# Second HO Layout



## Stumpy

My first HO layout was over 40 years ago on a 4x8 sheet of plywood.

Here’s the plan for the second layout, as it stands right now…


The layout is 10’ x 10’. I’ll be able to get all the way around the outside perimeter. Controls will be at the bottom, left corner.
The time period will be 1900-1930.
Yellow area is the Mill Creek Coal & Coke Tipple No. 2 from the BTS catalog.
Blue area is the logging camp. (Red tracks are HOn3).
Gray area is the log loading/transfer yard.
Black area is town. Light blue is station/loading platform.
Green area is stock yard.
Orange area is the McCabe Lumber Co. Rail Facility from the BTS catalog (sans a few structures).
The four squares in the middle are 20” x 20” removable sections. Right now the plan is for that area to be open country… maybe a farm house or two or some abandoned structures.

Any/all input welcome. I've a while before construction begins, so there's plenty of time for you folks to change my mind. 
.


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## MichaelE

It looks interesting. Good luck with your build. Love to see photos of your progress too.


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## D&J Railroad

Is this going to be DCC or are you trapped at a DC control panel tryin to see the action of the trains across the room?


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## Stumpy

D&J Railroad said:


> Is this going to be DCC or are you trapped at a DC control panel tryin to see the action of the trains across the room?


DCC is the plan. Being able to see the trains across the room is something I've thought about, but... I don't know. I welcome your thoughts on that.


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## Mark VerMurlen

I agree that this looks like a very interesting railroad plan to build. Lots of room for landscaping. Do you plan to have the landscape undulate with rolling hills or maybe some ravines or outcroppings?

Mark


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## Stumpy

Mark VerMurlen said:


> Do you plan to have the landscape undulate with rolling hills or maybe some ravines or outcroppings?


Yes. The logging camp and coal mine will be "in the hills". I'm thinking the track sections around the top right corner and between the logging yard and the coal mine - and above the logging camp - will be behind mountains/escarpments (as viewed from the bottom of the layout). Between the logging camp and town will be rolling hills with a river or stream of some sort. Right now I'm not planning any track elevation changes.


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## Nikola

It's too square. Suggest the coal/coke setup be mounted at a 45 with the sidings linking more to the right..


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## MichaelE

You also look to have a couple of 'S' curves in the lower left going into the industries and sidings. 

Might not be bad if you're rolling 40 footers. Longer rolling stock might have trouble.


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## Stumpy

Nikola said:


> It's too square. Suggest the coal/coke setup be mounted at a 45 with the sidings linking more to the right..


Like this?


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## Nikola

Stumpy said:


> Like this?


I was actually thinking 45 the other way. Maybe also rotate the blue box 45 the way you did that one.


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## DonR

Looks interesting. I'm a fan of single track mains
using DCC. You could add a couple of passing sidings
around your main oval. They make possible running
trains opposing...one clockwise, the other counter
clockwise. They need to be a long as the trains
you run to be most effective.


Don


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## Stumpy

Nikola said:


> I was actually thinking 45 the other way. Maybe also rotate the blue box 45 the way you did that one.


Makes for an interesting change. 

I also changed all the track to code 83 and added a siding on the left as DonR suggested.

Brown blobs are mountains... roughly.


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## Nikola

I like it! 

A detail, perhaps move the switches by the green section to the right to give you more room on that siding.


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## Stumpy

Here's the future site of High Rock RR (name subject to change). The final size came out to be 10' x 8'. That gives me 20" to walk all the way around. It's also the reloading room, so... Reloading and Railroading.


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## Stumpy

And the latest iteration of the plan...


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## Nikola

It is really nice. Now let's see you incorporate some old brass into the scenery.


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## Gramps

Very interesting. Is the drawing set up as we look at the room? In other words is the top of the drawing going against the far wall in the photo?


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## Stumpy

Gramps said:


> Very interesting. Is the drawing set up as we look at the room? In other words is the top of the drawing going against the far wall in the photo?


Yes, that's the plan at the moment.


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## Stumpy

Nikola said:


> It is really nice. Now let's see you incorporate some old brass into the scenery.


I'd like to have some "old brass" for that logging line. Everybody's pretty darn proud of their HOn3 stuff.


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## MichaelE

Boy, that logging line is begging for narrow gauge. Nice track plan with lots of scenery possibilities.


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## Stumpy

Since major construction is still a ways off I picked out a kit to cut my teeth on painting and weathering.

This will be the old, dilapidated coal mine. It'll be to the right (west) of the "modern" mine on the layout. The plan is for those mine sidings to pass by/under it. 

All the brown wood needs to be weathered gray and the gray roof needs to be rusted. We'll see how it goes.


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## wvgca

the mine kit is a good place to start, i put one to cover a 'wye' underneath it, not in use


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## Stumpy

That looks great, Warren. As does your entire layout.


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## Stumpy

Some pics of the stream power that will be running High Rock RR one day. 

2-10-0 Decapod, 2-8-0 Consolidation, 0-4-0 Saddle tank, 0-4-0 Side tank.

And a shot of a passenger/baggage car (Tyco or Mantua, I don't remember ATM) that needs an overhaul.

Looks like I should have hit them all with a can of compressed air before the pics.


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## MichaelE

I had that little tank steam engine many many years ago. I believe it was a Tyco.


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## Stumpy

The saddle tank is a Rivarossi. 

The side tank is a Model Power - which doesn't run (according the the eBay add). It's destiny is a static piece in the maintenance yard.


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## Stumpy

Different plan. Put the layout against the walls. Section on the left is 12' x 3' and across the top/back is 13' x 3'.

Green track is elevation change. Town is down, coal/logging are up.

I'm pretty sure I don't like it as much as the 10x10, but it sure does take up less room in the room and it's the same amount of track.
.


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## flyboy2610

Nice layout! I like it. The only thing I would do is try to incorporate a small switching yard somewhere, perhaps in the top center.


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## Stumpy

The roof on that POLA coal mine is giving me a fit, but I'm almost there. Meanwhile I started on the Loco Maint. bldg. from AHM. First pic is the kit out-of-the-box. Second pic is after I "washed in" the brick mortar and (on one side) painted the windows and stone work.
.


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## Stumpy

*Atlas Water Tower - 1962*

Note the price on the box top vs. those on the side.


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## Stumpy

*Atlas Water Tower - 50 years later*

Parts/sprues are exactly the same as the 1962 version, but the colors are a bit different.
.


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## Stumpy

Got started on the backdrop this past weekend. I decided to paint it directly on the concrete block walls.
.


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## MichaelE

Looks great!


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## Stumpy

MichaelE said:


> Looks great!


Thank you.


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## Stumpy

These showed up in the mailbox. So I should probably order those turnouts now. 
.


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## Lemonhawk

To me those are the easiest to install, a single hole drilled after you have the unit installed, then you can screw it to the bottom of the benchwork, no guessing. And you can use a 2 lead bi-color LED in series with the motor and resistor and get a positive indication of which way the turnout is thrown!


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## 89Suburban

Good stuff here!


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## Stumpy

Got some of the farthest-away hills/mtns on the backdrop last night. Needs some dullcote to tone down that shine.

And... the brown truck just left two boxes from Micro Mark. 
.


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## 89Suburban

Nice!


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## Magic

Moving right along there Stumpy.

Looking good, nice improvement over bare walls.

Magic


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## Stumpy

Thanks folks.

In the aforementioned boxes from Micro Mark... 

Got 3 of the switch machines to try out. Searched here and didn't find any mention of them. Of course you can imagine the results searching for "switch+tender" . At $17 ea. I hope they work out.

Got the RSU on advice from members here,
.


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## Stumpy

Wasn't quite happy with the far hills, so I edited them last night.
.


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## VegasN

Looking good!


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## Stumpy

Thanks Vegas.


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## Stumpy

It's time to start benchwork and order track and turnouts, but I'm on the fence about the L-shaped layout.

https://www.modeltrainforum.com/showpost.php?p=2274857&postcount=27

3' deep only allows for 18" radius turns. I'd like to go 4' deep but then I won't be able to reach to the wall without leaning on the bench and I'm not too keen on building in sections, from the wall out. Maybe 42" or 44" is the answer...


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## Stumpy

Backdrop update


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## J.Albert1949

The painted backdrop looks excellent!


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## Stumpy

Bench work today. Settled on 44" depth. 

11' along the side wall & 13' along the back wall.

Made the journey to Home Dee-pot Sunday and got the 2" pink insulation board.
.


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## MichaelE

Now that is what I call solid benchwork.


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## Stumpy

MichaelE said:


> Now that is what I call solid benchwork.




Yeah, it should hold. I was planning on using 1x3, but 2x4 studs are cheaper.


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## Stumpy

Layout plan modified to fit the bench.
.


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## Stumpy

Building progress...

The Pola coal mine. The stairs will be added when I place it on the layout.


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## Stumpy

Engine house by Heljan.


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## Stumpy

Coaling tower & sand house. Still need to rust the roof on the sand house.


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## Stumpy

Car repair shop by BTS. This kit is so detailed that I decided it would be under construction.


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## Stumpy

Freeman Mfg. kit from RDA. Interesting kit. The instructions say: "Glue the walls together. Put the roof on." And that's about it.


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## 89Suburban

Looks nice!


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## Nikola

Wow!!


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## Gramps

Very nice:thumbsup:


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## jlc41

Looking Good, I like it.


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## Stumpy

Almost done with the derelict locomotive for the maint. yard. 

.


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## Imanoolg_33

Looks nice! What did you use for weathering, dust or washes?


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## Stumpy

Imanoolg_33 said:


> Looks nice! What did you use for weathering, dust or washes?


Thanks.

I started with the Vallejo Rust, Stain and Streaking Paint Set for the under-rust... even read the directions. 

After that I mixed up the final "wash" using PolyTranspar water-based airbrush paints (burnt umber, yellow ochre & sienna) and thinned it about 50%. I went over it with that 5-6 times.

The bright wheels, push rods & connecting rods didn't take the paint too well so I hit them with a WS "rusty rail" pen.

The pics are what I used for inspiration - prototypes, as it were.


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## VegasN

Very cool!!


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## Stumpy

Thanks Vegas.

Got a little time in with the pink foam and glue this afternoon.

The change in track height (from left in the 1st pic to right in the 2nd pic) is almost 3" in 16', so roughly 2.5%.
.


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## 89Suburban

Nice!


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## deedub35

Coming along. Love the custom backdrop.


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## katytexasnscaler

Love the derelict locomotive, nice job.
Also agree on the nice work with backdrop. 



“Driving the train doesn’t set its course. The real job is laying the track”


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## Stumpy

Thanks folks.

Got a bit of plaster cloth on. Now that the initial layer is down I'll start laying track. I guess you can see that there's no bench top/foam to the outside of the layout. The plan is to get as far along as possible with the track work and scenery that's against the wall, then do the "near" work. The coal mine in the corner will have to be pretty much completely done before I fill in the remaining benchwork.
.


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## VegasN

That backdrop is sick! And yes, I know what you mean about that roof on the old mine. I built that kit for my small N layout. Although, my kit was old, opened, and warped.....


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## Stumpy

Thanks Vegas.

The corner coal mine.
.


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## VegasN

It has been brought to my attention that the meaning of saying That background is sick, is unknown to some. Sick, today, also means exceptionally cool. Very nice.


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## Stumpy

I'm with ya Vegas... American Chopper.


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## Stumpy

Went down town for lunch today and saw this sitting on the sidewalk outside a thrift/junk store. For $10 I couldn't pass it up. Now to get it out of that hideous gold frame and powder blue matting.
.


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## Stumpy

What's going down?

Track bed.
.


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## MichaelE

Good to see you progressing. Wait 'till you start ballasting.


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## BCFx

You're moving along nicely. Good looking progress so far. 
I got a little more than half my track down and some scenery basics and I've stalled a bit. Seeing your progress motivates me again.


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## Stumpy

The mail man done did good today. I guess doo-doo is fixin' to get serious. 

Figured I'd give the RSU from Micro Mark a test try this evening - since track is getting ready to hit the foam. Good..... grief.... where was this thing back in the late 80's when I was building RS-232 cables with custom pin-outs. I reckon all my conventional soldering irons are now for wood burning.
.


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## SantaFeJim

Peco code 83, excellent choice. :thumbsup:


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## Stumpy

Track going down.
.


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## Stumpy

The Supply House kit is almost done.

Not sure yet what it'll be supplying. 
.


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## sid

that looks nice.


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## Magic

Looks like you're moving right along.

Interesting building, lots o' stuff on it.

One thing I do with plaster cloth on WS risers is to take a sanding block and run over it 
to knock off some of the high spots. The roadbed seems to lay better this way.

Magic


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## Stumpy

Good tip, Magic. Thanks.


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## J.Albert1949

Beautiful job on the supply house.


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## Stumpy

Thanks.


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## Stumpy

Some of my track work on the siding going up the hill looked questionable. hwell: So, in order to see if it was going to be a problem I hooked up a DC power supply I got off of flea bay for $5 and set the loco with the longest driving wheelbase on the track.

The inaugural run on the 'Name TBD' railroad with the 2-10-0 Decapod.






Happy to report I don't need to pull up/re-lay track. 

Sad to report that the little Rivarossi 0-4-0T does not run.  When you apply the juice it lurches about 1/4 inch and that's it.


