Weekend Update 3/1/15

[Santa Fe Guy]

Well this week has started with a bang, all good stuff so far.
I started the weekend with my monthly ops session last night.
Just a couple of pics.
[ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

With all of the chatter and a bit of show and tell we didn't kick off till 8.00pm however and finished at about 11.00pm only getting halfway through the timetable.
Rod.

[nscaler711]

Ok so I have restarted working on a diorama, that I started like a month ago.

Ignore the carpet please, I live in an apartment so everything must be temporary...

Here is where I am at, I have laid cork and I have started the base of my road.


I am using ME C55 Concrete flex, and man this stuff is impossible to get perfectly straight!


And just to show that I have a decent amount of space for trucks to pass and have a shoulder/ parallel parking.


But that's it for now, this isn't really my weekend as I work Thursday -Monday my weekends are Tuesday and Wednesday.
But hopefully ill get track laid and the road built up more so I can set the BLMA Concrete Grade Crossings! 

[mu26aeh]

Going to be working on getting rest of foam base installed on my layout so I can continue marking track locations.  Also will begin cutting and installing scenic dividers. 

Had a hell of a time programming 2 Atlas CW40-8 locomotives last night.  The usual "press loco button twice for Ad4, punch in 4 digit loco rd number, cv-wr" process didn't work, so I spent 30 mins trying to figure out how to get them programmed, before finding out having to program cv17, cv18, and cv29. 

I was able to cut in the coal dock at the paper mill power plant.  I can fit 6 cars in the siding, and 6 more in siding on other siding of power plant.  I plan of running a coal turn of 12 cars as part of the operating scheme.

20150228_082841 by mu26aeh, on Flickr

Thinking of adding the Walthers Machine Shop and using it as a place to park the power for mill, though two geeps do not fit entirely inside the building.

20150228_082858 by mu26aeh, on Flickr

[CBQ Fan]

Slowly working on the master for CB&Q Silver Salon and Silver Buffet. I need to enlarge the smallish windows a bit so they are about the size of the baggage or vestibule door windows.

looking great!  I hope you are doing better!

[wm3798]

Closed the loop yesterday and ran a train for the first time in many many months.  Hasty track work means there's a few kinks to work out, but at least now I can run something to see where the glitches are.



This bridge carries the junction between the figure 8 and the branch that runs down the wall to staging.


Since the switch is literally poked through the book case, I wired up a signal to serve as a switch indicator.  It's there just past the bridge in the foreground.



For photography purposes, I can set it to red when needed.



Still plenty of work to do on the bridge, including leveling and plumb.  I added the girder plate beams.  I'm really liking the progress.
More to come.  But first, a bunch of work I've been procrastinating!

Lee

[Jesse6669]

Lee, your layout is really coming together nicely.  Great weathering Pudd.  And good to see another diorama Nscaler.

I made a little progress on the Millvale diorama today.  Conemaugh main and sidings are down, the crossing timbers in (it's going to be paved..actually it is timbered all the way but it got covered by pavement for the most part) so only putting in the guard timbers and the rest will be plaster/paved.   
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

I'm conducting some experiments with ballast and application techniques before doing the tracks "for real".
I'm using T-gauge ballast and it seems about right for prototypic N-scale (from http://www.tgauge.com/product/103/6/grey-ballast).  The rail color is Tamiya linoleum brown.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Cajonpassfan]

Rod, your trainroom is way too neat, how do you ever find anything? 
I went to a swap meet at the San Bernardino depot this morning...not much there in N scale, just scored a couple of cars. Hardly worth it, except where else can one take the train right up to the swap meet tables and watch and feel  long freights roll by while perusing the merchandise? All and all, a nice morning... Now back to more wiring (and whining).
Regards, Otto K.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Santa Fe Guy]

Hi Otto.
I do not have much in the RR room at all. I purposely keep it that way. I used to get ribbed by some about my neatness however some are taking the neatness on board themselves .
Regards
Rod.

[Santa Fe Guy]

NScaler 711
Try using a 12 inch steel ruler and hold it in against the inside web of the rail and work the rail up to it bit by bit. On my SFRSD I used a 3 foot ruler and it worked out very well when I used this method on M/E code 55 weathered track.
Might be worth a try.
Rod.

[Cajonpassfan]

Yea, I know Rod, it was just jealousy talkin'.
Love the simplicity of your setup, there's nothing to distract from your beautiful layout. Maybe someday I'll get there.
Best, Otto

[Santa Fe Guy]

Otto Come on over the weathers fine and lots of N to see LOL
Rod.

[mark dance]

Rod...those operating session pictures of your layout are just awesome.  Nice work...Just a beautiful layout and I bet it runs and operates as well as it looks!

On the modelling side this week I began the Valican area of the layout, on the Slocan sub, in earnest.  It connects finished scens at lemon Creek and Frog peak (where the sub pierces the mushroom which isolates the Slocan and Kaslo subs from the main Boundary sub section of the layout).   Some in progress shots...







Next up is the backdrop.  I mam going to try my hand at painting buildings on the backdrop at Valican a la Steve Stark's E&N.  Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend

md

[Dave V]

I did more work on the Colorado Midland.  I changed the grade from 3% down to 2% (4-6-0 thread) and was still able to reach the height I needed.  Now the mine branch trackage is a little clearer:





Started the long process of "excavating" the deep ravine that the larger bridges will cross.  The deck of the wood trestle is visible in the rear and the steel bridge goes in the foreground.  I was skeptical at first of using oxide red (Midland steel bridges) but it really does look pretty good like this:

[wazzou]

I am using ME C55 Concrete flex, and man this stuff is impossible to get perfectly straight!

It's not that difficult, just press the outside of one rail against a metal straightedge like a scale ruler and it should be no problem.

[nscaler711]

Ok, I might have to try that technique, good thing I already have a steel ruler...
Now what should i use to straighten the ties out? I noticed some are really prone to being crooked if you try to straighten curved flex..