LAYOUT PARTY 2024-2025 Seventeenth Annual International Winter Layout Party

ppuinn Dec 13, 2024

  1. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    Nice work light!

    HF: Where the thing you bought to complete a project, becomes it's own project.
     
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  2. logging loco

    logging loco TrainBoard Supporter

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    I don't usually shop there. I hope this compressor lasts for a while.
     
  3. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Really not doing good on my goals for the layout party this year. About the only layout progress I have made is getting the height raised on this billboard and more properly installing it, Still need to update the ads or maybe only one of them.
    20250107_193525.jpg 20250108_195518.jpg
     
  4. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    The swamp is still not dry after 48 hours
    upload_2025-1-16_17-21-59.png

    Gary
     
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  5. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    What is the heat / humidity like where you are doing this ?
     
  6. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    I was able to cleanly cut away the interior detail on the base of the building. The openings left can be covered with a thin sheet of styrene when I am building the convenience store detail. I had considered using the removed detail for the Italian restaurant on the 2nd floor but think I can do better scratch building from my scrap styrene box.

    2024TBLP6.jpg

    The signs for the front of the building have been completed. Styrene strip is used as a backing for these and a silver sharpie was used to color the edges. The paper signs got glossy packaging tape applied on both sides. The front because I wanted them to look a bit glossy like plastic and the back to keep the adhesive from interacting with the paper. I used canopy glue to attach the signs to the styrene strip. This photo shows where the signs will go, the building is laying on it's back with the signs just sitting there.

    2024TBLP5.jpg
     
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  7. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    HF is a good place to find a bargain on tools & such, especially if you don't mind maybe having to tinker with it.

    I'm not about to try HF's in-house cordless tool brand, but that's simply because I'm already heavily invested in Milwaukee M18 & M12 cordless tools (and batteries/chargers). It just makes sense to stay with your established line of cordless tools, to save on batteries and chargers. Milwaukee and DeWalt have the broadest lines of cordless tools, making it less likely you'd have to venture to a new line for a specific cordless power tool you might need.
     
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  8. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    68° F (20°C) 24% humidity when I checked the "Train Building" this evening.
     
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  9. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    I had a similar problem 4 decades ago refinishing a small wooden stool…I had applied a sealer of some sort too thick, and then tried a second coat too soon.

    Ditto in 1989, when I used old paints on an unheated garage wall in cold weather…but waiting a long time (a week, maybe?) worked out for me.

    Does any one know— from actual experience—if a hair drier can be safely used to speed up drying this material? Or would that just cause the surface to dry but not the material below the surface?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  10. logging loco

    logging loco TrainBoard Supporter

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    The Layout Party is really helping me get things accomplished.

    I need to set goals for the next few weeks. In no particular order;
    • Somewhere along the way I picked up a box of used air brushes, hoses and fittings. I need to go through it figure out what I will use, clean those items well and get rid of the rest.
    • Make up an extension cord with 50 pin connectors for my control panel.
    • Remove transformers and hand held throttles from control panel.
    • Clean track and test layout.
    • Hang pantograph lighs over layout.
    • Fill in location of deleted mill pond
    • Order Gator board for under town site and roadways.
    • Make remote shutter release switch for camera.
    • Design light weight upper valence for layout, purchase material.
    • Clean and lubricate Unimat, go through tooling and accessories. Label drawers with tooling and accessories.
    • Plan Kibri 7320 factory kitbash


    What I've accomplished so far. All pretty mundane stuff but it all makes my time in the little train room more enjoyable.

    1. Clean off all horizontal surfaces ie; put junk away.
    2. Remove all non model railroad stuff from room.
    3. Take down hanging hutch and hang in cellar.
    4. Find different place to store wife's photo albums.
    5. Move plastic shelves that support HCD layout.
    6. Relocate 30 drawer metal cabinet to help support layout.
    7. Go through 30 drawers and remove items not needed for this or future logging layout.
    8. Relocate watchmakers bench and reorganize small parts drawers.
    9. Remove drawing table and take to cellar.
    10. Build LED arch lamp for workbench
    11. Add tank to air compressor.
     