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## VegasN

Stumpy said:


> Some of my track work on the siding going up the hill looked questionable. hwell: So, in order to see if it was going to be a problem I hooked up a DC power supply I got off of flea bay for $5 and set the loco with the longest driving wheelbase on the track.
> 
> The inaugural run on the 'Name TBD' railroad with the 2-10-0 Decapod.
> 
> https://youtu.be/yDt4cqni47s
> 
> Happy to report I don't need to pull up/re-lay track.
> 
> Sad to report that the little Rivarossi 0-4-0T does not run.  When you apply the juice it lurches about 1/4 inch and that's it.


oh that is so frustrating.....I have a few locomotives that do that......grrr!!


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## Stumpy

Not really "my layout" but...

For our 21st anniversary The Redhead presented me with this for the train room. 13" to the top of the brass ferrule and weighs 10 lbs. 

Funny thing is, I'd just bid on a HO steam loco on ebay that the seller listed as, "NIB but listed as used because it's missing the bell." This should just fit.


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## sid

nice bell . good red head. hahahahaha


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## VegasN

Stumpy said:


> Not really "my layout" but...
> 
> For our 21st anniversary The Redhead presented me with this for the train room. 13" to the top of the brass ferrule and weighs 10 lbs.
> 
> Funny thing is, I'd just bid on a HO steam loco on ebay that the seller listed as, "NIB but listed as used because it's missing the bell." This should just fit.


Beautiful bell!!


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## Stumpy

Got some color on the corner coal mine this weekend. Dang thing looks like Jabba the Hutt.

Also got enough of the truss bridge base built to cut out the river valley, set the end piers for the bridge and start roughing in the river valley/river.
.


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## VegasN

Nice work....looking great. Love the bridge scene so far..
lol, I would not have seen Jabba the Hut until you said something....lol


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## jlc41

Very nice work. I like the way the texture of the block wall adds to the trees they look great.


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## Stumpy

Thanks folks for the kind words.

Work over the weekend:

The truss bridge from hell is done and in place.

And I set the coal mine in place for a photo op.

Got the main track bus run under the bench and all of the feeders to the track that I have so far connected to it. Glad that's done. Main bus is 12G solid copper left over from the basement finishing project. Feeder wire is 18G. Probably over-did the # of feeder connections - So be it. Liquid electrical tape... where have you been all my life?
.


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## Magic

The bridge from hell looks pretty nice.

Magic


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## Stumpy

Thanks Magic. Those bridge kits from Central Valley are a rivet-counter's dream, but you need the patience of Job.


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## MichaelE

Very nice bridge work. The mine building looks great too.


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## Stumpy

Thanks Michael.


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## tankist

Looking good


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## Lemonhawk

Nice work on the bridge! Looks like its been in need of maintenance for years!


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## Stumpy

Lemonhawk said:


> Nice work on the bridge! Looks like its been in need of maintenance for years!


Thanks. That's the look I was after!


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## Gramps

Nice work:thumbsup:


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## Stumpy

The mound o' coal that came with the coal mine kit was driving me nuts, so I fixed that today. I slathered it with 50/50 glue mix & poured WS fine cinder ballast on it.

Before & after pics.
.


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## Stumpy

Ballasting take 1. Mixture of WS brown, dark brown and gray; all fine. 

First 2 pics are before. The ground cover on this side of the track on the bank is walnut sawdust from the shop.

Before I ballasted I hit the ties with Vallejo dark brown, then the rails with Vallejo light rust/dark brown with a fine brush
.


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## Stumpy

While the ballast was setting up I did a little work under the bridge in the river valley. The ground cover is the walnut sawdust again (put on the day before). I started at the back with dense dark conifers to blend with the backdrop, then started thinning them out as I came forward under the bridge. The "boulders", stray logs and the dead tree are from the driveway/yard.
.


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## Stumpy

Rip-rap around the center piling (glue still wet).
.


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## Stumpy

After the ballast had somewhat set up I planted some trees & grass on the bank.
.


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## Magic

Coming along very nicely Stumpy.
I like the weeds under the yellow tree, very nice.
The ballast and track paint also looking good.

Magic


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## sid

pretty neat . i like it . the rocks around the bridge thing is cool too.


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## tankist

That ballast does make quite a difference, eh? 🙂

Looking good


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## 89Suburban

Looks great!!!!


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## Stumpy

Thanks all for the kind words.

Laid outta w**k this afternoon and spread flora at the corner coal mine. You can see the bumpers I made from balsa wood for the three spurs at the coal mine, then put in the berm behind them with globs of plaster cloth.
.


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## Stumpy

The shot from the drone...
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## trainmeup

Stumpy, Great job on this. It looks fantastic. This mine reminds me of the Skyline mine here in Utah. I used to run trains to it for loads. Great Job. This brings back memories. Would love to see your train running through it.


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## Stumpy

Thanks train.

Another thread here caused me to examine my layout. I have no way, prototypically, to turn a loco around. I'm not really setup for a turntable, so I guess I need to work in a wye.


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## J.Albert1949

The coal mine...
... looks fine!


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## VegasN

Its all looking wonderful. Landscaping sure adds a level of realism and depth that most other work does not.


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## Stumpy

Got the turn around the South end of the maint. yard and some of the track in the yard laid down and placed a few structures to get a feel for what it's going to look like. I got in a hurry and glued the wye north of the big engine house shut.  That's going to be fun to fix.
.


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## Stumpy

The coal yard is supposed to go behind the under-construction car repair shop and to the south of the supply house. But to get the coal cars up onto the trestle (so they can dump in the yard) would be a 6 percent grade from the supply house. Not sure what I'm gonna do here. The three track sections in these pics are just staged there.
.


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## Nikola

OP, amazing. I love the fall foliage.


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## Stumpy

Thank you, Nikola.


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## Stumpy

Stumpy said:


> Went down town for lunch today and saw this sitting on the sidewalk outside a thrift/junk store. For $10 I couldn't pass it up. Now to get it out of that hideous gold frame and powder blue matting.


Interesting thing... I picked up a book at a drug store a while back titled _Salisbury and Rowan County_ [NC]. It's one of the "Postcard History Series".

https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?searchText=&seriesfacet=Postcard+History+Series

In the book I found the picture postcard that the charcoal/graphite piece was done from. It is a very good reproduction of the photo. In the book it says this about the postcard...



> The card shows Salisbury's original railroad station. The small building on the right with the door is the watchman's shanty. When a train started out, the watchman came out with a hand sign to stop any traffic on Council Street. The water tank supplied water to the water spout beside the engine. IN March 1907 this depot was torn down.


Over all this book is a great reference to anybody modeling the turn of the century or early 1900s.


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## VegasN

Torn down......how sad.....


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## Lemonhawk

In the framed drawing, note the frog in the right foreground.


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## Nikola

Stumpy, that photo is fantastic! The way the earthen ground covers the ties with the tops of the rails at grade - that is exactly what I was going for on that one section of my little layout.

Well bought!


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## Stumpy

A picture of the picture post card pictured in the book.
.


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## VegasN

Awesome! What a coincidence that you found the drawing, then the book with the original postcard....how very cool!


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## Stumpy

Lemonhawk said:


> In the framed drawing, note the frog in the right foreground.


Oops.


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## Stumpy

Yesterday I put together enough of the building for the coal yard so I could use it to try some different options, which I did this morning before w**k. The "yard" part of the structure was HUGE, so I scaled that back to something more reasonable (half the width). Then I switched it to the center track. Those changes allowed for a longer incline which resulted in a 3.5 percent grade up to the trestle where the car dumps. I guess I can live with that. The downside is that center track was going to be my main "in town" siding - now it's pretty much dedicated to the coal yard. 
.


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## tyronerobinson

Nice look


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## VegasN

Looks very good!!


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## Stumpy

Thanks!

Yesterday I covered the pink foam with some brown latex paint in the yard/industry area. While it was wet I decided to go ahead and throw the first dirt layer on it. I started out sifting the dirt through a strainer to get the fine texture I want but that was going to slow so I just poured it on and pushed it around with a paint brush. Will vacuum up the excess/oversize boulders later.

NC red dirt.


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## sid

some places the over size boulders work great adds to the element i think.


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## VegasN

I agree


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## Stumpy

I decided to try something a little different when ballasting the little-used spur at the corner coal mine. Before laying down the ballast I put some various grass tufts between the rails and outside the rails on the slope. It took about 3x longer to get the ballast pushed into position with the dry brush before applying the alcohol/glue, but I'm pretty happy with the look - other than those clumps of "straw", they look out of scale to me so they're going to get chopped off.
.


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## jlc41

Hey Stumpy, very nice work. I think you are right to tall on the grass and maybe to uniform in there placement and color consistency, just .02 

Joe


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## VegasN

I think they look good....they are a bit tall, I agree. I would just suggest that you make sure your locomotives and cars roll over the tufts in the middle of the tracks.....


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## Stumpy

Thanks gents. Those clumps of broom straw will get the weed-eater treatment. As far as the other weeds in between the rails... everything rolls over 'em just fine. As I'm ballasting, or doing pretty much anything track-wise, I have a spare/loose truck that I'm constantly running over the track to make sure everything's going to stay on track.


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## VegasN

:thumbsup:


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## Nikola

Hey Stump - It is looking fantastic. When everything is dry you can dry brush away any of the bigger stuff, if needed. But as-is I think it is great. I love the grass, etc in the tracks. Really, really nice.


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## Stumpy

Thanks Nikola!

Doors & windows for the car repair shop arrived today.
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## Stumpy

But the real work last night & today happened at the corner coal mine.
.


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## Stumpy

.....


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## Stumpy

.-.-.-


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## Nikola

Nice!


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## VegasN

Love it!!


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## Stumpy

Got stairs and the walk-out attached to the mine structure and the water tower and maint. shed in place, so the corner coal mine is done!
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## Stumpy

-----


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## Stumpy

Maintenance shed & water tower.
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## Stumpy

.....


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## Stumpy

Decapod crossing the trestle bridge.
.


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## Magic

:smilie_daumenpos: :smilie_daumenpos: On the coal mine.
Looks great. 

Magic


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## MichaelE

Those scenes look great.


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## VegasN

Just incredible looking…..I could feel the mood of the scenes....


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## jlc41

That is some very nice work, very realistic, good job.


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## Gramps

Nice work and also nice photography. :thumbsup:


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## Stumpy

Thanks all!


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## Stumpy

Painted...40... Feet... Of ... Track.


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## MichaelE

The bridge detail with the locomotive is fantastic Stumpy. Nice work.


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## Stumpy

Thanks Michael.


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## Stumpy

Been on vacation this past week. We were supposed to go to the coast but Florence changed our plans. So I got a lot of work done on the basement finishing project and some done on the layout. 

The river/river valley got extended to the edge of the layout and I installed a facia using some scrap 1/4" maple plywood. I still have two access holes left in the bench and I'm considering making them removable sections.
.


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## Stumpy

The final layer of NC red dirt was put down on the north end which allowed me to finally get all the structures I have built off the work bench and onto the layout.  Still have a lot of landscaping and finish work to do on that end, but I think the coal yard is finished-done.
.


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## Stumpy

Coal yard.
.


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## Stumpy

Machine shop.


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## Stumpy

Warehouse.
.


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## Stumpy

Large engine house & the derelict locomotive. I used "grime" colored chalk to blacken the bricks above the doors on the eng. house and three different "rust" chalks on the loco (on top of the Vallejo rust paints I'd used earlier). 
.


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## Stumpy

A shot up the back alley, and my favorite pic of ol' rust bucket.
.


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## Gramps

Great stuff. I haven't seen dirt like that since I left Georgia.


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## Magic

Things really shaping up on the ol' RR, looking good Stumpy.

Magic


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## Stumpy

Thanks gents.

Applied the first wash over the base gray on the "granite". I used Black acrylic paint thinned way down with denatured alcohol. I loaded up the paint brush and let it run where ever it wanted to, then dabbed up the puddles with a paper towel.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Been working on other/return bridge over the lazy river. I started by building 20 of these and dunking them in a can of stain.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Once I got all of the pillars installed I added the stringers. In the background you can see I've also been doing some planting on the hill to the right of the bridge from hell.

I've added temporary track - that's just out of frame to the right in the first pic - so I'm now able to run a complete loop. Woo!
.


----------



## Gramps

Nice work, great attention to detail.:thumbsup:


----------



## jlc41

Very nice I like the way it's coming along, good job.


----------



## Stumpy

Thank you!

A shot of the temp track and a better pic of the landscaping on the hill to the right of the truss bridge (I'm pretty happy with the way that turned out).
.


----------



## Stumpy

Trestle bridge. 

The gap is for Farmer Brown to drive his team through, so he can work the bottom land in the foreground. I'm thinking corn.
.


----------



## Magic

The trestle bridge is looking very nice indeed.
Scenery is also coming along, looking good.
I like the fall colors.
You're doing a fine job on this build.

Magic


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Magic.


----------



## 89Suburban

Very nice work!!


----------



## oa5599

This build is beautiful, and so detailed!

A question from way back when laying down the dirt. Did you paint and pour the dirt after you had already laid down track? Or did you remove the track for the dirt layer. 

Excited to see more!


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

When I get to the water on mine, I will be looking back thru this thread and asking a lot of questions. 

I have a few lakes, but have a down hill stream with several small water falls that I have this dream of making with real water recirculating with a coy pond pump. My number one problem, the styrafoam is already cut and painted. Need to know if I can use some type of clear epoxy over it to form banks. But a few months off I am certain.

I wish I had had the knowledge of how things should have been done as to setting up yards and loading areas. I just went with what I thought worked. It will look okay but no way near as organized as your layout. 

Keep up the great work.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks for the kind words folks.

@oa5599... Track bed, track & ballast first, then brown paint, then red dirt. I'm modeling the 1920s-30s and I have this idea (based on looking at tons of pictures) that track ballasting then wasn't as precise and "tidy" as it is today, so I wanted the ballast to blend with the terrain more. That's why the dirt went last. By contrast, the ballast on the "new" section of track at the under-construction car repair shop is more tidy... and a different material/color.

