Hello All.
After getting parched for most of the summer we're getting much needed rain. Up to 2-3 inches they say. Good Day to work on the layout.
Springfield PA
Zandoz - this one is for you!
It is based on Kato´s Manning Oaks track plan from Kato´s web page, which I have adapted to fit your max. length of 5´6". Nice little plan, which could look really nice with a scenic divider, dividing it into 2 triangles.
Good Morning All,
78F with showers predicted today. Don't think they'll break this humidity we have though as the temps not due to drop for days. Trip to Monticello went well enough yesterday - it's a privately owned track where we were able to get a test day arranged and see if we want to develop a further relationship with the folks that run the place. I had a run in the Lotus 6 I've been developing for a customer and the track was fun, twisty, hilly, etc - great for the small displacement cars I favor.
welcome Zandoz. I agree the 85ft cars might be a bit tight on an 11" radius, but it's doable. A better bet is the old timey Harriman cars or the deliberately shortened non prototypical cars. And platforms out our way normally don't extend more than a couple of car lengths. Makes stopping the train in the right place all the more challanging. Usually they will announce the cars aligning with the platform well in advance of the actual stop.Galaxy also gave some good advice - keep it simple. Both Jerry and Sawyer here have small tables (ok Jerrys' is tiny) that they've just done wonders with. Starting with what is doable for you is great and as has been said before, if you need advice, we're full of it here.
Robby and Garry. Love those scenes with the roads. I also used the woodlands scenic pavement paint and then used the old nasty brush cleaning water for a wash. Also it's different every time so it makes nice variations on concrete also though as Todd, I never did find a base shade I thought looked right. Maybe Jeff has another mix from the hardware store he can share?
Back in the shop this morning waiting for clients to drop off cars from yesterday and trying to get another drysump oil tank made (fantastic day today for welding aluminum - ultra humid). CUL, J.R.
Good morning. Its cooled down thanks to the rain we had.
Not much planned for me today. Maybe I can get a break from the MIL today.....Some how .
Zandoz.....Welcome!!
Jeff.......You got some good colors to work with. That's pretty much what I have.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Good morning all.
Headache now a dull ache hope it goes away as it did finally rain last night and the cold front is in place now. HAve some things to do today so i hope it is over.
frech toast and NYS maple syrup please. Think I will amke some.
Zandoz Galaxy: You pretty much described what I'm working towards...an oval with a few small sidings, a small town passenger station, and a foam mountain...but with larger radii curves for the passenger stuff. Unfortunately the 11"r curves required for a 2'x4' just don't cut it for the the long passenger equipment I've already aquired. I'd hoped to stick to a 15"r minimum, but on the 66"x36" I compromised down to 13.75"r on the inner loop. The 2'x4' idea is not totally dead though. My first N purchase was a Kato F3 set that came with an 11"r oval, plus I have a bunch of larger scraps of 2" pink foam. I may end up making a small practice layout, if I don't come up with an idea for doing something better.
Galaxy: You pretty much described what I'm working towards...an oval with a few small sidings, a small town passenger station, and a foam mountain...but with larger radii curves for the passenger stuff. Unfortunately the 11"r curves required for a 2'x4' just don't cut it for the the long passenger equipment I've already aquired. I'd hoped to stick to a 15"r minimum, but on the 66"x36" I compromised down to 13.75"r on the inner loop.
The 2'x4' idea is not totally dead though. My first N purchase was a Kato F3 set that came with an 11"r oval, plus I have a bunch of larger scraps of 2" pink foam. I may end up making a small practice layout, if I don't come up with an idea for doing something better.
HHHMMMM. My other half is into N scale and runs longer passenger cars on 11r curves just fine{ I am pretty sure they are supposed ot be 85' scale length...they are packed away till Xmas again or i'd measure tehm for you...{I know they are nto old tyme 40 foot shorties though} ... be sure to allow for some overhang of teh cars on the curves, though. SO I see little problem with runnign some N scale passenger cars on 11r. {You may have longer cars taht may actualy be 85 footers, while my other halfs are maybe 65 footers????} You might, as I stated only get to have one 11 r oval for your continuous runnign {I like continuous roundy-round as well}, but you could run older tyme smaller passenger cars on the inner 9.5r curves? Or run freight 40 footers only on the inner oval? or scrap and have just one oval on a 2'x4' accoustic ceiling tile with teh few siding... theres a few posssibilties.
