I have added wires for the RPO building and the diner and glued everything in place. Now let's hope I don't break off any of these street lights because then I'll be in trouble!
Michael
The Breitenbach - Rosenheim Railroad V3
michaelrose55Now let's hope I don't break off any of these street lights because then I'll be in trouble!
Hi Micheal!
Have you considered modifying your street lights so that they can be removed by unplugging them? I'm not familiar with your N scale street lights, but if you could modify the base by turning it into a plug instead of being hard wired you would be able to remove them when you are working in the area. You might want to solicit RRMel's advice. He has done a fantastic job of creating a socket system for his illuminated vehicles.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave,
These N scale street lights are so tiny that you couldn't add a plug to them. I just have to try not to break them...
I've done all kinds of small things today that take more time than you would think...
I installed lights and added customers to the diner, added chimneys to the station, added signs to the station and the track sheds, bundled all the wires and routed them where they need to go, glued down the sheds, the diner and the station.
I have wired up the street lights:
I wired up 3 more lights:
The street lights splash nicely on the pavement.
T e d
We now have lights on at the ticket office:
...and in the Railway Express Agency building:
...and in Bonnie's Diner:
Michael:
I love the lighting!
I didn't feel very creative today but if you have such a big layout there's always a job that doesn't require it. I painted tunnel track and ballasted as far as you can see inside. I did that for 14 tunnel entries . A few pictures:
I started with the first few feet of road at Gustavsburg:
Is that foamcore that you are using for the road?
hon30critter Michael: Is that foamcore that you are using for the road? Dave
Yes, it's 1/8" foamboard https://www.foamboardsource.com/foam-board--foam-board-with-memory.html
I decided on the roof shape for the REA building today:
No pressure,Michael - but it's been 3 days...
Mike
middleman No pressure,Michael - but it's been 3 days... Mike
I haven't posted anything for a good week because I haven't done any modeling at all. I stopped working on the layout because I feel that I have no talent. I discussed this with my good friend and fellow modeler Rick Wade and he keeps telling me that all artistic people have self doubts. My answer to that is that I'm not an artist so it doesn't apply. I think that in the past every time I hit this road block I switched scales and started new, trying to avoid the issue. I don't want to do that again because it will not solve the problem in any way. So now I have to find a way of working around this little obstacle...
Michael,
Who of us hasn´t been there and done that? I guess we all hit the doldrums at a time. I am in that phase right now myself - I haven´t done anything for months now. I do know that I will get around to working on my layout again - eventually! So just sit back, relax and enjoy doing something else!
You are a gifted modeler with an amount of skills and talent which makes me a little jealous!
So maybe I should get off my butt and just start working and stop thinking too much? Just for fun I fired up the cad program, made a quick drawing, ran the laser for 6 minutes, got out the glue and assembled the core for another ugly building. So I guess I could just keep doing that...
michaelrose55 So maybe I should get off my butt and just start working and stop thinking too much? Just for fun I fired up the cad program, made a quick drawing, ran the laser for 6 minutes, got out the glue and assembled the core for another ugly building. So I guess I could just keep doing that...
Yes. Quantity has a quality of its own.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
michaelrose55So maybe I should get off my butt and just start working and stop thinking too much?
I would suggest that just the opposite is true. You work at a pace that burns the rest of us out just watching you. Slow down. Relax. Do something different for a while. Don't be afraid to ignore the layout for a month or two. The inspiration will come back eventually and when it does you'll find the layout waiting for you.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
I watch guys like you build layouts (in the mags, obviously) and have often wondered if model railroading is an addiction or a hobby.
I spent one or two evenings a week for several years building narrow and dual gauge track on a club layout, starting with nothing but a bunch of risers above a 1X2 grid. Nobody ever got excited about how much got done or when, just so it was pretty much foolproof when completed. Never worried about frog numbers, just built the track and switches to fit where the roadbed I built was.
I unwound this way, got lost in my thoughts and didn't know what was going on around me sometimes. At other times visiting with others was part of the evening. At any rate, a full blown attempt at finishing quickly, like a contractor working on a building, was never on the agenda. I always looked forward to "my time" with the work I did.
Maybe a bit of a different bent on how you look at the what and why of what you are building is in order.
I am obviously much different in my interests in model railroading than some folks as I get my satisfaction out of building the layout and stopping to watch others do so as well. I like to see the trains run, but when a layout has been finished and is reduced to "operations" I loose interest real quick and start looking for other things to relax my mind.
carl425I would suggest that just the opposite is true. You work at a pace that burns the rest of us out just watching you. Slow down. Relax. Do something different for a while. Don't be afraid to ignore the layout for a month or two. The inspiration will come back eventually and when it does you'll find the layout waiting for you.
I agree, your work has been progressing breathtakingly fast you might feel like you are not good enough because you aren't achieving some (internally) set goal. There's no race or competition here - you are only competing with yourself.
You could take a break from your layout by helping someone else on theirs? Consider it paying it forward, and in the process you might realize just how big is the scope of your own talents.
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I think we are all in awe of how much you accomplish in such a short time. It has taken me 8 years to get a layout half your size up and operating with limited amounts of scenery. I don't work with anywhere near the intensity and devotion that is evident in your efforts. But then I'm retired and definately want to avoid the world of schedules and critical paths.
Several times I've been 'stuck' waiting on inspiration before continuing. Also I've found that I get on a roll doing something (track work or electrical or scenery), with all the right tools and materials at hand, but when I've got to switch gears to do something else, I'm stuck again.
After filling the room with benchwork and track, it would be natural to have a period of "adjustment" when transitioning to scenery and structures. It is a whole other process that needs time to gain confidence in a different set of skills and procedures. I know that I have trouble switching from technical skills like benchwork, track and electrical to more artistic things like scenery.
Grinnell
While I'm waiting for the paint on the siding to dry I've test placed the structure where it will go:
I added some roofing to the REA building:
I worked some more on these two structures:
A little bit of progress:
Making little details and adding them to buildings take a lot of time!
Nothing new today, just a shot of the Barnesville station: ...and one across the room to show how small that area really is compared to the rest of the layout. I won't run out of work anytime soon!