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  11. ppuinn

    ppuinn Staff Member

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    Gary, At the risk of receiving a frustrated "Suuure...Now, you tell me! Couldn't you have posted this earlier??!!":

    If you decide to bite the bullet and go the route of starting over on your stream/creek/lake, you might try this:
    I have several places on my N-scale layout with flat water (not flowing/rippling streams or wind-whipped white caps or waves). I cut out the 1/2" Homasote in the shape of the settling pond, water canal, river, etc, but left the OSB panel that supported the Homasote. I cut out 1/4" foamboard in the shape of the water feature and sprayed it with brown glossy enamel paint. Pond scum is from bad dusting, and ripples are from bumps and bruises accrued over 21 years.

    Settling pond near a power plant: Water canal by the steel mill: River near the Lock and Dam:
     
  12. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    I have added more track to the end module and started scenic ground cover and ballast. Three tracks crossing the barrel yard in the "Dirt". I usually use dark ballast for sidings and the yellow and blue lines and a lighter ballast for the red line (main line) at the front as seen at the bottom.
    IMG_6179.JPG
    The extra turnout and triple crossovers are bogus/fake. No frogs. For NTRAK running I started doing this long ago to improve running. Fewer frogs....fewer derailments. The turnout at the bottom is functional while the on on the right is a fake. It is all about running trains reliably. Still have to clean the paint off of some of the rails as well as the glue mix used for cementing the ballast down. Lots of grass to come. I will stage tank cars on the line to the left for static display.
    IMG_6180.JPG
     
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  13. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Dave, your water looks great.

    Thanks for the suggestion. NO, IT'S NOT TOO LATE! But you could have posted that sooner:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:. I will give it a few more days to dry before deciding my next step.

    Gary
     
  14. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Will, a quick visit to the Train Building and I see this,

    upload_2025-1-18_12-35-21.png

    It's as bad looking as what the picture shows. The glue is milky or cloudy. Will, crap stuff happens.

    It might be time to run to the hardware to get some paint and do what Dave suggested.

    Gary
     
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  15. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    Finally, finally finished the HandCab-DC throttle. I put up 3 videos....part 1 is an overview.....part 2 is operating with the throttle.....and .... part 3 shows the sound options that are available with the throttle. If you only want to watch one part 3 might be the best one to watch.







    I'm torn if I should document the build and put the print, sound and Arduino code up or not. It takes a lot of time to do that and if no one is really interested in the throttle I've got other things I could do with that time. If there is interest I'll do it, let me know.

    This finishes part one of my layout party goals. I haven't posted much as I figured looking at Arduino code, or me soldering a bunch of wires to components wouldn't of been to interesting. I have worked on this every day though since the party began and for a while wondered if I'd ever finish it.

    I've got other obligations for about 6 days so that will give me time to think what is up next. The sawmill or the other DC train controller using a DCC sound decoder.

    Sumner
     
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  16. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    Got the last of the businesses signs for my building finished, and have put them away in a plastic bag until I am ready to install them.

    2024TBLP08.jpg

    And I have started to put together the interior of the convenience store on the buildings base. Photos of store interiors found on the internet are reduced in size to fit and printed out on paper which is then pasted to the styrene with stick glue. Most of the interior is likely to remain white although I will do something with the floor.

    2024TBLP07.jpg
     
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  17. country joe

    country joe TrainBoard Member

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    I’ve never used white glue for water but with Mod Podge Gloss it can take over a week for it to dry clear depending on how thick the pour. Give it at least a week to dry before giving up on it.
     
  18. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for the suggestion, Joe.
     
  19. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    I put all the old buildings out roughly where they will go. I think I can cram them all in even if the scene is even more compressed that it used to be. The biggest compromise was breaking up the buildings on the left to route the tracks across the barrel yard.
    IMG_6181.JPG The prototype photo.
    [​IMG]
    The old modules.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  20. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    [​IMG]

    I think that looks great.

    Sumner
     

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