@PoppetFlatsRR... in the beginning I thought about doing real, running water too. But... unless you have a pretty significant elevation change and are moving a LOT of water volume it's going to appear very flat... like a puddle on a calm day. Then there's all the other complications that come with having water on a layout. I've studied lots of water techniques and I think - using artificial water and maybe some Mod Podge - that I'm going to be able to create more "motion" on the river. At least I hope so.


----------



## Chops

Good stuff! Among other things, you have managed to keep within a certain time and place. With so much available, it's hard to maintain that kind of focus. The water thing sounds really interesting. I'd also wonder if live water would eventually get dirty or algae clogged.

If you have the time, I'd really like to see a video of some coal drag, or something doing the deal. Also, I really like your little B&O shunter. Had one of those as a kid, really brings back great memories.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Chops!

Not really in a position to to video a drag right now. Most of my rolling stock is eBray scrounge that I got a for a couple bucks and is either busted up, cheap-o stuff with horn-hook couplers, etc., or kits. What few cars I can pull are shiny-new which makes my eye twitch. :sly:


----------



## Stumpy

Not much going on on the RR the past month other than a bit of landscaping. 

Planted some trees at the end of the warehouse. In the foreground is the "burn pile" so frequently seen in the rural south.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Loco shack got some love.
.


----------



## Stumpy

And some prep work on the lazy river prior to the application of faux H2O.
.


----------



## Stumpy

So how did all of those dead falls get under that trestle bridge?

Answer: PFM.
.


----------



## Stumpy

I'm not sure what the deal is with this old, run down shed on the edge of the woods. I expect there's a still in there, but I'm not going poking around.
.


----------



## Stumpy

2-8-0 at the coaling station.
.


----------



## Chops

:appl:
First time I see your thread. A nicely designed track plan- has many features, yet maintains an elegant simplicity. Your photography is stupendous and model making top notch. Perchance you might shoot and post some video?


----------



## Magic

Looking good Stumpy.
Like how the river scene is looking.

Magic


----------



## 89Suburban

Looking good!


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks folks.

Well, I summoned some intestinal fortitude and poured the river yesterday.

This is what I used... https://www.mckenziesp.com/AW10032-P14098.aspx

I was advised to only pour ~ 1/8" depth at a time, but I ended up with it being 1/4" deep (or more in some places). So right now it's about half of the depth I want. You can see in a couple of the pics that, in some places, the epoxy pulled away from the river bank as it dried. I expect that's because of the depth I poured. 

The ripples/waves/"surface movement" you see... it did that all by itself as it dried. Again, probably because I poured it deeper than advised.
.


----------



## Stumpy

A couple more pics.
.


----------



## Stumpy

One more pic.
.


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

Sir,

Is the base on the stream done with plaster? Have you ever poured water/resin directly over styofoam. I am going to mix up a batch of Famowood and just pour it on cut styrofoam and see what happens.


----------



## Stumpy

Plaster cloth over the plywood base (at the deepest) and pink/blue foam board. All of that painted with water-based paint before I poured the water. 

No, I haven't poured the resin directly on foam.


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

I messed with it a little this afternoon. Did not seem to be a problem. Will work with a few more batches before I pour it on the rapids and waterfalls I have in my stream. Instructions said 20 minutes to work with it, but it was very close to 25 before it became unusable.


----------



## Magic

Stumpy, your stream came out beautiful.

Magic


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

I need to do some more studying for my creek. Thanks for the great picture. How much 
elevation loss do you have. Mine goes down about 13inches in a little over a foot.. Any thoughts sir.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Magic.

PF... it's pretty much flat.


----------



## Stumpy

Lazy river. Second pour. 

Once again the epoxy pulled away from the bank in some places as it dried, but not as bad as the first pour. I'll either back-fill the gap with some dirt or, more likely, plant some weeds along those areas.

I'd like to take credit for how it turned out with the ripples and surface movement, but all I did was mix it and pour it. Overall I'm _very_ happy with the result. So much so that I think I'll add a pond or lake somewhere else on the layout.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Lazy river
.


----------



## Stumpy

Lazy river.
.


----------



## Stumpy

These two pics were taken with flash. Whereas the water appears dark/black in the other pics, these give a somewhat better idea of what the water looks like in person.
.


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## J.Albert1949

That water has a very "natural" appearance...


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## Gramps

Nice work:thumbsup:


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## 89Suburban

Makes me want to jump in and take a swim. Looking great!


----------



## VegasN

Very well done. Makes me anxious to get some water on my layouts......


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## Stumpy

Thanks people!

The never-planned-to-be-that-wide Lazy River valley has caused some "engineering" problems. The first curved turnout before getting into town was moved to the left and down, requiring me to re-think how I'm going to tie in the main line to the spurs and siding in town. I think, with the addition of a short WYE turnout, I have it figured out, but there's going to be some tight radiuses (radii?).


----------



## Stumpy

Did a little 'scaping on the river valley so I sent up the drone for some pics
.


----------



## Stumpy

Some more from ground level.


----------



## leadsled

Excellent colors and detail!


----------



## VegasN

Looking absolutely stunning!!


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

Fantastic Stumpy!!!!!!


----------



## jlc41

That is some very nice work, thanks for posting.


----------



## Gramps

Very nice!:appl:


----------



## Nikola

I love the rural line with fall trees close by each side. Fantastic!


----------



## Chops

:appl:


----------



## Stumpy

Stumpy said:


> Freeman Mfg. kit from RDA. Interesting kit. The instructions say: "Glue the walls together. Put the roof on." And that's about it.


About all I've done lately is some finish work on Freeman Mfg.

I thinned black acrylic paint with denatured alcohol (1:5 or so) and washed the stone with the airbrush. Then I painted individual stones brown & gray. Then I washed the stone about seven more times with the thinned black, pushing the paint into the mortar joints with the airbrush. Then I mixed up some rust wash and brushed it on the roofs. Lost track if the number of times I did that. After that I painted the doors & windows on the small bldg & installed the windows & doors on the other. Still have to add the roof vents & steps.


----------



## Gramps

Very nice work.:thumbsup:


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## PoppetFlatsRR

That is a fine addition to any railroad, you did a great job on it!!!!!


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## jlc41

I like it looks real good.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks all.


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## VegasN

That structure loos great!!


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Vegas.


----------



## Stumpy

Have some RS that isn't period correct. So...

Free to good home:


NIB pair of Rivarossi TPL Co. skeleton log cars - Knuckle couplers - also has horn-hook couplers in box.

Pair of Rivarossi NP skeleton log cars - Knuckle couplers, one broken

Reefer car - no couplers.

Hopper car - knuckle couplers

You pay actual shipping $.


----------



## Stumpy

Cars are spoken for.


----------



## Stumpy

Mostly building construction lately… slow building construction.

First was the 3 kit special from Railway Design Associates (RDA) which consisted of...


Delaney Iron Works: a storage warehouse; a brick office building; and a stone iron works building; a covered walkway to connect the office bldg. to the iron works.

Easton Mill: brick mill bldg. & stone “powerhouse”.

Freeman Mfg.: large stone bldg. (the same as the iron works bldg. from the Delaney kit & seen in post ## above) and a small stone bldg. (same as the powerhouse bldg. from the Easton kit).

The storage warehouse from the Delaney kit was too modern so I set it aside after it was built. Since the “iron works” from the Delaney kit and the large stone building from the Freeman kit were exactly the same structure I set the second one aside.

So the two brick structures became my mill/factory and the three stone structures became my iron works. Still have to add window glazing and paint the vents. Don’t really care for the dock/platforms & stairs that came with the kits so I’ll probably scratch build those from wood.
.


----------



## Stumpy

In these two pics you can see the shells of the company houses that will go between the mill and the iron works (also called mill houses or row houses, depending on where you’re from). The two story houses are “Company House” kits from City Classics and the one story duplexes are the “Company House 6” kits from LMH Funaro. The latter are resin and paper-thin which made them quite a challenge to build square.

In the 2nd pic, across the tracks from the iron works, is the Rico station kit from AHM/Pola. Behind it is the just started “Crosstown Garage” (another RDA kit) and behind that is the “Ma’s Place Diner” (an AHM kit), also still under construction. On the near side of the iron works are the place holders for the fire station.

Never mind those clamps. They’re holding switch control wires & tubes.

Originally this end of the layout was going to be strictly industry, but a couple of weeks ago I realized that industry needed employees and they couldn’t _all_ live in town and they might like a place to have lunch, hence the company housing and the diner.

Once all these structures get finished & I settle on their final location (and get those switches wired) I can decide where the roads – more like vehicle paths – will be and then get to the landscaping.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Another pic of the station. I painted the windows/trim black, slightly weathered the wood siding and added some brown back to the gray shake roof so it would appear not-so-old. I’m not sure if it’ll get to stay on the layout as I think the style is a bit too southwestern, although it does somewhat resemble the station building at the NC Transportation Museum (2nd pic). The not-new kit was missing the platform and a couple of the chimneys, so those will have to be scratch built… if it gets to stay.
.


----------



## Magic

You've been busy and it all looks great.
Things coming along nicely.

Magic


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## Stumpy

Building houses... building houses. And some laser-cut "craftsman" kits - of which the fire station is one. 

Still have a couple of structures to do for this area before I start figuring out the final arrangement, so bldgs. are just temporarily placed for now.

Sorry to report that the Rico station was lost in a tragic fire and won't be on the layout. 

Some pics.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Also decided to ID some structures.
.


----------



## Stumpy

The Ten-Wheeler
.


----------



## Stumpy

Pics.
.


----------



## Stumpy

pics.
.


----------



## Stumpy

more pics.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Last pics for tonight.
.


----------



## MichaelE

Wow that looks good. That top photo is awesome.


----------



## jlc41

Bridge photo 10+ nice work.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks for the kind remarks.

Too much going on IRL lately to spend time on the layout. But a rainy day yesterday allowed me to get back to the "Company House #3" laser-kit by Branchline Trains. I wasn't thrilled with the roofing material, so I made my own out of plain old masking tape. Then I mixed up a few of Vallejo's rust colors and slathered that on. I decided it would be a flop house instead of a residence, so... the decals are my first successful DIY.

(Please disregard that crooked front porch post. Ol' man Johnson backed into that last week when he was delivering groceries. He really shouldn't be driving any more.)


----------



## flyboy2610

That came out pretty good!


----------



## Stumpy

Turnout machine installation today. I installed the three Switch Tender machines that I got to try out (since I couldn't find any info/reviews on them).

Easy, straight forward install. Hooked them up to the Digitrax DS64 Stationary Decoder and *SNAP*. Those things switch a turnout in a second - as opposed to the one Switch Master machine I have installed that takes 4-5 seconds.

Interesting caveat on the DS64 – with four switch motors attached the DC voltage for each of the four turnouts dropped to 9.2. As a result the one Switch Master stopped working. So I’m going to have to swap out the supplied 1200 ohm resistor for one in the 900 ohm range.

I’ll install the remaining five Switch Masters that I have tomorrow. For the remaining turnouts I’ll be buying Switch Tenders.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Some of the crew finally returned from hiatus and resumed work on the car repair shop.
.


----------



## Chaostrain

That's pretty cool!


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Chaos.

All switches done (except the end of the layout that's TBD).

So I took a few smartphone vids for grins.


----------



## Stumpy

Added a couple of diesels to the roster last week. Bachmann GP9s. They run pretty good. 

They'll be changed over to Southern... eventually.

I decided to get a few "transition era" diesels so I could switch up the time period... from time to time. I think what I have going on could work late 20's to early 50's.


----------



## Stumpy

Last year I came across an eBay seller offering 3-D printed WWI & WWII era tanks. I got a couple of Renault FTs in 1/72 scale (close enough). This week I dug them out and dabbed a little paint on them.

Looks like that boxcar is fixin' to get inspected.
.


----------



## Andreash

Nice work.....really enjoyed reading this thread...cheers


----------



## Stumpy

Thank you.


----------



## Stumpy

I've been working to get the layout to a point where I can pause (and pick up some other projects where they were left off), yet have the parts I've been working on mostly complete... mostly. I'm almost there.
.


----------



## Stumpy

.....


----------



## Stumpy

-----


----------



## Stumpy

;;;;;


----------



## Stumpy

On the river bottom
.


----------



## Stumpy

Wide shot of the river and Ma's greasy spoon.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Game of checkers at the feed mill and the facilities.
.


----------



## Stumpy

:::::


----------



## Stumpy

>>>>>


----------



## Stumpy

A small town... somewhere in NC.
.


----------



## Chaostrain

Wow. That's looking good, real good!


----------



## jlc41

Very nicely done.


----------



## Gramps

Excellent work!:appl:


----------



## Andreash

Wow, well done...cheers


----------



## J.Albert1949

Everything _looks great,_ Stumpy -- particularly the "mill town" and the cornfield.

I think "Ma's place" went franchised, as there's one here, too! But it's not as nice as yours!


----------



## 65446

Gee am I glad I noticed this thread is from 2018 !! I almost entered one of my long winded replies on how I like/don't like this or that and my suggestions to improve it !! 
I'll never understand why this happens; that an old thread is in today's or tomorrow's "New Posts".. M, Los Angeles 7/30/19


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks all!


----------



## Stumpy

Details.

Since the major work is mostly done on this leg of the L-shaped layout I've been working on the details. When I first set about this layout I decided against people because... well... I just hadn't seen any that looked all that good and, in addition, they all looked "modern". Then I found the figures by Preiser. Albeit pricey, they look good and they have some that are "period correct". I do think they help bring a layout to life.

