# My fictional CSX layout



## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

I decided to start a thread in which I can share my layout with anyone who would like to check in from time to time.

The first photo is a wide shot of what I have now. It's 9'x11' but I will add a section in the foreground to complete the mainlines. I also have plans to add a section to the part of the layout which is out of shot (bottom right) for an engine facility I think.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Off to a good start.


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## PoppetFlatsRR (Jul 29, 2018)

Keep posting pictures of the development please.


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Always nice to see a new layout under construction.
Keep us posted and good luck with the build.

Magic


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Thanks, guys. I'll keep posting but I don't get to work on it as often as I would like so progress is slow.


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Here are a few pics of the beginnings of scenery.
It's my first crack at it but I'm not doing this to win any awards :laugh:. I know it's not great (I've seen great, in person and online - including some work shared on this forum!) but it's better than just foam 

I don't expect to do much over the next few weeks until the weather is betters so I can build the next section outside. I'll keep posting
.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

:thumbsup:Looks good to me. You might want to paint the wall behind the bridge.


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Gramps said:


> :thumbsup:Looks good to me. You might want to paint the wall behind the bridge.


Thanks, Gramps! Not just for the obligatory compliment  but for a suggestion. I hope others will offer suggestions, constructive criticism or just ideas for me to think about throughout this thread.

As for the walls in the room, I don't want to paint them. For this reason I left about 5" between the edge of the layout and the walls (that may be hard to see in the pics). My plan is this:

Attach a blank canvas to the layout...this is where a wonderful longtime friend's daughter comes in. She has agreed to mark the contours of the scenery on the canvas, take some pictures of the layout, paint the extended scene and I will re-attach the backdrop. She is so much more talented at drawing and painting than I am. I think this would be a great way to inject the work of others who are close to me on my layout.

I also plan to use some commercially available backdrops.

Now that backdrops and my plan for them are the current topic in this thread (I guess I just made that the case :laugh I would love to hear ideas and suggestions about that. Remember this is my first time doing this so I always welcome advice.

Thanks all


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Looks nice!


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## mholiver (Feb 12, 2019)

:appl:


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

spikedrivingblues said:


> Thanks, Gramps! Not just for the obligatory compliment  but for a suggestion. I hope others will offer suggestions, constructive criticism or just ideas for me to think about throughout this thread.
> 
> As for the walls in the room, I don't want to paint them. For this reason I left about 5" between the edge of the layout and the walls (that may be hard to see in the pics). My plan is this:
> 
> ...


Your friend's daughter will work out better than painting the walls. Good idea.


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Gramps said:


> Your friend's daughter will work out better than painting the walls. Good idea.


Well, it will certainly work out better than if _I_ paint the walls :laugh:


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Well...I hoped to resume work soon but another big snow storm and cold temps in Boston have derailed those plans (pun intended ). 

In an effort to keep the posts coming I figured I'd just throw up some pics of my current fleet. All CSX for now but I would like something else at some point. I live in Massachusetts so Providence & Worcester is an option since I want to model what is seen around my neck of the woods. Norfolk Southern is another choice. I _could_ just get anything I like and call it leased power!


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

You can't go far wrong with NS prancing horse locos.
Seen many a lash up with CSX and NS together.

Magic


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Magic said:


> You can't go far wrong with NS prancing horse locos.
> Seen many a lash up with CSX and NS together.
> 
> Magic


True...and my guess is there are more choices in NS than P&W.


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Still too cold and too much snow outside to build the next sections. I wish I had a gararge in which to work (actually that wouldn't work either because there would be a big model railroad in it ).

Because I work outside I'm not going back until next week anyway so I don't want to spend a lot of money. I was looking at my layout and I remembered I had some plaster cloth left from the scenery on the north side of the room so I covered the incline risers on the south side and covered the transition from the roadbed down to the "ground".

I also took a turnout off the yard ladder and cut it in so both ends of the reverse loop are established. The reverse loop will be some kind of S-curve from the right side of the layout to the back (see my first pic in this thread).

Not much but a little progress....