I have a 3.5 foot x 5.1 foot mini HO layout that i forced the issue on to get an HO layout. One thing I learned is not to be greedy!! small space have small limitaions, but can provide for hours of fun. so don't get too greedy and demand 2 ovals on your 2x4 tile when tehy may not fit well ,and dont get greedy with a passenger station that is in realilty 3.5 foot long on your 4foot length!!!
Look at it this way...start with a 2'x4' accoustic ceiling tile base {available as individual sheets at Home Depot or Lowes} play with it to hone your skills and practice on. You may develop ideas as you go along, or you may find your 2x4 satisfying enough. It should be light weight to work with and easy to lift and set on table from sitting position. Then you can set your trains with a rix track alignment/depositor to load each loco and RR car on and see what happens.
I am facing taking down my small HO layout due to lack of room and space and seriously thinking about builing a 2x4 tile attached to a 2x4 peice of 1/4 inch ply for stability for my N stuff that would about fit your bill as well, small enough to store out of way, light weight to pick up and put on table while i play and store in a corner when not in use.
Good luck in your endeavor.
HAvea great day everyone!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Zandoz!!
Hello and a good morning to you all---
We are going up to 27C today with little humidity so this oughta be a good day for fishin'!!
I'm going to "fish" for some interesting catches at a swap meet that is being held just out of town here---all kinds a MRR stuff at this meet this year---should be interestin'!!
I'll sit with Ulrich for a bit and see what he'll be up to. Chloe, I'll just have cofee for now please----thankyou
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Good Morning,
after a hot and sticky night we are in for another hot and humid day. Did not catch much sleep, as some of our "dear" neighbors decided to have a party outside. It stopped after I had called the Police.
The weather guessers are predicting some nasty thunderboomers to cross our path later in the afternoon - just when Petra and I are invited to a BBQ at our friend´s place.
Zoe, a tall glass of mineral water for me, please. I´ll stay here at the RC and see, who will drop by during the day!
A happy 10th of July to all of you.
Decaf coffee, please.
***Garry, thanks for answering. That makes perfect sense and will greatly simplify a station for my (N) S.P.Daylight train. Also, if any of my wife's little HO scale people complain about having to walk through cars to reach their station, I'll remind them they could have been N scale folks on the midnight train to my Soylent Green Plant. That should squelch any complaints in short order.
Had a real nice thunder storm come through this evening. Topped off both water tanks and watered the garden.
Never made it down to the train room today. Maybe tomorrow.
Have a good night y'all.
Rob
Evenin' folks!
Flo just a cup of decaf to help me unwind. I'll go sit in the back booth and relax for a bit.
Since 5:30 this afternoon we have gotten 8/10ths of an inch of rain. Timing is great as I got everything done I needed to do in the garden just before it started to pour. We had about 10 minutes of driving heavy rain, and then it has just been coming down in a nice easy rain ever since. It also dropped from 88°F to 68°F in less than 20 minutes. Pretty good idea the front was coming in. I'm surprised we didn't get some severe storms out of it!
Garry, I am just keeping track of the BP readings for the moment. Actually the last reading is down to where he says it is OK, even though he likes a bit lower (so do I). The big scare for me was the first couple I did with the old cuff. I will call and get in to see the doc if I have any more spikes... Right now he would say, "So what brings you here"??? And then send me home. I think it is time I got serious about losing some weight again also! I have lost 8 lbs. in the last 2 days.... Again salt! Gotta stay away from the BBQ potato chips.
Got quite a bit more done in the train room tonight. Sure wish I could find the missing items... I am ready to start w*rk on the Engine house to ready it for installing on the layout as soon as the quarry scene has been put back in place.
