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NP2626
Guest
All three of the sections have been mounted in there permanent locations now and I am completing the track connections. At this point in time I don't think I will be adding any scenery to this addition. This will just be for the storage of trains awaiting their turn to be run on the layout. I will likely be able to test out the Wye and AR-1 today. We'll see how that works. There is still a bit of wiring to do. I will be moving the controls for the turnouts on this corner of the existing layout to the fascia near where they are; so I don't have to duck under, into the main control area to use them anymore. It's all falling into place.
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NP2626
Guest
These photos don't look much different from the ones I took showing only the road bed. However, the track is now down and the Wye works like it should. I still need to wire up the on/off toggle switches for tail tracks, which will go on the green control panel shown on the fascia in photo # 3 (just behind the Bounty ship model). You can also see that all my rolling stock that where moved out of the way, have been placed back on the storage area under the tail track in photo # 3. I'm also going to move three turnout controls that are mounted on the main control panel out to the new green control panel, so I won't have to go to another location to operate them.
I have decided I am going to use the back side of the wye track as a part of my layout and locate some industries there.
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NP2626
Guest
Observations on building my expansion:
When I laid my Cork Road Bed previously, many of the slits down the center of the Midwest Cork Road Bed would run off to one side and in cases it would get so far off that I had to adjust the centerline to compensate for this imperfection. Midwest is doing a far better job of putting the bevel cut in the center of the road bed now.
Also I found Atlas Flex track to be a better quality. The simulated spikes are smaller and the loose rail slides better than it used to. Continuous Improvement is a good thing. However, it might be that the track and road bed is manufactured over seas now, so Midwest and Atlas are the customers and they can take Corrective Actions with their vendors now.
When I laid my Cork Road Bed previously, many of the slits down the center of the Midwest Cork Road Bed would run off to one side and in cases it would get so far off that I had to adjust the centerline to compensate for this imperfection. Midwest is doing a far better job of putting the bevel cut in the center of the road bed now.
Also I found Atlas Flex track to be a better quality. The simulated spikes are smaller and the loose rail slides better than it used to. Continuous Improvement is a good thing. However, it might be that the track and road bed is manufactured over seas now, so Midwest and Atlas are the customers and they can take Corrective Actions with their vendors now.
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NP2626
Guest
The photo on the left shows Storage tracks S-3 and S-4 with trains on them. This is the longest sets of storage tracks, over 11 feet long. S-1 is slightly shorter than S-2 because a 1 foot long section of track needed to be kept clear for the tail track for the Wye, in case I want to turn a locomotive on the Wye. S-4 shows my Walthers Northern Pacific 0-8-0 with sound and DCC. S-3 shows my Northern Pacific Bay Window caboose that was a wood kit produced for the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association.
The photo on the right shows Storage Tracks S-1 and S-2. These storage tracks are just under 4 feet in length, shorter than I had hoped. However, they both hold trains of lengths that work for my layout. This has made room in my original staging yard, under Butte Yard on my layout. I will be leaving the staging tracks that the trains came from under Butte Yard empty from now on, as the tracks were practically useless, due to a lack of space between the over head Butte yard and the staging yard, which was only 4.5 inches. You can see off-layout storage for freight cars under S-1 and S-2.
(Editing note: Yes, Numbers Tracks S1, S-2 have been exchanged with S-3 and S-4, the change made sense for my Bill Boxes).
So, this is a fix for a design flaw from my original design, drawn up in 1988. I knew space would be tight; but, totally underestimated how tight it would be! Considering that I knew so little about designing a layout at this early stage of my Model Railroading career, the rest of the design turned out O.K.!
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NP2626
Guest
I don't know that I will be turning trains; but, locomotives for sure. Thanks Chet.
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NP2626
Guest
I have been using my new storage tracks and like how this has come together. The old staging yard is empty except for one passenger train and two ore trains.
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NP2626
Guest
I was attempting to take a photo of a typical long train on my layout, I found that I don't have a space on my layout that works for this type of photo. However, here is a group of photos that I took attempting to do this:
In Photo #1, the caboose for the train would be back around the curve and just above the white Icing Plant just ahead of #6011D
In Photo #2, I'm showing the train having just left Butte Yard.
In Photo #3, The train is leaving the now empty Staging Yard.
In Photo #1, the caboose for the train would be back around the curve and just above the white Icing Plant just ahead of #6011D
In Photo #2, I'm showing the train having just left Butte Yard.
In Photo #3, The train is leaving the now empty Staging Yard.
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NP2626
Guest
More shots of my railroad.
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NP2626
Guest
Edsland, Thanks for the compliment!
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NP2626
Guest
Thanks Chet!
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NP2626
Guest
In my thread entitled Model Railroading in the 50s and 60s, I mentioned Art Curren who was the Model Railroader Magazine Kit Bashing Guru from the 1980s and maybe 1990s. In a book he wrote on Kit Bashing, he made the statement that after a while someone who has done a bit of Kit Bashing, starts to look at the contents of stock structure kits as only the parts needed to make something completely different than the manufacture intended.
The above two photos show a Kit Bash I did without any instigation from anyone else. This is my Spire Rock Mine complex. Photo # 1 shows a recognizable structure with the tank car in front of it. This kit has been available for years and has also been produced by a number of different manufacturers. I did very little to alter this structure excepting changing the location of the smoke stacks. This section of the mine buildings is where the ore is processed. The overburden from the processing is dumped into one of the chutes in the tipple. Box cars carry away the processed ore. Photo #2 shows a little more of the tipple. This complex is a copper mine; but, it does mine different types ores, also. The Tipple was made from a couple AHM School houses glued together end to end and then glued atop a wooden support structure. There is small chute that allows ore to be sent down to the main structure. The chemical tank car is delivering processing liquids to the mine. The actual hole in the mountain where the ore comes from is located on the right hand side of the tipple building.
