East Tennessee & Western North Carolina RR ("The Tweetsie") branchline in On30

[p51]

Did a few things with the layout the last few days...

I ran an op session on Thursday and it went great. The two guys who ran on the layout had never been here before and gave me some pretty good feedback on a couple of things that I think I'm going to use the next time people run trains here. They seemed to really enjoy everything. You never know how people are going to take these things, so it's always nice when it works out well.

Disregard the caboose photo, but the two metal signs on the top edge of the wall I recently got from a vendor in Tennessee and got installed there yesterday. They made a ET&WNC one, but it was really small. The other is a reproduction of an ALCO ad during World War II. It's screams of that time period, so I had to have it. Along the top edge seemed to be a pretty good place for them.

[p51]

Over the long weekend, I added oil cans to the tender decks of each locomotive.



I also made several switch stands. They'll sit on small masonite bases, and will be numbered for the nearest turnout so anyone in an op session can tell which turnout pull, by number, will operate which turnout.



 They're kits from Details West, in HO scale. They're pretty tall for that scale and are about eye level in O scale, which is fine for narrow gauge. Found the kits on eBay for about a buck and a half each.

[p51]

Playing around with my cell again:

[p51]

The Quonset hut for the layout’s army spur is pretty much finished, I only have a few small details to put in place, such as the bulletin board on the side, a butt can for used smokes at the front door, and some wood flooring just inside where the door is opened just a little.


Here’s what it looked like as the dull coat spray was drying. I used powdered chalks for the rust, which looked way better than any paint. I might have gone a little overboard with the rust, but it’s supposed to represent a hut that was abandoned in place at least a year and a half previously.

The concept was an army unit came into the area in early 1942 to help rebuild the aging line that hadn’t seen much work since the ICC denied the application to abandon the line in 1940. So, a new Army Railway Operating Battalion has just arrived to train troops in narrow-gauge railroad operations. I have two scale 2 ½ ton trucks, a command car, and several Jeeps (all with correct stateside markings). The hut has a open space of pre-fab airfield material called, “Marsten matting”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marston_Mat
Sadly, the matting got a weathering treatment that –while accurate- almost renders it invisible to casual observers.

[p51]

I finished the bulletin board (with images of real WW2 railroad unit memos, not that you could read them from the layout's edge, though). I also made a unit sign for the front door, all printed onto cardstock.

[davefoxx]

Lee,

You are absolutely capturing what, to me, is the flavor of the U.S. Army during WWII.  Kudos!

DFF

[p51]

I took this shot just as a test last night, and I think it worked out okay:

[p51]

On Saturday, I had a show at a regional RR photography slideshow. People come from all over for this and my 11-minute show went first. But before that, they aired this word from their sponsor, which was met with huge laughs:

/>
Yesterday afternoon, I did a bunch of stuff to get the layout ready for the all-day operating session event (put in by a Olympia group, people are coming from all over, to run in two three-hour sessions at various layouts in this area). I cleaned the track, got all the paperwork correct (there are cards that tell you where each car is supposed to go) and the track switches marked. I also took a couple of photos just for the heck of it, making up a longer commuter train at Winner:

[p51]

I finally got around to working on a GMC 2 ½ ton truck model I’d gotten off eBay a while back. They make them and only sell them in Europe, so finding one is really tough. I was lucky to get this one. I think it makes a good addition to the Army area on the layout as the GMC is a classic WW2 vehicle. It came on Spanish Army markings, so I had to do a lot of work to get those off and get the stateside early-war US markings in place.
Here’s what it looked like by the time I was done:

And placed in the ‘motor pool’ on the layout:

Then, I couldn’t resist taking an ‘eye level’ shot:

[davefoxx]

Excellent work, Lee. I love it.

DFF

[p51]

Okay, I can talk about this now that I'm back home. I was visiting my parents in Florida until yesterday morning (I got up at midnight to leave yesterday per my own time zone, so I'm horribly jet lagged). Anyway, the weekend before last, there was an all-day operating session centered around the Olympia area, called, "Oly Ops" which is done with proceeds for charity. People donate to a food bank on behalf of the event, sign up to take part and are assigned two op sessions each, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. A dinner in downtown Olympia takes place the same evening.

