"Shoofly" Free-moN module (2'x6')

Makes sense to me..

BTW, on the overhead shot of the fallen oak, the area looks eerily similar to an area on the slopes of Mt. Diablo where I camped as a Boy Scout MANY moons ago (I can still feel the cattails in my socks).

 

Then I guess the scenery didn't change much 30 years later when I camped there as a Boy Scout

Looks about the same, now, too.

Glad my modeling efforts are close enough for someone bsides myself to recognize the area.
Cheers!

Here's a few more picts because, well, why not:







Thanks for looking and all the feedback.

 

IS IT REEL!??!:tb-ooh:

 

M.C., the modules are looking excellent - love the oaks. For the deadfall one suggestion would be to kill the shine that I see in the photo - there should be nothing to reflect the light as it is dead wood. Also having a few broken off pieces of branch or bark remnants would perhaps help too if you are trying to go for the "has been there for ages" look.

Looking forward to seeing your next project!

 

Thanks for the comments, guys.
Hemi: crews are starting to build the abutments as we speak!
There'll probably be a finished concrete abutment on the hill side, with forms & rebar for the cow side abutment.
Still figuring it all out.

But, (a but? ment?), that will have to wait as the show at the Hiller Aviation Museum will start tomorrow.
Got the transport box to the point it will serve it's function:



It's 37"x28"x24".
At some point will put on a top.
Loading the module into the box & into the car resulted in casualties (so far) counting one small tree and one fence post (the one near the edge).
Nothing various glues can't fix.

But before I packed it up I was able to add some more details such as rails, ties, wood & drums around the service spur, as well as the module's first structure:





Hawthorne opens The Scarlet Letter noting that the first two structures early colonists inevitably erected were a prison and a graveyard.
My first structure could be both, depending on the food, but nevertheless arguably more important than any other.

So off we go.
To the show.
I hope to get some more wiring done while there, and I'll probably be working on the old barn at home and then planting it while at the show, or start experimenting with vines for the vineyard.
Or maybe I'll just be too busy running trains

Thanks for looking, and hope to see some of you at the show.

 

Hmmm.... good question.
My wife & I lifted it easy (awkward shape for one person to lift, so I put a pair of handles on each side.

The box weighs more than the two modules.
Everything together is less than 50 lbs. I'm guessing.

More important is that it 1) fits nicely in my car and 2) protects the modules from everything except my fumbling fingers

 

Fun times at the Hiller Aviation Museum Planes n' Trains Spring Break extravaganza.
First time Free-moNing for me, so quite a learning experience!
Will write a bit more on that later, for now just posting some picts to show the general Free-moN sprawl:





[Yes, our one turnback loop is wrapped around a pole]

I've been taking home some of the small 1'x2ish' 45 deg modules.
They've been pinkfoam prairies since X2011 in Sacramento (where I first saw the Silicon Valley Free-moN group in action), so I thought I'd spruce 'em up a little;



Did two last night, but ran out of time at the show today to pour the water, so it came back home along with two other barren wastelands that will be given the Fujiwara Fertilizer Freshen-upper treatment:




We'll see how they turn out in the next two days (no show on Easter Sunday).
We'll need them done-ish, as they're part of the mainline!

And, of course, a video!
(Only two minutes: Woot!)

[video=youtube;fhDmsQll78U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhDmsQll78U&feature=player_profilepage[/video]

A bit shaky as no tripod.
We'll be popping in to run trains and work on modules all week, so there should be a big difference (for better or worse) by Sunday.

Thanks for looking, and hope to see you there (like we saw John Sing today! Yeay!)

 

The ZoCal Z folks did a similar "wrap around a post" trick a couple of times. I kept trying to convince people we cut off the post, placed the layout and then rewelded the post. No one believed me, not even the kids. We also did a similar thing at a December show but put a Christmas tree on a raised platform in the center. Needless to say we got a lot of favorable comments about the big layout under the Christmas tree. Good for a some laughs and lots of fun. That's what it's all about.
Lindley

 

Long but fun week of running trains at the Free-moN show at the Hiller Aviation Museum.
Haven't been posting because I've been working on a 10'-long staging yard module since last Sunday, but got that "done" and operational for the big group ops fun today.
Will post picts & fancy videos later.
For now, here's the shoofly:

[video=youtube_share;Arej-PKJGak]http://youtu.be/Arej-PKJGak[/video]

Time for bed.
Fun week of running long trains through fab scenery!
Thanks for looking.