I have discussed this here because both Lance Mindheim and the Editor of Model Railroader Magazine, Neil Besougloff have stated that the building I chose for the main building of my mine, does't really fit into some folks visions of the future! I guess if you lack Imagination and the ability to kit bash maybe this is true. However, to be fair to them, I have not used the building for what it was intended. Can you determine what building kit this is?
The above two photos show a Kit Bash I did without any instigation from anyone else. This is my Spire Rock Mine complex. Photo # 1 shows a recognizable structure with the tank car in front of it. This kit has been available for years and has also been produced by a number of different manufacturers. I did very little to alter this structure excepting changing the location of the smoke stacks. This section of the mine buildings is where the ore is processed. The overburden from the processing is dumped into one of the chutes in the tipple. Box cars carry away the processed ore. Photo #2 shows a little more of the tipple. This complex is a copper mine; but, it does mine different types ores, also. The Tipple was made from a couple AHM School houses glued together end to end and then glued atop a wooden support structure. There is small chute that allows ore to be sent down to the main structure. The chemical tank car is delivering processing liquids to the mine. The actual hole in the mountain where the ore comes from is located on the right hand side of the tipple building.
I have discussed this here because both Lance Mindheim and the Editor of Model Railroader Magazine, Neil Besougloff have stated that the building I chose for the main building of my mine, does't really fit into some folks visions of the future! I guess if you lack Imagination and the ability to kit bash maybe this is true. However, to be fair to them, I have not used the building for what it was intended. Can you determine what building kit this is?
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NP2626
Guest
I know I am fully capable of saying things that might anger others; however, I wonder why Lance; or, Neil feel the need to be telling others what makes a structure appropriate for someone's layout?
I take their lack of imagination as giving them the right to be "Layout Police"! Is this because we are a "Ready to Run, Society"? I've always thought that this hobby was about choices and using one's imagination to create! However, I wonder, if you lack imagination, you also lack the ability to see any farther than what is put in front of you!
Take Pelle Soeburgs newest layout: It is wonderfully constructed, detailed and to me, visually very sparse. Rolling through the flat and boring lands in a simple double tracked cross over loop going to staging with a single bridge, lacks any appeal to me, what so ever! At least Lance's layouts do have operating potential. With Pelle's layout, I would be board after the second round of a train.
Now, all of a sudden, I can't escape the feeling I have just wondered into Lance and Neil's jurisdiction, of "Layout Cops"! I love to read about how these guys have built their layouts (never seen anything by Neil Besougloff) and the methods they used. If operations were the "end all, be all", than Lance's designs might appeal to me. However, I am of the opinion that it is not the destination I am after, it is the journey that holds my attention!
Go ahead and explain to me why I am so narrow minded about what I like and dislike!
I take their lack of imagination as giving them the right to be "Layout Police"! Is this because we are a "Ready to Run, Society"? I've always thought that this hobby was about choices and using one's imagination to create! However, I wonder, if you lack imagination, you also lack the ability to see any farther than what is put in front of you!
Take Pelle Soeburgs newest layout: It is wonderfully constructed, detailed and to me, visually very sparse. Rolling through the flat and boring lands in a simple double tracked cross over loop going to staging with a single bridge, lacks any appeal to me, what so ever! At least Lance's layouts do have operating potential. With Pelle's layout, I would be board after the second round of a train.
Now, all of a sudden, I can't escape the feeling I have just wondered into Lance and Neil's jurisdiction, of "Layout Cops"! I love to read about how these guys have built their layouts (never seen anything by Neil Besougloff) and the methods they used. If operations were the "end all, be all", than Lance's designs might appeal to me. However, I am of the opinion that it is not the destination I am after, it is the journey that holds my attention!
Go ahead and explain to me why I am so narrow minded about what I like and dislike!
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santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Mark - That's the beauty of this hobby. It can be many different things to many different people. Some like "roundy-rounds" and just want to see trains run. On the other extreme is those that run by a strict timetable for a particular day in history, with everything (structures included) being "era correct, "I'm not sure that your interpretation of Lance and Neil's statements is what they intended. I find that Lance is simply stating what works for him. I don't normally read Neil's columns and cannot comment on him. Remember that one of the most admired modelers, John Allen, had dinosaurs on his layout. There's room for everyone. You're not narrow-minded, you just enjoy your layout your way.
Willie
PS - Anger is too strong a word, how about irritate? LOL
Willie
PS - Anger is too strong a word, how about irritate? LOL
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NP2626
Guest
Photo # 1 is my first Kit Bashing project. I'm discussing the long brick building. This is made from two Life Like Belvedere Hotels. For the most part the building has only two sides. The small end pieces and the face you see. I put lights in two of the levels, the one at the top of the left side and the one at the top of the right. At these locations the building actually has a back side and right end, so the lights show a competed room. The rest of the building is dark. The white building in the other two photos is scratch built from Cardboard picture framing material. The catwalk building running between the brick building and the white building hides the top of a mirror that reflects the brick building and freight yard. The white building and catwalk building have no back sides either. Both of these buildings are more than 25 years old. There locations are a stretch to reach, so they had do be built and placed on their locations before I could move onto scenery and structures more easily reached.
Art Curren used the Life Like Belvedere Hotel for several of his Kit bashes.
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