is the stone wall surrounding the farm. The autumn trees at the base of the mountain are hand made from weeds and gypsy grass. The girder bridge is made from some Masonite siding I had laying around. The back side of that bridge isn't even painted! My daughter and I scratchbuilt the yellow station and its platform from a 1x3. Did anyone see the bear near the tunnel?

The Plasticville structures are inexpensive, and with a little paint, can look pretty good. Most are placed on the layout just to fill it up, but haven't been painted yet. One still has the price tag on its roof! I buy them cheap at train shows. I weathered the water tower near the station to a fairtheewell and am happy with the outcome. The switch tower still isn't finished, but there it stands. The Plasticville coal tower was painted and the roof weathered to a rusty brown. My summer vacation in NH last year taught me that there is no such thing as a metal roof up that way that isn't rusted. Sometimes I think they install them rusty!

The farm store, named after my son, John, is based on the many I've seen up nawth. Not a real farm per se, but a store in the converted barn with live animals out back more for atmosphere - kinda like a petting zoo. They are all over the place up here. Jim & Julia's produce stand, also on the property, sells all kinds of fresh fruit and veggies, including pumpkins made from Playdough. I drew the barn on the billboard to look like the structure on our layout.

I bought the Hobo Jungle kit a week or so ago. I'm going to use the large structure and the outhouse as part of the coaling complex. One of the small shacks will be made into a children's club house. Not sure what to do with the other one.

The train in the photos has 2 repainted cars. The green J & M Dairy car was a Lionel starter type O-27 reefer, and the black Merrimac Oil tanker was a K-Line Santa Fe.

Since we run O-27 exclusively, I want the layout to have a semi-realistic look to it, but also to include the toy-like accessories and structures associated with traditional toy trains. I guess my goal is to have something that looks postwar-ish. The two loops of roundy-round would absolutely bore the vast majority of you guys, but we enjoy it. As time goes by, I might add a siding to the inside loop.

I'd like to thank the Chief for taking and posting the photos. I've been meaning to do so for too long now. I'll try to take some closeups soon.

I'd also like to say what a great time I had with Frank while he was at our home. We talked for hours before we even got to the trains. With twin 2 year olds roaming around, Lord only knows what else he smelled besides YANKEE pot roast! Those 2 can stink up a diaper like nobody else! I have no sense of smell, so Frank, if they reaked, I apologize.

Chief, I had a wonderful time. I hope we can meet up again. You're always welcome in our home. Thanks for everything!

Jim

P.S. Roy, does my shirt look familiar? Same as yours in your signature photo! [:D][;)]

[Buckeye Riveter]

I noticed that OTTS member Jim hasn't had time for a reply. I assume he is still counting the silver to see how much is missing. [(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]

Chuck, start cleaning old Betsy because we are in for a world of trouble this spring.

[Blueberryhill RR]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChiefEagles

QUOTE: Originally posted by Buckeye Riveter

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChiefEagles

The REBS have a scheduled raid in to Columbus Ohizo this spring too. [}:)][:D] Also one into Dudaland later.

Chief, Have you ever considered flying into Charleston, WV? [:D]
Great photos! [:)]

NOPE, raid on Columbus!!!! Why do I like Columbus?????[?] [great name]

Chiefie is back. Gonna attack all Yankee towns. Yeah,, sure.
Been in the North so long he thinks he owns it.
Get some sleep, Chief.
Jim, nice looking layout. You put a lot of work into it so far.

[spankybird]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChiefEagles

The REBS have a scheduled raid in to Columbus Ohizo this spring too. [}:)][:D] Also one into Dudaland later.

But not to the Heart of OTTS land [}:)]

[Anonymous]

Thanks for sharing these, Chief! Very, very nice layout! The Plasticville buildings give it a wonderful postwar look!

[1688torpedo]

It seems that Jim has a really nice layout. And I like that Billboard also.Looks like the Chief & Jim's Family had a great time. Thanks for sharing.

[ChiefEagles]

Calefornie is later as the stores are being built. Dudaland [Buda TX] is a go. [:p] Actually sooner than you think. Feb. 24 thur 26.

[Jim Duda]

I'm hopin' he'll go to LALA land instead of Doodaah land...! If not, I'll be headin' up to Ohio!

[dougdagrump]

What happened to your potential Callyforney trip ?????

[ChiefEagles]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Buckeye Riveter

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChiefEagles

The REBS have a scheduled raid in to Columbus Ohizo this spring too. [}:)][:D] Also one into Dudaland later.

Chief, Have you ever considered flying into Charleston, WV? [:D]

Great photos! [:)]

NOPE, raid on Columbus!!!! Why do I like Columbus?????[?] [great name]

[dougdagrump]

Chief said daughter did not know to set focus and light but did great for her age
When in reality it was a self-defense mechanism within the camera, whenever a subject is in the viewfinder that may cause lens distortion or fractures it blurs the photo to protect itself. You notice the only fuzzy photo is the one with the Chief in it. [swg]

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChiefEagles

The REBS have a scheduled raid in to Columbus Ohizo this spring too. [}:)][:D] Also one into Dudaland later.

Chief, Have you ever considered flying into Charleston, WV? [:D]

Great photos! [:)]

[Roger Bielen]

Lookin' good Jim.