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Portable Layout Building Log

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Posted by vsmith on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 8:12 PM

I kinda lost the initial when I dropped the side section on the upper pizza, beleive me at 3 x 4 1/2 the upper pizza was almost unmovable let alone portable. So I had to drop it, so the upper went back to being portable again at 3x3 and with the shrinking of the lower level I've had to rethink my goals yet again. So with the drop leaf section and the rear track acting as a "sort of" trolley run, the potential is still there.

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Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 8:52 PM

I see everything EXCEPT a point to point trolley! Laugh

Tom Trigg

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Posted by vsmith on Monday, November 23, 2009 11:54 PM

Finally figured out what to do on that left side

Folding leg at the drop leaf on the left side

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Posted by vsmith on Monday, November 23, 2009 12:16 PM

http://gold.mylargescale.com/vsmith/Portable%20Layout%20Revised%204x4.pdf


Made a small addition, a fold down section, doesnt effect the storage area of the layout yet I get another continuous loop for the dinky stuff. Already built it, just need to run a power wire to the new siding, looks like I'll have to hook up the BTE so I can walk around this thung.

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Posted by vsmith on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 8:07 AM

Blue foam underway:

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Posted by vsmith on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:01 AM

OK time for an update here:

Well believe it or not the 4 ½ x 6 ½  proved to be TOO LARGE!! but not by much.  I want to expand to On30 down the line so that means I need to create room for it next to the pizza, so after much pondering and thinking, to get the needed space I abandoned the side track expansion of the pizza (not a hard decision after I tried moving the then 3’ x 4 ½’ layout by myself, it ceased to be a portable layout) and decided to minimize the still under construction lower level. I wasn’t really gaining anything with the double loop setup so up came the track and out came the Multi-master, after cutting off about 12inches from each side I now have at 4 ½’ square what has to be the smallest G scale indoor layout in the world!

Overall view

The front side

Right side

Still pondering the left side

View of the town & siding

Even has a fiddle track at rear.

I also lowered the pizza level about 4 inches for better accessibility. It even has block control (well, why wouldn’t it?) and the upper pizza is still removable, in fact the whole shi-bang is potentially a completely mobile layout.

I’ve always been more into the modeling that the running of stuff so this works for me, simplicity in its purest. Still quite a bit to do this winter scenery-wise, as you can see the “saga of my ever shrinking railroad” is still alive and kicking…

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Posted by vsmith on Sunday, July 5, 2009 12:03 PM

upper support in place

Storage track installed under support

Pizza set in place

now I need some foam, need to do something with that back wall as well

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Posted by vsmith on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:27 PM

Work on the new base has commenced, this is the back side, not that it matters at this stage

I'm going to lose the double storage track, its too wide overall, besides I can add storage tracks inside the layout under the upper level supports. Powerpacks will be moved to pockets at rear of scenery

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Posted by ttrigg on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 7:55 PM

You're gonna need a few of these, but smaller

Tom Trigg

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Posted by vsmith on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:13 AM

anything is possibleWink

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Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 9:10 PM

I still say an auto-reversing trolley will do just fine along the red line.

Tom Trigg

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Posted by vsmith on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:27 PM

 
Heres the next direction, with the existing portable nested on top so it will still be removable for exhibition. The entire thing will be on rollers so its possible to move it around as well. This plan shows an attachable fiddle track shelf at the rear, still thinking about that. Might be able to start on this in a couple weeks. Should be interesting....

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Posted by ttrigg on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 12:07 PM

vsmith

ttrigg

Don't forget the auto-reversing unit when it expands to the backside!  Then you'll need to fabricate a small passenger goose.

  

 ..that a certain somebody in Sandy Ego is just waiting for me to build for them ;)

 ...maybe something can be done about that later this summer, if things settle down a bit.

Vic: Among the list of projects currently

include combining a Mack with a "New Blight" passenger wagon, The Rosebud Falls County Fair Grounds (complete with hot dog stand, corn of the cob stand, carousel, Ferris Wheel, Big Top Tent, wild animal exhibit, and a kid sized "ride on train" [OK it's an "N" train being cut to fit]), also building a city for Flatbottoms Garden Railroad (yes, I'm doing it again, but this time I'm better armed with what works and what doesn't). But first I've got to finish replacing the fence.

For those of you who do not remember: Douglas Flatbottom, President of Rosebud Falls Scenic Railways has his own garden railroad (OK it's Z scale set into a G scale layout.)

Tom Trigg

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Posted by vsmith on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 11:39 AM

ttrigg

Don't forget the auto-reversing unit when it expands to the backside!  Then you'll need to fabricate a small passenger goose.

  

 ..that a certain somebody in Sandy Ego is just waiting for me to build for them ;)

 ...maybe something can be done about that later this summer, if things settle down a bit.

