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So. What project are you working on at the moment?

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Posted by ARTHILL on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 6:47 PM
Scatch building the steel stair case that goes down into Yellowstone canyon. Anyone else ever seen it?
If you think you have it right, your standards are too low. my photos http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a235/ARTHILL/ Art
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Posted by WCfan on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 6:36 PM
 EL PARRo wrote:

I went by the LHS to get some wheelsets today. I needed three packages, but unfortunately, they only had two, so I only got enough for four of the six cars. They run a lot better now, and the only derailments I've had so far have been with the two cars that still have the older wheelsets. There is another hobby shop about thirty-five miles from me (the one I went to today is less than fifteen miles away, and it's my main go-to hobby store), and I might make my way over there on Thursday to get one last package of wheelsets.

 

Tonight I've got a turnout and about five feet of track to install, as well as two electrical blocks to wire. I'm till waiting on those switch machines. 

well, my LHS has 3 sets of P2K weel sets. Maybe you can drive here. Laugh [(-D]

Any way, I installed a Peco turnout for the Defective one. Now I got another problum to solve. one of my switches needs to be Switched a certaint way for the train to go ALL the way around the layout. But I basicaly got most of my basic scenery done.

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Posted by EL PARRo on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 5:50 PM

I went by the LHS to get some wheelsets today. I needed three packages, but unfortunately, they only had two, so I only got enough for four of the six cars. They run a lot better now, and the only derailments I've had so far have been with the two cars that still have the older wheelsets. There is another hobby shop about thirty-five miles from me (the one I went to today is less than fifteen miles away, and it's my main go-to hobby store), and I might make my way over there on Thursday to get one last package of wheelsets.

 

Tonight I've got a turnout and about five feet of track to install, as well as two electrical blocks to wire. I'm till waiting on those switch machines. 

huh?
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 5:25 PM

Rebuilding continues on the rolling stock, 12 has been completed and about roughly 18 left to go.

These were the older Blue Box cars that were in need of new whisker couplers, regauging the trucks and checking the wheel gauge, testing against the coupler tester and weathering. When completed these cars get wrapped up and placed into a box or boxes suitable to travel.

There is always something going on every day. There is hobby items to get and paints for grab irons to buy and a building structure to plan.

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Posted by CPRail modeler on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 2:27 PM

to make it short:

tracklaying

here is the longer version:

Working on a 4X6 layout from MR and Atlas that i modified for 4X8. Lots of switching and having to modify turnouts to fit my board (its a little short/thin) by cutting off the bar thing for switch machines because I'm using under-table switch machines. I was actually doing the Morgan Valley RR with an extra 2 feet added in along with some extra stuff. Just bought the track last week and waiting for the switch machines (track=$198/electrical=~$100-$150). hoping it will turn out good.

EDIT: Also trying to figure out how many cars can be derailed in one minute Shock [:O]Blindfold [X-)]Whistling [:-^]Dead [xx(]Evil [}:)]

UPDATE: currently working on wiring my layout. I had to rip up all the track to install the switch machines/block wiring. 50% of track is complete and 2 out of 9 switch machines are fully wired. I am hoping to finish the wiring on 2 more switch machines and hook up one more block of track.

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Posted by CSX_road_slug on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 12:29 PM
Just finished renumbering all my factory-painted CSX locos, so other CSX modelers with the original numbers can run on my layout.

-Ken in Maryland  (B&O modeler, former CSX modeler)

GUB
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Posted by GUB on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 11:48 AM

Working on a Furniture Factory using Walther's modulars.

GUB

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Posted by Pruitt on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 10:31 AM

Installing backdrop support framing for the lower deck near Glenrock. This involves setting the exact height and width of the upper deck benchwork, so the coved corner near the helix will arrive flush with the front edge of the upper deck (to simplify splicing the backdrop into the helix cover later).

then will come backdrop installation itself.

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Posted by simon1966 on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 10:12 AM

I am in the process of building JL Innovatives Picorelli's Ice cream parlor.