Galaxy, hope the headache has subsided and you are felling better!
Hope you all have a great night!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Reality...an interesting concept with no successful applications, that should always be accompanied by a "Do not try this at home" warning.
Hundreds of years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that my ruins become a tourist attraction.
"Oooh...ahhhh...that's how this all starts...but then there's running...and screaming..."
Zandoz ...I figured I'd not abandon N until I give it a try. <shrug>.
...I figured I'd not abandon N until I give it a try. <shrug>.
THere is the old 2' x 4' accoustical ceiling tile layout for N scale... you might not get a double oval but you can get a single oval and some small sidings for industry or passsenger station?. Might let you run small passenger cars anyway. {I think you said you wanted passenger?} You can build up some mountains with extruded blue or pink foam-light weight. A small light weight N scale layout might could work for you to easily pick up and set on a table to play with. Then pick up and set in corner when done. Other than that I don't know what you can do that meets your stated "givens" {requirements}. You have tight restrictions on what you can do/want it seems.
My heache is easing and the rain has yet to come, but is arriving shortly soon. Flash flood alerts already posted on TV.
HAve a great evening guys stay cool.
Jeffrey: I have diabetes also, among other issues...some like the nerve damage and lack of feeling are similar to you. I probably should be in HO...or even O...given my limitations. But since I have never been into the super detailing and such, and because I have more than enough supply of Unitrack components to do what ever in my small space, I figured I'd not abandon N until I give it a try. I have a supply of HO stuff that I stored a dozen years ago or so...and most of it has never been used...but I just can't let go of the idea of the 18" radii curve unfriendly passenger trains. Plus even at 18"r it would require a foot print larger than what I'm shooting for. The old ping-pong tables have been on my mind, but I'd like to come up with something that would not require the tabel (and track) be split every time it's stowed <shrug>.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Welcome Zandoz.
It appears that you're able to work with N Scale. That's more than I can do. I would love to have an N Scale layout in the 8' x 10' space occupied by my HO Scale layout. The problem is I have very little feeling in my hands and my eyesight isn't the greatest, so handling the little stuff is dicey to say the least. I ended up having to settle for HO Scale in the space I have. That limits me to 18" radius curves and 50' cars. That's knocks out passenger service with the exception of a 2-10-2 loco pulling a tourist train that occasionally puts in an appearance. Mostly I run freight trains pulled by diesels from the 70's to the late 90's. My largest locos are a pair of SDP40F's that are only a little longer than EMD E units. I'm familiar with the lack of strength issues. I've gone through it myself with the severe nerve damage I have due to spinal meningitis and diabetes, so I have a good idea of where you're coming from. I can't help you with the fold up idea as I've never given it any thought myself. I constructed my layout of heavy butt-joint construction that's bolted to the walls on three sides and has addition support from 2 legs under the middle of the 8 x 6.5 foot area and two legs under the 4 x 3.5 foot extension. I reach the back of the layout through two access holes. One is a gas station scene that drops out from the bottom and the other is a park scene that's on a large square of white foam that lifts out from the top. It sounds as if you have your basic plan worked out. For the fold up idea you might into making a framework similar to the old ping-pong tables that could fold up into almost no space and be stored out of the way.
Thanks for the welcome folks.
Had a bit of a frustrating day. We've been dealing with a problem with our satellite system for 2+ months. Each tech that we dealt with claimed to be the expert, and all before him/her were idiots. From day 1 I'd been telling them the problem was the DVR unit, and it beeded to be replaced. Today they finally got it fixed...they replaced the DVR. Who'd of thunk it! LOL
The 66"x36" dimension I mentioned for the layout is based on the smallest I could whittle down a double track oval with the features I want. Actually it is considerably larger than what I really have room for and still be able to maneuver around the room to get in and out. A 2'x4' layout would even be pushing it for that. The only way the hoped for 66"x36" dimension to work is if I can stow it in a smaller foot print. To be more specific, the stowed unit can only be about 16" by as amall as I can make it. To complicate matters, I need to be able to stow/deploy/work on the layout by myself, while seated. To use something like folding table legs, would be beyond my ability to quickly, easily and safely stow/deploy. I'm thinking of something along the lines of a trestle table on casters with the tabletop hinged to tilt to vertical for a minimal foot print while stowed....but so far the details of accomplishing that are elluding me...and I'm still open to other solutions.
