Trying to update my avatar since 2020
MartyE and Kodi the Husky Dog! ( 3/31/90-9/28/04 ) www.MartyE.com My O Gauge Web Page and Home of Kodiak Junction!
thatboy37 wrote:daan: thats somw nice work you have there, and i like the idea of cutting the boards and placing chicken wire on it. thats quite interesting. i was planning on using card board boxes, cutting them into strips, and instead of using chicken wire or the cloth they sale in the hobby shop that come in the rolls that you unroll an cut into small sheets. i'm going to use coffee filters and do the same process you said do with the sheet with the coffee filters. anyways that part of the layout is not in the near future as i have not got the rest of my switches yet from ross, finished lay track, wiring the track, running trains for at least 3 or 4 monthes to make sure they are running as close to perfect as they can run on the track, then ballasting the track. who knows by the time i get to that point i might have changed my mind and decided to go with something different. if i do i will let you know. again nice work you have done this far on your layout. keep it up.
The cardboard strips is the classical method, but I found it to be too unstable when applying the wet sheets of plaster. The cardboard sucks up the water out of the wet sheets and gets soft. I've had a few occasions where my freshly built mountain collapsed under it's own wheight because of the cardboard getting wet. Chickenwire doesn't have that, but be sure to use a version which doesn't rust, because plaster is agressive. There is also an aluminium meshwire used in windows to keep the flies out, that has a very small mesh and can be used to apply a thicker plaster directly without cloth, but that is not as solid as with the use of sheets and due to the very thick layer of plaster a lot heavier.
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
traindaddy1 wrote: Reggie: First of all, Happy New Year. I have been following your progress from the start and am impressed. You must have a real "gem" for a bride to let you spend so much time on your layout. Keep up the great work and keep us posted.PS. I have learned a lot from the 'tips' these guys on the forum have given to you and appreciate this learning experience.
Reggie: First of all, Happy New Year. I have been following your progress from the start and am impressed. You must have a real "gem" for a bride to let you spend so much time on your layout. Keep up the great work and keep us posted.
PS. I have learned a lot from the 'tips' these guys on the forum have given to you and appreciate this learning experience.
well same to you on the happy new year. well she has said something once before but really never went any farther than when are you coming to bed. i said when i get finished with this last part which turns out to be like 3 or 4 in the morning. she really doesnt care as long as she knows t where i'm at and i'm not out in the streets or clubs and in harms way. she told me she would rather have me at home in the trainroom instead of in the club's with a female in my face. which i could understand greatly. oh yeah she's a gem and a keeper. because she supports me in this hobby and actually tells me to buy what i like and want.
Those gentle curves look great! and the switching area looks impressive! Really nice. For the scenery I have a few suggestions. I've started doing the ground area and the mountains on my layout. The way to build is easy, just cut out vertical stands from wood where the mountains should be, then cover then with a small mesh chicken wire fencing. Then ask the misses for some old bedsheets and drench them in very liquid plaster. It works better when the sheets are cut in 1ft x 1ft squares and are moist before soaking them in the plaster. After it has dried, apply a mixture of wallpaint (latex) with lots of sand and let it dry. Afterwards you can add stones and bushes or anything else you like. The structure is lightweight but solid and the looks are very good thanks to the sand, which dulls the surface and gives it a natural look.
Phase 1: making wooden substructure
Phase 2: covering it with small mesh chickenwire fencing
Phase 3, plastering the wire structure with bedsheets soaked in plaster.
Phase 4, apply mixture of (in my case colored) latex paint with sand.
Phase 5, add stones and bushes etc, whatever you like. The latex/sand mixture can be used as glue, you can apply multiple layers or layers as thick as 1/2" at once. It's ideal to cover up the high tubular tracks or gaps in the layoutsections.