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Not major progress but it's the first thing I've been able to do in months. I hope this summer will be more productive!

I only added the sections I needed for room to complete the mainlines. The train in the photo is on the A/D track which I'm currently using as a continuous loop.

Take care, everyone!


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

It's been quite a while since I've had a chance to sit for a while and peruse the forum. It's also been a while since I've made any significant progress on my layout. I work a lot and have other obligations lately that fill up most of my time. I just don't have the time to work on the layout as much as I would like. I really hoped to make some progress this summer but it hasn't happened.

I plan to be at least semi retired in 20 years but I'm still hoping to get this thing going before then! 

I started this thread to track progress but today I thought I'd just let you all know I'm still here and still have every intention of "finishing" my layout!

Be well, all


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

*Minor Progress and a question*

I was able to get to the train store (best one is about 25 miles from me) yesterday and made a little progress on the layout. I installed a couple of turnouts creating a crossover so I'm getting closer to completing the double track mainline. I also bought a "Just Plug Light Hub" and power source to operate the light in a Woodland Scenics building I received this past XMas.

I now have a somewhat landscaped hill and a building. I occasionally run a vacuum over the hill to remove the dust but now that I have a building that will also constantly accumulate dust I'm wondering what methods you guys use to clean your layouts... What's the best way to keep rolling stock, scenery, buildings, etc... clean and dust free?

I expect to get disparate responses and am looking forward to them! Thanks, all


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## sid (Mar 26, 2018)

maybe get one of those tiny vacuums for key boards like computer key boards. canned air works too but spreads dust every where as well. but it should dust off the buildings nicely.
maybe one of thesehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0787KXTFW?tag=modeltrainforumcon-20


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

sid said:


> maybe get one of those tiny vacuums for key boards like computer key boards. canned air works too but spreads dust every where as well. but it should dust off the buildings nicely.
> maybe one of thesehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0787KXTFW?tag=modeltrainforumcon-20


Looks like blowing off the rolling stock and buildings then vacuuming up might work.

Thanks for the link, too. That should work well as long as it doesn't blow the buildings apart :laugh:


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## Andreash (Dec 30, 2018)

I use a soft artist brush in one hand, and a small vacuum hose held close to where I’m “sweeping”. I find it effective....keep up the good work.


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Andreash said:


> I use a soft artist brush in one hand, and a small vacuum hose held close to where I’m “sweeping”. I find it effective....keep up the good work.


Another good tip for this rookie. Thanks!


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Unfortunately, I'm not posting to show progress  . I seem to be in a holding pattern when it comes to continuing the build.

However, one thing has been puzzling me from time to time and it just occurred to ask you guys about it; one of my locos with crew radio chatter sounds will occasionally play a series of tones (sounds like what you would hear if dialing a phone) but no dialog. 

If a visitor should ask me what that was...what the hell should I tell them? 

Thanks


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## Stan D (Feb 1, 2019)

Does it sound like what you might hear from a fire/rescue station radio? As a former Motorola radio salesman, I can say that those may be a multi tone signalling sound. It was used (before digital systems) to trigger only the station that needed to answer a call.


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Stan D said:


> Does it sound like what you might hear from a fire/rescue station radio? As a former Motorola radio salesman, I can say that those may be a multi tone signalling sound. It was used (before digital systems) to trigger only the station that needed to answer a call.


It does. Now that you mention it, it reminds me of the beeping on that old TV show "Emergency" when they got a call.

Is that something that would be heard over train crew chatter?

Thanks
Paul


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## SantaFeJim (Sep 8, 2015)

Over time I have seen many nice HO layouts on a 4’ x 8’piece of plywood. By adding 5’ to the wide and 3’ to the length you have more than doubled the total area. That allows you to create a very interesting layout capable of running trains of 15-20 cars and not have it look like a dog chasing its tail.

Keep up the good work and keep us posted. You are off to a great start. :thumbsup:


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

SantaFeJim said:


> Over time I have seen many nice HO layouts on a 4’ x 8’piece of plywood. By adding 5’ to the wide and 3’ to the length you have more than doubled the total area. That allows you to create a very interesting layout capable of running trains of 15-20 cars and not have it look like a dog chasing its tail.
> 
> Keep up the good work and keep us posted. You are off to a great start. :thumbsup:


Jim, thanks so much for the encouragement.