This was my first Oly-Ops. It went pretty well, but I have to admit I was concerned how it would go over. Mostly, I was concerned that, given how small my layout is, that they might be disappointed. That did not seem to be the case with either group.

My wife is very protective of the hardwood floor, so a sign stating as such had to g onto the door, and also to alert the groups they had indeed found the right place:



Both of my groups or only two people each, due to the size of my layout. In each case, they travel together a new each other. Out of 4 people total, three were from California, and one from Portland. So no 'local' people actually were involved. Ironically, one person from Portland had actually visited the area that my layout takes place, which makes him the very first person ever seen my layout who was familiar with the general area takes place in. Turns out, he also had sold me one of the items on my layout over 2 years ago, off Ebay!

The first group showed up early, but waited in the car and knocked on the door at exactly at the starting time. The second group knocked on the door quite a bit earlier, and I wasn't ready for them for a couple of minutes. But it all worked out well.

I knew the first group crew, especially, were enjoying themselves as after they were done, they wanted to hang around some extra time and take video of the layout. They were basically railfanning with a video camera, with one filming in the other one running trains that they had staged. I can't wait to see what the finished product look like, because the one with the camera seemed to get some pretty interesting angles.

I of course indulged this, because I have run on other layouts where I never had much time to really just look over things, so it was nice to allow someone else the time.



Generally, I think it worked quite well, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

I would certainly do it again next year.

[johnb]

Okay, I can talk about this now that I'm back home. I was visiting my parents in Florida until yesterday morning (I got up at midnight to leave yesterday per my own time zone, so I'm horribly jet lagged). Anyway, the weekend before last, there was an all-day operating session centered around the Olympia area, called, "Oly Ops" which is done with proceeds for charity. People donate to a food bank on behalf of the event, sign up to take part and are assigned two op sessions each, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. A dinner in downtown Olympia takes place the same evening.

This was my first Oly-Ops. It went pretty well, but I have to admit I was concerned how it would go over. Mostly, I was concerned that, given how small my layout is, that they might be disappointed. That did not seem to be the case with either group.

My wife is very protective of the hardwood floor, so a sign stating as such had to g onto the door, and also to alert the groups they had indeed found the right place:



Both of my groups or only two people each, due to the size of my layout. In each case, they travel together a new each other. Out of 4 people total, three were from California, and one from Portland. So no 'local' people actually were involved. Ironically, one person from Portland had actually visited the area that my layout takes place, which makes him the very first person ever seen my layout who was familiar with the general area takes place in. Turns out, he also had sold me one of the items on my layout over 2 years ago, off Ebay!

The first group showed up early, but waited in the car and knocked on the door at exactly at the starting time. The second group knocked on the door quite a bit earlier, and I wasn't ready for them for a couple of minutes. But it all worked out well.

I knew the first group crew, especially, were enjoying themselves as after they were done, they wanted to hang around some extra time and take video of the layout. They were basically railfanning with a video camera, with one filming in the other one running trains that they had staged. I can't wait to see what the finished product look like, because the one with the camera seemed to get some pretty interesting angles.

I of course indulged this, because I have run on other layouts where I never had much time to really just look over things, so it was nice to allow someone else the time.



Generally, I think it worked quite well, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

I would certainly do it again next year.

now I want a vintage product of Tumwater....oh, and the layout looks great

[p51]

now I want a vintage product of Tumwater....oh, and the layout looks great

Thanks, but as for a Olympia Beer, yeah, they haven't been made in years. I used to live within earshot of the whistle they blew at the end of every work day. I still kick myself for never taking the tour there, it was something it never occurred to be would end until it was too late, the end came really quick. The brewery has been abandoned ever since.

[johnb]

Thanks, but as for a Olympia Beer, yeah, they haven't been made in years. I used to live within earshot of the whistle they blew at the end of every work day. I still kick myself for never taking the tour there, it was something it never occurred to be would end until it was too late, the end came really quick. The brewery has been abandoned ever since.

I took the tour a lot of times, all before I could legally drink. It was my dad's favorite beer.

[wazzou]

Live 5-6 miles from there now.