I am going for a peeling paint slightly dilapidated look.

I am putting together a photo sequence as I construct this model.  You can follow along if you want on my Picture Trail site at  http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=16755888&uid=3608462

 

 

Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum

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Posted by John Busby on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 10:11 AM

Hi EL PARRo

My latest modeling project is a bit weird and for the other railway.

I am scratch building I.M. Slack Magical Supplies Emporium this is a Warhammer Fantasy meets Model Railways kind of structure built to a nominal (very) 16mm scale for the large scale line.

regards John

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Posted by Dallas Model Works on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 9:57 AM
 secondhandmodeler wrote:

...to decide which buildings to salvage from my childhood layout.

I'm currently adding lots and lots of trees with an emphasis on SuperTrees at the moment.

Salvaging buildings from my childhood layout has been ongoing for years. It's probably not the best use of time but, ah, the nostalgia!

Craig

DMW

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Posted by Cox 47 on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 9:57 AM
I am working on a small coal mine kitbashed from parts from Walthers Red River mine and a hand car set out in my yard....Cox 47
ILLinois and Southern...Serving the Coal belt of southern Illinois with a Smile...
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Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 8:41 AM
I'm painting the basement walls with "Dry-Lok" or whatever you call it, a white water sealer. It's basically a precaution, haven't had trouble with water in the new basement. Fortunately my wife likes to paint so she's done quite a bit of the painting. Also experimenting with track, painting ties  etc. to see how it looks, what colors work best.
Stix
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Posted by Beach Bill on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 8:28 AM

For the garden, I'm building a Garden Texture dual water tank, and I'm likely 40% done.  Fitting dowel to smoothly represent pipe joints is not a fast-moving part of the project.   I'm also trying to figure out when to go to the farm supply store to get some "chicken grit" to start ballasting.

For the HO, track-laying will continue on a slow pace.  I did find some nice old Shinohara Code 70 items at the train show in Timonium about two weeks ago, and that will ease that process.

I have also finally made the jump to getting a digital camera (Canon EOS XTi), and have a world of things to learn there.   Life is good.

Bill

With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost. William Lloyd Garrison
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 8:18 AM

I'm just finishing up the turntable project.  I've got to tweak the alignment of some of the tracks, but mostly there's just scenery in the area to do.  I put in a road next to the TT, but it needs some gravel shoulders and guard rails to keep teenagers from driving off the road and into the pit.  (My own daughter goes for her license on Saturday, so that's on my mind.)

After that, I might work on the shopping district, Saint Anne Street.  There's a proposed trolley line that might get run through there, so I've got some Environmental Impact studies to prepare before I can really get started on that.  The old King Coal loading facility needs some work on the solenoids that open and shut the chutes, and then some scenic work around the building and its siding.  Or, I might put in the siding to Strumpet's Brewery.  I might put in the structure for Strumpet's Brewery, too, to give the siding a reason for being there.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by pastorbob on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 7:41 AM

From the present until the first weekend in August, I am "spiffing", which means getting the railroad in the basement ready for a Mid-Cont./Turkey Creek Div. meeting and open house in KC.  I like open houses as they force me to keep things picked up and repaired.  So I am testing and checking to "green up" the scenery, make sure all the turnouts do,  checking to see that the DCC does, that most diesels are "dust free" and running, and general "spiffing".

 Also trying to get the garden railroad cleared up from all the rain. 

In my spare time, I work.

 

Bob 

 

Bob Miller http://www.atsfmodelrailroads.com/
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Posted by jeffers_mz on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 7:17 AM
 Tracklayer wrote:

Well. Let's see here. I'm getting ready to put my AR-15 back into its original M-4 configuration and sell all of the tactical accessories off of it to a friend of mine for about $500. I just bought a new truck and am looking for a tool box to put on it as well as a bug guard and a few other items. I've been wanting to build a life size butler for the front hall entrance for a couple of years now, and though I have the head, hands, old tails tuxedo and all, I still need to build the frame for it. There's a new chick that moved in down the street that I've been trying to figure out a way to meet and ask out. Etc, etc. Oh, you meant train related projects. No, I don't have any of those right now...

