Pomperaugrr,
Thanks for your post. I have used Google Maps for research before, but had never considered Bing, their Birdseye view certainly adds a different perspective.
Cheers, The Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
cowman,
I actually started out with 3/8" rods (boy did they look WAY out of proportion). I will experiment with 3/16" and see what happens. I based the height on a 40' pole (I believe 40 feet at 1:87 = 4.6 inches). I thought about using wood skewers, but the diameter seemed a little small.
Funny, when I posted the pics, the poles looked strange to me. I too think it's the camera angle. I used dark walnut wood stain for the color. I dipped the pole in the stain and wiped off the excess. I think I got pretty lucky on the color. I scored the poles with a saw blade before staining.
I'm going to try craft beads (with a slight tint of green) for the insulators. Going to head to the craft stores (HobbyLobby, Michaels, etc) to see what I can find. I have the wife on the lookout too!
Thanks for your input and suggestions!
Inspired by Addiction
See more on my YouTube Channel
PennCentral99 I actually started out with 3/8" rods (boy did they look WAY out of proportion). I will experiment with 3/16" and see what happens. I based the height on a 40' pole (I believe 40 feet at 1:87 = 4.6 inches). I thought about using wood skewers, but the diameter seemed a little small.
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
jeffrey-wimberly Your measurement is off a bit. 4.6" = 33 scale feet. 5.5" = 40 scale feet or very close to it.
Your measurement is off a bit. 4.6" = 33 scale feet. 5.5" = 40 scale feet or very close to it.
Thanks! Ratios are not one of my strengths, I should have just measured a 40' boxcar (duh!)
Some great pics on this post
Some many nicely detailed layouts
51% share holder in the ME&O ( Wife owns the other 49% )
ME&O
Content removed due to a completely frak'ed up and incompetent Kalmbach customer service.
Robby P. I love weathering a lot too, though I am not as good as you, I do get better with every car. I think that weathering and operation are the best part. I probly should spend money on buildings for the layout, but hey. Look at that cool covered hopper over there....
"Mess with the best, die like the rest" -U.S. Marine Corp
MINRail (Minessota Rail Transportaion Corp.) - "If they got rid of the weeds what would hold the rails down?"
And yes I am 17.
I spent about 4 hours today working on my coal trestle. N-Scale piers (2") worked perfect after I built a wood frame to support the track (it fit perfectly-how often does that happen?)
Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
http://s1082.photobucket.com/albums/j372/curtwbb/
Curt:
Wow, you work FAST, my friend! And WELL! I like it!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Finished scratch building and installing the Mt. Coffin Cannery Co. ("A Taste To Die For!") on my N scale Mt. Coffin & Columbia River layout:
Now I need to get some seagulls and figure out how to model mounds of fish ;)
Keep up the great photos, and Happy Weekend!
M.C. Fujiwara
My YouTube Channel (How-to's, Layout progress videos)
Silicon Valley Free-moN
Curt Webb and McFunkey, nice work fellas. I've said it already this thread, but we have some great talent here, the better for us that they are willing to take photos, upload them to a webhost, and then provide links here.
Well, as I have alluded to earlier in the week, I am finally embarking on layout #3. It will go in an unused loft above our "barn" which is really a garage with a loft on the top level.
The loft is accessed by a sliding metal-framed door. At the door, this is what the space looks like. Note the batter on the walls which are really the inner hipped root. Also, you can see where I have placed tape to indicate how it will all work. I paid attention only to curve radii and turnout angles to make sure it would all work. Indications of the bench perimeter are still flexible. The aisle width between the peninsula at left and center and the edge of the yard at right is a bit over 24". No probs for a little fella like me.
The place where I am standing, at the open door, will have a roughly 30" lift-out block bridge on which will be a #6 double-crossover. The main will be twinned. The bridge will have adjustable height and yaw to deal with movement that may impact alignment from time to time.