This is Lloyd on his way to work at the maintenance shed.


----------



## Stumpy

Bringing the mallet in for service.

Clyde working on the mud hole at the back of the station platform.

Feed mill signage.

Mill house.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Driving Miss Daisy.

Gene & Jean settling up outside the office.

Bringing in the sheaves.

Last pic: This is Carl. While everyone else is working to get the corn in he's digging flowers. 
.


----------



## Stumpy

Grain barrels outside the mill.

The machine shop's junk pile. There are a couple of barrels and some odds & ends left over from other kits in there, but it's mostly a pile of horn-hook couplers from cars that have had Kadees installed. I made the pile, dribbled thin CA glue over it, then added the rust after the glue dried.
.


----------



## Andreash

I like that you named your “people”. I’m so impressed, well done (again)....cheers


----------



## Stumpy

1923 Mack dump truck from Jordan Highway Miniatures. My first crack at one of the Jordan kits. What a tedious build! And I have a bunch more waiting. 

Now hiring: Dump truck driver.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Shot from the drone.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Andreash said:


> I like that you named your “people”. I’m so impressed, well done (again)....cheers


Thank you.


----------



## flyboy2610

Hey, flowers need love, too!


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

I love the truck and the names. Hopefully I will get back to work on my layout soon. I miss checking the site every day and looking at all the kool things you guys do. Another two months of playing with bicycles and going to college football games. Mid October the PoppetFlatts railroad will be back in operation, I promise.

Glad to see all the upgrades, ideas, and fantastic work you youngsters are coming up with


----------



## Stumpy

Poker
.


----------



## Gramps

Great photos and great stories.:appl:


----------



## sid

hahahaha poker night or day hahaha very nice


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks all.


----------



## Stumpy

1. Frank drinks coffee all day.

2. Handcar at the maintenance facility.


----------



## Stumpy

That 80 lb. sack is about to get the best of Slim, so Ed lends a hand.


----------



## Stumpy

Filling in the mud holes between the service station and depot.


----------



## Stumpy

Constable Nelson stepped out the back door of the station to "supervise".


----------



## Stumpy

Railway Express dropping off at the depot.


----------



## Magic

Stumpy, you sure have some fine scenes around the layout.
Great imagination and workmanship.
Very nice indeed.

Magic


----------



## Stumpy

Thank you Magic.


----------



## Lemonhawk

I like the dump truck spreading gravel. Ingenious!:appl:


----------



## Andreash

Stumpy-great attention to detail...cheers


----------



## J.Albert1949

Everything looks *great.*
Who made the express truck pictured in post 289 above?


----------



## Gramps

Gramps said:


> Excellent work!:appl:


it's worth repeating!


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks all!



J.Albert1949 said:


> Everything looks *great.*
> Who made the express truck pictured in post 289 above?


It's a Jordan Highway Miniatures kit (purchased off of fleaBay).


----------



## Stumpy

Two more of the Woodland Scenics metal castings kits. The structures aren't too bad but I've done my last vehicle kit from them.

Loading up at the mill and the ice house. Whenever I get downtown built the ice house will move closer.
.


----------



## Stumpy

1920-something Fordson tractor parked by the shed (Jordan kit).

Bikes from the leftover parts box.
.


----------



## Stumpy

My guess is the age-old "Deere vs. Oliver vs. Allis" debate.

Or politics.


----------



## MichaelE

The details look great Stumpy. Nice work. Really.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Michael!

A couple more vehicles completed yesterday.
.


----------



## Andreash

Stumpy, you set the bar high...nicely done...cheers


----------



## KG Bird

Color me seriously impressed! The fact you even named the people in your layout is doubly cool, maybe I should do that with the people and animals in mine. 

Beautiful work!


----------



## MichaelE

Looks very realistic. Great job.


----------



## jackpresley

*Incredible!*

Really beautiful work. Incredibly realistic and interesting scenes. Your attention to detail is inspiring. But what is most inspiring is when this thread started and where you are now. 

I'm also impressed with your photography. Very professional shots you are sharing with us. Thank you.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks all!

Back from a week at the coast and ready to start planning how the Rust Rock Falls kit is going to fit into the layout.


----------



## Stumpy

Henry Ford said, "You can have it in any color you want, as long as it is black."

Quittin' time at the mine.

After lunch.
.


----------



## Stumpy

The planning committee informed the building committee that automobiles had no way out of town, so a resolution was drawn up and enacted. 

Now we have roads to nowhere.
.


----------



## Stumpy

Down the line.

Step 1a. of the Rust Rock Falls kit - bracing the mill wall sections.
.


----------



## Gramps

Nice photos and I'm looking forward to seeing the progress on Rust Rock Falls.


----------



## Steamfan77

Wow Stumpy, excellent scenery! Overall scenes, and the details are outstanding. Well done, and keep them coming.

Andy


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

Really good sir. As stated every thing looks fantastic

Wish I could get back into it. Having a lot of trouble with my eyes the last month. Glaucoma medication, and I am allergic to it, Eyes are so sore stay in the dark most of the time. Changing medication, want to get busy again.


----------



## Gramps

PoppetFlatsRR said:


> Really good sir. As stated every thing looks fantastic
> 
> Wish I could get back into it. Having a lot of trouble with my eyes the last month. Glaucoma medication, and I am allergic to it, Eyes are so sore stay in the dark most of the time. Changing medication, want to get busy again.


Sorry to hear that, you have an excellent layout. Get well.


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

thanks Gramps, got to play with it a little tonight. First time since June I think.

I need to take some hints from Stump and add more fall color around the track. That will be figured in, in the near future.

Back to Stumpy. It seems to me you have grown rapidly as a landscape artist. Keep up the great work sir.


----------



## Stumpy

Thank you all for the kind words.



PoppetFlatsRR said:


> Back to Stumpy. It seems to me you have grown rapidly as a landscape artist.


Who woulda thunk? Finally found something constructive to do with my OCD.


----------



## Steamfan77

Whatever it is Stumpy, it works well! 

Andy


----------



## Stumpy

*Put a plug in it*

I've started laying out "downtown" using the bases for the structures. Top left is Walthers Merchants Row 2, then Endoline's funeral home from IHC, then shoe shop & Dr's office cast buildings from WS. 

The rest are old Homes of Yesterday & Today kits from IHC. The red in the middle are businesses. The red next to the edge on in the bottom of the pic are townhouses, and the gray bases closest to the river are the painted ladies kits.

Downtown is going to be a lot smaller than I envisioned, but it is a small town after all.

The pink foam plug will be removable - in the event that I need to work on the coal mine. That should be interesting to work out. 
.


----------



## MichaelE

That's looking really good Stumpy. 

I don't know if most of my building are yet in their permanent locations. I'm still playing around with locations, and when I start the scenery in the downtown area across from the station, locations are liable to change once again.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Michael.

Yeah, I expect the buildings will shift around. I don't really like those townhouses right at the edge. I can't get used to the idea that there's a world past the edge of the layout.


----------



## Gramps

I'm looking forward to seeing it finished.


----------



## Steamfan77

Stumpy, the downtown will make a nice scene, big or small. I look forward to the progress.

Andy


----------



## Stumpy

*Stocking stuffer*

1941 Lincoln from Oxford Automobile Company. These die cast models are really nice IMO.

https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/


----------



## Stumpy

An Elevated Gate Tower kit by Atlas showed up under the Christmas tree. The instruction sheet said Copyright 1962. The parts were in three colors: gray for the roof & base, brown for the "wood" parts, and red for the walls - so there wasn't much painting involved, just some light weathering once it was together. 

After it was done I glued some WS "embers" in the coal bin (instead of just painting it black) and on the ground/base around it. Finally I brushed some 50/50 white glue/water on the base and sprinkled on some ground cover so it would blend in. 

The outhouse didn't come with the kit. I borrowed it from elsewhere on the layout where it wasn't really visible anyway.

---

Elevated gate tower (also called a grade crossing tower). Before the years of automatic crossing gates railroad crossings were watched over by a “gateman” located in a typical crossing tower. Gatemen were employed by the railroad. These towers were primitive facilities, heated by a stove (once burning coal and later oil), they had an outhouse at ground level. In the earlier years, when a train was approaching the gateman would come down from the tower and stand up a stop sign on both sides of the crossing (or a red lantern if at night). In later years simple controls were added to activate the warning lights and lower the gates, and a dispatcher's phone. If the gateman had to use the privy, and was in the tower alone, he would “close” the crossing while taking care of business
.


----------



## J.Albert1949

Crossing tower looks great as usual, Stumpy. The privy was a nice touch!


----------



## Andreash

Stumpy, you do good work. Your colour palette (with scenery) is spot on. I loved those Atlas kits as a kid on the 70’s, and even today, they are good kits.


----------



## Gramps

Great work as usual.:thumbsup:


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks all!


----------



## Stumpy

Email ad from Micro-Mark got me. It was on sale! 

Bachmann "Silver" series. Not for the rivet counters, but they'll do fine. I hafta say, they sure do roll good. 


.


----------



## Gramps

I really like the green maintenance car.:thumbsup:


----------



## KG Bird

Beautiful detail, especially the maintenance car!


----------



## Dennis461

KG Bird said:


> Beautiful detail, especially the maintenance car!


I'd fire all the maintenance workers with a broom and shovel that clean


----------



## Stumpy

The USW was coming down pretty hard on the brass at the yarn plant for making the employees jump out of the second story door. So some stairs were installed.

I wasn't into scratch building stairs, so I got an Assorted Steps & Ladders pack from Central Valley. Add a couple of landings cut from styrene sheets and there ya go.

Before & after pics.
.


----------



## Gramps

Great attention to detail.


----------



## Stumpy

Dennis461 said:


> I'd fire all the maintenance workers with a broom and shovel that clean


Better? 
.


----------



## Stumpy

Downtown is going up. First business is done (Homes of Yesterday & Today kit from IHC). Other than washing the walls before assembly to create "mortar" and painting the door "wood" I'm building these kits OOB and will weather the entire downtown all together later. The remaining four I'm doing assembly line style since you can't do much to each one at a time.

Endoline's funeral home is built. Lots of roof accessories, including a pigeon coop. Unlike all the other plastic structures I've built, where the CA glue ran all over the windows unintentionally hwell:, I smeared it all over the skylight glass on purpose.
.


----------



## Gramps

Great stuff! Your attention to detail is amazing.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Gramps!


----------



## MichaelE

I love the maintenance car. Detail is outstanding.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Michael!


----------



## Stumpy

I'm a sucker for an "undecorated" loco.

Runs good on the DC test track. Now to convert it to DCC.
.


----------



## Gramps

Nice find, I always liked the BL2. They were sort of a transition from cab units to road switchers.


----------



## Stumpy

All of the buildings are done for Small Town USA. And the first pass at weathering (aka: covering my CA glue bleaching) is done.

I abandoned the Walther's Merchants Row II kit and went with the smaller general store and barber shop/laundry kits from IHC. It required rearranging the town, but I like it better. 
.


----------



## Stumpy

Nice day for a float down the river.

But, honey, you'll need to duck in a minute.
.


----------



## Stumpy

When I'm in the room I can even see the mortar joints in the concrete block walls, but in the pics that's all I can see.

Hindsight is perfect...


----------



## Gramps

Looks good, Where did you get the HO boat people?


----------



## MichaelE

Very nice work. I like the water effect.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks!



Gramps said:


> Looks good, Where did you get the HO boat people?


Walthers SceneMaster... https://www.trainlife.com/collections/figures/products/ho-scale-row-boat-and-2-passengers


----------



## tankist

Stumpy said:


> When I'm in the room I can even see the mortar joints in the concrete block walls, but in the pics that's all I can see.
> 
> Hindsight is perfect...


the joints indeed are a major distraction. 
is there no room to slide cardstock behind the scenery and repaint the background on it? it's more work, but I think it will bump the quality of your layout to the next step


----------



## nxn

Well it looks great and if you don't see the block edges when you are in the room, that's what matters. However it should be possible to paint the edges of the cracks to make them disappear or nearly so. If the lighting is always from the same direction - I assume a fixed light hanging from the ceiling (?) then you can paint the darker edge of the mortar a lighter color and the lighter edge a darker color and it will appear flat. This is the same effect used in the 3-dimensional computer user interfaces popular in the 1990s.

Dave

PS actually it reminded me of arty double exposure photos from the 1970s:


----------



## Lemonhawk

You did such a nice job painting the backdrop, I would hesitate to do it all over just to cover the block joints. Yes they're visible, but probably its the photos that make it really visible. You might experiment with using spackle to smooth out the joints so you only have to repaint a little, but honestly I would live with it.


----------



## Stumpy

tankist said:


> is there no room to slide cardstock behind the scenery and repaint the background on it? it's more work, but I think it will bump the quality of your layout to the next step


I've actually considered redoing it on luan and gluing it to the wall with liquid nails. Still may... someday.




nxn said:


> Well it looks great and if you don't see the block edges when you are in the room, that's what matters. However it should be possible to paint the edges of the cracks to make them disappear or nearly so. If the lighting is always from the same direction - I assume a fixed light hanging from the ceiling (?) then you can paint the darker edge of the mortar a lighter color and the lighter edge a darker color and it will appear flat. This is the same effect used in the 3-dimensional computer user interfaces popular in the 1990s.


Thanks. And an interesting idea, but I'd have to swing from the ceiling. 




Lemonhawk said:


> You did such a nice job painting the backdrop, I would hesitate to do it all over just to cover the block joints. Yes they're visible, but probably its the photos that make it really visible. You might experiment with using spackle to smooth out the joints so you only have to repaint a little, but honestly I would live with it.


