Running Bear's Coffee Shop LVI


I would like to have used 3/4 inch MDO over the MDF but it is 64 bucks a sheet! The mdf cuts nice with a new blade and it is SMOOOOOOTH! For my immediate purposes it is perfect. Foam, ply and bits of drywall and lumber scrap will be used for elevations and scenery when it comes time for it. DON'T just 'pitch' your scraps! The little triangles off the 1x4 will make excellent track bumpers for sidings and yards! The other stuff can and will be used for elevated roadways and ledges, retaining walls and whatnot.
 
More WOW moment. It's under 70 inside the house!
Haven't looked at the forecast but it is mostly cloudy by all appearances now.

Good thing I went all hog-wild on those trees when I did. I'll likely use them all on Palmer mountain.
Not sure what to do on "Chet's Peak". Make it a "bald knobber" with a fire tower perhaps?
Wish you all could see the difference after I've given it that first coat of wash/color. It really stands out.
I haven't done any more coloring since the other night. Last night's effort is still virgin stuff - for now.
Well, I did do a little test splash/wash. Didn't like how that turned out so it's good I tried where I plan on planting more trees.

I'm kind of liking this hydrocal-pop 1:1 mix I've been doing. Seems to be working quite well. I find myself in serious "get'er done mode" and am ready to throw down! Now.
Unfortunately, I won't have those funds available until the weekend and then there is the obligatory shipping delays. Sigh.....
E.
 
Think I'll throw down a few more open face castings and be done with it - for now.
I have enough HC and POP to do 2 more castings and then I'm out.
Plenty of sculpt-a-mold stuff still around.
I'll make do with what I have - for now.
Give me swim-fins and a k-bar and I'll still prosecute some level of my mission.
Some things never will change. Holding me back is still not an option.
Pvt. Harris started to give me a hard time seeing I was throwing down on the mountain without waiting on him.
A little bit of R. Lee Ermy came out at that moment. The next time he saw it the super-structure was done and I was on to other things already.
What part of "I ain't waitin' around on anyone" did he NOT understand?
Besides that, he's become a cigarette leech and I quit answering the door when he knocks.
At least I finally got my "Band of Brothers" DVD collection back after 10 months.

I still have a mountain to build and short of waking up on the "wrong side of the grass", nothing is going to stop me.
Katie, you best not bar that door. I'll blow right through it! :cool:

Humidity is killer here right now so it might be while before I peel these last castings out.
E.
 
BigE said:
Think I'll throw down a few more open face castings and be done with it - for now.
I have enough HC and POP to do 2 more castings and then I'm out.
Plenty of sculpt-a-mold stuff still around.
I'll make do with what I have - for now.
Give me swim-fins and a k-bar and I'll still prosecute some level of my mission.
Some things never will change. Holding me back is still not an option.
Pvt. Harris started to give me a hard time seeing I was throwing down on the mountain without waiting on him.
A little bit of R. Lee Ermy came out at that moment. The next time he saw it the super-structure was done and I was on to other things already.
What part of "I ain't waitin' around on anyone" did he NOT understand?
Besides that, he's become a cigarette leech and I quit answering the door when he knocks.
At least I finally got my "Band of Brothers" DVD collection back after 10 months.

I still have a mountain to build and short of waking up on the "wrong side of the grass", nothing is going to stop me.
Katie, you best not bar that door. I'll blow right through it! :cool:

Humidity is killer here right now so it might be while before I peel these last castings out.
E.
Click to expand...

Don't cha hate that when ya can hardly support your OWN addictions and some MOOCH wants to horn in on your stash! LOL!

Story of my life!

LOL! All this new lumber has got it dryer than a popcorn fart down here! I copped a nose bleed the other day and I ain't had one o those in a long time! MMMMM Mikkey D's is doing breakfast all day now, I love me some "eggamuffin"! (burp!) And now for some MORE coffee!

Hope mr carpenter has a short day at the plating plant! We are almost THERE! We SHOULD be attaching the top on during this week and laying track SOON!
 
I feel as if I'm in the presence of artists. Guess I'll just keep 'em supplied with coffee or beer as the day progresses.
Woke up at five, looked at clock, said WHY??? Went back to sleep. Outta bed at nine and feel icky- ten pounds of cobwebs in my head. Coffee ain't helping.
Load in washer ready for the dryer. I'm ready for more joe.
ttfn
 
Flip said:
I feel as if I'm in the presence of artists. Guess I'll just keep 'em supplied with coffee or beer as the day progresses.
Woke up at five, looked at clock, said WHY??? Went back to sleep. Outta bed at nine and feel icky- ten pounds of cobwebs in my head. Coffee ain't helping.
Load in washer ready for the dryer. I'm ready for more joe.
ttfn
Click to expand...

