WPF TIME: 6/18 - 6/21

[jwhitten]

csmincemoyer

jon grant

crfan

Jon, despite the coffee/tea mug in the background, new trackwork looks nothing like a "Bungle in The Jungle".  Great work and photos.

Thanks, Let's hope I'm not "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day"

Jon 

 

All I see is Locomotive Breath! 

 

 

 

(I was waiting for that...)

Its just "Part of the Machine"...

[Rob_C]

zgardner18

Thanks Rob.  By the way it looks like you and I are almost neighbors.  What scale do you model?  Its hard for me to tell.

 

Oh yeah, we are!  I'm doing HO scale.  

Rob

[0-6-0]

Hello great work everyone. Here is a old tire wall I am working on.

have a nice day Frank  and a Happy father's day

[jon grant]

selector

Jon, you do really nice trackwork and modelling.  Would you mind letting us know which ballast and colour you use? 

-Crandell

Thanks, I used Woodland Scenics light grey medium granite chippings with a small amount of the WS mid brown mediun. Unfortunately I've run out of the light grey before finishing. I'll ballast the yard tracks with a greater proportion of the brown ballast to light grey.

Jon 

[zgardner18]

Rob_C

 ZGardner, LOVE the tunnel scene!  The blending with the backdrop and overall realism are very enviable.

Rob

Thanks Rob.  By the way it looks like you and I are almost neighbors.  What scale do you model?  Its hard for me to tell.

[Rob_C]

 Mike, your benchwork is very professional looking.  While the splines do seem like overkill to me, they look fantastic!  It is almost a shame to cover up such nice benchwork with scenery! ;)

 ZGardner, LOVE the tunnel scene!  The blending with the backdrop and overall realism are very enviable.

Allan, always enjoy a nice streamliner scene, and dusk is a great time to take a shot.  Nice!

Rob

[cheese3]

Great Work Everyone! Hope to get started on the new layout soon so i can contribute to WPF!

 Rob C.- Love the ocean, awesome work!

[Guilford Guy]

graphitehemi

Just a little sneak peak of some progress I've slowly made on a scratch build project.

The truck on the right is a stock Kato SD45 truck, the left is modified and fully functional.

I still have some detail work to do, but that will wait until I modify the second truck.

 

Nice start on an SDL39!

[Hamltnblue]

Running mixed Modern with Steam this weekend.  

[m horton]

A GP-9,I kitbashed a few years back,mike h.

[BRVRR]

Great stuff again this week guys. Keep the photos and ideas coming. The progress photos are great. Lots of good ideas I can steal.

Here is a little something from the Black River Valley Railroad.

A New York Central Passenger Train headed by a Hudson (out of the picture) and local freight headed by an H-9 Mikado, pass each other at the west end of the Black River Valley layout. The photo was taken in minimal light to simulate dusk on a summer evening in the Midwest. Not sure I captured the effect I wanted, but it will do.

Keep the posts coming guys. This is always the best thread of the week.

[zgardner18]

[mountaingoatgreg]

Great stuff so far everybody!!! Sure is a bust weekend for posting!!!

 I have been doing some fine tuning and wiring of the ne layout...so not a lot to show for my efforts but I am getting there. I have been slowly getting some switches updated, detailed and made DCC friendly.

Here is a BKE turnout that i am working on...I replaced all their Ties with bigger ones next step will be to cut out the frog.

Here is a Walthers turnout I am modifying by replacing the frog and making some modifications to the throw bar...

Here is one that is done and in place!! I have dropped the feeders and will be getting a tortoise hooked up to it soon...I HOPE!!

Finally random truck I have been working on...

 

I have more photos of the layout and my progress on my blog:

Oregon Trunk Layout

[mikept]

It's been awhile since I've posted and I'm not sure if this qualifies as a WPF, but I just finished re-hosting my V & T Lines Web site at http://home.mchsi.com/~mtuomala/ and updated the info and progress as of March.  Later I will update it to the present. Maybe It will inspire some in documenting their layout construction through a personal Web site.  Anyway, take a look and see what you think.

 Mike

[csmincemoyer]

jon grant

crfan

Jon, despite the coffee/tea mug in the background, new trackwork looks nothing like a "Bungle in The Jungle".  Great work and photos.

Thanks, Let's hope I'm not "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day"

Jon 

 

All I see is Locomotive Breath! 