Thanks. Yeah, "live with it" is where I am for now.


----------



## Stumpy

*Roundhouse 40' boxcar kits*

The undecorated kit's instructions said "Copyright 1963". The Virginian's said "1978". 

The car boxes were pretty much the same other than the style. Although I managed to not break anything, the plastic in the '63 kit seemed to be way more brittle/fragile. Could simply be a matter of age.

The '63 underframe is cast metal (so it makes up the weight of the car) and the plastic strip goes on top as you can see in the pic of the assembly sheet (3rd pic). 

The '78 underframe is plastic and the metal weights attach to it inside the car.

The '63 trucks are unassembled and the horn-hook couplers are cast metal (2nd pic), which I've never seen before. They'll go in the scrap box and Kadee trucks and couplers will be installed.

The '78 trucks were assembled, but they got Kadee metal wheel sets. Kadee couplers will be installed.

Note the colloqialism in the last pic of the '78 assembly sheet. 
.


----------



## MichaelE

Plastic 'warsher'?

I can't remember the area of the country people pronounce wash, washer, washed, etc, with an R.


----------



## DonR

That harsh 'R' pronunciation as in 'warsh' has been often used
in 'them thar hills'...and in movie and TV scenes
involving 'red necks'.

However, in the case of the manual...looks like a
plain ole typo to me.

Don


----------



## Stumpy

"Warsh" is common in Appalachia. On the southern end at least.

Yeah, Don, it's spelled right on the reverse side. 

Being told to, "Warsh up with a warsh rag" my entire youth, I found it funny as he...


----------



## kilowatt62

"Warsh" 

Oh yeah. Very common in the Pittsburgh area of wstrn PA. Although, pronounced more like, "worsh". 
Pretty much our own language here. "Yinz gahn 'nere to da laundrymat an git them clothes all worshed up n'at?"


----------



## Stumpy

*Planting trees in town*

Small towns that have no green strips between the buildings or sidewalk or street often cut or form holes in the sidewalk for trees. Such will be the case in my town. But, my town sits on top of one of the "donut holes" on the layout - a section that will be removable for emergency access/repair of sections I can't reach (i.e.: the corner coal mine). So the buildings that make up downtown will not be permanently attached.

So I drilled a hole in the side walk and placed the building on wax paper, filled the hole with white glue, set the tree in the hole and "braced" it. Finally I sprinkled some fine gray ballast on the glue.
.


----------



## Stumpy

24 hours later, peel the buildings off of the wax paper and shake/brush off the excess "landscaping stone".
.


----------



## NorfolkSouthernguy

Nothing wrong with your idea Stump and the fall colored foliage does give the scene that home town cozy look. However, would it look better to use smaller in diameter trees? 

The only reason I ask is the tree tops size blocks your shop entrances/sidewalks/shop name signs and window details a bit. 

That’s just my 2 cents and at the end of the day it’s your layout to do as you wish. Either way it looks good honestly. :thumbsup:


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks NSG!

Here's some prototype pics.
.


----------



## Gramps

Good idea and it's not just small towns that do that. Many of the streets in Manhattan have trees planted the same way.:thumbsup:


----------



## NorfolkSouthernguy

Stumpy said:


> Thanks NSG!
> 
> Here's some prototype pics.
> .


Ahhh well then heck if you are going for the same look as those photos you are spot on my friend. 

Stump - I just saw your layout shots of the river you made. Looks fantastic! Can I ask what material you used to make your water ways?

Also, what is your favorite road name to collect?


----------



## Stumpy

NorfolkSouthernguy said:


> Stump - I just saw your layout shots of the river you made. Looks fantastic! Can I ask what material you used to make your water ways?


The landform is sheet insulation foam and plaster cloth. Go back to post #162 on page 17 to see the beginning.

The water is this... https://www.mckenziesp.com/AW10032-P14098.aspx 

Go back to post #195 on page 20 for details about the pour.



NorfolkSouthernguy said:


> Also, what is your favorite road name to collect?


Not really _one_ favorite, but I'm trying to stick with Southern, N&W & Virginian because that's what plied the rails in the era/area I'm modeling. I have a lot of painting & re-decaling to do. I have a couple of Pennsy cars that I'll let stay, but that Santa Fe & UP equipment has got to go!


----------



## Stumpy

Un-road naming locos and cars tonight with rattle cans. Several light coats with plenty of time to dry in between. 

The stock cars were brown. They came out sorta-kinda reversed weathered. Sometimes sh!+ just works out. 
.


----------



## NorfolkSouthernguy

Stumpy said:


> Un-road naming locos and cars tonight with rattle cans. Several light coats with plenty of time to dry in between.
> 
> The stock cars were brown. They came out sorta-kinda reversed weathered. Sometimes sh!+ just works out.
> .


Yo Stump! Have you ever made a video of your entire layout? I would love to see a good layout tour if you don’t mind to share. :thumbsup:


----------



## Stumpy

NorfolkSouthernguy said:


> Yo Stump! Have you ever made a video of your entire layout? I would love to see a good layout tour if you don’t mind to share. :thumbsup:


I'll see what I can put together.


----------



## Stumpy

*GP7*

Ebay find. Wasn't listed as DCC-Ready (but I could tell from the pics it was) so I got it for a song.. and it's mint.

Slapped a Lias decoder in it and took it for a drive. Smooth as can be. I'll pull the shell tonight and put in a Lias stay-alive kit (although cramming it in there is going to be tight) then mount the couplers.

Since Seaboard Air Line operated in my area/era it gets to keep it's paint. And now I'm accumulating some SAL rolling stock.
.


----------



## Stumpy

I've been applying decals to unlettered or painted-over equipment. Those for the Mallet I made myself on the laser printer.
.


----------



## Gramps

Nice find.


----------



## tankist

Proto 2Ks are indeed fine engines. can be had for a really good price. Level of detail is still on par. DCR readiness is really a no issue because a full teardown for removing old lube is needed anyways. While it's apart might might well install a board replacement decoder. 

I


----------



## Stumpy

Stumpy said:


> And now I'm accumulating some SAL rolling stock.
> .


So I've accumulated 12 box cars (9 Seaboard Air Line, 2 Atlantic Coast Line and 1 Florida East Coast) and I repainted/decal'd a caboose to make up my "sea/coast" drag. 

The PRR GP9s are doing the dragging because, for a yet unknown reason, the new Seaboard GP7 is shorting the track. 






Note in the last pass in the video the front truck of the second car is derailed, but it re-railed when it hit the grade crossing.


----------



## Stumpy

When building the kits and handling the cars of the Sea/Coast drag there is a noticeable difference in their weight. So much so that I got out the kitchen scales and weighed them.
.


----------



## Stumpy

And, speaking of car weights, those in the Branchline kit were... interesting.
.


----------



## gardena_shortline

Hey, use what you got. I tend to overweight my cars. Helps with operational realism and reliability with short trains on my switching layout.


----------



## Stumpy

Have some 1/4 oz. stick-on auto wheel weights. I'll get them closer.


----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

Looking Good Sir!!!!

Some great paint work on the back drop.


----------



## Stumpy

*IHC Derrick Car kit*

1. As built out of the box... almost. I had painted over the road name.
2. Load added.
3. Weathering part 1. A light wash on the decking.
4&5. Cables added & weathering done. Vallejo light rust, then Vallejo dark rust, then alcohol to blend it.
6. Back on the layout.
.


----------



## Gramps

Looks great, I liked the photos of each step.:thumbsup:


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Gramps!


----------



## Stumpy

*Small Town - Part I*

1. Recap: The pink foam plug is removable in case I need access to the corner coal mine. 

2. I cut the town footprint out of corrugated sheet styrene (yard sign material). The sheet will not be fastened in any way and the buildings will not be fastened to the sheet.

3. The pie-shaped area across the tracks from town was going to be townhouses. But, with the thought that, “You don’t need to cram a building in every space”, I decided to fill in with trees. So that’s my usual leaf litter – walnut sawdust.

4. Forestation started. 

5. Faller cobblestone sheet glued to the styrene & balsa wood border (to hide the edge of the sheet).

6. Shot from the drone. Forestation in the pie-shaped woods complete. Ran out of cobblestone sheet, so town stopped for a week.
.


----------



## Stumpy

*Small Town - Part II*

Pics 1,2 & 3: With more cobblestone sheet on hand paving continued. I wasn’t really liking how bright the cobblestone was, so it got a wash down with black acrylic paint heavily diluted with denatured alcohol.

Pic 4. An odd shaped area became a green space filled with maple trees and aster flowers.
.


----------



## Stumpy

*Small Town - Part III*

A bit of landscaping and touch-up to do, but for the most part it's a wrap.
.


----------



## Stumpy

*Small Town - Part IV*

.....


----------



## Gramps

Very nice town and such well dressed residents.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks again Gramps!

Yeah, "back in the day" people didn't go to Wally World in their PJs. 

Even in the late 1980's my Grandpa wouldn't go to town without putting on a clean shirt and a tie, even if he was going to the barber shop or the stock yard. And he never left the house without putting on his fedora.


----------



## mustangcobra94

i got some of the row house kits they look good built


----------



## Stumpy

The six o'clock


----------



## MichaelE

Stumpy said:


> Thanks again Gramps!
> 
> Yeah, "back in the day" people didn't go to Wally World in their PJs.
> 
> Even in the late 1980's my Grandpa wouldn't go to town without putting on a clean shirt and a tie, even if he was going to the barber shop or the stock yard. And he never left the house without putting on his fedora.


I remember those day, but it was closer to the late '60's for me.

Great looking houses and I love that 1920's feel.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Michael.

That was a very rural part of SW Virginia. Even today there are "silver seniors" there that won't go to town "looking like that".


----------



## Gramps

Stumpy said:


> Thanks again Gramps!
> 
> Yeah, "back in the day" people didn't go to Wally World in their PJs.
> 
> Even in the late 1980's my Grandpa wouldn't go to town without putting on a clean shirt and a tie, even if he was going to the barber shop or the stock yard. And he never left the house without putting on his fedora.


After he became president in 1961, JFK did not wear a hat with his suit. My Dad never got over that.


----------



## Stumpy

To the other end of the layout.

Wasn't planning on doing any tunneling, but...

Looks steep in the pic, but it's only a 2.5% grade.
.


----------



## MichaelE

For the layout I'm currently working on, multi-level and tunnels were a must-have. I had always wanted to build a multiple level layout but never had the space to get a track up, over, and down again that looked realistic.

I'm very happy with my grades and tunnels. What I like most is that it really breaks up the merry-go-'round effect of a continuous loop. It doesn't really look like it's part of the same track.

The trains exit the tunnel on the upper level in a level condition and start an almost imperceptible descent shortly before entering the next tunnel. On the lower level they also exit the tunnel level. 

The only real grade you see is on the back side of the layout for the 13' 2.5% climb to the upper level. You have to be standing to see it though. I do like watching trains on that long stretch. It's the only time on the layout I can look at a whole train on a straight section of track.

What are your plans for the track where the sub-roadbed ends at the top of the curve?


----------



## Stumpy

Every time I see your layout, Michael, I wish I'd planned multi-level from the get-go, for the reasons you stated. But alas.



MichaelE said:


> What are your plans for the track where the sub-roadbed ends at the top of the curve?


Not quite sure how it's all going to work out, but this loop is going to amount to nothing more than a spur serving the mill from the Rust Rock Falls kit.









Rust Rock Falls - HO Scale Limited Run Kit


SOLD OUT Welcome to Rust Rock Falls! This is our 2019 HO Scale Limited Run Kit - Only 200 Will Be Made Please read before ordering: 1- Be sure you are selecting correct item per your location for shipping; US / Canada / International - THIS SELECTION IS USA ONLY 2- This kit offers an...




fosscalemodels.com





If built according to the instructions the falls need to fall 5 1/2 inches (but I don't think I'll get quite that much height) so I had to loop up to gain the elevation. The added bonus is the main line tunnel.

The part that's really bothering me is that section of track against the wall as you start up the loop... it's going to tunnel _under_ the stream.


----------



## Stumpy

Finished the mainline glue-down. Super-elevated the turn from the last/3rd ammo box at the top until it returned to the base level.


----------



## Stumpy

A shot down the line... so y'all can see my superior track laying skillz on that center line.


----------



## Magic

Stumpy, you better get your track crew into some type of rehab program. 
I put mine into AA and things straightened right out. 

Magic


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Hi Stumpy, you've got a really fine looking layout going on there. You have amazing attention to detail in your models and scenes that's very impressive. There's lots to see and notice as someone looks around your layout. Congrats on such a great railroad!

- Mark


----------



## Stumpy

Thank you, Mark.


----------



## Stumpy

The original plan for that turnout on the right was to be a double spur to the logging operation. But the logging operation got abandoned in favor of the Rust Rock Falls kit that will be to focal point of this end of the layout. So instead of pulling the turnout up I was just going to abandon the inside leg. Then it hit me. That inside leg now leads to a future layout expansion.


----------



## Stumpy

*The Plateau*

Where the track against the wall passes under the foam board I have less than 3" clearance from the top of the rail - and that's where the river is supposed to come through. I don't really want to raise the foam board up because that would make the last part of the grade too steep. I don't have this figured out yet.


----------



## Stumpy

Got the PRR GP9s changed over to Southern, and different road numbers. Putting decals in those number boards... Gaahh!


----------



## Magic

Very nice work on that stream, you can see the reflection of the train as it goes over the bridge. 

Magic


----------



## Stumpy

The stock car with the shiny silver top and ends was making my eye twitch, so I fixed it. I didn't take any before pics, but it is the car behind the tender in the video in post #387 above.