Phil, I just made another pot of coffee. Still have 6 beers left. Haven't opened one up yet. "Yet" being the operative word of course. Can't say how long that will last. I'm on a roll so I'm going with it regardless of lack of sleep. I might have got 3 hours this morning. I'll likely rack-out this afternoon. Sometimes it's hell being a highly motivated individual.

Ok....break time over... back to work!!! Umm... I mean FUN!!!
E.
 
Funny thing with me and beer. Two beers and knees feel loose and I'm ready to lay down. But give me vodka with 7-UP and I'll drink with you all night.

Clothes in dryer, coffee in cup, head still stuffed with cobwebs.
Back later.
 
Hand Laid Track.... Code 83 rail from Micro Engineering. Ties cut and stained from scale lumber. Here, I am adding fishplates every scale 39' to track.

Railbars03w_zps3zxpken1.png


All turnouts on the new part of the layout are handmade using Fast Tracks Jigs and supplies. Difference they WORK!!! And look so much better... No chachunk over the frogs, and they are easy to power the frogs, and a lot of fun to make. i can make one in about an hour and a half. Will have over 50 of them on the layout by the time I am finished.

Work in progress:

NewKanandaquaYard04w.png


Finished track, handlaid:

HowardsDairy21w_zpsk3389aug.png


Finished commercial track from the old part of the layout... (after a lot of weathering.)

LinePoles03w.png
 
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Flip said:
Funny thing with me and beer. Two beers and knees feel loose and I'm ready to lay down. But give me vodka with 7-UP and I'll drink with you all night.

Clothes in dryer, coffee in cup, head still stuffed with cobwebs.
Back later.
Click to expand...

My Dad is that way. What's up with that?
I have my final pieces figured out where they are going to "live". I just came down to get a beer for that final push.
Of course it will never really be "done". Just like track work. Always something to do.
Pics to come later......
E.
 
Ray I bought a few micro engineering 3 foot bridge flex track and found the quality teal good. Wish I had done my entire layout with ME flex track.
 
BigE is your layout have its own thread somewhere ? Really would like to have a look see.
 
That's some nice work Ray. I started my layout handlaying code 70 rail and turnouts in homasote roadbed. I ended up finishing with Shinohara code 70 flextrack and turnouts. The last part of the layout was a yard and engine facility laid directly on plywood. Hand laying directly on plywood was a pain, therefore the reason for manufactured track.

Lynn - I absolutely preferred the Shinohara flextrack over the Micro Engineering. I really liked the ME pre weathered track but I found that it was extremely difficult to maintain a radius because of how tight the rails were set into the "spikes". Glad that I only experimented with 6 sections of ME flex. Ended up using them in the yard area in straight sections. The Shinohara flex track was a pleasure to work with. It was so easy to maintain a radius and so easy to have easements at curves.

.................................................................................... Chet
 
rhoward said:
Hand Laid Track.... Code 83 rail from Micro Engineering. Ties cut and stained from scale lumber. Here, I am adding fishplates every scale 39' to track.

Railbars03w_zps3zxpken1.png


All turnouts on the new part of the layout are handmade using Fast Tracks Jigs and supplies. Difference they WORK!!! And look so much better... No chachunk over the frogs, and they are easy to power the frogs, and a lot of fun to make. i can make one in about an hour and a half. Will have over 50 of them on the layout by the time I am finished.

Work in progress:

NewKanandaquaYard04w.png


Finished track, handlaid:

HowardsDairy21w_zpsk3389aug.png


Finished commercial track from the old part of the layout... (after a lot of weathering.)

LinePoles03w.png
Click to expand...

WOW! I already HAD mucho respect for what you guys have done on some of those layouts! Excuse me while I police up my jaw bits from the floor! It fell so hard it shattered!

I did NOT know it was like THAT! (dang!)

I THANK the fates for flex track! Going sectional on this monstrosity would turn into work! LOL!
 
