Second Annual International Winter Layout Party

[ppuinn]

Back by popular demand!
The Moderators of the Layout Design Forum are proud to host:
The Second Annual International Winter Layout Party

Since the first one in Spring 2002, the Layout Parties have traditionally been hosted in the Layout Design Forum.
Why International? Trainboard has members from over 75 countries around the world, so the Layout Party draws its participants from throughout the international community.
Why Winter? Threads for the 6 Layout Parties held in the Spring had 180 to 240 posts. The 2009 Winter thread had more than twice as many posts…so we decided to arrange another Winter Layout Party. (If the Layout Design Forum moderators receive enough requests between mid-February and mid-March 2010, we will host a 2010 Spring Layout Party starting in Late-March 2010.)

We know you're out there!

Yeah, you… and you… and you with the potato chip hanging off your lip and the half drunk beverage sitting beside you. We know you're not working on your layout as much as you hoped to.
You may have ideas for a new project that you always wanted to try but never got around to. Or there is a stack of kits on your workbench you’ve been meaning to start. Or you have a partially completed project that has been neglected for far too long. Or you have an almost-finished project that just needs some final fine-tuning and attention to complete.

The purpose of the Layout Party is to provide recognition, encouragement, and support to all participants who are working on a layout project and inspiration to those following others’ progress in the thread. We hope to have a group of people who will post about the work completed on their layout at least once a week for 8 weeks. We will, of course, congratulate those who have worked on their layout, and encourage those who haven't.

The kick-off date is Friday December 18th 2009, and the Layout Party will end on February 21, 2010, the 3rd Sunday in February.

This Thread will be temporarily locked until
the official start of the Layout Party on
Friday, December 18th 2009

Rules for The Second Annual International Winter Layout Party thread:



1. In your first post, please include descriptions of:

• your layout (brief),
• the area of your layout that you intend to work on (“before” pictures, please…if available), and
• a description of what you want to accomplish in the 8 weeks of the Layout Party (don't make it grandiose).

2. At least once each week, post a brief description and/or pictures of your progress--or lack of progress, so far, and what you hope to accomplish in the next week.
3. At the end of the Layout Party, post a description and/or picture(s) of your accomplishments.



FWIW: Some observations and suggestions:

• Life Happens. By joining this group, you are already acknowledging that you haven't worked on the layout as much as you know you should have or could have. The idea here is for us to have some fun and act as an electronic support group so we can each get more done on our layouts.
• Make a firm commitment to post at least once each week about progress on your layout project.
• If you fall off the Layout Project Work Wagon, acknowledge it by reporting it honestly.
• Then climb back on the Layout Project Work Wagon. Declaring exactly what you plan to work on during the next week will help you get back on the Layout Party Work Wagon.
• When we have others coming over to see our layouts, we tend to get more done because we plan and prepare better, and then actually follow through so we have something to show our visitors and can garner some strokes for all our efforts. Posting in the Annual Layout Party works in much the same way…we plan, prepare, and follow through a little better when we know someone will be seeing our progress.
• If you encounter difficulties on the layout project, remember that the other participants and all the Trainboard members following the Layout Party thread can be a resource for encouragement and problem-solving.
• If you have any problems posting pics, let us know so we can do appropriate problem-solving.

Many participants have enjoyed this format and have commented that they accomplished more work on their layout in the short time we ran a Layout Party thread than they had in long time. Many members posted pictures, asked questions, moaned about problems, and encouraged others who were working through their frustrations. Check out these links to our past layout parties.

2009 - First Annual International Winter Layout Party

2008 - Spring Layout Party
Sixth Annual International Spring Layout Party - TrainBoard.com

2007 - Spring Layout Party
Fifth Annual International Spring Layout Party - TrainBoard.com

2005 – Spring Layout Party
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/...=door+knockers

2004 – Spring Layout Party
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/...light=Armchair

2003 – Spring Layout Party
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/...2&pp=25&page=3

2002 – Spring Layout party
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/...light=Armchair

[ppuinn]

The Second Annual Internation Winter Layout Party is officially underway!

[pastoolio]

WooHoo! Got all tomorrow to myself, so I'll be contributing soon!