----------



## Stumpy

The water will run over a spillway (white piece of foam in the back) just before the track bed, pass under the track and by the mill which will be on the bank on the right. Past the mill is the big/high fall.

Fun with plaster cloth soon.


----------



## Stumpy

Trying out vimeo.

N&W 2-8-0 Consolidation # 718 crossing the river. 

Appears to be going a LOT faster than it was.


----------



## Stumpy

This past Saturday morning...


----------



## Stumpy

This past Saturday evening...


----------



## Stumpy

This past Sunday evening.

The 2nd pic shows access hole #1 which will be filled with a "plug".

The 3rd pic shows access hole #2 which will be normally covered by facia board.


----------



## Stumpy

The first pic is the pieces that make the "plug" for access hole #1.

The tunnel portals will also lift straight up to allow me to get an arm in there for... whatever.


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Thanks for the update. You’re making good progress!


----------



## Stumpy

I was browsing around ShapeWays and came across these 1920's era tractors. Had to get a couple. The detail is incredible.


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

That’s cool looking! Needs a little paint.


----------



## Stumpy

Since the plaster isn't ready to paint I spent the day in SCARM working on the layout expansion mentioned a few posts ago. I've decided it's going to be a yard/staging area since I've been acquiring a bit of rolling stock for obscure/small - and mostly fallen - road names from the southeast. First pic is the entire layout with the yard added to the original L shape, then a closeup of the yard.

It's pretty ambitious and I wish there was more than one way/track in & out. But, hey, it is what it is. With the exception of one crossing I'll have to hand-lay, all turnouts & crossings are are PECO. 

All opinions/advice welcome.


----------



## Magic

Ambitious indeed, should not only be a changeling building experience but 
a interesting operational one as well. 

Are all those diagonal tracks crossings or are you thinking double slip switches?

Magic


----------



## MichaelE

I was thinking of the same question. I would want access to all of the crossing tracks.


----------



## Stumpy

Magic said:


> Are all those diagonal tracks crossings or are you thinking double slip switches?


Double slip.


----------



## J.Albert1949

Stumpy -

Looking at your yard plan, the switch into the third track from the left doesn't make sense, because there isn't really enough room to hold even an engine and a car.

I'd make that "straight iron" (no switch).

The second from the left track should have just a left-hand turnout, and even that will be just enough to hold an engine and a car (perhaps two cars). Or...

You might need to lengthen those tracks a bit.


----------



## cid

I think, based on my vast experience with yard operations, 🤣 🤣 that it's a good place to idle the shunter.


----------



## Stumpy

J.Albert - Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, same thing with the three tracks on the right side. If I do what you suggest for both that's two fewer double slip switche💲 and four fewer turnout motor💲.

The other two walls in the room are lined with counter-height work space. The bottom edge of the yard is 42" from the edge of the counter as drawn. I could extend the yard six more inches, but that's about it.


----------



## Stumpy

Yard take 2. Added six inches to the long edge, so the dimensions are now 40" x 78".


----------



## Stumpy

Removable hillside pieces in their place. The plan is for some judicious tree placement to conceal the remaining black hole and blend it all in.












And the base gray paint is going on.


----------



## Magic

Looking very good so far Stumpy, should prove very interesting to see trains running on this. 

Magic


----------



## MichaelE

Yep, that certainly has come a long way. Keep up the good work.


----------



## Stumpy

First pic is before. The rest are after the first round of warsh was put on.


----------



## Stumpy

Motivation is lacking. So just some pics around the RR.

Last pic is what arrived in the mail today.


----------



## MichaelE

Awesome stuff Stumpy!! I love the photos!.


----------



## Gramps

Your photography skills are as good as your modeling skills.


----------



## Stumpy

N&W J-Class #600 pulled into Eastwood Ridge today. Word is a bigwig from N&W is aboard. The maintenance facilities here are privately owned and the railroads pay for locomotive service and repair. Must be going well since they're building a car repair shop. N&W is probably making a bid to buy it out. Stay tuned...

_-- Lloyd_


----------



## Stumpy

SAL ALCO RS-3 showed up in the post. Bachmann, DCC w/sound. Just as I ordered it back in March everything shutdown because of the damn-panic. So 2+ months later it's here.

Sound? No. It wasn't obnoxiously loud out of the box and the quality was better than most I've heard - which isn't that many. I just don't care for it.

It's a low-ry-der. Full stop when it slams into a couple of my wood grade crossings (although it clears the one in the 2nd pic w/o a problem). Had a couple of cars whose trucks were dragging over those crossings. Now I guess I _have_ to tear them out and fix them.


----------



## Gramps

That's a nice looking loco, good luck with your modifications.


----------



## Stumpy




----------



## 65steam

You have a beautiful layout. I like how you have made good use of old kits. 

I didn't think the colors the Supply House was molded in could be workable, but you've shown me otherwise. Here's mine, which I'm also turning into a feed mill. (I cut the back side off for use as a warehouse elsewhere on my layout, because I couldn't bear to have so much detail hidden from sight.)


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks 65.

Your Supply House looks great!


----------



## 65steam

Thanks!


----------



## MichaelE

Great video Stumpy. The layout looks wonderful.


----------



## The USRA Guy

Wow, that autumn theme is just stunning! I love the residential complex near the bridge.👍


----------



## Stumpy

Baloney's Barn from Showcase Miniatures. Laser cut kit. Not too difficult, but tedious. "Can be built in 1 to 2 evenings" is pushing it - IOW it didn't happen.

Hydromist paints used to make the wash to turn the wood gray. Vallejo light rust on the tin roof. Then, 20 years later, Vallejo dark rust.

Rust trivia: Light, bright orange rust is actually eating the metal. Dark rust – sometimes it appears almost purple – has stabilized or “skinned” and actually protects the metal from farther, deeper oxidation. That said, rust never sleeps.


----------



## Stumpy




----------



## The USRA Guy

Looks as sharp as an old beat up barn can😅 Anything else new going on with the layout?


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Looks great!


----------



## MichaelE

Now you need a Red Man tobacco ad on the roof. Or Merrimack Caverns ad.


----------



## Gramps

I never stop being amazed by your work!


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks guys!



The USRA Guy said:


> Anything else new going on with the layout?


Kinda slow presently. I was pondering on the proposed layout expansion/yard (see post #413) and I got the wild idea that I could maybe extend some track off of the mid and/or upper levels of the mesa and make the expansion two levels. So work came to a halt on the mesa & waterfall.

That's why I started working on the farm (Baloney's barn and a two story farm house), which will sit on top of the lift-out section between the river and the mesa.


----------



## Stumpy

American Model Builders Two Story Farm House: As I ranted before, each window is 5 pieces... but., you can do some windows raised half, part or all the way.


----------



## MichaelE

Nice house Stumpy. It reminds me a bit of the Walton's home. Or rather Earl Hammer Jr.


----------



## J.Albert1949

You made the farm house look easy... 😀


----------



## Gramps

Well done, as usual.


----------



## The USRA Guy

Beautiful work, I lived in a house exactly like that a few years ago!


----------



## Stumpy

Laundry


----------



## Andreash

Your killing me....excellent work as usual...cheers


----------



## Gramps

Yes, outstanding, where do you get such specific type figures like the clothes line ladies?


----------



## Stumpy

Gramps said:


> where do you get such specific type figures like the clothes line ladies?


They're all Prieser figures.


----------



## Stumpy

Maiden voyage to the top of the mesa.


----------



## Stumpy

The GP7s pull over 2 lbs. up the hill at whatever speed. No need to get a running start like the Consolidations require.


----------



## Stumpy

The RedHead's hobby is crochet. Hence the name of the factory/warehouse.

I've been looking for just the right boxcar for this. This Athearn mustard yellow undecorated popped up on fleabay... there it is. Custom decal for the "road name" and the rest from the decal scrap bin.


----------



## Stumpy

Front Range boxcar kit

No instructions in the box, so I hit google and they came up on HO Seeker. Probably the most detailed kit I've put together to-date - ladders, grab irons, etc. weren't molded on to the box.

Kadee couplers and wheelsets added.

The decals for a local road name I purchased a while back. I first tried them on another car and failed miserably. As you can see from the pics the decal film is very thick and doesn't "lay down" very well. So I thought I'd try them on this smooth-side car. Hopefully a treatment with Micro-Sol will flatten them out more and then a shot of dullcote will blend them in.

In my search for the instructions I came across some interesting, old forum threads about the Front Range brand. Seems the "entrepreneur" that started this company was a little less than forthright in his business dealings and this FR brand wasn't his first shady shenanigans.


----------



## Stumpy

ebay find. One of those obscure road names. Says "MHM ( I think) made in Austria" on the underbody.

Looks to be 125 grain, .38 cal wadcutters for weights... screwed in. Given that bolt holding the coupler in I don't think that needs upgrading... should hold.


----------



## Stumpy

Late for the big game.


----------



## Stumpy

Ed's Block Ice. White metal Woodland Scenics kit.


----------



## Stumpy

Since ballasting track is next on the list I decided to build/upgrade some rolling stock over the weekend. For me "upgrade" = KaDee couplers if not already equipped, Kadee metal wheelsets or trucks and adding weight if needed.

So I added three cars to the consist of the SRR Consolidation - bringing the total to 13 cars - and it couldn't make it up the grade on the main line. It broke traction and started wheelslip as it was passing the turnout for the siding (where the GP9s and three cars are parked in the video). Just before it got to the water tower at the coal mine forward movement stopped. 

So I backed it down, un-hooked the Consolidation and hooked up the Challenger. No problem. So I added the 8 car consist that I had hooked to the N&W Consolidation. No problem. I think the thing would pull every car I have RTR up that grade.

With the exception of the three tankers, all cars are within a half ounce of the NMRA recommended weight.


----------



## Stumpy

35 cars behind the GP9s. I guess I'm in a bit of a, "Show me what ya got." mode.


----------



## Stumpy

Other than getting the two turnouts next to the back wall perfect consistent, not much going on.

So, since there has been some discussion on viewing angle lately, pics...


----------



## Stumpy




----------



## Stumpy




----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Every time I see your layout, the Fall colors really pop out and makes your layout quite unique. Well done!


----------



## Gramps

Cool photos and I really like that trestle construction.


----------



## Stumpy

Tonight the last ballasting is done.


----------



## Stumpy

New power. Yeah... another GP7. I like 'em.


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Congrats on finishing your ballasting! That’s always a day for celebration.


----------



## Gramps

Nice work and a great looking Geep.


----------



## Stumpy

I found something I wanted on ebay, so, as always, I went to the seller's listings to see if he had anything else I needed in order to subsidize shipping.

A molasses mine? WTH is that?



> The classic "Molasses Mine & Factory" article by the late E.L. Moore (one of the most prolific structure builders, article writers , and punsters ever) appeared in the February 1969 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. In typical tongue in cheek fashion Moore wrote that the plant was "nearly true to prototype" based on sketches drawn in a "few minutes by one of the mine's former employees" when they were thrown together in the same jail cell in Bryson City in 1930 ("we met in an informal sort of way") and which Moore conceded differed from a "small line drawing" in the 1905 Compton's Encyclopedia. It seems a thick vein of molasses ore had been found at Gunstick Knob in the Smokies and that an old lumber mill was converted for the purpose with a melting vat added. The plant closed in 1907 due to Revenooers questioning the patent medicine (read: liquor) output, plus someone in the cane sugar molasses business bribed an employee for a copy of the secret formula, and to make matters worse, the vein of molasses petered out. Sic transit gloria mundi.
> 
> A photo caption allowed as to how molasses mining had its risks -- several miners suffered from sore gums.
> 
> Most EL Moore structures had some basis in a prototype but this one appears to have been entirely engineered in his fertile brain. Having said that it might resemble a highly rural liquor distillery that could have received rail traffic back in the steam days.
> 
> Or maybe not.


The above quote lifted from here... Molasses mine ! - Model Railroader Magazine - Model Railroading, Model Trains, Reviews, Track Plans, and Forums

So I had to have this "legendary" kit since it was still in shrink wrap.

Now where am I going to put it?


----------



## Stumpy

Just pics


----------



## Stumpy




----------



## Stumpy




----------



## MichaelE

Nice photos of a great layout Stumpy.


----------



## Stumpy




----------



## Gramps

There's nothing else to add to what has been said, great photos of a greatly detailed layout. Keep posting, (and showing off).


----------



## Stumpy

Farming.

As you may recall, this is one of the two lift-out sections on the layout. That would be _emergency_ lift-out sections because removing them will disrupt some landscaping.

Still a bit of work to go, but getting there.


----------



## MichaelE

Looks great Stumpy. I really like the barn. It looks like so many that you find in the Midwest.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Michael.

I guess I need to put those WWI tanks away except for situational photo ops. 🤪


----------



## J.Albert1949

The liftout section looks pretty-well-disguised with the house, barn and shed...


----------



## Stumpy

Getting there...


----------



## Gramps

Nice!


----------



## J.Albert1949

Nice setting... can't even tell it's an "access panel"...


----------



## BigGRacing

Incredible Layout ! You have me now considering that mountain climb into my track plan.


----------



## Stumpy




----------



## Stumpy

The white metal WS kits are a royal PITA.


----------



## BigGRacing

Beautiful work Stumpy ! There is a video online that I saw two weeks ago where another HO modeller has his digging into a hill. Is it your intention to have it move some day?


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks G. Should have the rigging done this weekend, then final weathering wash. No, no moving... too fragile. It'll sit on the other side of the equipment/welding shed with the Cat Twenty.


----------



## Stumpy

I would have never thunk the drive shaft(s?) would actually drive the loco, but it/they do.