And most of all, just try whatever you feel is worth trying and see what the results are. Scenery is a huge part of the fun that is called layout building.
here's 18 pics of my lastest addition didn't know which ones to post so i posted all of them. hope you like
lionroar88 wrote: thatboy37 wrote: rr redneck - the bug has bitten him and bit him hard he has the thomas o scale set and plenty of the kids thomas stuff to. lionroar88 wrote: thatboy37,That is one heck of an impressive layout! It is a 'U' or closed loop 'O'?I've been playing around with various configurations for my big layout - which I can't fully design until the new house is built - but I am leaning toward an 'E' configuration... depending on the room size I may be able to get the 'E' plus a decent sized yard, that depends in the depth of the room and if I can configure that track to align with the cabinets. I like the roundhouse! Is that the Atlas Roundtable and Roundhouse?I've been looking at this combo...http://www.bowser-trains.com/oscale/turntables/turntables.htm (32" version)If I can swing it I'll probably go with a 5 stall roundhouse and maybe 4 or 5 additional sidings for engine storage.it is a 4 track closed loop with all four tracks going from track 1 to 4 via the yard. i like that round house you attached with the photo. started to get that but i already had this one so why let it go to waste plus it mates up to the gargraves track easily. if you do get that round house please make sure you post some pics of it would like to see it. it might make me take mine up and go with the one you are talking about getting. thanks for the compliment.Of course I may also go the scratch built route... really depends on how much room I have if I go with a roundhouse or not. I'm considering the scratch built route because I have this itch to build something really different on the train layout. All the roundhouses I've seen have been plastic and I'm not thrilled with that... a scratch built one out of some balsa or bass wood would really add a nice touch to it!
thatboy37 wrote: rr redneck - the bug has bitten him and bit him hard he has the thomas o scale set and plenty of the kids thomas stuff to. lionroar88 wrote: thatboy37,That is one heck of an impressive layout! It is a 'U' or closed loop 'O'?I've been playing around with various configurations for my big layout - which I can't fully design until the new house is built - but I am leaning toward an 'E' configuration... depending on the room size I may be able to get the 'E' plus a decent sized yard, that depends in the depth of the room and if I can configure that track to align with the cabinets. I like the roundhouse! Is that the Atlas Roundtable and Roundhouse?I've been looking at this combo...http://www.bowser-trains.com/oscale/turntables/turntables.htm (32" version)If I can swing it I'll probably go with a 5 stall roundhouse and maybe 4 or 5 additional sidings for engine storage.it is a 4 track closed loop with all four tracks going from track 1 to 4 via the yard. i like that round house you attached with the photo. started to get that but i already had this one so why let it go to waste plus it mates up to the gargraves track easily. if you do get that round house please make sure you post some pics of it would like to see it. it might make me take mine up and go with the one you are talking about getting. thanks for the compliment.
rr redneck - the bug has bitten him and bit him hard he has the thomas o scale set and plenty of the kids thomas stuff to.
lionroar88 wrote: thatboy37,That is one heck of an impressive layout! It is a 'U' or closed loop 'O'?I've been playing around with various configurations for my big layout - which I can't fully design until the new house is built - but I am leaning toward an 'E' configuration... depending on the room size I may be able to get the 'E' plus a decent sized yard, that depends in the depth of the room and if I can configure that track to align with the cabinets. I like the roundhouse! Is that the Atlas Roundtable and Roundhouse?I've been looking at this combo...http://www.bowser-trains.com/oscale/turntables/turntables.htm (32" version)If I can swing it I'll probably go with a 5 stall roundhouse and maybe 4 or 5 additional sidings for engine storage.
thatboy37,That is one heck of an impressive layout! It is a 'U' or closed loop 'O'?I've been playing around with various configurations for my big layout - which I can't fully design until the new house is built - but I am leaning toward an 'E' configuration... depending on the room size I may be able to get the 'E' plus a decent sized yard, that depends in the depth of the room and if I can configure that track to align with the cabinets. I like the roundhouse! Is that the Atlas Roundtable and Roundhouse?I've been looking at this combo...http://www.bowser-trains.com/oscale/turntables/turntables.htm (32" version)If I can swing it I'll probably go with a 5 stall roundhouse and maybe 4 or 5 additional sidings for engine storage.
it is a 4 track closed loop with all four tracks going from track 1 to 4 via the yard. i like that round house you attached with the photo. started to get that but i already had this one so why let it go to waste plus it mates up to the gargraves track easily. if you do get that round house please make sure you post some pics of it would like to see it. it might make me take mine up and go with the one you are talking about getting. thanks for the compliment.
