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Georgetown & Allen Mountain Railroad 5.0

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  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, July 20, 2017 9:00 AM

Michael, I have a sister in Sarasota, a golfing BIL partner in Port Charlotte, and friends in Fort Myers.  All on the west coast. Are you anywhere near any of these spots?

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Thursday, July 20, 2017 7:48 AM

Rick, I feel with you! I've always been envious of guys with a basement empire and now I have one as well (not a basement but still...).

I've tried N, then H0, then N, then H0, and I've come back to N finally accepting that this is my scale. 

And you're wrong, I'm still working full time doing R&D for two companies Big Smile so all I have available is my spare time after work and on weekends. 

I'm happy to have you here watching my humble efforts and if you ever make it to Florida please stop by for a visit!

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, July 20, 2017 7:09 AM

Good Lord! How have I managed to miss this thread until now?

First, Onewolf, now this guy.

Michael, I hate you for several reasons, but don't take it personal because I also hate good golfers since I am a hacker-like handicap of 19.

Here are my reasons for despising you, in order.

1. Your work is magnificent.

2. You had the guts to tear out the old and build the new.

3. For reasons of space, you were brave enough to drop HO for N.

OK, now I hate myself. Laugh

I assume that you are retired with too much time and money.

I am retired with too much time, but I lack the skill and drive to do what you are doing.

To make myself feel even worse, I will continue to follow this thread to its inevitable conclusion.

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    April 2010
  • 225 posts
Posted by fender777 on Thursday, July 20, 2017 6:31 AM
How many Tons of Hydrocal will this layout take.
  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 5:58 PM

I've added risers to the branch line subroadbed in this area:

 

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 4:56 PM

I've glued the sidewalls in place:

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 4:21 PM

Before I can start 'hiding' my tunnel track it needs to be tested. I powered the track with a few feeder wires and ran a small steamer back and forth to make sure there are no kinks or other issues:

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 9:12 AM

Water Level Route

 

 
michaelrose55
I wish it was that easy... no, the H0 will have to go!

 

Are you sure? Laugh

 

 

Don't tempt me Devil!

  • Member since
    February 2015
  • From: Ludington, MI
  • 1,862 posts
Posted by Water Level Route on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 8:18 AM

michaelrose55
I wish it was that easy... no, the H0 will have to go!

Are you sure? Laugh

Mike

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 7:46 AM

rrinker

 Just add a rail down the middle and double the HO staging tracks into twice as many N scale tracks. Laugh

                     --Randy

 

 

I wish it was that easy... no, the H0 will have to go!

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 6:08 PM

 Just add a rail down the middle and double the HO staging tracks into twice as many N scale tracks. Laugh

                     --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    June 2014
  • From: East Central Florida
  • 480 posts
Posted by Onewolf on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 5:23 PM

Just in case

 

Snicker....

Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.

- Photo album of layout construction -

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 5:04 PM

I've laid more track and arrived at the west staging area:

 

 

As you can see the old H0 staging yard is still there:

 

Just in case...

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Monday, July 17, 2017 6:22 PM

With my 'real' work getting in the way I've only managed to lay about 10' of main line track today:

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, July 16, 2017 6:35 PM

I have started to lay track on the newly painted roadbed:

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, July 16, 2017 10:53 AM

It took about 30 minutes to paint the newly installed roadbed. Now I have to wait for the paint to dry before I can install track.

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, July 16, 2017 10:19 AM

I've glued down about 45' of roadbed this morning. Not bad!

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Saturday, July 15, 2017 4:14 PM

I have connected to the west staging yard. This will be the longest tunnel of the whole layout.

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Saturday, July 15, 2017 3:26 PM

SouthPenn

Why not put the track on the wood first, then slide the wood into place?

 

That would be too easy Big Smile!

  • Member since
    March 2015
  • 1,358 posts
Posted by SouthPenn on Saturday, July 15, 2017 3:04 PM

Why not put the track on the wood first, then slide the wood into place?

South Penn
  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Saturday, July 15, 2017 10:57 AM

It's always fun if you have to work underneath existing track work... I needed a return loop for the mainline and the only logical place was beneath the return loop of the east staging yard. It will be even more fun laying track here!

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Saturday, July 15, 2017 8:03 AM

hon30critter

Hi Michael:

How thick is your subroadbed? I assume it is plywood.

Thanks

Dave

 

Dave, it's 1/2" birch plywood that I buy from Lowe's: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Top-Choice-Blondewood-1-2-in-Birch-Plywood-Application-as-4-x-8/50121137

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Friday, July 14, 2017 10:38 PM

Hi Michael:

How thick is your subroadbed? I assume it is plywood.

Thanks

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Friday, July 14, 2017 4:58 PM

There were several missing pieces of subroadbed in this corner that I cut out today:

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Thursday, July 13, 2017 5:34 PM

I removed all the roadbed pieces (about 100), copied the numbers to the plywood, took the plywood sheets outside and started cutting...

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • 1,500 posts
Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Thursday, July 13, 2017 3:06 PM

Hey Michael 

You accomplish more when you don't have time than I do when I do.Big Smile

Robert 

LINK to SNSR Blog


  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:13 PM

I didn't have much time for the railroad the last two days, but I accomplished at least a little bit. I added roadbed for the part of the branch line that runs in the background in this area:

 

 

 

I numbered all roadbed pieces:

 

I started cutting supports:

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Monday, July 10, 2017 3:19 PM

I added more roadbed along the back wall of the layout room. I really love those long straight runs of the mainline!

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, July 9, 2017 3:21 PM

I'm laying out the roadbed along the back wall of the room:

 

 

  • Member since
    April 2010
  • 225 posts
Posted by fender777 on Sunday, July 9, 2017 11:42 AM

michaelrose55
 
fender777
This layout is so long I would need Binoculars to follow those little N gauge trains around.
 

 

 

To give you an idea, a freight train will take about one hour for a complete trip around the main line Big Smile

1 hour ' that is amazing. My Ho will take about 3 min. If I did not have so much money and all my kits and people ect in HO ' I would have loved to done N scale. But one has to be happy with what they got.

 

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