June is here and summer is rounding the turn, what will you do this weekend? Probably for the first time since I moved, I have a quiet weekend. My plans are simple however. I have started laying the styrene street on the Potter Place layout and will continue to do so. Since Galesburg is only 23 days away, I'll need to work on my T-Trak module by getting the DPM kit built. I brought the spray booth home from storage the other day, so I'll also try to get that set up as well. Somewhere in all of that, I plan to head north and take my girl friend to one of my favorite steak houses and sneak in some BNSF rail action on the C&I. So how about you? T-Trak or N-Trak module work? Perhaps with warm weather you too will do some rail fanning? Painting? Scratch building? Let us know what you hope to get done this weekend by posting below. We'll all get together on Monday, June 4th and see how we all did. Also, you see we have a new home here in the Weekly and Special Threads. Be sure to check out this section of Trainboard for other threads as well as this one. We hope to make it easier for you to find this and other weekly or special threads. Enjoy! ​High Greens!
Last week wasn't as productive as I'd hoped, but then again, it's a hobby, not a job, right? The little bit of Gypsolite I formed into a foundation below the mill buildings is set by now, so I can finish the "natural" scenery in that area. I originally made the sloped banks of the canal just a bit too wide, so there was an eighth of an inch overhang for the buildings. The Gypsolite takes care of that. I tinted it gray with craft paint when I mixed it, so it will look like old concrete, and the addition of some turf and ground foam should improve the canal bank a lot. Further downstream, the canal centers my "Saints and Sinners" scene. Brother Elias's Mission has taken over a DPM townhouse, while across the water the Bachmann "Bob's Bicycle Shop" kit has been re-badged as a bar with some shady ladies outside. I hope to get started painting the bar. The mission is painted, but it needs some interior structure and illumination.
Which mall? I will be in the area at Castle Hills helping my daughter move into the house she just bought. Do you think she needs a layout in the spare bedroom?
I am having my first open house for my N scale club. It is a small club, so not too many guys coming (good thing, I have a small room!). I will be interested to hear their comments for improvements to make it better. I have been working all week getting it ready, and I took vacation today to do a final clean on the whole room.
I am hoping to actually work on the layout some this weekend, have not really done much since April (the weather has been too nice and having fun with the family). My goals for the weekend is to finsih the wiring for my turnouts (Kato turnouts connecting to Digitrax DS64's) and maybe glue down some grade crossings and foam bases.
I have couple things going on. I will be on hand for the first summertime open house of Portland Area N-Trak. Those in the Portland, Oregon, area may want to consider coming by (see my sig for link to the club). Other than that, I will either work on my Keasey module as mentioned here and shown here, or I will work on my 0-4-0T improvement project.
I'm going to be doing some scenicking work on my two N-Trak modules to get ready for the show next weekend at the new Alco museum in Schenectady NY. The show is on Sunday June 10th from 12N to 5P. I'll be there with the Albany area N-Trak club.
I need to install the roof and ventilation ceiling for the rolling mill. I have 5 ancient (Hi-F) Athearn GP9's coming in the mail, so I need to rebuild some spare trucks for dummy service and gather my detailing parts together. Not motivated enough to work on track or scenery, so Im just going to be cleaning and organizing and prepping for a big detail/paint day later this month for 8 GP9's and SW7 and an RS32.
After the yardwork is done, I plan to get the tracklaying crews busy. Benchwork is in place, supplies are here, equipment is at the ready, and the local Brass Hat (me) wants to run trains, by golly!!!!!
That's what I did with the old Hi-F (rubber-band) drive Athearns I've had since I was a boy. After removing the motor and drive shaft, I found the wheels and trucks were just fine. I've even installed cheap Soundbugs in them, with the original wheels working well enough to run them. I found a set of GP-9 railings at my LHS. To my great surprise, they were a perfect fit for my old Geeps, which I bought back in the 1950s. With railings, Kadees and some weathering, these old friends are still seeing service, even without motors.
Well, a tad late but trying to get the walls up on my layout (it's enclosed). Just need to get the top frame worked out. Hope to have it together tomorrow.