This is the helix and turning wye. The tail of the wye will be the reversing leg. It descends, as does the track running in the helix above it, at 2%. The 34" radius in the helix assures at least 4" of clearance. This will be plenty for the 1/2" ply roadbed. The mountain housing this spiral tunnel will have a lift-off top. The crossing works out, handily, to 30 degrees. Tracks are already received, Atlas code 83
I am looking forward to this. I'll keep posting images as I go along. One of the first things I did was to make a comprehensive list of things to do, in order, with notes and cautions. Caution #1 was to do it right! No more rushing!
Who, me?
Crandell
Good luck Crandell. Be sure to show plenty of pics.
This is another pic from my first layout. The new lay is will on the way
Looking nice as usual everyone.
Good luck Crandell with your new project, that's a nice layout room you have there.
I've been continuing to wire my display layout. I operated the first train on it this week. Here's some pics:
This one shows some of the wiring I've been doing. It was pretty challenging to get the command station and power supply into a 1X4 module.
On the topside the tracks are now down and hooked up. Here's a video that shows a little bit more:
http://youtu.be/BUPUM9CQGDc
Jamie
Cape Vincent Southern Railroad
HO scale Horseshoe Curve in 5’x10’
My YouTube
Me again. Thought I'd crawl into that access hole and take a shot of the Deer Creek Viaduct crossing over the mostly new finished scenery near the back of the Buttes. I've never photographed it before from this angle. I suppose I COULD have put a train on it, LOL!
Thats a great shot Tom, it will look awesome with a train on it.
Curt Webb Thats a great shot Tom, it will look awesome with a train on it.
Yeah a nice big articulated should fill that void just fine.
Truck.
Nice work, everyone. It's been a while since I've participated in this thread. I finally got a little quality layout time, so I've been building a mountain.
For years, I had this excuse for a mountain on one end of my layout:
When I moved, the mountain had to go - I cut it off with a Sawzall.
After getting the layout running again, I decided to tackle the mountain and to a better job than before. As I was walking through Lowe's as I often do (I'm a HR manager for Lowe's) it struck me that metal lath might make a good structure upon which to build a mountain. I bought a piece and went to work:
The lath forms easily with pliers and cuts easily with tin snips. I wore leather gloves and escaped the operation without a scratch.
Next, I added plaster soaked paper towel strips (ala hard-shell):
This was followed with some rock castings (I make my own molds by brushing liquid latex onto hunks of coal):
The yellowish color is where I started applying Timberline rock color, then I remembered to take a picture.
With Timberline color #1 it looked like this:
Then color #2:
#3:
and color #4 and a little WS turf:
I like the effect I get from the Timberline rock coloring system. The metal lath proved to be a winner and the mountain is a great improvement over its predecessor. After everything is good and dry, I'll add a little vegetation and call this project finished.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
Phil:
In a word: WOW!! That is one beautiful mountain. I'm not familiar with the Timberline rock coloring system, but I'm going to check it out--I could sure use some of it on the backside of the Buttes I have to finish.
Great job!
I've been working on the structures for the town by my carfloat terminal, which I've named Mooseport. One of the featured scenes is a waterfront bar and pool hall named The Brass Rat. There's a clue to the meaning of the name in this picture of the interior:
I built the interior out of foamboard, and used images downloaded from the web and printed on my computer for the walls, floor and front face of the bar. The barstools are carpet tacks. Figures are from Preiser and Woodland Scenics, and the pool table came from Scale Structures. It will look something like this when it's assembled and lighted.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Prolific week end!!!!
I've completed my new shelf layout benchwork today.
Matt
Proudly modelling the Quebec Railway Light & Power Co since 1997.
http://www.hedley-junction.blogspot.com
http://www.harlem-station.blogspot.com
jeffrey-wimberly PennCentral99: I actually started out with 3/8" rods (boy did they look WAY out of proportion). I will experiment with 3/16" and see what happens. I based the height on a 40' pole (I believe 40 feet at 1:87 = 4.6 inches). I thought about using wood skewers, but the diameter seemed a little small. Your measurement is off a bit. 4.6" = 33 scale feet. 5.5" = 40 scale feet or very close to it.