Of course I may also go the scratch built route... really depends on how much room I have if I go with a roundhouse or not. I'm considering the scratch built route because I have this itch to build something really different on the train layout. All the roundhouses I've seen have been plastic and I'm not thrilled with that... a scratch built one out of some balsa or bass wood would really add a nice touch to it!
i might do it later on down the road that is scratchbuild. i'm not really good at scernery yet as i have never done it.
it is a 4 track closed loop with all four tracks going from track 1 to 4 via the yard from either end. i like that round house you attached with the photo. started to get that but i already had this one so why let it go to waste plus it mates up to the gargraves track easily. if you do get that round house please make sure you post some pics of it would like to see it. it might make me take mine up and go with the one you are talking about getting. thanks for the compliment.
Reggie,
It looks great. Nice progress!
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
ChiefEagles wrote:Wow! A roundhouse. Now tha ttakes up a lot of room. Glad you got it in yours. Keep up the good work.
i will try to keep up the good work. these are the last pics of the layout as i have gotten to this point and cant work any more until the rest of the switches that i ordered come in. have any of you guys been told by ross that you can only order 2 switches at a time?
now in the time that it takes for the rest of the switches to get in i think i'm going to do a little wiring and soldering of the wires to the track hope you like.
on these 2 pics below the end of the switches cant be connected to the curves at the top of the pic until the rest of the switches get in.
on this pic below the two tracks to the left cant be finished until the rest of my switches get in
here's my nephew playing with my non powered trains on the track that i have completed he also has a favorite engine and road name. my sd70mac cn.
this is all for now just an update of my progress up to this point. cant finish track until rest of track and track pins get in. now i have to wait patiently for my supplies to finish my layout.
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
when i first started laying the track i didnt cut the ends off i just jioned the tracks together add kept going but i the mean time while i was trying to put the end of the rail in the tie's of the opposing piece of track it was cutting my hands a little. so something hit me you have a dremmal why dont you use it to cut the track even then but the end of the new piece of track and go from there i say that took maybe ten minutes off laying a piece of track. i think the extra pieces that i cut off i will use as a junk pile af rails on the layout somewhere. i'm not throing anything away as i found out you might beable to use it on the layout somewhere. i was patient the first night i layed track i layed 16 pieces no cutting the track, cutting my hand. i looked at my hands and thought what have i gotten myself into but my mind started thinking and low and behold my dremmal came into play and i was off. just remember patients is a virtue.
stopped laying track to assemble the round house will continue with track photos tomorrow. hoepe you guys like. my progress is coming along. and thanks for all comments before this and after.
Looks great Reggie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I havent had much time to keep up, but it looks like your new plans are right on track!!!
Congrats on the new track and keep it rollin! You know Im on the same page as you with the GG. track!
Drew
Btw, Merry CHRISTmas all.
lionroar88 wrote: RR Redneck wrote:That GarGraves looks soo much better than FasTrack.Yeah, just wish they wouldn't paint the center rail black! That looks aweful!
RR Redneck wrote:That GarGraves looks soo much better than FasTrack.
Yeah, just wish they wouldn't paint the center rail black! That looks aweful!
well it actually gives it a more realistic look if you ask me. as to real life tracks have 2 shiny silver rails and i guess thats what gargraves is trying to do. give you the appearance of 2 rails by coating the center 1 black. my assumption but it still looks great in my book.
merry christmas to all.
this is the far end of the room curve which is about 35 feet from the other and of the room. i also added a 2 x 12 foot section to the table top. you can see the addition in these pics.
i'm not good with scenery as i have not experimented yet with that part of the hobby yet. i might have to get someone to come in here and do that part for me. hope they want charge me that much. here's day 4 pics hope you guys enjoy.
Nice Pic's.
Keep 'em coming!
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