   Have fun with your trains

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Posted by ttrigg on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 12:53 AM

Don't forget the auto-reversing unit when it expands to the backside!  Then you'll need to fabricate a small passenger goose.

Tom Trigg

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Posted by ttrigg on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 12:51 AM

Now you loose the title "King of the Short Lines".

Today the right hand edge, next week it expands to the backside with a siding. Next month it circles the "Pizza" and an entirely new empire is born.  Only problem with that is that it no longer fits in the back seat of the car!  Further expnasion will requre a U-Haul.

Watch out Vic, or this thing will get entirely too large.Smile,Wink, & GrinLaughWink

Tom Trigg

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Posted by vsmith on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 1:21 PM

   

 

New town module, 12” x 36” this will act as a storage/display track for trains (unpowered ?), it will be detachable from the main layout. No hurries, will finish it when I can. ;)

 

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Posted by ttrigg on Sunday, May 10, 2009 5:58 PM

GOOD! Now I don't have to go to BTS just to get a vid of the two topper!

Tom Trigg

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Posted by vsmith on Sunday, May 10, 2009 3:02 PM

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Posted by vsmith on Sunday, May 10, 2009 1:48 PM


Finally some finished pictures, some misc scenery to add but its 95% completed, I suppose I'll be adding stuff to it from here on out, as this is likely going to be my only layout for the time being. Thats OK I have lots of ideas to add to this layout, I'm discovering that one realy doesnt need a yard or basement full of track to have fun, after all for me its all about the modeling so as long as I have stuff to model I'll be doing just fine

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Posted by ttrigg on Monday, April 6, 2009 12:38 PM

Vic, What's with the burro powered water tanker? It looks like the tanker has already de-railed. I'm surprised that the motorcycle has not been converted into a three-wheeled rail car! Have you given any thought to supporting those rails on the right end of the bridge?

OK, I'll be a good boy now and shut up.

Tom Trigg

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Posted by vsmith on Monday, April 6, 2009 9:55 AM

Time to resurrect this thread over here, some may remember my building log on the previous forum before it went away for this, been reworking this puppy as I'm adding a second track to this monstrously oversized layout.

  

Where I left off. 

 

 

Setting up the foam pieces. Cold weather made glueing the pieces together a day long experience! Glue one piece, come back tomorrow, glue some pieces, and come back tomorrow. But progress was made, I originally planned to place a small tunnel on top but it didn’t look good at all, so I’ll add a small mesa along side the track to it instead.

Bridge underway!

 

 

 

 

Foam stone archway

 

 

Bridge , with station removed, the lower parts of it will be covered by the station when its replaced

 

That’s an Aristo 21” circle of track, stained the rails to brown them.

 

 

Because of the nature of the track I had to build the bridge in place one bent at a time.

 

Finished the bridge, paint it and touched up the scenery. Adding plant material and ballast next. New pics to follow.

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Posted by vsmith on Monday, August 18, 2008 10:03 AM

Sometimes the ol' fingers are not quite as fast as the ol' brain...or is that the other way round

PS new pics were taken with the new "cheap" camera, also a Nikon Coolpics like the old. The "cheap" camera has 8 megapixels vs 2.5 on the old, and where the old could hold 75 pics in the memory at 640x480 resolution, the new one (with card) can only hold 9999 (literally!) at the same size...all for less than 1/2 the price of that old camera... sheesh!

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 17, 2008 4:28 PM

Vic, your using my slang words now "copleted"! Man my stuff is © 2008 Mischief [:-,]

Toad Big Smile [:D]

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Posted by vsmith on Sunday, August 17, 2008 2:37 PM
John I have an Ozark casting that should do the job, lots of details still planned to add to it, I'm just glad I got the base model completed

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Posted by John Busby on Thursday, August 14, 2008 8:38 PM

Hi Vic

Have you thought about what you are going to use for winder wheels on top of the head frame.

I wondered if a mecanno or similar wheel would do the job for a head frame??

regards John Busby

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Posted by trianman707 on Thursday, August 14, 2008 10:05 AM

This is really neat!  Smile [:)]  I'm impressed.  Reminds me of when I try to scrunch everything into my Department 56 Displays at Christmas time.  Great work!

Monte

http://www.heather-ridge.com

 

 

MG Scott http://www.heather-ridge.com
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 14, 2008 5:17 AM

Heck man....dang buzzard ain't gone yet! Your making me look way to slow!

Toad

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Posted by vsmith on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 10:43 PM

Pictures at last!




Mischief [:-,]

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 4, 2008 3:15 PM

Vic, your sick....think I am gettn like you now! Sick!!! Will post the Mule at later date, but she does run!

Sick Toad

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