Tracklayer

 

Irons rule, and don't need batteries, but buttstroking with an M4 gets expensive. Stripping FN mags here, replacing springs, bathing them in unleaded and toothbrushing hundred year old cosmoline out back, taking advantage of some fine weather, 7 down, 15 to go. Then another 30 in 5.56, 20s and 30s. Maybe get out to the range tomorrow, and see if clean new springs make the BAR-10 run right. Hope so, can't get anymore Black Hills Blue Box for the DCM anymore so I'm getting the 10 up to match specs.

Grass needs cut, but that's a full time job in the summer, and the garden is looking good. A five foot high wall of bushy tomato plants, at least 6 pea to marble size tomatoes visible, and just plucked my first green pepper yesterday.

 

Trainwise, knocking out details in areas of the layout that are about to get hard to reach, due to a staging and mainline expansion. Ballast on those sections mostly done, about a foot of double track main to go, and even that's all done but gravel and glue. Seven trees to replant, adding one layer of clear styrofoam glue to the waterfalls about every three days, so it has time to cure and won't create bubbles, then I'm ready to pour water, detail that, finish the free span of the trestle, and then the expansion begins. All the members for the benchwork are cut, (and taking up valuable real estate), still need to stain the legs and braces, and get two matching casters from the hardware store. Need to design and cut pieces for a frame to hold a PC and another for a subwoofer too, they both hang from the benchwork, so it will roll, with only one power line running off layout.

Curves on the two new mainlines will be 22 to 24 inch, finally allowing me to see how my BLI 2-10-4 pulls the new Rivarossi heavyweights, assuming I can drop the lights and people in them sometime soon.

 

Long list, it's a process, not an objective. I sneak in some "track testing" now and then too.

 

:-)

 

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Posted by cudaken on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 12:57 AM

 Right now, trying to keep my Heavy Mike from running into my class J.Smile [:)]

 Got a Town in a Box today from E-bay. Mainly DMP's and the paint work is just Great! somewhere around 25 buliding and fit my other section of town perfect. But for what ever reason the bulider did not in stall the window glass? 2 down and adding rooms and floors as I go.

 Next, clean the darn track again!

                    Cuda Ken

I hate Rust

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Posted by brothaslide on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 12:48 AM

I wish I was model railroading but I am doing business planning.  I own my own business and it's a must you have to do every week. 

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Posted by ford86 on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 12:11 AM

Pictures are to big to host here but these are some of the things on my workbench  (TO forum name is different from this one)  http://members.trainorders.com/afbombers/ 

 

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Posted by EL PARRo on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 12:04 AM

Well, I'm done with the couplers on the Athearn passenger cars. They look good. The cars are now slightly closer together than they were before. Not prototypically close, but better than they were. The trucks also seem to be able to move more freely without the couplers mounted to them, so that has lowered my number of derailments. They are still derailing sometimes though, so that I why I plan on getting new wheelsets for them (which is what I believe the problem is).

 

I got six switch machines off of ebay on Saturday, and as soon as they arrive, installing them will be the next project on my list. 

huh?
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Posted by csmith9474 on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 12:01 AM
I just finished laying the last bit of track in Presidio tonight. It was for the fuel and oil transfer facility. I am also still playing with my new set af PCM Daylight PA/PB/PAs. That seems like it will never get old!!
Smitty
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Posted by SD60M on Monday, July 2, 2007 11:31 PM
Im painting an athearn BB Dash-9's horn to match the prototype. Also Weathering my entire fleet, hope to get some pics up soon too.
Long Live The Burlington Northern!
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, July 2, 2007 11:21 PM

Hammered together 9 Athearn Blue Box Kits. All Boxcars of the Steam Era and perhaps a few AAR's sneaking into the mix.

