"Keeping my hand on the throttle...and my eyes on rail."
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
Thats amazing for a first layout! I guess all that time aboard subs gave you time to do your homework. My first two layouts looked like someone dumped styrofoam, plaster, and plastic scrap onto green shag carpet. Of course I was 13....but thats beside the point.
keep up the good work!
Great Start!!!.....Keep us posted. Thanks for your service to our COUNTRY!
I'm also an US NAVY VET: USS Lexington CVT-16, USS L Y SPEAR AS-36 (SUBRON 6) & NAS Miramar. Was a SK (Storekeeper)= a Cumshaw Artist 3rd Class Petty Officer.
Laugh?? Don't joke! That's very GOOD work for your first layout. You would fall off your chair with laughter if you saw my first layout!
Happy modelling!
Cheers,
Dave Loman
My site: The Rusty Spike
"It's a penny for your thoughts, but you have to put your 2 cents in.... hey, someone's making a penny!"
A true friend will not bail you out of jail...he will be sitting next to you saying "that was friggin awesome dude!" Tim...Modeling the NYC...is there any other?
"You show me a man with both feet on the ground and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants on." -anonymous
ereimer wrote:(you navy guys really need to include translations for us choo-choo lovers!)
Quickie Glossary:
EM = Electricians Mate, aka Wire Biter
ET = Electronics Technicia, aka Twigets
MM = Machinist Mate, aka Knuckle Dragers
Boomer = Ballistic Missile Submarine
Nuke = Short Name for "Nuclear Trained Personnel"
F-ing Nuke = Short Name for "Nuclear Trained Personnel" uttered by those who are jealous or those who were just the brunt of a practical joke.
I will edit and add as necessary.
jkroft wrote:Dave,It's funny to hear someone talking about fast attacks and prototype. I'm a nuke ET2 with about 2 years and some change left. I love off-crew life, although politics, lip-service training and IDE sessions get in the way.
Dave,
It's funny to hear someone talking about fast attacks and prototype. I'm a nuke ET2 with about 2 years and some change left. I love off-crew life, although politics, lip-service training and IDE sessions get in the way.
Yeah, I kinda figured that the off-crew life wasn't the little slice of heaven that it was talked up to be lol. So you all got the IDEs running up there? I served with ET1 Berhalter on the boat and then ETCS Berhalter a few years later when he was in charge of planning the S8G IDE deployment for SUBLANT.
What prototype were you at? Anyway, I got there in January of '06... Don't know a Rancourt. I can only imagine the pain you had to endure on a fast-attack... I've only heard stories. What boat were you on?
Okay, it was a shot in the dark, but i figured I would ask. Anyways, I was a student at S8G in '97 and back as a staff in '01. USS Alexandria (SSN-757) was my home in between. Well, I will admit that it wasn't a walk in the park, but some of the things I got to see and the places I got to go... But i did my 8.5 years (only cause i made 1st early) and then jumped ship... I work for the Army now :)
I have to assume that a nuke ET2 (you navy guys really need to include translations for us choo-choo lovers!) requires a very detail oriented , "plan twice , do once" type mind , because that's what i see in your layout construction.
Yes, the ET's (aka twigets) are notorious for being meticulous... for good reason! They do all the Calibration & Testing on the reactor protection systems on the subs... and then document their every move while they did it! There are severe consiquences (as you can imagine) if their Calibrations are off or if their paperwork is messed up.
Us Electricians are more on the shifty side of the house, renowned for being the Ninja's of the engineroom and Keepers of the 9/16" wrenches.
LOL I used the 87% op-tempo I had on the Alex to memorize the T-12 cover to cover.
I think it looks great for a bubblehead I was a EO 3 and my boot camp company sponser was SUBTRAFAC in San Diego. You guys are all right I dont care what the Airdales say.
I think its great you can spend all that time out there and still have that much done and such good work.I know it would drive me nuts to not be able to get to work on a layout when I wanted to.
Keep up the good work and keep in touch.
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
Laugh at what?? It looks great.. although, I have a suggestion about the road lines. Get some pinstriping tape from AutoZone. It's flexible enough to bend around sharp curves. Lie one down first, about 1/16" wide. This will be your area between the lines. Then pull one on either side of that, leaving a gap between the first line. Once it's all down, spray paint it yellow. Before the paint dries, peel up the tape.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
claymore1977 wrote: jkroft wrote:By the way, I'm on the USS Rhode Island. Thanks for asking!Did you happen to know an electrician named Rancourt? He was onboard around 2000 timeframe.Anyways, looking at the pics, I must say: Pretty good for a halftime sailor! (Fast Attack Tough here) And I only say that because of my insane jealousy that you could actually accomplish ANYTHING while onboard. I had to wait until I sold my soul to teach at prototype before I had time to even think model railroading! Keep up the good work slick!How much time you have left on your current tour? Whats your rate by the way?
jkroft wrote:By the way, I'm on the USS Rhode Island. Thanks for asking!