I wish I were posting progress more frequently but life has been tireless at throwing challenges at me for quite a while (but those details are for another forum) and I've done nothing on the layout for some time. 

Hopefully I can get through everything and get back to the layout at some point :dunno:


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

spikedrivingblues said:


> I wish I were posting progress more frequently but life has been tireless at throwing challenges at me for quite a while (but those details are for another forum) and I've done nothing on the layout for some time.


Trust me, my friend: almost all of us can relate to this! 
Life can be going along great, and then it just goes bonkers for awhile!
But as Red Green used to say: "Remember, I'm pullin' for ya! We're all in this together!" :smilie_daumenpos:


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Thanks. I'll be back at it ASAP!


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## Stan D (Feb 1, 2019)

spikedrivingblues said:


> It does. Now that you mention it, it reminds me of the beeping on that old TV show "Emergency" when they got a call.
> 
> Is that something that would be heard over train crew chatter?
> 
> ...


Sorry for the delay in response. I don't get in here as often as I'd like.

Yes. Any where you have a large fleet, two or three tone signalling was handy to keep from hearing calls that don't pertain to you. Only calls with your correct sequence of tones would open up your receiver. You heard nothing if the call was for someone else. Today's radio systems handle it silently, and digitally. And quicker.


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

As some of you who read one of my last posts may have inferred, I have been going through some significant life changes. As a result I have dismantled the layout (such as it was).

I was able to salvage more than I expected and plan to build again. When the new project begins I will start a thread documenting that "progress"  If a moderator thinks this thread should be deleted that is fine with me.

Thanks to all of you who helped me with the layout, I will take the info with me into the next project!

Hope to be posting about my layout again soon.

Now I really have the "spike driving blues"

Paul


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## Steamfan77 (Jan 28, 2011)

Don’t let it get you down Paul. I think we’ve all been through it to one degree or another. You made some nice progress, and I’m sure learned some things that will help you when it’s time to build again. Best of luck, and we hope to see you building again soon.

Andy


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## Chaostrain (Jan 27, 2015)

spikedrivingblues said:


> As some of you who read one of my last posts may have inferred, I have been going through some significant life changes. As a result I have dismantled the layout (such as it was).
> 
> I was able to salvage more than I expected and plan to build again. When the new project begins I will start a thread documenting that "progress"  If a moderator thinks this thread should be deleted that is fine with me.
> 
> ...


I went through exactly the same thing. I had a nice N scale layout going then went through some life changes. I salvaged what I could and was planning a new layout for after the dust settled. It turns out my current wife likes model railroading too and wanted to join me. With our slowly failing eye sight we decided to go up a size to HO. That meant all the N scale was sold off. Except for a couple of power packs we were totally back to square one. And progress has been extremely slow, but there is progress.

I wish you good fortune and a new empire of your dreams.


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

Thanks for the encouraging words, guys.

While I'm bummed about having to scrap the layout i'm trying to be excited about planning another. It's way too early to know for sure but I like to think I'll start the build by the spring.

Until then, plan plan plan!


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*ho cost average cost per square dootage?*

On a ho model train layout, what is the average cost per square
feet on a layout?
Thank you in advance.
Regards,tr1


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## spikedrivingblues (Dec 11, 2018)

tr1 said:


> On a ho model train layout, what is the average cost per square
> feet on a layout?
> Thank you in advance.
> Regards,tr1


That's an interesting question. I guess we would need a data set consisting of what some HOers have spent on his or her layout divided by the sq. footage of the layout. Then I think we would add the total spent by the total sq. footage to begin to find an average cost per sq. ft. (at least among some members here). I could be wrong about all of that :dunno:

Unfortunately I can't submit any data because while building my layout I decided it would be best to stop keeping track of how much money I spent 

I wonder if any other members have kept track of how much you spent to build your layout.


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