Spent time in two different stores planning August's shopping expedition and assisting in a very small way a group working on one store layout.

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Posted by marknewton on Monday, July 2, 2007 11:16 PM
 tomikawaTT wrote:

Having just (Saturday) finished installing the necessary subgrade, I'm now caulking down fan-fold underlayment (10mm foam) for a nine yard stretch of to-be-hidden track.  All of the foam is cut, but the plywood needs some TLC (in the form of cardboard shims) to correct some twists and buckles - even after applying angle iron to correct the worst of the problems.  Next will come a layer of posterboard (combination template and reinforcement) and then the flex - plus wood ties for what will be two hand-laid turnouts.

I use bright white caulk for anchoring foam, and grey caulk for the posterboard, wood ties and flex.

When finished, that will just about double the length of my available run.  (I'm running John Armstrong style; back out of the single-ended yard (to be hidden staging) to end of track, run forward to the other end of the "main," then back to, and into, the yard.  That, plus some reshuffling of consists, constitutes operation on the so-far-built portion of a 1:80 scale layout that will eventually fill a 2-car garage.)

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in HOj, 1:80 scale on 16.5mm gauge)


Chuck, your layout sound intriguing. Have you got a drawing of the trackplan you can post? It doesn't have to be anything flash - a "back of a beer coaster" sketch would do!

Cheers,

Mark.
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Posted by marknewton on Monday, July 2, 2007 10:07 PM
Detailing and lettering some passenger cars - two Oha35s, an Ohafu33 and an Oha50. When they're done I'll do the same to my two new Meitetsu Moha510s. I'm also going to replace the Kadee clones on the 510s with traction-style link & pin couplers. The type 35s are by Kato, the others by Tomix, all are HOj scale. Typical of Japanese models, they have lots of add-on detail parts, and rub-down transfer sheets for the lettering.

Cheers,

Mark.
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Posted by tstage on Monday, July 2, 2007 7:30 PM

I working on assembling and detailing an Alexander Scale Model PRR Flag stop for a friend of mine.  I just finished laying down the 1 x 6 wood plank flooring.  (Sorry, this is an old picture shot last week):

Click to enlarge picture(s)

I painted the interior walls this evening with a 1:3 ratio of earth and reefer white.  (This will give the interior a warmer look, as well as seal the walls.)  The upper peaks of the walls bowed out so badly after painting them that I had to shore them up with blocks of wood and vise clamps.  I'm letting them dry overnight.

I also need to install the painted trim work around the doors and windows and touchup the interior before installing the removable roof.  I still have some exterior work to complete before finishing up the project.  I may attach an exterior light.

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by loathar on Monday, July 2, 2007 7:17 PM
A large mountain and tunnel in the corner of my layout. Hopefully I'll have some pics next week.
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Posted by mondotrains on Monday, July 2, 2007 7:02 PM

I am just finishing up a small project.  I've installed rear view mirrors on around 50 Classic Metal Works and Life-Like trucks that didn't come with the mirrors.  I used needle-nosed pliers to bend common pins, where the head of the pin makes a nice "mirror".  Then I cut off most of the pin and inserted it with CA into holes drilled into the cab doors.  I know the wire of the pin is a little oversize, but the pins with smaller wire have heads that are too small for the mirror, so it is a trade-off.  I'm satisfied with the way they look.

Mondo
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Posted by johncolley on Monday, July 2, 2007 7:01 PM
Working on (2) Free-mo modules at present, the third one is already making noises in my head. The first one "Riverbend" is taking forever to landscape, with trees and shrubs galore! The secong one is the north segment of Bieber, CA interchange WP/GN which is 24"x72" and has roadbed and mainline trackage with (2) #9 turnouts installed but not yet operational. Still have to finish wiring before ballasting the main, and add secondary trackage. I hope to have it operational by October.   jc5729 John Colley, Port Townsend, WA
jc5729

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