Most of the herky-jerky in the video is me.


----------



## MichaelE

Love those Shay locomotives. Nice job.


----------



## BigGRacing

I am seeing so many historic steam era equipment, are these items still readily available, or are they mainly engines that modellers have had for a long time already?


----------



## Stumpy

They're still available from many brands.

The Shay is/was a NOS Bachmann Spectrum that was still in the shrink wrap. This particular model has been discontinued for some time (and Bachmann has phased out the "Spectrum" line), but this one turned up on ebay for a good price, so I jumped on it. I've been wanting one since I started this Model RR trip 2 1/2 years ago, so patience comes in handy.


----------



## Stumpy

The excavator is in it's final rusting place.


----------



## Stumpy

Despite his back trouble, Pops goes out to the barn every afternoon. Come supper time we get an inspection report and told what needs to be fixed.


----------



## 65446

📌
*Your modeling ability* is quite nice !!
I like all your ideas, period, setting; I kinda call it the 'turnbuckle era'... which I've always had a soft spot for and certainly remain more steam than diesel for that same reason..
Only things I'd rather have seen is this becoming a true 'point to point' (with a continual option-track) RR; one or both ends having turning facilities: turntable, wye, balloon track..w/engine house/ash pit etc..And, shape of bench a bent dog bone or water wings instead of circular, which also forces duck-unders or a lift/drop bridge in the track...both a hassle..
I happen to like being forced to operate like the 1:1 scale, having to turn trains at the end/s of the line or midway with wye/interchange activity...
But, that's me. I fully respect it not being you.
It's a hobby. It's your RR !...We both love trains...That's what matters !...
So, I guess in today's vernacular we could say: '*Train Lives Matter* !' Ha ! 

*No Wait* *!** Track Lives Matter* ! < entered on 10/22/20 (rhymes with the famous one) *M*


----------



## Stumpy

Man I wish you could pass me that joint, but I see you're on the left coast.


----------



## Stumpy

telltale said:


> *Your modeling ability* is quite nice !!


Thank you!


----------



## 65446

Stumpy said:


> I would have never thunk the drive shaft(s?) would actually drive the loco, but it/they do.
> 
> Most of the herky-jerky in the video is me.
> 
> Yeah ! dA Duz !! I haven't owned a Shay but I hear they can tend to get a cracked gear..So take her easy. I'd say if gears are Delryn, avoid .a.n.y. lube...which could cause dirt /dust/hair to stick to..Delryn is self-lubing by it's slickness..
> If metal gearing, I'd go graphite [email protected] (you can mash up a pencil point, too).....
> Good luck, M


----------



## Stumpy

"Can you button this up, Mac? We got help coming that we don't need."


----------



## 65446

Stumpy said:


> Man I wish you could pass me that joint, but I see you're on the left coast.


You hit the nail on the hammer that time, bro !! 🏭🏭🛤🌄🌵


----------



## Stumpy

She looks pretty good to be fresh off a FEC boxcar.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks.


----------



## 65446

deleted


----------



## Stumpy

Helper/pusher loco in the middle of the consist. Not prototypical... much. But it did happen.


----------



## Stumpy

Automobiles found on eBay:

Brekina Old Time Sedan w/ Trunk on roof
Praline 1938 Opel 
Wiking Mercedes 
Busch 1931 Campbells Ford Model AA Panel Truck
Roskph 1931 Mercedes L5 Truck

Other than Busch, I hadn't heard of any of the makers. I thought the upscale 'hood need some more modern cars. At 5' you can't tell me they're Euro.  

That Mercedes truck though... I think it's a bit out of scale. If I keep it it'll have to be painted and weathered.


----------



## Stumpy

Got these green & blue 1920-somethings a few weeks back at the LTS. Forgot the maker.

The wheels were "matchbox car silver". So I had to work on that.


----------



## Gramps

Nice finds.


----------



## MichaelE

Brekina and Viking makes hundreds of HO scale autos for railroads. European autos and trucks mostly, but they offer a limited number of US automaker's products too.

It might also be noted that Illinois Central ran helper locomotives in the middle of a train more than a little. I would often see these trains as a boy in my home town on the main lines with a GP9 or GP35 in the middle of a long coal train.


----------



## Stumpy




----------



## PoppetFlatsRR

Really looking good Stumpy. I love the two story houses and all the color. Miss messing with mine, but getting closer!!!!!


----------



## Dad_Eh

Just went through this whole build. Absolutely fantastic and I can only wish to have a vague remote hope of this kind of quality... Thank you Stumpy.


----------



## Stumpy

Thank you, Dad.


----------



## Stumpy




----------



## Stumpy

Got the idea [here] that I needed to make the expansion a roundhouse instead of a yard.

That didn't work out too well on the computer.

The "house" is the dims of the Walther's engine house kit with two expansions.


----------



## Stumpy

A 1936 Chrysler Airflow came into town today. 

It's that kinda town. Everybody knows.










And the 200 ton crane is finally getting it's turn at the machine shop.


----------



## MichaelE

Great scenes Stumpy. 

We had an Al's Machine Shop in my home town. Every hot rodder in town took their heads, blocks, and cranks to 'Big Al' for some of the best machining in the Metro East. He could port match and polish with the best of them.


----------



## Stumpy

Single drum cable hoist and platform kit from Wiseman. Platform is resin and the rest of the parts were white metal.

I decided to make it a factory new flat car load. On the car with it will be some new mine carts. All headed for the Corner Coal Mine.


----------



## Stumpy

See here... Weight matters

The problem is in this hole.










Good thing the masonry is removable.










See in there where the feeder wires are? I guess I melted the tie plates because the rails had "come together" (Beatles) which was causing some RS & loco wheels to be forced over the outside rail.











A little "adjustment" with needle-nose pliers and all is good now.

But it'll happen again. So it's decision time. Try pouring some epoxy or some such in there to make the rails stay, or cut the top off of the mesa and re-lay that section.

Damn, I thought the underground track was bullet proof.


----------



## Stumpy

A Jordan kit finished in a little less than pristine state. The kit included the engine block, etc., so WTH.


----------



## Chops

So much character, I can feel the warm dusk.


----------



## Stumpy

You'll notice some bunching and then taking out the slack. The trestle bridge is out of frame to the right. It has a pretty good hump (mistake), which makes for a lot of push-pull with the helper loco in the middle.


----------



## MichaelE

Great video Stumpy!


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks Michael.

Not as super slo-mo as yours, but not bad for a pair of Bachmanns... and there's four turnouts being traversed.


----------



## Stumpy

*WS Windmill Kit*

Broke out the WS windmill kit for the farm. The tower in the kit was scale ~ 15', which wasn't even as tall as the farmhouse, so it went in the scrap bin.

So, using 1/16" balsa sticks I started building a ~ 36' tall tower.



















Horizontal braces cleaned up.









Diagonal bracing started. 3 sides to go.










Sine the windmill tower is a lot of glue, wait, glue, wait... I have a 1926 White flatbed and mine carts from Wiseman going at the same time.


----------



## Stumpy

Tower is up.

Harlan said, "Should get 'er done tomorrow... as long as Clovis shows up. But we gotta get a ladder on it first."


----------



## BigGRacing

Looks Perfect Stumpy !


----------



## Stumpy

"Vintage" Athearn Flat










Stainless steel stakes. A new one for me.









Kadee couplers and metal wheelsets added.









A little aging on the deck... ready for the load.


----------



## Stumpy

Flat car loaded and ready to deliver the new hoist and carts to the Corner Coal Mine.


----------



## Gramps

Nice work, as usual.


----------



## Stumpy

Details.

Before









After.


----------



## Stumpy

Before 









After


----------



## flyboy2610

It's the little details that make the scene! Looks good!


----------



## Gramps

Amazing attention to detail.


----------



## Stumpy

Flat car load.











































Now I need a flat car worthy.


----------



## Sideways

Wow, I've been looking back thru the thread and you've accomplished a ton! Very beautiful layout with an equally attractive season, the autumn colors really bring life to everything. Hopefully I can eventually create a layout half as decent.


----------



## Stumpy

The windmill at the farm is done... finally. Still have some weeds to plant. Everything except the wheel, vane & ladder is scratch-built.


----------



## Andreash

Nice work...👍


----------



## Stumpy

*Load o' Gravel*

Finally got around to correcting the gravel load in the Virginian hopper. On the first try it settled more than planned and didn't look right. After I had it looking right I did the alcohol then 50/50 glue/water just like track ballast, which is what it is.

The car is an old Varney. The car body was in the shape you see in the pics when I got it, and you can see - in the 3rd pic especially - that one end of it is warped. Probably stored away in a hot attic for years. I was going to toss it, but then said, WTH, it's already "distressed". Put on Kadee couplers and trucks and it rolls and tracks fine.


----------



## Stumpy

Sometimes a "diorama" just happens. 

A grass mat, an unfinished structure and some tanks.


----------



## Stumpy

I really do need to put together another consist.


----------



## Sideways

Looks fantastic!


----------



## Gramps

Very nice!


----------



## Sideways

@Stumpy, I'm sure you've mentioned both of these before, but what era do you model, and do you run DC or DCC?


----------



## Stumpy

I _try_ to stick to transition era... 1920s-1950s... Southeastern US road names.

My original intention was to go BD (before diesel). But, alas, some EMD GPs and Alco RSs followed me home.  

And lately I've gotten this thing for UK steam. Right time frame, wrong continent. Although some were shipped over here for celebrity tours (see "UK Locos" thread in General Discussion). 

DCC.


----------



## Stumpy

I dug out these Mantua cars because... I don't know.

They're heavy. NMRA standards at least.










Started off with the water car.









Popped the tanks off, masked them, and hit the inside with flat black. Then I painted the outside flat brown.









Mixed up some water and poured it in. Some leaked at the tank seams, but that's ok. We'll pretend it sloshed out onto the deck of the car. And I toned down the DOT yellow car.


























I hit the trucks with some flat clear spray and laid them on a paper towel. Then I dusted the paper towel with some weathering powders and blew the powder onto the still tacky trucks.










My truck tuning tool went on hiatus. When it gets back I'll ream the trucks so they'll be amenable to Kadee wheelsets.


----------



## Stumpy

So I tried the same powder technique on the entire horse car.

Before (UPRR masked).










The powder clumped and I put on way too much. Looks like it's been driving down a logging road in the rain.



















After it dried I tried to "blend" it with a teethbrush dipped in alcohol. It looks _some_ better, but still too heavy. This is why we practice on the cheap(er) stuff. On the bright side, the masked road name is less conspicuous.


----------



## Stumpy

The ubiquitous SR gondola # 1246. I guess Bachmann made a bazillion of them.










Vallejo light and dark rust.

















On the exterior Vallejo rust wash.









On the truck frames, Vallejo med. rust watered down.


----------



## Stumpy

This will be the load... 100 Miniature White Stone Blocks O HO scale 1:43 1:35 diorama model wargame 40k | eBay

So, some powdered paint...


----------



## Stumpy

Get anything new?









A first... from Amazon


Been waiting all day for this to get here so I could start converting the FT A/B set to DCC. It's getting kinda late so I checked the tracking.... Unfortunately, a problem occurred during shipping and we had to cancel your delivery. The package is being returned, and we will issue a refund...




www.modeltrainforum.com





Now that all that mess is out of the way.. 




























That LED headlamp is BRIGHT.


----------



## Stumpy

Digitrax "Z" decoder.

Works great.


----------



## Stumpy

If you want to solder with a needle this seems like a good kit... so far.


----------



## Stumpy

Added this thing to a Micro-Mark order to get the free freight. I think it was on sale for $10. Had no idea I'd use it as much as I do. Might be my gateway drug to anvil shooting though.


----------



## Stumpy

Second layout is done. Never to be finished.

This area of the basement was to be a bar/billiard room. But, alas, we'll never entertain here... given what the "new normal" is going to be. 

The space is 18x30. Have to work around doors and water facilities, but.... it'll work. 

One thing is for sure. I won't be doing the backdrop on the concrete blocks.


----------



## Sideways

Stumpy said:


> Second layout is done. Never to be finished...


Wait, what?! Am I missing something, or did you tear up your layout?


----------



## Stumpy

No. And it remains to be seen whether I do or not.

The Rust Rock Falls kit from FOS Scale Models, which was going to be the focal point of the right side, along with the river/waterfall, will most likely not be done on the current layout. I'll probably pseudo-finish out the top of the mesa, but it won't be as originally planned. And I definitely won't be doing the yard expansion.

At least that's where I'm at today.


----------



## MichaelE

I'd go nuts with that kind of space. You could do a scale mile and more in HO. Imagine the terrain you could build on a layout with that much room.

You could do all kinds of entertaining down there as long as they like trains!


----------



## Gramps

Could you fit the existing layout into this larger space as John Allen did?


----------



## jackpresley

What am I missing? I saw this big empty room and thought you'd demolished your work of art (and I mean that literally). Is this space home to your 3rd layout?


----------



## Stumpy

jackpresley said:


> Is this space home to your 3rd layout?


Yes. that is the plan.



jackpresley said:


> ... your work of art (and I mean that literally).


Thank you.


----------



## Stumpy

Gramps said:


> Could you fit the existing layout into this larger space... ?


I spent about an hour in the train room last night, adult beverage in hand, mulling over that exact notion. Of course I'd have to cut it in half and stand it on edge to get it through the door. Honestly, I made too many mistakes laying track. Ex: the passing siding by the coal mine is so short it's worthless other than for static display of rolling stock. The trestle bridge is a hump - so much so that the track leading into it changes angle so abruptly that I can't run anything with three-axle trucks. So I think I'll either leave it as is or slowly cannibalize it.

