Very impressive so far....I look forward to (lots) of photos..the photos are what let's us enjoy it without being there....thanks....
Hello Jim, thanks, it indeed sounds like you have thought it through! A high ridgeline will definitvely help to get to the trains. Cheers Dirk
Thom, no problem. I'm in Spring Hill, so we're only a half hour away. Let me get a bit further on, though! Mike, glad you like the cars. And the room is not QUITE as pristine as it looks. Until yesterday there was a whole pile of "stuff" over on the right side, and my lumber pile is behind the camera to the left. But I DO think that you need to keep things fairly neat and clean. That way you don't lose things too much, and I also think it makes for a better mindset, almost forcing you to do neater work. Thanks all for the kind words and encouragement. I intend to continue to document progress, much the way Jerry DeBene has done. It's just another facet of the hobby, and an enjoyable one.
Custom built turn-outs Jim, that is one beautiful start to a great looking layout first class all the way. I was wondering since you are having custom built turnouts what size would they be?
Route 66 - The staging area will have Rob de Rebel's #8s (Which should be here today!)...and no, I'm not "the guy". I chose #8 for operational purposes, no one will see them in there. They're long enough for smooth operation with long cars, they're short enough to give me pretty much maximum storage track length. I chose to have them custom built because they must be bulletproof in this area. On the mains, I'm still pretty much undecided. I was originally going to do Atlas #10s but there have been disturbing reports on several forums regarding their quality. It's not out of the question to think I might do some custom built #12s for crossovers - I DO have the room - but that decision is in the future.
Ahhh!! Jim Ya got me You are doing an excellent job on your construction of your layout. A beautiful job..I look forward to your updates.
For all those who have mercilessly been riding Rob because his camera isn't functioning and they want to see his switches, here you are: Before anyone howls at the bare bones appearance, let me quickly state this is how I wanted them built - no ties, no paint, just the bare #8. They're great.
That's the way we used to make them in a club I was in. They can then easily be adjusted for each individual position where the turnout is located. In effect, each turnout is custom made for exactly that particular place on the track work. Of course, you may need to do nothing, but if they need tweaking, it is easier to do with just the PC board ties in place. The turnout does look very nice.
Here's this week's installment. It was a busy week but I can't show everything that was done. Here's where I was just before my RDR switches arrived: I was sweating this curve big time. The drawings SAID it should fit - and it DOES! Yea! I'm currently working on the departure section of staging - switches are down and track is cut to fit. Staging should be completed next week.
Thom, I was shooting for 100 cars - I think I have that handily. Grade out of staging is the ruling grade of 1%. I managed to do 60 cars on 2%, so should be able to run 100 car trains...we shall see.
What's the emoticon for "drool"? I'd be happy with a trainload of finished spines, let alone a vast staging yard to put them in. Keep it up!
How bout this one :tongue: ... ok no drool coming out but it's the closest I found loll ... :thumbs_up: Oh and Jim looking real good ... I wish I had the space and the patience to do that lol Cheers Adam
Gary - putting the spine cars together was easy, but the decaling!! OMG!! We're talking a LOT of work here! Adam - Up north I had to make do with a lot smaller space. When we retired, the wife got a new house but I got the basement! And it's not the PERFECT basement, but it will do.... Thanks all for the kind words.
Jim, I just recently found this forum and your thread was the first one I looked at. What a great way to start! Your very first "before" picture (the one with the backdrop only) stayed up on my PC for several days for the kids and I to look at for inspiration. We have just started construction of our own layout and look forward to following your progress as well. Your staging pics are mind boggling and well illustrate the concept of "ample staging"!
CSX, you're too kind! If you want to see the old layout, all the info is still on the web site (with my signature). The site, incidentally, has a lot of information on it in addition to the old and new layouts. Good luck with the layout!
Another busy week! Here's a shot of the departure yard: I have now finished the arrival section as well; this means staging is essentially complete. It wasn't as easy as just laying track and switches though, because the switches had to be powered and all that needed to be wired and tested. Finally completed troubleshooting late this afternoon. Here's the finished staging yard: So now it all works. I need to tweak a few linkages and make sure all is well, then it's on to the mains - which begin at the bottom of the above picture. I'll be doing spline roadbed, and that will no doubt be a learning experience. Also I'll need to take some time out to celebrate our 47th anniversary.