 

[Geared Steam]

 

[selector]

Jon, you do really nice trackwork and modelling.  Would you mind letting us know which ballast and colour you use? 

-Crandell

[graphitehemi]

Just a little sneak peak of some progress I've slowly made on a scratch build project.

The truck on the right is a stock Kato SD45 truck, the left is modified and fully functional.

I still have some detail work to do, but that will wait until I modify the second truck.

[Hamltnblue]

Rob_C

 

Hamltnblue

Are those pics of your personal layout or a club? Earlier you said "I'm still just getting my feet wet with the hobby, but I always have a bad habit of dreaming too big and getting in over my head" Followed by some great pics.  You sandbagging  us or are the pics of a club you belong to?  Just curious

I am flattered that it could be mistaken for a club layout!  But I am really just learning all of this stuff as I go.  It is a 17X17 in my garage.  This photo gives a better idea of the use of space. 

 

Bench work is in place for most of it and is a combination of shelf style and open grid, haven't started subroadbed past level 1.  I wanted to model various scenes mostly in California on the fictional modern Carson and Colorado in eastern California. But because I fell in love with many parts of California I model scenes from San Diego all the way to Klamath Falls via Reno.  (back to the more-than-I-can-chew routine.) ;)  But the focus of the route is the C&C.

 I am so impressed with what people are doing on here.  I look forward to picking up tips and suggestions!

Rob

 

 

Well that being the case I think you're beyond just getting your feet wet. 

You've done more than a large percentage of those in the hobby and it's looking good.

[jon grant]

crfan

Jon, despite the coffee/tea mug in the background, new trackwork looks nothing like a "Bungle in The Jungle".  Great work and photos.

Thanks, Let's hope I'm not "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day"

Jon 

 

[IVRW]

Here is what I have done recently. I have gotten the module stands up:

I started assembling the modules:

And then I came up with two track plan ideas:

I honestly think I will do the second one. Any input. If need be, I will explain the function of the spurs.

[crfan]

Jon, despite the coffee/tea mug in the background, new trackwork looks nothing like a "Bungle in The Jungle".  Great work and photos.

[jon grant]

wedudler

 Here's my first code 40 turnout, built for my H0n3 module Salina. Building a code 40 turnout is very similar to a code 70 or code 55 turnout. There's only a difference - the rails are really tiny! You have to look twice! It's a new challenge.

 

 

Wolfgang

Excellent work on the turnout, Wolfgang. Turnout making is still something I aspire to.One day.

I have been busy painting and ballasting the track on my new layout Sweethome Alabama. I'd got this far by last night

 

 

A couple of the freight cars that will eventually run on the layout (photographed on Sweethome Chicago)

 

Jon

[C&O Fan]

Nice Work Everyone !!!!

[tbdanny]

I'll second the motion about progress shots - it's always good to see you're not the only one in the same boat.  I've mostly been working on rolling stock kits, as I'm waiting for parts to get my HOn3 locos up and running.

This one's a Precision Scale Co narrow-frame tank car:

This one started as a reefer kit, but the top had a bit of an accident.  I decided why waste a perfectly good Micro-Trains Chassis?  I decided to try scratchbuilding a gondola top onto it, copying from one of the M-T 9000 series gondolas I already had:

 

It's my first attempt at a scratchbuild, and it's due to be painted & lettered during the week.  It's balsa wood, with stripwood used for the outside framing.  The brakewheel and holders came off the reefer kit, the other details are just bits I had lying around.  I'll post a photo when it's painted & lettered.

[Rob_C]

 

Hamltnblue

Are those pics of your personal layout or a club? Earlier you said "I'm still just getting my feet wet with the hobby, but I always have a bad habit of dreaming too big and getting in over my head" Followed by some great pics.  You sandbagging  us or are the pics of a club you belong to?  Just curious

I am flattered that it could be mistaken for a club layout!  But I am really just learning all of this stuff as I go.  It is a 17X17 in my garage.  This photo gives a better idea of the use of space. 

 

Bench work is in place for most of it and is a combination of shelf style and open grid, haven't started subroadbed past level 1.  I wanted to model various scenes mostly in California on the fictional modern Carson and Colorado in eastern California. But because I fell in love with many parts of California I model scenes from San Diego all the way to Klamath Falls via Reno.  (back to the more-than-I-can-chew routine.) ;)  But the focus of the route is the C&C.