Again, that is where my head is at right now.


----------



## kilowatt62

Yep. Given the track issues you mentioned, I say cannibalize. Otherwise, you know you will be redoing the trackwork anyway (frustration) in many places if you add it to the basement layout plans.


----------



## Gramps

With your fantastic attention to detail and modelling skills and you honestly feel that you made too many mistakes laying track, then I agree with the above. You were obviously great at what you did with your layout and enjoyed doing it so maybe a fresh start is the answer. Go with your gut.


----------



## afboundguy

MichaelE said:


> I'd go nuts with that kind of space. You could do a scale mile and more in HO. Imagine the terrain you could build on a layout with that much room.
> 
> You could do all kinds of entertaining down there as long as they like trains!


I know right? I know having a basement is a nice thing but my basement is tiny compared to a lot of other basement pictures I see... Well I could do an awesome full basement layout but there's too much space dedicated to storage 



Stumpy said:


> Is this space home to your 3rd layout?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes. that is the plan.
Click to expand...


----------



## Stumpy

An impromptu vegabubbul stand.




























WS "Farmers Market" and "Paul's Fresh Produce".


----------



## Stumpy

A couple of big rigs in Eastwood Ridge.



















They need a shot of dull coat.


----------



## J.Albert1949

Stumpy, who is the manufacturer of those big rigs in the pics above?


----------



## Stumpy

The REA truck is IMEX... imex-model.com

The Lee is Mini-Metals... classicmetalworks.com


----------



## Stumpy

Stumpy said:


> I'll probably pseudo-finish out the top of the mesa, but it won't be as originally planned.


The purchase of the WWII Deutsche Reichsbahn Br. 52 loco in winter camo has spawned a plan. 

I've always had the idea that part of this layout would be done in winter. I guess that's why I have ~100 snow-dusted conifers in a storage box.

Since the mesa is somewhat "detached" from the rest of the layout the plan is... Somewhere in the Ardennes - Early December 1944.

The mesa









Even though it'll mostly be covered in snow, the first thing is to put down some grass. Because there will be areas where the 50 mph wind gusts have blown the snow away.

















Paper template









And we have grass. The station is from the free-haul I got a while back.


----------



## Stumpy

Picked up these Boley brand Panzer Tiger and Jagdpanther tanks off ebay for $8 each including shipping. They're fairly well detailed for that price. They just need a little winter camo airbrushed on, a little work with a detail brush and a little mud.


----------



## Stumpy

A sturmgeschütz 75mm gun kit to go along with the two half-track kits. This'll be the smallest tank kit I've ever built.











But the next task is to get the river/waterfall done.


----------



## MichaelE

They look great. You'll have to figure out a way to make tank track depressions in the grass.


----------



## Stumpy

MichaelE said:


> You'll have to figure out a way to make tank track depressions in the grass.




And snow.


----------



## Gramps

Earlier in this thread there were comments about a third layout, is that no longer the plan?


----------



## SF Gal

I stopped in to check out your layout...like the videos and pictures and instructionals showing the final results, nice thread of a cool layout...following. Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Stumpy

Gramps said:


> Earlier in this thread there were comments about a third layout, is that no longer the plan?


Yes, that is the plan. I will begin that layout after I retire. 589 days to go.


----------



## Gramps

Stumpy said:


> Yes, that is the plan. I will begin that layout after I retire. 589 days to go.


But who's counting? Glad it's still a go.


----------



## Stumpy

This just in...

Deutsche Reichsbahn Br. 52


----------



## Stumpy

Armored train with the General der Panzertruppe on board heading for the "rest and refit area" somewhere in the Ardennes.


----------



## MidwestMikeGT

MichaelE said:


> They look great. You'll have to figure out a way to make tank track depressions in the grass.


Many decades ago, as a teen, I was really into dioramas and had mulled this question over. I experimented and found that if I put some brown paint-stained plaster of paris on the felt I had used for the ground (yes, it was _that_ long ago), and allowed it to almost dry, then pressed the tracks onto it, there would be indentations which looked like the tank (or vehicle) went over it. The stuff that was left on the tracks was used to continue with lighter areas. Back then, (not sure now), AirFix, Revell, and Monogram models had plasticized tracks which were soft and malleable. 

Just sharing a thought from last century!


----------



## MichaelE

The locomotive looks very good. I've never seen those two little armored vehicles.


----------



## Stumpy

Thanks. Haven't added the detail parts to the loco yet, as you can see.

The armored cars are by Liliput/Bachmann (as is the Br. 52). They're sold as 2 two-car sets to make up a four car train. I have what's called the "scout" set... I think.









Liliput H0 - 136505/13506 - Four-part armoured army train "Panzerspähzug"


Liliput H0 - 136505/13506 - Four-part armoured army train "Panzerspähzug" Period II Digital address: 03 Lokpilot 2.0 with 8 pin plug. Tested and working. The photos are part of the description. Locomotives have a one-month warranty after purchase. If found to be defective within 1 month it...




www.catawiki.com





Short vid about the prototype...


----------



## Stumpy

They're three rail and the flanges are so tall they won't work on code 83 track. So I have some work to do on them.


----------



## Stumpy

More equipment arriving in the "rest and refit area"... somewhere in the Ardennes.


----------



## Stumpy

Also got some DR coaches. But first up... I didn't realize the small coach I got for the BR 80 consist was DR.


----------



## Stumpy

Interesting car. Side doors with steps... almost like running boards. No doors in the ends.


----------



## Stumpy

Platform on one end but not the other. Like an observation car.


----------



## Stumpy

I'd read recon aircraft played a part in the forthcoming battle, but I couldn't see an airstrip on the mesa. I bit of research and I came up with this.










The *Fieseler Fi 156 Storch* ([ʃtɔrç], "stork") was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. It was notable for its excellent STOL performance and low stall speed of 50 km/h (31 mph).

It could land/takeoff in only 100'.


----------



## MichaelE

Stumpy said:


> Platform on one end but not the other. Like an observation car.
> 
> View attachment 578916
> 
> 
> View attachment 578917
> 
> 
> View attachment 578918


Those are compartment cars.


----------



## Gramps

Interesting information.


----------



## Stumpy

Picked up this DR Marklin set for a "stole it" price... or so I thought. It was advertised as new, and looking at the wheels it appears to have never been run. It is old though - pieces of the gray plastic packaging break off if you look at them.

It's 3 rail, so I guess I have some conversion to do. 












































Interesting literature included.


----------



## kilowatt62

Stumpy,
I just saw a complete Hornby 00 set, w/a flying Scotsman Loco, 3 passenger cars, track, power, set box. Claims DCC ready. Build year 2011. Hornby catalog #R-1152.
If interested; 
It’s on Facebook’s HO train classifieds, from Mark Evans.
$150.00 + $14.00 shpng from Honea Path, SC.


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## Chops

You are going to convert the AC to DC? I've seen a video on it, somewhere. Not impossible, but requires a brave heart.


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## Stumpy

kilowatt62 said:


> Stumpy,
> I just saw a complete Hornby 00 set, w/a flying Scotsman Loco...


Thanks, but I left faceplant two years ago.


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## Stumpy

Chops said:


> You are going to convert the AC to DC? I've seen a video on it, somewhere. Not impossible, but requires a brave heart.


I reckon that's the plan.


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## kilowatt62

Stumpy said:


> Thanks, but I left faceplant two years ago.


“Faceplant.” Lmao. 
I imagine seller can be reached off site.


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## Stumpy

AC/DC conversion will wait until retirement. 558 days to go.

Got a couple more cars with loads from the same eBay seller as the car in post #584 above. He does a nice job customizing and painting these cars.




















I'll dismount the vehicle from this one and add another I have on hand. It just doesn't look right to have troops driving/riding in a vehicle that's on a flatcar.


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## Stumpy

Doing a little winter camo & effects on some scale vehicles.


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## kilowatt62

Looks great man. You have the touch. 
I’m interested in the conifer trees in background too. In focus pic and how ya did them.


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## Stumpy

Better pics of the trees in this post... Second HO Layout

These are them... 20 Pieces Plastic Model Pine Trees for Layout Train Forest Accessories | eBay

I bought two packs. One was the bright green you see in the pics and the other was darker, evergreen green.


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## Longvallon

MichaelE said:


> Looks great!


I totally agree with that !


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## Stumpy

I've been doing some winter camo on the 1/87 scale armor.

I found that troops used paint, dyes, white cloth and even salt to "winter camo" their tanks. With the idea in mind that different armor platoons would camo their vehicles in different ways, I tried different camo "styles" on the different types of vehicles.


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## Stumpy

Finally got some decoders for the EMD F7 A/B set (Walthers Mainline).

The A unit is # 6714 which ran on AGS trackage and the B unit is # 6180 which ran on CNO&TP trackage (and they are actually lettered as such), so prototypically they most likely would not have been lashed up.












Southern's F7 A/B ratio was 6/3 on the AGS and 7/24 on the CNO&TP.





__





CNO&TP Railroad: Southern’s Rat Hole | SMARTT: Scale Models, Arts, & Technologies, inc.


If you drive through central Kentucky and Tennessee on US 27 you will parallel one of my favorite railroad lines, Norfolk Southern’s CNO&TP. Formally part of the Southern Railway, the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railroad ran from Cincinnati to Chattanooga. It was part of what the...



www.smarttinc.com







https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_Great_Southern_Railroad


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## Stumpy

N&W RS-3 #s 300 & 306 by Bowser.

Very smooth & very quiet. Nice locos.

The changing of the guard.





Crossing the river.


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## BigGRacing

Great videos Stumpy! Thank you!


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## SF Gal

Looks good...I like your EMD F7 A/B set ...how do you like the details and drivetrain on their Mainline series F units?


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## Gramps

Nice videos.


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## Stumpy

SF Gal said:


> EMD F7 A/B set ...how do you like the details and drivetrain on their Mainline series F units?


Details are on par with earlier P2K stuff. Grab irons/rails are plastic, as with the earlier P2K, but they are not molded in. Doors don't open. 

Drive train seems up to snuff, but the brass flywheels seem a bit "downsized". 

I have a few P2K cab units, so maybe I'll do a side-by-side review.


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## Stumpy

I took a walk around Eastwood Ridge with the Brownie camera and got a few shots.


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## Gramps

The B/W photos give it a real late 40's, early 50's look.


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## J.Albert1949

Nice B&W pics.
Always enjoy looking at your layout, nice attention to details everywhere!


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## Stumpy

Before.










A drop or two of each thinned _way_ down with DA.










After first pass.









After second pass with DA only.









Soaking the balsa scraps in DA thinned black paint.









Completed load of rubble.










After it all dries I'll glue the load in and hit it with matte clear from the rattle can.


About the road name...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston-Salem_Southbound_Railway


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## Stumpy

Up to 17 cars in the consist.


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## OilValleyRy

Stumpy, have you ever seen a movie titled White Tiger? 
If not, it’s a Russian-made movie about a T34 facing off against a Tiger. I’ve no clue if the sounds were accurate or not but the Tiger firing sounded “different.” Anyway, some great views, some interesting tactics, not overly gory, and an intriguing story.


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## Stumpy

I haven't seen that one, but I think it is saved in "my list" on netflix.


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## Stumpy

"Furnished" interior and lighted.










End details.









Had to disassemble the underbody/chassis to install Kadee couplers.

Underbody details.










Trucks with wipers. You can see the "feed" along the underbody for the light.


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## Stumpy

The end details are pale/faded blue. So they'll be painted.









On the track the interior light flickered and never really lit up proper. But moreover the pickups on the trucks caused the car to not roll or turn well at all (even after lubing). So this is what's left of the truck wipers.










Prototype.


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## BigGRacing

So lit caboose doesn’t really work…..are you going to upgrade it do you think?


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## OilValleyRy

Fascinating. 
I’ve got two using the wiper method but have not finished them enough to test. I stopped when deciding to not go DCC with them. 
But as to puck up problems; I know Athearn now sells pick up trucks for cabooses, at a whopping $18 for one pair. 
I was thinking about experimenting using metal trucks, insulated wheels, and a brass washer to fit over the mounting screw hole (akin to kadee spacer washers) which would have a wire soldered to it. That way contact is made truck-to-washer via car weight. But just a proposed experiment at this point.

For older cabeese though (to those interested) I find that inconsistent/intermittent power fluctuation on the external lantern marker lights is more realistic that constant brightness. So the pick up method Stumpy has shown here would be perfect for 1930s and earlier.


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## BigGRacing

OilValleyRy said:


> So the pick up method Stumpy has shown here would be perfect for 1930s and earlier.


Thanks for the info OVR


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## SF Gal

I had the same issue with one of my lighted cabooses on DCC. In fact, a lot of gifted passenger cars have that issue.
I am thinking a good cleaning, a large cap, or button battery....then you got frosted glass to hide the electronics, in HO scale. I was looking at those DCC Cabooses too...$120 is a bit much.

Did the caboose come with a parts breakdown? Curious if you have a part number for the trucks? Might be cheaper than $18 OVR suggested....so you destroyed the copper brushes?


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## Stumpy

BigGRacing said:


> So lit caboose doesn’t really work…..are you going to upgrade it do you think?


Not really. Not right now. I might revisit it on the next layout since I plan to do a lot more lighting on it. Actually, lighting period, as there is none on this one (except loco headlights).


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## Stumpy

SF Gal said:


> Did the caboose come with a parts breakdown? Curious if you have a part number for the trucks? Might be cheaper than $18 OVR suggested.


Did see one. I'll check again.



SF Gal said:


> ....so you destroyed the copper brushes?


I did.


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