 

Excellent work MC. Your scenery skills are off the charts!!


Mark

 

Thanks, Mark.
Haven't been posting because I've had to tackle the backlog of work I let slide while getting the staging yard module operational.
When we set up at Hiller Aviation Museum we realized that we had only one runaround / passing siding besides the turnback loop, and that was Steve Williams' Lockhart, TX module.
We had more modules past Lockhart, but it was all single track with no turnouts.
So on Sunday, April 8th I started cutting wood for a 16" x 10' staging yard module so we could at least run around some trains and so use Lockhart as a meet rather than staging / passing / runaround / terminus.
The module is two 16"x4' sections with a 12"x24" 15 deg. curved insert so we could bend the yard in either direction if we had to (the slight curve also makes the yard increadibly stable):



[The gap on the far left staging track was filled in with temp flextrack on double-sided tape to be operational]



While I wasn't able to get all 7 tracks laid (final will have a main, two staging and a runaround on each side, but two LHS didn't have enough #7 turnouts!), I was able to get the main and about 3 1/2 staging tracks done & wired, so on Sunday when 5-6 guys showed up we could all run trains continuously, so good times all around.



We clamped the 4"x24" detachable extension on at the end for clearance & runaround.

But we were able to run some pretty good-sized trains!



Considering my "home" layout is a little under 2'x4', it was a real treat to be able to run long trains through groovy scenery.
Major Free-moN plus!

The Caboose Ind. ground throws are just temporary: now that the show's over I'll pop those off and install Bullfrogs underneath with control rods running to both sides.
There'll also be a diesel service area, machine shop, wreck crane train siding (we need it!) and an 8"ish manual turntable with steam service for the steamers and F-units.

And of course, a video:

[video=youtube_share;txeqQms9Zjg]http://youtu.be/txeqQms9Zjg[/video]

Thanks for looking.

 

Likewise, Rick!
And looking forward to seeing your Free-moN module soon!

Each person can build whatever he / she wants between the standardized endplates, so in that respect it's random.
(That's part of the "Free" of Free-moN)

And one of the main goals is to have long trains running through realistic scenery on a single main, so most modules, even totally straight with a single track, accomplish that.
Like Dave Falkenburg's Alviso module:



By "rough plan" do you mean track plan, floor plan or ops plan?

There's no track plan: each time we set up the track plan is determined mainly by the floor space and modules available.
Each set up creates a new layout!
At the Hiller Aviation Museum show we could have gone very linear, but we decided to put the turnback loop around a pole and create more of a "hook" design.
Curves help reduce the wobble and look better.
Shoofly is a 30 degree angle, Steve's Lockhart, TX is a long 10' S curve (offsets about 1' or 1 1/2'):



Dave has a large 90 deg. unscenicked module and we have about 6 small 45 deg. sections that help moocho in making things curve (those were unscenicked until I got my hands on them muhahahaha:



When I first decided to build a module I asked the group what shape would be the most useful, and they said "whatever".

Operationally, we have a lot of mainline but very little ops.
When we set up it became painfully obvious that Steve's Lockhart was the only runaround (and industry, except the construction spur on my Shoofly), which is why I built the staging yard.
When done, it'll be both useful for running trains and have ops in itself, with a machine shop, diesel and steam service (loads of coal & sand & fuel), and a wreck train.

Another "useful" module would be a 45 or 90 deg curve with a 7-8' passing siding.
With single tracking, you can't have enough passing sidings!

But we definitely need "customers" and purpose to the line.
A large oil refinery would be great.
Or a warehouse district at the city's edge or waterfront.
Or ???

Now that we've gotten some of the operational-necessary modules done we (or new members! hint hint Rick & John Sing & others) can start building some industries so our trains can do something.
Check out N-Land Pacific's chart o' modules for just some ideas!