Good afternoon .....
Zandoz ... A big wlecome to you. Please visit here when you can. Sorry to learn about the major spinal surgery. I can relate to that. In my case it was a drunk driver that caused the injury. It's been many years since then, and I'm glad injuries can heel. I, too, like passenger trains.
Rob .. You asked about passenger stations, and I assume it's for a small town and not a big city terminal. Smaller towns had stations that often did not even have shelters. If they had shelters they were not necessarily as long as the trains. Platforms could be shorter than the trains, too. Passengers would be loaded with maybe two doors of the train, and they would walk through the inside of the train to their seats. Some longer rtains would make two stops at the station before departing.
Ray ... Glad to hear the BP is coming down, but I hope you contacted the doctor's office.
Ulrich ... Interesting about the Mercedes's being sold to Africa. It's good for Germany's balance of trade, right?
Robby ... I'm late now, but happy b'day to your better half.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Afternoon folks!
Chloe I'll have a RBF and a seat at the Front Booth.
Zandoz, to the diner. We tend to be a very friendly bunch (We do try to stay away from Politics and Religion for the most part as it is a Forum NO-NO anyway). So set a spell and enjoy the conversation, not to mention the international cuisine which is top class!
Just took my BP for the day, 152/82. Going in the right direction, so I think the problems was caused by the ingestion of mega amounts of sodium over the weekend........ I do feel a lot better the last couple of days! I seldom eat any processed foods so I can control the salt fairly easily usually.
Going to try to finish up the weeding of the garden before the thunderboomers find their way to Geneva.... [edit] Got the garden done and side dressed everything (except the beans) with a bit of urea. Started to hear a couple of rumbles while I was weeding, but so far it seems to be just West of here. The temp is beautiful out there right now. Dropped from 88°F to 71° in about 45 minutes.... Hopefully we will get some good rain tonight.
Later!
Hello afternoon guys!
storms moving in and so I have a migraine settling in. I get them when hte weather makes some drastic changes like for the heat we've had to a cold front with t-storms and some possible flash flooding as Ray said.
Zandoz I'm glad you took my advice to step in here! Here we can chat about anything and find support for the hobby, life in general, trials, tribulations, and anything else. Many will listen and offer their advice, support and experience.
There are folding banquet table legs you can buy that could be attached to the bottom of a good plywood frame or door panel that would allow it to fold up. I don't know if that helps. You still need light weight so you can man handle the layout, so a foam base would be good for you. A small 2" extruded foam over 1/4" plywood table {the blue or pink stuff} could work for you-being light weight you could set it up on TV tray tables to work on play with, and lean against a wall when not in use...there was a folding table like layout thread some time ago...do a search of the forum for "folding layout table" with the search feature. Other ideas for him guys?
Well, I was supposed ot take van for oil change befroe trip to Strasburg RR next Monday, but with headache have to postpone til tomorrow or Sunday. Hopefully that it will go away. ROAD TRIP!!!
Well that all for now i must rest my head.
Zandoz, welcome!
Well diner patrons, I'll be gone from tomorrow afternoon until Wednesday evening. Rugby camp starts tomorrow afternoon and I'll have just about zero spare time. I'm hoping to learn a lot and have fun though.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
Coffee refil, please.
***Zandoz, welcome to the Diner.
Been wondering how long a siding is needed to support a 10 car passenger train (plus a loco & tender)? And how does a station accomodate it? Should there be a platform covering the entire length of the train?
OK folks, where is the cheapest place I can buy a decoder with speaker which must work with both DC/DCC and fit easily into a Bachmann 2-8-0 steamer/tender?
