Hi guys,
All that live in the Houston Texas area should know by now that the Fall Home Layout tour is going to be in full swing this weekend until the first weekend in December. Go to http://sanjac.leoslair.com/ for a downloadable details and directions to the fall home layout tours this year.
Their will be 5 layouts in the U.S. Highway 90 East area the weekend of Oct. 17 & 18. First, the Houston Historical Railroad Society has an HO gauge layout in one of their passenger cars that will be on the tour.
Knowcent's layout will also be on the tour that day and he has added another 30' to his existing double decked 45' x 30' layout. I'ts coming along nicely and well worth the drive to visit.
Gordon B's N scale Santa Fe All the Way layout is very impressive and will be on the tour.
John R's Windber Southern Railroad is still a lot of benchwork, but he has a large layout with lot's of running trains with most of the trackwork completed.
Finally, my Southern Pacific- Sunset Route will be on tour. (gonna take a week off from work to get some more scenery done.) My layout is 25' x 23' with about 70% of the scenery completed and lots of switching action. Hope to see ya'll soon! ....chuck
I hope we have a good turn out.I know we all have been busy with our layouts this year and visitors will be surprised by all the great work we have done. Hope to meet some forum members this year!
I'm hoping my health will alow me to make the trip
I'd love to see all the layouts this weekend
TerryinTexas
See my Web Site Here
http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/
Hey Guys are you both going to be open both Sat and Sun ?
C&O Fan Hey Guys are you both going to be open both Sat and Sun ?
Hi Terry,
Everyone will be open Saturday, I'm the only one that will be open Saturday and Sunday. Anyway, Our layout's are ready. I got the track clean and the locomotives in working order. I just finished replacing a bad train detection circut so that the signaling system is now working great again.
Ya'll stop on by and check out the layouts tomorrow. There's even some cookies and drinks in case you get hungry and thirsty with all the train action that's going to take place....chuck
Working today, so I can't make it to any layouts But I plan on seeing Chuck's layout again tomorrow. Jeff- guess I'll have to wait until next year! Gordon invited me to his pre- tour shakedown op session but unfortunately the 1:1 scale needed me more. Paycheck over Playcheck wins every time!
Earl
I once caught a train in my pajama's. How it got in my pajama's I'll never know... (sorry, Groucho)
It was a good day today. 39 folks showed up and my buddy Lando was a big help running the train videos on the TV in the train room. . There were ZERO derailments and I had to reset the digitrax throttle only three times.
Haven't heard from Gordon or Jeff as of yet but they probably had the same people show up over at their layouts too. Tomorrow I'll be the only layout open from 12:30 to 5 PM. Hope too see those that didn't make it today......chuck
I hope somebody makes a video or slide show for those of us who couldn't make it
Great Western Rwy fanI hope somebody makes a video or slide show for those of us who couldn't make it
I went over to Chuck's today and shot some video
Its uploading now
Hi folks,
Today was another good day on the layout tour. I did have some problems with a locomotive that lost sound and a consisting issue but all in all it was a good session. Thank you to everyone that attended
Also, thanks to Jeff and Lando for taking up the slack and to Terry for taking video and pictures. Hope to do it again next year, Now it's my turn to take in some other layouts in the weeks to come....chuck
Here's one of 3 videos
And that's Chuck in the picture operating the passenger train
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lbk9wKOwkY
The other 2 are uploading and i'll post them tomorrow
Here's a few Random pictures i took
The Layout was much larger than I thought and operated flawlessly for the 2 hours I was there
Chuck is a very good modeler even though he uses non protypical Yankee Cows
and not 'Long Horns" as he should
Myself and Gordon both had about 62 sign the books and another dozen or so that did not. The layout ran perfect and everyone was impressed with all the scenery and layout expansion.
It was a please to meet you Terry! I plan to make it to your layout next month! Chuck it was a pleasure to help you out. For those that missed the tour, hope to see you next year!
Another video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf_n9nuc8eg
Last Video
If you watch closely you'll see other trains running in the background
It gives you an idea of the size of the layout
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V97pDa41GrU
Thanks for posting the videos Terry, I had to wait all day to see them. (My job blocks youtube from the computers at work.) Nice job on the photography.
Chuck, I know your bench is in your garage, well I think I know that. How big is your bench and how long is the main lines?
I have got my A Line using the K-10 mining spur up to 95 feet. Sure makes running long trains easy.
Ken
I hate Rust
cudaken Chuck, I know your bench is in your garage, well I think I know that. How big is your bench and how long is the main lines? I have got my A Line using the K-10 mining spur up to 95 feet. Sure makes running long trains easy. Ken
Ken,
The 25' x 23' trainroom is in a converted detached garage that was once a garden / storage brick building. The garage door was removed, the hole bricked up, and the windows covered with sheetrock so that the backdrop could be painted on all 4 walls without windows interfering with the layout backdrop.
The double main line at it's longest run is 18' thru the yard but about 12'-15' everywhere else it's straight track. There are 2 opposing and side by side islands with L girder benchwork 4' wide and 16' long that dogbone into curves at the end of the benchwork. One island is at 52" and rises to 60" and the other island starts at 48" then slowly rises upward to 74" at the summit on a 1.5% grade. (Nolex style with a 1/4" rise every 16".)
There are also 2 point to point runs from one end of the layout to the other facing on an east to west point and ending on a north and south point at the other end of the layout which tie into the islands. (The point to point section was added later after some wall shelves were removed.)....chuck
A few more photos
Thanks for posting the video's! We have a huge home layout tour every fall here in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I hope to go to it this year.