Erie Railroad Mahoning division HCD

[Florent]

I read all the thread. This layout is so impressive. Great great job. Congrat

[Chris333]

Man, I just started going back through all this and looking back at what I've done. Gonna go down a see how many cobwebs are growing on it now.

The temps are down into the 40's and I just plain hate cold weather. So work on the Beetle has stopped. This is how far I got with it:

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To the basement we go!

[Point353]

So work on the Beetle has stopped. This is how far I got with it:

Evidently the craze to install various forms of so-called traffic calming devices (aka speed bumps, humps and tables) hasn't reached your local municipality.

[Chris333]

Evidently the craze to install various forms of so-called traffic calming devices (aka speed bumps, humps and tables) hasn't reached your local municipality.

As it sits in the video it is not driveable, the tires would just spin as it is sitting flat on the ground. It has air ride and lifts up like this:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/s3yRF9UBwAuG8X3i9

The trick is finding just the right air pressure to drive it at.

[OldEastRR]

Oh, thank god ... I was afraid that this sudden message from the ERMD was going to be "Hey. folks, this layout's done for me, I'm going to dump it and make a basement-sized HO layout! Anybody wanna buy this decorated HCD?"
That said, it looks like the era of operational continuous route HCD layouts on TRW has passed. The only small layouts I see here now are only pieces of long straight sections like modules. Kinda miss the HCD craze, it was interesting and informative. Guess I liked seeing how complex a layout could be made on a small space. ANYBODY can make an interesting N layout with 15+' x 25+' foot space.
There would have been another interesting step with the HCDs -- modifying and using one as the "seed" layout to build a bigger one. Like with the Gorre & Daphetid, or the amazing evolution of Popp's Naugatuck Valley. Actual "layouts that grew". I guess that step-by-step growth method is out of favor now.

[Blazeman]

That said, it looks like the era of operational continuous route HCD layouts on TRW has passed. The only small layouts I see here now are only pieces of long straight sections like modules. Kinda miss the HCD craze, it was interesting and informative. Guess I liked seeing how complex a layout could be made on a small space. ANYBODY can make an interesting N layout with 15+' x 25+' foot space.
There would have been another interesting step with the HCDs -- modifying and using one as the "seed" layout to build a bigger one. Like with the Gorre & Daphetid, or the amazing evolution of Popp's Naugatuck Valley. Actual "layouts that grew". I guess that step-by-step growth method is out of favor now.

Possible thread drift.

MR/MRVP seems to favor switching modules other than Canadian Canyons which will have high tech signals/controls for continuous running.  Joe Fugate espouses TOMA. 

Perhaps it's time required to get something moving, cost of  larger layout, or space constraints. Maybe more focus on the scene than the layout. 

[Spades]

Chris can always put an ERIE decal on the VW and bring the thread full circle.  Chris whether it's your modeling or VW restoration/mods it's all interesting. Keep posting.

[Spades]

Oh, thank god ... I was afraid that this sudden message from the ERMD was going to be "Hey. folks, this layout's done for me, I'm going to dump it and make a basement-sized HO layout! Anybody wanna buy this decorated HCD?"
That said, it looks like the era of operational continuous route HCD layouts on TRW has passed. The only small layouts I see here now are only pieces of long straight sections like modules. Kinda miss the HCD craze, it was interesting and informative. Guess I liked seeing how complex a layout could be made on a small space. ANYBODY can make an interesting N layout with 15+' x 25+' foot space.
There would have been another interesting step with the HCDs -- modifying and using one as the "seed" layout to build a bigger one. Like with the Gorre & Daphetid, or the amazing evolution of Popp's Naugatuck Valley. Actual "layouts that grew". I guess that step-by-step growth method is out of favor now.

It won't be TRW, but if you Google: Hollow Core Door Model Railroads. A ton of stuff comes up.

[Dave V]

Oh, thank god ... I was afraid that this sudden message from the ERMD was going to be "Hey. folks, this layout's done for me, I'm going to dump it and make a basement-sized HO layout! Anybody wanna buy this decorated HCD?"
That said, it looks like the era of operational continuous route HCD layouts on TRW has passed. The only small layouts I see here now are only pieces of long straight sections like modules. Kinda miss the HCD craze, it was interesting and informative. Guess I liked seeing how complex a layout could be made on a small space. ANYBODY can make an interesting N layout with 15+' x 25+' foot space.
There would have been another interesting step with the HCDs -- modifying and using one as the "seed" layout to build a bigger one. Like with the Gorre & Daphetid, or the amazing evolution of Popp's Naugatuck Valley. Actual "layouts that grew". I guess that step-by-step growth method is out of favor now.

Ya know...  Those Blackstone HOn3 engines can squeeze down to 15" radius curves in HOn3.  One could conceivably do an HO narrow gauge loop in that space.

EDIT:  As for layouts that grow having fallen out of favor...  Maybe within this small cohort.  I'd definitely be cautious drawing general conclusions by what you see here.  I know in my case I had planned on using the Juniata Division as a "seed" just like you said, but that "seed" would still be contaminated by 13.75" radius curves, code 80 track, dead (insulated) frogs, and two fewer mainlines than I'd want.  I could have corrected the first three but by then they surgery would have been so extensive as to have almost not been worth it...and the latter would never be resolvable in that space.

[Mike C]

Ya know...  Those Blackstone HOn3 engines can squeeze down to 15" radius curves in HOn3.  One could conceivably do an HO narrow gauge loop in that space.

Yep ! But I did use 18" curves and it fits on a 40" x 96" foam table . More or less what I had in N scale .

[davefoxx]

Oh, thank god ... I was afraid that this sudden message from the ERMD was going to be "Hey. folks, this layout's done for me, I'm going to dump it and make a basement-sized HO layout! Anybody wanna buy this decorated HCD?"

Seriously, dude, let it go.   

[nuno81291]

So, where are all these alleged  basement sized HO layouts? Anything I have seen is spare bedroom at most. 

What ever happened to that Hon30 larger layout you were working on?