Furthermore, (speaking sound decoders here) would a MRC 2-8-8-2 logger be considered a light logger or a medium steam?
Zandoz - a big to Elliot´s Diner. Some mighty fine folks in here - people who care!
I am quite familiar with your issue - for different reasons, though. The space you have available is not much, but better a small layout than none. So you are into N scale? That opens up a number of possibilties, even on a 3´ by 5´6" footprint. A source of inspiration might be Dave Vollmer´s home page, some more layout ideas for small spaces can be found here.
If you can squeeze an extra 6" in length, this plan could also be of interest.
Don´t hesitate to ask question - somewhere deep down there will always be an answer!
Edit:
If you let me know a little bit about your givens and druthers, maybe I can come up with an idea for your track plan - would be my pleasure!
Todd......All I did was use the "apple barrel" black and white paint. I used mainly white, with a dab or two of black. Mixed it and got the gray color I liked. I'm more like the "wing it" guy. I don't keep up with/how I mix things. I just go with the flow. As far as the black on the roads........Once the road dries, I just go over it with black weathering powder, and a makeup sponge. The makeup sponge kinda smooths it out (black).
Ulrich......Thanks for the comments. I had the wife pick out where the crime should take place. I still have a few more to add.
Everybody else.......Thanks for the comments. I still have a lot to do. Ballast, trees, detail, buildings, etc....
Hello folks. My first time here at the diner.
Upper 70s with rain here in northern Kentucky. lt's better than the 90s with serious humidity of the last several days.
I'm not much for coffee, but I will take a nice big glass of ice water...and a bacon cheeseburger...please.
A bit about me. I've been into model railroading off and on for around 26 years. Over that time I've had more instances of layout interruptus than I care to count...life getting in the way kind of stuff. The last one was a doozy. Last summer I planned, and at the beginning of this past winter began construction on, the first layout plan that I really liked...an 18'x8' F-shaped layout, in a newly constructed train/storage building. Just a few days after getting up most of the drywall, and about 1/2 the benchwork, out of no where, I fell. I did not break or seriously injure anything, but over the next few weeks I quickly lost strength to the point I could no longer stand up. Over the next 4 months or so, I spent all but 3 days in hospitals, had a major spinal operation, and basically had to relearn to do everything that requied any strength, dextarity, or stamina...little things like standing, walking, picking things up. Where I am now is able to walk a few steps with a walker, stand for about 3 minuets or less, and I've regained about 95% use of my right hand, but only about 60% of my left hand. There is a slight hope for improvement, but not much. Plans for "The Big F" have been shelved...I just don't have the ability to tackle that project. I'm getting past the "woe is me...I can never have a layout" self pitty. And I'm trying to come up with what I can realistically do with all this Unitrack I'd accumulated for the Big F.
Continious running is a must for me....I've never been able to wrap my brain around "dead end" switching layouts. To complicate matters, my main focus is passenger trains...requiring larger the better curve radii. Two big issues...VERY limited space...and VERY limited ability to get around. What ever I do, it has to be able to be VERY easily folded up for storage, by me alone (it will have to be stowed for me to get in and out of the room)...and it must be easily rolled around when stowed, or when open. Fastening to walls or suspending from the ceiling are not options.
Right now, I've come up with a very simple double track oval plan that I think I can live with. The footprint ends up being 66"x36". The question now is how to make it as stowable and moveable as I need. So far none of my ideas are paning out.
Ooooo....is that coconut cream pie over there?
Todd ... Yes, Robby's roads look great! .... For my roads I use latex paint with colors mixed to resemble concrete. I draw black lines with a ball point pen for cracks and expansion jo9ints. Then I weather with acrylics.
Here is a road and retaining wall to illustrate.
I so the same thing for bridge piers, loading docks, and so on.
Ulrich ... It's good you met Petra for sure. Glad you visit here in teh diner especially with some of her struedel.
Ray - I had the chance to see this musical way back when in New York and it is still my favorite!