Did you happen to know an electrician named Rancourt? He was onboard around 2000 timeframe.
Anyways, looking at the pics, I must say: Pretty good for a halftime sailor! (Fast Attack Tough here) And I only say that because of my insane jealousy that you could actually accomplish ANYTHING while onboard. I had to wait until I sold my soul to teach at prototype before I had time to even think model railroading! Keep up the good work slick!
How much time you have left on your current tour? Whats your rate by the way?
It's funny to hear someone talking about fast attacks and prototype. I'm a nuke ET2 with about 2 years and some change left. I love off-crew life, although politics, lip-service training and IDE sessions get in the way. What prototype were you at? Anyway, I got there in January of '06... Don't know a Rancourt. I can only imagine the pain you had to endure on a fast-attack... I've only heard stories. What boat were you on?
Anyway, the crossing gates are NJ international and I have a Servomaster system to operate them, which is made by TDP & Associates but marketed with NJI. I actually ordered it directly from trainspeed.com and had them program it a little differently than marketed (less delay time for the gates to drop). The Servomaster is a little pricey, yet it is a well designed system.
The road material is just Woodland Scenics' Smooth-it.
A Boomer working in the hobby? Then I know anything is possible:
http://unitpages.military.com/unitpages/unit.do?id=202324
Hi John,
Your work looks great, especially for a guy who's at sea for a year at a time. I'm building my first layout after 25 years out of the hobby and haven't had the courage to post any pics yet so you're way ahead of me.
Maybe a propane facility would fit in the space you have in mind. I think MR just had an article on building a propane facility a month or two ago. You'd be able to use all the tank cars you wanted with a propane plant.
My dad served on PT boats in the Pacific in WWII. Any guy that's willing to fight in a wooden boat or a steel boat 700 feet under water is a lot braver than me. Thanks for helping to keep us safe.
Regards, Jim
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Looks good to me
Laugh at what?! Thankfully, no photos exist of my first um...layout.
Keep up the good work.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
John, in another life I was on the USS Forrestal, CVA 59. I was off before the big fire.
Jarrell
jkroft wrote: Again, I appreciate the vote of confidence. I started out just buying a Woodland scenics scenery kit. I've been using their stuff since... although it does get expensive. I wanted to start with a medium size layout, yet this is much more time consuming than I imagined. I never had anything but a general track plan that I came up with in Atlas right-track. From there, I kinda went with the flow without any firm plan. I just wanted to figure out how to lay track, wire, and build scenery. The plan is a complete loop with three additional hidden staging tracks. I put in a small intermodal facility with structures mostly from Stewart, Pikestuff and Micro-eng., but the rest is still up in the air. I have the ADM grain elevator and lumber yard from walthers, and a few freight houses to put somewhere but I'm not sure where. At the other side, I have space for something else... again not sure what yet. I may put up a coal or gravel facility, or just a few smaller businesses served by rail. I love tanker cars... Any ideas? Also, anyone know where to get older Kato NS? just curious. By the way, I'm on the USS Rhode Island. Thanks for asking!John
Again, I appreciate the vote of confidence. I started out just buying a Woodland scenics scenery kit. I've been using their stuff since... although it does get expensive. I wanted to start with a medium size layout, yet this is much more time consuming than I imagined. I never had anything but a general track plan that I came up with in Atlas right-track. From there, I kinda went with the flow without any firm plan. I just wanted to figure out how to lay track, wire, and build scenery. The plan is a complete loop with three additional hidden staging tracks. I put in a small intermodal facility with structures mostly from Stewart, Pikestuff and Micro-eng., but the rest is still up in the air. I have the ADM grain elevator and lumber yard from walthers, and a few freight houses to put somewhere but I'm not sure where. At the other side, I have space for something else... again not sure what yet. I may put up a coal or gravel facility, or just a few smaller businesses served by rail. I love tanker cars... Any ideas? Also, anyone know where to get older Kato NS? just curious. By the way, I'm on the USS Rhode Island. Thanks for asking!
John