Just to let you know.... I am enjoying seeing what "New Guy" and "Big E" are doing with your layouts. Both of you are about where I was 30 years ago. I took a 15+ year vacation from model railroading after my wife died 28 years ago and got back into it after taking my Boy Scout Troop to Steamtown in Scranton, PA one summer. I have two more Certificates to earn before I will get Master Model Railroader from the AP in the NMRA. I've got all the difficult ones done... now I just need two impossible ones to finish up. The Bridges I have been building are ones I hope will earn Merit Awards toward the Structures Certificate.

I got into hand laying track as part of the "Civil" certificate and found it was so much fun, I just kept on doing it. Looks so much better than commercial track and turnouts (to me at least...)! Done well it is also better running.

Have a good one!
 
Ray - Looking at your photos I saw the manual turnout controls from Humpyard Purveyance.. I am getting ready to order some and would like to know how you like them.
 
Lynnb said:
BigE is your layout have its own thread somewhere ? Really would like to have a look see.
Click to expand...

Sorry Pardner. Not really. I've got some stuff up on photobucket:
http://s113.photobucket.com/user/MountainBigE/library/Model RailRoad
It will be quite obvious what is old and what is current.

I have a youtube channel with some videos of trains and my quad-copter (before the tree ate it):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-dlyJXXa1YLcsBg2UzdudQ

Except for the copter flights, I think I announce the date and time on the videos. Excuse any language. I try to be mindful but sometimes things just come out without even thinking. I have to laugh at myself now and then. Get ready for a good ole country boy.

I don't really keep up with either account too much. I find that when I do, it holds me back on progress. I have lots of documentation of things I've done except I don't keep up with it all that well. Just have a look at my track wiring notes. I do have detailed financials on everything however. That's simple book keeping. I also keep files on everything.
Especially details on the engines in my wee stable of studs.

E.
 
I see some work in progress photos. Great looking work, everybody!


Here is some of my work in progress a few years ago. There is no right way to do any of this. I staple cork road bed to plywood base. I pound the staples with a hammer to make sure they do not protrude up. .... I use flex track and use home make curve templates. Push pins are used to hold the track down while I cut rails as needed to fit. I am very careful to be sure the rails are joined together without the slightest kink horizontally and vertically.

Using staples for roadbed is good because it is easy to make changes. For example, the roadbed under the black ruler in right side of picture was pulled up and moved prior to finally laying the track.

pushpins.jpg


Scenery work below. ... I used Chooch brand stone retaining walls.

CityWIP1.jpg


Here is how the scene looks now.

DowntownHeartland7_zps7889ee48.jpg



Phil.... I'll contact you very soon. Been very busy last couple of days.
 
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rhoward said:
Just to let you know.... I am enjoying seeing what "New Guy" and "Big E" are doing with your layouts. Both of you are about where I was 30 years ago. I took a 15+ year vacation from model railroading after my wife died 28 years ago and got back into it after taking my Boy Scout Troop to Steamtown in Scranton, PA one summer. I have two more Certificates to earn before I will get Master Model Railroader from the AP in the NMRA. I've got all the difficult ones done... now I just need two impossible ones to finish up. The Bridges I have been building are ones I hope will earn Merit Awards toward the Structures Certificate.

I got into hand laying track as part of the "Civil" certificate and found it was so much fun, I just kept on doing it. Looks so much better than commercial track and turnouts (to me at least...)! Done well it is also better running.

Have a good one!
Click to expand...

Yeah Ray, I left all my trains behind in the late 70s. I just got back into it this past December when sent me that big box of stuff that's been sitting in the basement for all these decades.

Going for the AP are you? I've been hit up about that. The membership fee a little steep for me right now. However, I haven't talked myself completely out of it yet. Carey and I had a lengthy conversation about that last night in fact.
I would need to get something out of it for it to matter much to me other just another certification to hang on my wall. I have boat loads of those. One of those with a PhD tagged on. That was mostly meant as joke to myself but Hillsdale College took it serious. I've tried to correct them but they have seen fit to confer 2 more certificates to "Dr. Eric A. White". I suppose it looks good on their "subscriber/user" roster. That's another story.....

I wouldn't mind having another magazine to get ideas from and stuff. I'm all up for that. Information and knowledge is something I'm always in search of. I get about 10 print mags a month and read them all front to back immediately.

In the mean time, I'll keep bulldozing my way by trial and error and with the good advice and counsel I get here.
E
 
Nice photos Garry, as usual. I enjoy seeing before and after pictures. Shows the work and imagination that goes into a scene. So much of my layout was done many many years ago and without the digital photography we have today, I have no photos of how my layout came to life, just the last section which was done in recent years. Keep the photos coming.

............................................................................................ Chet
 
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