PennCentral99: I actually started out with 3/8" rods (boy did they look WAY out of proportion). I will experiment with 3/16" and see what happens. I based the height on a 40' pole (I believe 40 feet at 1:87 = 4.6 inches). I thought about using wood skewers, but the diameter seemed a little small.
5.5" is my key dimension when designing. Anyway, the most precise ration I found out is 3.5mm per feet.
Crandell,
I've been expecting a new layout start for a couple years now. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. How does the size of the new start compare with the existing layout?
Scenery in three months?
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Really good stuff this weekend, as usual.
I've not been doing much modeling lately. Whenever I sit down at the workdesk these days, I'm fast asleep within minutes. That has hindered my progress on projects somewhat. I did manage to finish another scratchbuild proof-of-concept building, though.
The base is the cardboard backing from a pad of paper. The lap siding and shingles were cut from 3x5 index cards, and all trim is printer paper. The siding was cut into strips using a little paper cutter my wife picked up long ago at a scrapbooking party. I have now used it more than she has.
I'm encouraged by the potential, and may be emboldened to try something a bit more ambitious. The best part is that this was built entirely with materials I scavenged from around the house (that actually would otherwise have been trash) and didn't cost me a red penny!
Jim
"I am lapidary but not eristic when I use big words." - William F. Buckley
I haven't been sleeping. I'm afraid I'll dream I'm in a coma and then wake up unconscious. -Stephen Wright
Hi,
Some pictures of my future Corinnesburgh station in Nscale
It's features the combination of two Vollmer Baden-Baden station whith a scratchbuild bridge and columns
The station is inspired by the pictures published in MR from Mister Rod Stewart layout.
Have a good WE from Belgium.
Marc
Some marvelous things shown here this week!
Tom -awesome viaduct and a great scene. Even more impressive from the 'back' side.
Mr. Beasley - great little bar scene. I may have to steal a couple of your ideas for Judy's Bar $ Grill on the BRVRR.
Crandell - a great beginning. I'm sure I will not be the only person following your progress with great interest.
Not much happening on the BRVRR this week. I did install a Soundtraxx DSD100-LC decoder in my grandson's SP #4449. Its a simple Bachmann model and operated flawlessly on DC. With the installation of the sound decoder the operation was jerky at best. Some improvised electrical pick-ups on the tender wheels solved the problem. Next is improving the traction so the locomotive will pull more than two or three lighted passenger cars. Has anyone tried Bullfrog Snot?
SP #4449 on a test run with its new decoder.
A view of the electrical pick-ups I made from a few bits of wire and some .005" brass.
Keep the photos and ideas coming guys. You always make this the best thread of the week.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
Brunton Crandell, I've been expecting a new layout start for a couple years now. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. How does the size of the new start compare with the existing layout? Scenery in three months?
Scenery in three months? LOL! But, uh....more than likely, yeah... Knowing me.
The layout's track footprint willl be about 260%% bigger than the current one, Mark. The length of main will be about 50% longer, but twinned, and the yard will be nearly doubled and with more functionality...it will work better as a yard.
What a pleasant surprise to hear from you!
BRVRR . Next is improving the traction so the locomotive will pull more than two or three lighted passenger cars. Has anyone tried Bullfrog Snot? SP #4449 on a test run with its new decoder. A view of the electrical pick-ups I made from a few bits of wire and some .005" brass. Keep the photos and ideas coming guys. You always make this the best thread of the week.
. Next is improving the traction so the locomotive will pull more than two or three lighted passenger cars. Has anyone tried Bullfrog Snot?
Alan:
Is there still room in the locomotive for some additional weight above the second set of drivers even with the decoder installed? I was able to increase the TE of my Bachmann "War Baby" GS loco with a few ounces of sheet lead installed on top of the weight (I used double-sided tape to insulate it from the split frame). Those babies tend to be a little 'cab-heavy' and more weight over the first two sets of drivers helps a lot. That and maybe some Bullfrog Snot on the last set of drivers might turn it into a good hauler.