Mike

[pachyderm217]

Here's my current track plan:



I like my sector table, but it's in a marginal location. It restricts access to the water softener which needs regular feeding. So it's going to move from the right side of the layout to the left side.

These are the existing conditions at Burt where the new sector table approach will appear.



Some readers may recall how I built these scenes at Burt during last year's winter layout party. No worries - I plan to salvage and reuse them both.

Here's the plan for routing a new sector table approach at Burt.



The new siding shown here will connect to the sector table off the left edge of the photo. I need to do some bridge design here to route the new track under the existing main.

More after the jump...

[pachyderm217]

Here's an oblique view of Burt.



The white stringline represents the outer edge of the new sector table location. Here's a rendering showing the proposed sector table and the new approach.



I'm still debating whether to leave the coal tipple in its current location or to move it. Got some ideas but those can wait till later for a decision.

The existing sector table site looks like this.



Once cleared, this site can be redeveloped as shown here.



This will give the desired access to the water softener barely visible at lower right. Further, it gives me another location for a railroad customer. The coal tipple at Burt may end up here, or perhaps the propane dealer.

I've got some other projects I might have time for, but right now it's probably best not to over-commit.

[CSXDixieLine]

My goals for WLP 2009 involve extensive work on the Emerson, GA scene of my N-scale CSX Dixie Line layout:

• Replace temporary turnout controls with permanent ones mounted in the fascia.
• Frame out the supports needed for the I-75 underpass.
• Install hardshell terrain (cardboard web + plaster cloth + paint + texture) on the ENTIRE scene.
• Prime & paint fascia.
• EXTRA CREDIT: Paint tree line and distant hills on the backdrop.

An aggressive eight week agenda for sure, but sometimes you gotta go for it! When completed, these tasks will result in an extreme transformation in the Emerson, GA scene. Here is a "BEFORE" picture of this section of the layout as it exists today:



Jamie

[Gats]

About time Dave!

Ok, I won't be contributing for a couple of weeks but looking forward to the progress being made by others. What are you up to Mike?

Todd, I really like your layout and the modifications look interesting. Looking forward to seeing how you interface it all.

Jamie, I'm really interested in the underpass.

[Wolfgang Dudler]

I have a few projects. The first is my small fiddle yard Fiddletown.



It's finished when there's some basic scenery like painted tracks and ballast. Now I'm building turnouts. How to build your own turnout - TrainBoard.com
Like you see I've made paper templates with AutoCAD. This makes turnout building faster.

Wolfgang

[madleech]

I'm looking forward to joining too. I'm starting my second layout as #1 just isn't big enough any more. My goals for the 8 weeks are:

• Complete the track plan
• Start building benchwork
• Lay first bits of track (depending on how I go)

Before shots: an empty room :-)

The blue lines show approximately where the new layout will go.

I've been playing around with track plans for a few weeks now and have come up with this:


It still needs some work, I'll make a new thread for this. It is freelanced, based on places I've been to in the US. I plan to have a snowy section, some canyons, a river, conifer forest, some desert scenery, a small section of Flagstaff, AZ, and a small bit of Helper, UT.

I'll be away early Jan on holiday, but the rest of the time I hope to make good progress. Looking forward to the party :-)

[Bruce-in-MA]

In the fall of 2008, I decided to rip up the scenery and specific areas of track (yard & reversing loop) and do them over utilizing new ideas, methods, etc., that I have picked up since I first built the layout in 2003. Progress can be seen at this topic:

The Belmar Valley Makeover - TrainBoard.com

Since the makeover started, a lot of work has occurred. But alas, a slowdown hit last spring and everything was at a standstill by summer. Maybe it was due to burnout, or maybe I simply became overcome by the call of the warm outdoors.

Now it’s time to get restarted. Here’s a ‘before’ picture and a description of the work I’d like to accomplish in this scene:




1. Install and scenic a tunnel portal.
2. Finish scenery details in the area behind where the bridge will be placed.
3. Install the bridge. (Finish weathering, fabricate two center piers and two abutments, install ME code 70 bridge track, install guardrails in the bridge track.)

After this, I should be able to hook up the power pack and run trains!

NOTE: Not sure I'll get much progress over the next couple of weeks due to the holidays. I'll likely start things after January 1st.