 I am so impressed with what people are doing on here.  I look forward to picking up tips and suggestions!

Rob

 

[wedudler]

 Here's my first code 40 turnout, built for my H0n3 module Salina. Building a code 40 turnout is very similar to a code 70 or code 55 turnout. There's only a difference - the rails are really tiny! You have to look twice! It's a new challenge.

 

 

Wolfgang

[wm3798]

 Well, it's after 1 a.m. here in the east, and I'm just now emerging from the lab.  We're supposed to go on a boat ride with the neighbors tomorrow, so I wanted to get some headway in before taking a nice break.  I think my wife is actually looking forward to seeing me!

Anyway, here's tonight's... ahem... this morning's update:

I splurged and bought myself some cork and track so I could work on the staging loop.  And work on the loop I did...



It turned out that between the new track I bought and the flex that I stripped from the old yard, I had enough to close three of the loops!  I need about 3 more pieces to finish the fourth.  The hardest part was tying into the old staging tracks, because the connection is smack dab under the riverbed, and there's only about 3" clearance at that point.  But thanks to some bent needle nose pliers, some yellow construction glue and a cleverly concocted clamp, all went smoothly.  



That's right.  A half-filled water bottle.  What I did was schmear a bit of yellow glue on the cork, then carefully positioned the new piece of track, sliding the rail joiners into place with the pliers.  Once I was confident I had it aligned properly, I'd roll the water bottle into place, wedging it between the track and the 1x2 joist that holds the river bed.  Once the glue was set, I'd roll it out and do the next piece of track.  This took quite a while to do all 8 tracks by this method...  Once all the tracks were poking out into the open, I started making the alignments needed to get around the big bend.

Of course, the resultant triangle where the balloon comes together just begs for a little something...


I call this "The Loneliest Job on the Railroad"...

Well, the sheer magnitude of the accomplishment wasn't enough to satisfy me for the night, so I pulled out a box of loose freight cars to check the capacity of this new facility...  I'm amazed at what we can now get away with...

The outer loop is long enough now to hold two 25 car trains.  That's right.  I've gone from barely being able to hold one train with 15 cars, to now being able to not only run longer trains, but more of them.



The picture actually shows two trains of 30 cars each, but this doesn't leave enough room for the three diesels each that would be required to lug the *** things up the twist to North Jct.  But now you see why it was so important to fix that grade on the drop bridge!  The best part is that the second train into the loop will have a visual cue when to stop to stay in the clear of the train ahead of it.  I can make a cut out in the fascia right where the balloon reaches its widest point, and the engines of a 25 car train would need to stop when they appear in that window.  Likewise, I'll put a lamp below decks so the operator can peek in and verify that the track ahead is clear, and if it is, he can proceed until he sees either his engines reach the overpass of the twist, or until his caboose is in the location shown in the photo above.

Ideally, I'd install some real detection, but given the continuing financial drama around my house, I'm glad to know that by dumb luck or design, I don't have to right away.

Here's a peak into the bowels of the layout...




Oh, and for good measure, I pulled out a bunch of coal hoppers, too...  Track three can handle two 25 car trains of 70 tonners with three diesels each with plenty of elbow room.  With all this capacity, I can now dedicate two tracks to Lurgan trains, and two tracks to Baltimore trains.  (Before I had a maximum of 4 tracks at about 16 cars to deal with all of it, because the West end had to stage in here, too.)

I figure the middle track can serve as the run through track, and during ops sessions, can be the destination of the Union Bridge local, which can now be a more realistic 20 car train with coal and cement hoppers, plus some covered hoppers and boxes for the other switches along the way.

So, now I have to re-wire the whole yard down there, because I just created a big old reverse loop.  I have a circuit board to make it work, and I think what I'll do is make the outbound lead up the helix into the reversing section.

Next, I'm building the frame for the skyboard that will divide the peninsula.

See ya next time, same bat time, same bat channel...

Lee

[Hamltnblue]

Rob_C

Motley

Wow 3 levels!! Do you have a trackplan you can show us?

 

Sure, will post in another thread. 

 

Hey Rob,

Are those pics of your personal layout or a club? Earlier you said "I'm still just getting my feet wet with the hobby, but I always have a bad habit of dreaming too big and getting in over my head" Followed by some great pics.  You sandbagging  us or are the pics of a club you belong to?  Just curious