Sir MadogThe car repair ate all my reserves, so there will definitely no model railroading in the foreseeable future. I know the He has His plans for me, but it seems to be a rocky road to better times.
Ulrich, I always loved the line from Fiddler where Tevia casts his eyes heavenward, and says, "I know we are the chosen people, but Lord, couldn't you choose someone else once in a while?"
You continue to be in my prayers. Better days will come!
Good Afternoon Folks,
it is a "cool" 98 F outside and inside it is only a little less. A kingdom for an air conditioner!
Zoe, a bucket of ice water to put my feet in and a RBF to refresh me, please.
The guy, who had called for the car, did not show up! THAT earns him a . Seems, as if I have to keep my old Benz for a little longer
Robby - your layout looks very, very nice - I like those little crime scenes!
Todd - how about starting with what I call a "broken" white - white color with a little black added, not really gray and then some light washes with black India ink? I guess you will just have to try and to try until you get a result that you like. Takes patience, though (for which I am not the man).
The car repair ate all my reserves, so there will definitely no model railroading in the foreseeable future. I know the He has His plans for me, but it seems to be a rocky road to better times. What really eats me up, is, that I had the chance to stay on in the US and did not use it. OTOH, I would not have met Petra.
Have not seen Jerry around this place for a while, some others are also missing.
Prayers to all of you!
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe I'll have one of those Oatmeal Muffins and a cup of dark roast coffee in a FGLK mug. I'll go sit in the window booth up front and watch all the comings and goings....
A bit cooler this morning, currently 86°F with the high at noon supposed to be 87°. Better than the 93°F we got yesterday! Calling for thunderstorms all afternoon and evening today. We DO need the rain! Also have a "Flash Flood" watch today......
I think I will just wait and see what goes on today. Not a whole lot of pressing items on the "to do" list, so good day to do some MRRing.
Robby, I like what you are doing in the new section! Hope you end up with concrete THAT pleases you.
Coffee in a SOUTHERN PACIFIC mug, please.
***Robby, that new section on your layout has really come along nicely. Like your mix of trains and town.
Have a good day, y'all.
Morning ,Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. North wind around 9 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 64. North northwest wind between 3 and 7 mph. All week they have been incorrect on it raining like cats and dogs or when it will be dry. Today, it looks like rain, yesterday, supposed to be a soaker, didn't rain a drop. Actaully, could stand to be dry through the weekend, then maybe a little shower would be helpful first of next week.
Tons of things to do today. I don't work tonight as usually I do, the guy who does the pasta has plans with family and the owner switched me out for tomorrow night.
Ulrich- That is my problem with concrete colors. They either are the tan or whatever color the Polyscale products are, or gray and look just that, grey. I suppose like Ray said, I will have to layer for the effect. But that's where my color issues come in to play. However, I'm not going at this alone, between what you guys suggestions and what I see on your pics, I'm sure I'll get it sometime. Like I said, I really need to get some plaster set aside for practice and color tries. I try to be waaaaay to frugal sometimes.
Robby- I absolutely love your roads. ( I know, not concrete) the parking lot for the, oh I can't remember what the business is, there in the center of the picture with the Triple Crown truck. That is the level of worn down faded out concrete I'm looking for. Even... though it's...not....concrete.... But you know what I mean. Coloration is there, but reeeeeal pale. I'm saving that picture because I will also be having asphalt roads too and that is what I'd want, both the parking lot and the roads.
I'll probably mist, not a complete cover, some primer gray onto plaster and lightly sand the surface if necessary, maybe to see how that looks. I think I messed up when I applied a light wash of grey on the road to calm the white. I should have either kept layering gray a bit more instead of blackwashing so soon, or foregone the gray and just blackwashed. But that didn't work so well last time I tried it. Thats' why Gold Creek went to asphalt roads on the old layout, though all the roads looked like they were new. So, I said they just got sealed.
Ah, the things you can do when you're King of Your World!!!
Have a Great Day!!!
Todd
Central Illinoyz
In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.
I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk.