# The Logan Valley



## Chet

I am new to this forum and would like to post a few pictures of my freelance Logan Valley RR. 





































I started this layout over 25 years ago, but ran into a bump in the road (possible a mountain) when I ran out of model railroad supplies and not having any hobby shops in the area, things came to a standstill when it came to laying track. 

E-retailers came on the scene a few years back and I finall got started on the last part of the layout, the town of Logan, where it connects to the Northern Pacific. Some work has been done on this last town with the second yard, engine facilities and the town of Logan. 

I do have pictures of the last town, but apparently the photo file is too large for this forum. Perhaps someone could give me an idea of how these photos can be posted.


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## Chet

*The town of Logan*

I took some pictures with a different camera. This is the town of Logan, where the Logan Valley connects to the Northern Pacific. Construction started on this part of the layout about a year ago. 










The Station is the end of the line for the LV. 
































































This part as you can see is still under construction. As soon as I get off my butt, I'll order some ballast for the yard area and then the town can be completed. There will be a small park in front of the station. Streets will be added. I picked up some cheap "for sale" signs that will be used for the streets. Seams will be scribed to simulate concrete and painted and weathered. I still have to get signs made for the businesses. I can't see doing this until the yard area is finished. 

In future installments I will go into my freelance history and explain how the Logan Valley came about.


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## trainguru

Love the layout sir. If you could show more of your locomotive Roster, I'd like to see it.


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## Chet

*Locomotives*

Here are some of the diesel fleet. Even though Alsos weren't as numerous in the western states, there's just something about the early Alcos that I like. There were all custom painted for the freelance Logan Valley. I tried to gice the locomotives a "family" look. These are in the yard at Gallatin Gateway. 

p









There are more about the layout, probably in the hidden staging tracks.


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## Chet

Here is a look from the end of the yard at Logan. As soon as I get some ballast ordered, the track can be ballasted and detail work on the town can begin. There will be a small park in front of the station. The B&O dining car on the siding beyond the station will be a "Fine Dining" restaurant. 










The next picture is a closer shot at some of the businesses and shows the area where the park will be. 










As trains leave the yard and station, they'll pass the roundhouse and turntable. 










As trains leave Logan, they'll pass a salvage yard before entering the main line. Have to find more junk for the salvage yard. The train coming out of the tunnel is leaving the hidden staging tracks. 










After pulling a grade the tracks pass the Van **** farm before coming into the town of Churchill. Another shot of the trees made from sagebrush. 



















As the tracks enter town, they pass McNab livestock and a grain elevator. The cattle pens were built board by board. I must have had a Polish moment or something when that was built. 










Going further into town, we pass one of the residences where a teen ager is apparently courting his girlfriend. The track closest to the house lead to a few industries in town. 



















Before coming to the freight station, we pass Tschache Oil. Pronounced Shocky. It was sort of a gag for a friend who's parents were in the oil business years back before moving to Montana. 










A little past the freight station is the passenger station at Churchill. 










Across from the station is the local Chevy dealer. Vehicles are one of the easiest ways to set an era for your layout. Needless to say, mine is 1957. 



















I wish the pictures came out a bit better. I have better pictures but unfortunately they are apparently too big of a file for the forum. I'll get some mor pictures posted going down the line to the yard and engine facility at the other end of the Logan Valley in Gallatin Gateway.


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## DonR

Very impressive railroad. Your pictures will certainly be 
an inspiration for many of us to stay with it and try to
come up to your standards. Keep 'em coming.

Don


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## Big Ed

Very nice, you have signs all over the place.

How about a CHUCHILL STATION sign on the passenger station?

Churchill spelled right?


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## Chet

Thanks for the complement Don. I have had the opportunity to travel a lot and visit other model railroaders layouts and club layouts and am trying to raise my detail work to what I have seen elsewhere. Up is the only way to go. 

Big Ed. There used to be a sign on the station, but it has been there for well over a decade and fell off. There is one on the other end. I have a lot of signs to print for the businesses in Logan but my printer ran out of ink. I imagine we'll have ink soon because bowling league will be starting soon and my wife is league secretary. I'm sure she'll pick some up soon.


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## Chet

Before we leave Churchill, minus a sign for the passenger station, here's the scratch built freight station next to the passenger station. 










Across from the passenger station is Ed's Market. Did this one about 20 years ago. 










Next to the passenger station is a small park. 










Next to the park are a couple of houses as you leave town. Looks like laundry day. 










And a repair shop










And then a house on the hill as the tracks head south to the next town, Anceny. 










As we enter Anceny, we come across the Dusty Saddle Saloon. We're in Montana, lotsa saloons here. 










Next door is Augie's Ag Sales with the Sinclair gas station across the street. 



















Couldn't find anything to fit the odd shaped corner, so I had to throw something together. This town is also under construction as I had to rip out a lot of track and move some buildings to make things fit and not look too crowded. Next is the hardware store, market and then the diner which has a detailed interior and is lit. The grain elevator is behind it, and then one house down the hill as we leave town. 














































I'll post more pictures soon.


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## Big Ed

What make is the white T/T, is that an old K whopper?

I like your vehicle collection too. :thumbsup:


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## Chet

A Kwopper it is. Urlich. Vehicles are one of the easiest ways to set your time period. I have been working on the collection for years trying to get vehicles that are accurate. Alloy Forms was one of the few manufacturers 20 some years ago, but now Classic Metal Works have brought some great vehicles for the transition era.


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## Bone1977

That is a damn fine layout Chet! Something to be proud of.


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## Magic

That is a very impressive layout and the car collection is super. :appl: :appl:

Magic


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## ravex1049

Very nice work. Love the Alco fleet.


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## MacDaddy55

Very Impressive Chet...I tried counting all your vehicles but I ran out of fingers and toes:laugh::laugh:!! Keep posting and updating your progress because THAT is one fine Layout!!:thumbsup:


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## Chet

I started collecting over 25 years ago with Alloy form vehicles. I tried to get the best detailed vehicles for the transition era. Classic Metal Works was a big help. I have no idea of how many I have. Probably close to 200 I guess. I'm old and can't remember how to count that high. 

Thanks for the complement.


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## Magic

Chet said:


> I started collecting over 25 years ago with Alloy form vehicles. I tried to get the best detailed vehicles for the transition era. Classic Metal Works was a big help. I have no idea of how many I have. Probably close to 200 I guess. I'm old and can't remember how to count that high.
> 
> Thanks for the complement.


So you wouldn't notice if I sunk up there a borrowed  a few. 

Magic


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## Chet

I'm looking for more. Classic Metal works has done an excellent job coming up with transition era vehicles. I try not to repeat any and get a variety of different colors of each offering. I probably have a few too many, but as work progresses, I will need some for parking lots and industries. The collecting goes on.


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## doorman29

Awesome layout, love the Chevy dealer and car lot.


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## oldsarge218

Very, very nice! Gives me motivation to keep on going! A fine example of "the layout is never done"! Thanks for posting.
God Bless
Bob


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## Chet

*Early Snow*

Sunday morning brought a bit of a cool down from the temps in the high 80's. It had been raining for a couple of days, with a high on Saturday just making it to 50 degrees. Looked off my front porch and saw what looked like snow on the foothills. I couldn't see the mountain peaks due to the low ceiling. 










I did finally have the time to go down into the train room for the first time in weeks, but nothing worth while to photograph. Just finished up running some wires and got the electrical finished for the time being. 

Not much of a picture. I seem to be having problems downloading pictures at the moment.


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## Fire21

Yeah, it's that time of year when you don't know what to expect. We've had the same cold front that got you. Got almost 1-½ inches of rain the last couple days. Morning temps have been in the upper 40s, yesterday we hit 61 for a high. Leaves turning. Always sad to see the long days get shorter.


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## Chet

*More Pictures*

The last pictures were of the town of Anceny. From Anceny, the main line drops downgrade to the last town on the layout, Gallatin Gateway. 



















I used Walthers Instant Horizons for a backdrop. This was about all that was available when this was built about 20 years ago. I tried to work the hard shell scenery into the backdrop. 

Coning int Gallatin Gateway, the main crosses the Gallatin River. 



















After crossing the bridge, we are at the entrance to the yard. The main line takes off to the right, and the yard lead, the left track enters the yard




























Coming into town we have the Gallatin Gateway Post Office and the Gateway Cafe. 



















The next picture is the scratchbuilt turntable at Gateway.










Behind the turntable is the local oil distributor. 



















Also in town is the school, market, Meadowgold Dairy, and the freight and passenger station. 





































I'll post some more pictures at a later date. This is still a work in progress. There are areas that have been ripped out and scenery has to be repaired. When you think you're doing good, the skills you have learned sometimes makes part of the layout look bad, or you have to adjust track and sidings yo make things fit. 

The last picture is a slow order out of town as the train heads to the hidden staging tracks, which are the connection to the Gallatin Canyon & Western and the Milwaukee Road.


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## Big Ed

:smilie_daumenpos: guess why.


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## Magic

Sure like the way you seamlessly tied all your scenes together, one thing moves to the next.
Beautiful detail on the entire layout. 25¢ for gas. The good old days.

Magic


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## Model Train Structures

What a great layout! I've gone through your photos several times and see something different each time. Your vehicle collection is outstanding and outrageous. 

D.A.


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## Fire21

Dang it, man, you are *GOOD!!* Love your layout!


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## California RailFan508

Holy cow....this is one epic layout! The amount of detail is staggering, the locomotive fleet is a great mix of the old (steamers) and the newer (diesels of the era being modeled), and this rivals some of the fantastic layouts that I see from time to time in the monthly Model Railroader magazine! 

You should see if MR would be interested in coming to do a feature on your awesome layout, Chet. The fantastic work that you have spent so long working on would make for a great cover story that I would love to see and read about! :smilie_daumenpos: :smilie_daumenpos: :smilie_daumenpos:


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## Chet

Thanks for the complement. I will be posting more pictures in the near future and a story of how the layout came about.


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## Fire21

I agree with California Railfan508. You deserve some coverage in Model Railroader, and a lot of credit for what you have built! Get that story and some pics to Model Railroader and have them come visit you!!


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## Chet

Boy, you guys are full of complements. Thanks.  If the layout was further along I might consider MR, but at it current state of destruction I wouldn't. Possibly when the town of Logan is further along and some other areas where I have torn up and moved track are finished and scenery has been done, it may be a possibility.


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## Chet

*History of the Logan Valley RR*

Planning for the Logan Valley started somewhere around 1984. I was still in N scale with a large layout with about 11 scale mailes of main line plus a few miles of branch line. I was quite disenchanted with the N scale equipment that was available at the time. I had a good friend, who has unfortunately passed away, who was interested in building a large HO scale layout. He had a building with about 1800 square feet that he was going to use. 

I was very interested in getting into HO scale because the locomotives ran so much better and there was also a wealth of detail parts available for detailing locomotives and scenery. 

The N scale layout was torn out and the planning began. We were both interested in the transition era and both liked the Northern Pacific and Milwaukee Road which were both operating in the valley where we live. As a kid, I spent countless hours riding in the cabs of steam, diesel and electric locomotives as I has numerous relatives working for both the Milwaukee Road and the Northern Pacific. 

In our twisted history, the Northern Pacific wanted to build a link to the Union Pacific in West Yellowstone, MT, but due to a quirk in the ICC regulations, couldn't make the connection with their railroad. That's where the Gallatin Canyon & Western came about. It would run south through the Gallatin Canyon to West Yellowstone. How would it connect to the NP from this location? That's where the Logan Valley comes into the picture. 

It connects to the NP at Logan, MT and runs south to Gallatin Gateway where it would interchange with the Gallatin Canyon & Western. We used USGS maps to find a route that would be possible to build. We started building my friends layout at the same time I started mine. 

With all of the model railroad supplies we would be needing and with no hobby shops in the area I ended up getting dealerships with ConCor, Walthers and other suppliers. We also were selling to a group of modelers out of the Great Falls area at cost plus shipping so the volume was fairly high on the merchandise. 

Unfortunately, a little after a year or so later my friend suffered a massive heart attack and passed away. Being that our plan was so good, I kept to it. In my twisted history, in time the Logan Valley bought out the GC&W. 

My layout starts with the connection with the NP at Logan, MT, and runs south through actual towns and ends up in Gallatin Gateway where it connects to the Milwaukee Road (which actually ran to Gallatin Gateway) and the GC&W. 

I have no where near the room so build the tracks to West Yellowstone, so that connection goes into hidden staging tracks. The hidden tracks also come back into the scene at Logan, which does allow for continuous running on the layout, but is very seldom used except for when the grand kids visit or for other visitors. 

I did hit the speed bump when I ran out of model railroad supplies about ten or so years ago. but in recent years, e-retailers have come on line allowing the layout to continue. In the late 80's when a recession hit, I ended up getting laid off when the company I worked for downsized and closed the electronics plant I worked in and I had to quit selling model railroad supplies due to cash flow problems. 

The layout is finally moving forward and the original plan was followed and ended up working very well.


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## Chet

With a rainy day today, I did manage to get started on ballasting more track, but I though I had a lot more ballast hid away than I really did. Guess it's time to put an order in. Oops. 



















This would be the tourist train that runs to Yellowstone Park. I can't really justify running a streamliner on the layout any other way. There is passenger on the Logan Valley, but nothing this fancy.


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## bob from pdx

Hello Chet, I also want to say very nice job on layout. just wanting to get ideas when i saw yours as it looks so realistic. Do you live near Logan? You have given me very good ideas and Thank You. Milwaukee rr. Garrison to Butte 1955 aprox. Keep up the Great work Bob


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## Chet

Thanks Bob. I live just outside Gallatin Gateway. Do you model the Milwaukee Road. I did a brief search and couldn't find any threads on the Milwaukee Road. 

When I was a kid, I spent many hours riding the track of the Milwaukee Road. I had relatives living in Harlowtown, Three Forks and Deer Lodge and loved riding the rails. I over time rode on the entire electrified division from Harlowtown, MT to Avery, ID starting in the mid 50's. I have been hooked on trains ever since. I also did the same on portions of the Northern Pacific. 

Here's a picture of a westbound train, just west of Butte, MT. I am not a railroad historian, but do everything I can to dig up information on both railroads in Montana. You mentioned Butte to Garrison. This portion of the railroad parallels Interstate 90 which I travel a lot and it is interesting to follow the tracks. You can see the old Milwaukee right of way running along side todays BNSF and the old tunnels, now abandoned right along side the BNSF tracks. 










Thanks for the reply.


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## California RailFan508

For Bob,

If you have the time, you should watch the following video that showcases the Milwaukee Road in Montana in the final years of the Little Joe and Boxcab operations before the overhead power was shut down for diesel-only operations. Has some great footage, shows the motive power of the day (both electric and diesel), and shows off Montana the way the Milwaukee Road knew best. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yu09kj0HdA


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## Chet

That is a great video. I have a number of them along with this one. It sure brings back a lot of memories. This was an amazing railroad, but due to bad management went under. 

I was not in the state when the Milwaukee de-electrified. I had left in 1964 and spent 6 years in the Navy, and then ended up on the Florida Highway Patrol for another 7 years before moving back home. Jobs weren't the best in Montana during this period. 

Every time I head over Homestake Pass, which runs along side the old Milwaukee route, I always remember riding the train over the pass and look for the tracks. The BNSF and Montana Rail Link occasionally run over this line. It is not used very often now.


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## Chet

*Passenger Service on the Logan Valley*

Although this is a switching layout, I did want to have passenger service. 

When I was a kid in the 50's, there were no interstate highways and when we went to visit relatives out of state, it was by train. With relatives working on both the Milwaukee and Northern Pacific we always were able to travel first class on either the Hiawatha or the North Coast Limited. 

There was no way to have a fourteen or so car long streamliner show up on my layout, so some fudging of history had to take place. That's one nice thing about freelancing. One way to have these cars show up was to have an NP tourist train take passenger from Logan south to Yellowstone park. 



















That takes care of the NP train, but what about the 1/87th residents? Nothing fancy on the Logan Valley. Top of the line service is on an RDC with a club car in tow. 



















There are other forms of passenger service also, like this gas electric.










Things go down hill from here. On some through freights, a combine purchased from the NP and not yet repainted will handle passengers or you could get on a drovers caboose. 



















Gotta keep the small residents happy.


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## bob from pdx

California railfan 508,, Thank you i needed to see that. it was great. the info from railfans 
is always good but as i have seen is just railfans until u helped tks.. I was hoping to get more info on Garrison in about 1955-1960 as 2 rail roads merged there i believe. the Milwaukee and the up. we moved from that area in 1958 to port ore. thanks bob


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## bob from pdx

thanks Chet. Family left Deer Lodge in '58 i was 11 for portland,oregon, because of work.
Mom worked in garrison , dad on railroad there and wanted to copy it. I have the milwaukee bi centennial sd40-2 dcc. Garrison trackage there in '58 i am looking for . Deer Lodge library helped me find "Under Milwaukee Lines" by Bill Marvel if your interested.nothing 
on garrison yet for U.P. tie in tho. I'll keep looking thanks bob


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## Chet

We're just about the same age. I had, and still have a few relatives living in Deer Lodge, many retired from the Milwaukee Road. I'll have to ask them about it. 

Garrison and Garrison Junction is still an active place. The BNSF and the Butte Anaconda and Pacific interchange at the yard in Silverbow (Butte) where there is a connection to the Union Pacific. There is the Montana Western Railway that does operate from Butte to Garrison to interchange with the BNSF there also.


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## bob from pdx

Thanks Chet. If u get the chance ask them where the turn table was at, trying to find on google map. I remember the town well but we lived near racetrack. I think it was behind the prision west side? this maybe should be a pm would lik some more info on it if possible.
I dont want the moderators to get upset If so hope they'll let me know soon. I'll respect that.
Logan is just south of Lewis/Clark Caverns if i remember correctly. about '55.Good Old Days. 
I went to school with the Beck boys. The Deer Lodge Library has helped me by way of phone call to them. Some Day I would Like to meet u in person Thanks for the help 
Bob


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## Chet

If you go to Google earth and find the old Montana State Prison, the roundhouse was just across the river, west of the prison. If you look carefully, you can see the old foundation of the roundhouse and where the tracks were in the old roundhouse. There is a lumber mill now standing where a majority of the yard used to be south of the roundhouse. Just south of the prison is the Montana Auto museum and then a park area with an E-8 and a little joe on display. I was out there just a few weeks ago.

Logan is right along I-90, east of Three Forks, MT. It was a busy place for the Northern Pacific.


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## bob from pdx

Thanks Chet, I was way off on Logan loc. I went thru there in 2003 Worked in Billings on Cenex site. The info for Google was yery good thanks. do u have any pic's of deer lodge round house in abt. 1950-1960? Thanks for all the help and info. Bob


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## Chet

Sending a PM, have photos


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## bob from pdx

pm sent bob


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## Chet

This picture is an overview of part of the layout. The empty spot in the lower right of the picture above the roundhouse will have a lumber mill built in that space at some time in the future. 










In this picture you can see the engine servicing area, yard, meat packing plant and ice dock. A train would either come out of hidden staging where the train is in the left center of the picture or leave the yard and travel clockwise around the room into the town of Logan, which is currently under construction. It finally had the yard and engine facility balllasted and some ground cover has started going down. 










In this picture the train is continuing clockwise, down grade towards the town of Logan. It could also go through a tunnel portal into a three track hidden staging area. 










This is the roundhouse and turntable as you enter Logan. Ground cover has been started on the hard shell scenery trying to work it into he backdrop. i will probably make some of my sagebrush trees to cover part of the hills behind the roundhouse.










The last picture is looking down the yard area with the ground cover added. Weeds and other details will be added here. 










When work on the yard area has been done, detailing of the town to the left of the picture can be started.


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## Fire21

Wow, those are great!! :appl:


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## Rusty

Nice looking layout.


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## ak-milw

These are the first pictures I have seen of the whole thing, excellent Chet! and all that orange and black doesn't hurt it either.


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## Chet

I finally found some time to try to make a bit of progress on the layout. In the first picture some bushes and a tree were added trying to blend the layout into the backdrop. A couple more trees will probably added along with some weeds. 










Next a guard rail was pit in along the drop off going to the parking area by the boiler house. 



















Next, some work was started on the salvage yard. I was abl to find some casting for junk piles so it was time for some ground cover. Here's the before shot with things in place. 










Hydrocal was put in to level the area and then painted to get rid of the dreaded white. 



















Finally ground cover was put down. I have some brass castings that I won't be using so they will be painted and added to the junk plies. At the entrance to the yard, a small shack will be put in and a scale. Weeds will be added also and then I guess I should come up with some sort of fence to go around the yard. 










Slowly is my pace unfortunately. Just too many things to do and not enough time to go around.


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## Fire21

Fantastic, as always, Chet. Your skills and attention to detail are amazing.


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## MtRR75

Chet said:


> Slowly is my pace unfortunately. Just too many things to do and not enough time to go around.


I think all of us have this "problem". If we ever got "done", then what would we do? My progress is much slower than yours. But I am still working full-time, and have a couple of other hobbies and some family issues that compete for my free time. At least we are never bored.


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## Chet

Sounds just like me. Work full time also and have too many other interests and hobbies. I know that I will be slowing down drastically restoring classic cars. I have finally completed my last restoration for myself and won't be taking any more outside jobs. Time to slow down.


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## Chet

I did manage to get a little work done in Logan. Using cheapie styrene "for sale" sign for the streets, they were painted a concrete color. The next part was a pain. Establishing a constant center line for the street and then cutting and gluing them to the plywood surface. Once installed, the seams in the concrete streets were put in and the oily streaks commonly founf down the center of the driving lanes were added. 



















With this finished, cutting and fitting the sidewalk areas was started. It was nice to ger some ground cover down in front of the freight station, which will also be the company offices along with the REA. A couple of sage brush trees similat to the ones against the back drop in the next picture will be put into the lawn area in front of the freight station as well as the park area in front of the passenger station.


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## DonR

If being envious is a sin, Lord save me I am guilty.

Beautiful, but I have a concern.

Those dark lines on the street look like
paved over streetcar tracks. Did National
City lines take over Logan too? jPshaw.

don


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## Fire21

Chet, your work is fantastic! Can't think of anything else to say!! :appl:


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## ak-milw

Looking great Chet, as always, I like the grease marks on the road1


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## dasB&M2-6-0

Chet......it just gets better and better!! FANTASTIC!
Re: the cars/trucks.....are they Matchbox? Hot Wheels? Other? Later on I'll be looking for some '50s/'60s vehicles.....TIA!

May your freight ALWAYS roll smoothly...and ON TIME!!


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## Chet

dasB&M2-6-0 said:


> Chet......it just gets better and better!! FANTASTIC!
> Re: the cars/trucks.....are they Matchbox? Hot Wheels? Other? Later on I'll be looking for some '50s/'60s vehicles.....TIA!
> 
> May your freight ALWAYS roll smoothly...and ON TIME!!


The majority of the vehicles are from Classic Metal Works, but there are also other brands. If you want vehicles from the 50's check out their web site. http://classicmetalworks.com/site/

I started looking for accurate vehicles for the transition era over 25 years ago, starting with Alloy Forms vehicles. There weren't many accurate vehicles for this period at the time. As years passed, more vehicles started coming on the market. Athearn has a few and there are others manufacturers in the mix now.


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## Chet

DonR said:


> If being envious is a sin, Lord save me I am guilty.
> 
> Beautiful, but I have a concern.
> 
> Those dark lines on the street look like
> paved over streetcar tracks. Did National
> City lines take over Logan too? jPshaw.
> 
> don


Take a look at the highways and streets in your area. After a period of time, oil, grease and other items will accumulate down the center of a driving lane. These came out a bit darker than I planned. Should have used a darker grey chalk instead of black, but I was lazy and didn't care to take a 30+ mile round trip to town.


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## tr1

Once again, very excellent work. on your part. Congratulations Chet!
Regards,tr1


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## Magic

The roads look great with the oil but take a look at your parking lots. Should have some there too. Those 50s cars leaked a lot of oil.

Magic


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## Chet

It's a work in progress Magic. There's still a lot of work to be done here.


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## Shadowplayer

Amazing layout. What are the dimensions?


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## Chet

Averages 24 feet by 17 feet.


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## Shadowplayer

Thats a lot of detail and scenery in packed into there. Very impressive!


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## Chet

Thanks for the compliment. It was started over 20 years ago but was in limbo for a number of years because I have no hobby shops in my area at all.


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## DonR

Chet

Tell me about those grease drippings on the roads, one almost
done me in when Riding my Road King one day a couple years 
ago.

Don


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## Chet

Years back when I was on the Florida Highway Patrol, I used to dread a rain shower after a bit of a dry spell. That little bit of oil film when mixed with a little bit of rain caused more accidents than I could count.


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## Chet

A little more progress has been made over the weekend. After looking at plywood for longer than I prefer, more ground cover has been put down on the edge of town. 










A fence will be put in at the rear of the residential lots so trains aren't in the beck yard. Also, there will be a couple of garages scratchbuilt to sit at the end of the driveways. Some sagebrush trees will also be put in around these homes. 



















It was a pain and time consuming cutting and fitting all of the sidewalks at this end of town. There will also be a few sagebrush trees planted in the park area in front of the passenger station. I will probably make a post on the construction of the sagebrush trees. 

It's quite a difference looking down main street with all of the roads in place and ground cover moving forward.


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## Fire21

It's like looking down from an airplane! Fantastic, Chet!!


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## MtRR75

Nice auto collection.

Main St could use a few more pick-ups (local farmers in town) and delivery trucks, if you've got them.


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## cole226

very nice chet.:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Chet

MtRR75 said:


> Nice auto collection.
> 
> Main St could use a few more pick-ups (local farmers in town) and delivery trucks, if you've got them.



There are a few further down the street. One is parked in front of the Saloon.


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## Rusty

Neat looking layout


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## Chet

*Trees*

A little more progress has been made to the town of Logan. Some sagebrush trees have been added. They are built two ways. One is using polyfiber on the sagebrush armatures and then applying coarse ground foam to the polyfiber using the cheapest hair spray I can fine, like the ones in the first 2 pictures by the freight station. 



















Another way is to use clump foliage and gluing them to the tree armature. his does take a bit more time, but does give the appearance of a different kind of tree. 




























Got some trees set into the town, but thought I had more scenery material than I really had and ran out of both polyfiber and clump foliage. Guess it's time to put in an order. At least things are moving forward and most of the plywood surface has been covered and the town is beginning to look like a town.

MtRR75, hope you're happy with more trucks.


----------



## Patrick1544

Very lively and colorful. Good to see a lot of people out and about on your layout.


----------



## Chet

Patrick1544 said:


> Very lively and colorful. Good to see a lot of people out and about on your layout.


Thanks Patrick. A lot more work has to be done to the town area, such as street lights and a few scratchbuilt garages and other details. A lot more figures will be moving into town in the future.


----------



## Shadowplayer

I could spend days just wandering around that room taking it all in!


----------



## Chet

Shadowplayer said:


> I could spend days just wandering around that room taking it all in!


Here's a video tour of the layout. Guess I could post it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiNqrkq9xYY


----------



## Chet

I have been out of state for the last two weeks in Florida for the Daytona 500. While down there I did manage to find time to hunt down and visit a few model railroad shops. It was a real pleasure to be able to browse through the shops and see in person a lot of the new products now available instead of ordering on line. Nothing like having something right in your hand. 

I did manage to refrain from any impulse buying of anything that I really didn't need, but did pick up some scenery, scratch building and detail items. 

I couple more sage brush trees were put together and planted and a fence was put in between the homes at the end of the layout 

First I'm going to post a picture taken about 2 years ago when the town was first started. The plywood area had been a catch all for just about everything for years but was finally cleaned off and planning was started. Where the white package of latex gloves with the number 8 on them was my reference point for this part of the layout. That's where the passenger station was going to go. Instead of drawing out a track plan, I laid down the turnouts and track so I knew exactly how things would fit. 










Here are the updated pictures of the area.




























There is still a lot more to be done, such as adding light poles, figures and other detail items but least things are moving forward.


----------



## Magic

What happened to that nice looking plywood? 

Looks great as usual. Are your houses kits or scratch built? You have a nice verity of them. :smilie_daumenpos:

And the cars, love them. 
If some night you hear noises in the house, just ignore them. It's only racoons, no pack rats. yea that's it pack rats. 

Magic


----------



## Chet

Unfortunately, the two houses are not scratchbuilds or kits. Instead of spending hours and hours on a kit or scratchbuild, I pick these up fully built from Woodland Scenics. I figures the time I saved could be put into other areas of the project.


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## Fire21

Dang, that all looks so nice Chet! Glad I don't live on that street...way too much traffic! :sly:

Hope you enjoyed the Daytona race. I didn't watch it this year for the first time in many years. I detest restrictor plate racing, so I boycotted it this year. I've been a huge fan in the past, but this year I'm still trying to bolster my interest enough to watch any of the races......... hwell:


----------



## Chet

I saw my first race at Daytona in 1957 when they were still racing on the sand and got hooked right away. I really disliked the tandem racing that they had for a couple of years but now with the new rules things have really changed. Love the super speedways myself. We try to make a few races in person each year. Gets us out on a road trip and gets me near hobby shops we don't have at home. 

Thanks for the complement.


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## traction fan

Great looking layout!


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## breezy8

*wonderful...*

OUTSTANDING layout...congrats...I will stick with it till I am done....


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## Chet

Here is a video I took of a Bachmann 2-6-0, DCC equipped with sound. Unfortunately I only run DC. My son, who know almost nothing about model railroading got it for me as a present because he does know that I prefer small steam engines for my layout. All of the sound is automatic. I have no control of the sound. 

Being a short line, large articulated locomotives wouldn't be needed. Not good for switching. 

The locomotive is a bit of a wimp on my 2 percent grade, good for possibly 5 freight cars, but I guess it could be used for passenger service. 










Here's a video of a passenger car run with the little guy. Pardon the jerky video. Trying to operate the camera, the throttle and watch both the train and view finder need a bit of practice. 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7zO8kdjGGA


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## trainguru

Hey, it's the thought that counts though. It's a nice little locomotive!


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## tjcruiser

Hey Chet,

I just watched your videos, above. What a FABULOUS layout! Filled with all sorts of home-town creativity. Excellent work. Thanks for sharing!

TJ


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## mopac

Cool video Chet. That little steamer never missed a step. Sound was very good also.
I liked the chugging change as it hit grade. As it should. I am in awe of your layout.
Outstanding job. I hope I can get mine looking half as good. Something to shoot for.
Thanks for showing. More videos.


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## Fire21

Chet, since your layout is DC, how did you get the loco to run on it? Electricity still evades my understanding........


----------



## Big Ed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7zO8kdjGGA

Nice.......and she rides off into the sunset. :smilie_daumenpos:

And the fisherman caught a big one. :thumbsup:


----------



## Chet

Fire21 said:


> Chet, since your layout is DC, how did you get the loco to run on it? Electricity still evades my understanding........


A DCC locomotive will run on DC. The problem with a locomotive with sound is that you do not have any control of the functions of DCC. The decoder in this locomotive was probably programmed from the factory to do the functions it does.


----------



## traction fan

*Wow*

Excellent work! I enjoyed the tour.

Traction Fan
:appl:


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## Chet

Here's another VIDEO of a bit of switching at the town of Churchill on the layout. It turned into one of those "Don't Try It At Home" things. I didn't think it would be so hard to poerate the camera and keep it pointed steadily at the train, operate the throttle and throw switches all at the same time. Also I neglected to bother cleaning the tracks as I haven't operated on this part of the layout in months with our home remodeling projects going on. 

This is how those big long freight trains come about, a little switcher gathering up freight and taking it to a yard to be made into a long train. This layout was built mainly as a switching layout. Being that I am a lone operator, a normal switching session can last as long as 2 hours if not more. 

The locomotive is a Bachmann S-4 with DCC and sound. I am a DC operator, but a sucker for anything decorated for the Milwaukee Road. 

Here's the VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR-tYl9fd9s&feature=youtu.be


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## DonR

Great fun Chet.

With the realism built into your layout watching your video
is like being in a tree house looking down at the real thing.

Big ditto to your comment that switching can take up a bit of time. When I pull
a stack of car cards to move about my layout spotting cars at industries
and picking up empties, 2 or 3 hours can go by and yet I would be dealing
with maybe only 15 or so cars. That's what is so enjoyable about switching.
You get very absorbed with how you are going to maneuver your loco to
get it in the right position to push a car into a spur, and then pull one
out of another while staying out of the way of the crack Desert Chief
passenger train.

I still don't understand how you can stop your DC loco yet the sound
continues. Also, the light doesn't dim or go out. You're not sneaking
some DCC voltage onto your track are you? 
Where is the sound picking up it's power
when you turn down your DC speed control?

Don


----------



## Chet

The little locomotive can be a bit tricky to operate. All of the sound functions are apparently pre programmed. The starting voltage is a lot higher on the DCC locomotives than on DC locomotives. 

My Atlas locomotives, for instance, will start moving at just about one volt. With the DCC locomotive, I have to raise the voltage to around 6 volts and the sound will come on, and the locomotive will sit still. You have to gradually increase the voltage and the locomotive will start moving and sound the proper horn signals, two for moving forward and three for reverse. 

Decreasing the voltage very gradually will slow and stop the locomotive and sound the horn once when it stops. If you drop the voltage too much, the sound will stop and the light will go off. It's extremely touchy and I am still getting used to it. I'm sure you noticed how the sound stopped a couple of times. I lowered the voltage too much. 

I am in the middle of a number of major remodeling project to the house and rarely have time to get into the train room. It was nice to run a train for a few minutes. 

Glad you enjoyed the video.


----------



## Chet

After spending all summer working on remodeling projects, I finally got to spend some time in the train room working on various projects. While doing this I assembled a trail a lot longer than my usual 8 to 12 car local freight. 

Here are three Atlas Alcos pulling a 48 car train plus a caboose up a grade exceeding 2%. Got it going and let it run while working on the various projects. Ran for over an hour with no problems at all. The video is 1080p. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFIIWvaTiIk


----------



## DonR

Beautiful, as usual, Chet. 

Don


----------



## MtRR75

Impressive. But since you let it run for a while, what goes up must come down, and I know that you run DC. So how much did the train speed up on the down-grade. It looked like it started to speed up a little at the end of the video. Had the head of the train reached the end of the climb? Just curious. I run DC, too and like long trains, when I can.


----------



## Fire21

That's great pulling power, Chet. And it runs so smoothly. The weathering on your rolling stock is remarkable! Really looks real.


----------



## Magic

Good to see you back in action Chet. 
Looks great. 

Magic


----------



## Chet

MtRR75 said:


> Impressive. But since you let it run for a while, what goes up must come down, and I know that you run DC. So how much did the train speed up on the down-grade. It looked like it started to speed up a little at the end of the video. Had the head of the train reached the end of the climb? Just curious. I run DC, too and like long trains, when I can.


The train did pick up a bit of speed at the end as the train got to level track as it passed the top of the grade. The train does pick up speed somewhat at the other end as it drops down a 2% grade into the hidden staging area. The Atlas units don't pick up anywhere as much speed on the downgrades as other locomotives, but with 40 plus cars pushing it downgrade, there is some increase in speed. I did slow the train down as it came out of the tunnel onto the main line as it started up the second part of the grade. The grade is over two and a half percent coming out of the hidden staging at the mouthe of the tunnel.


----------



## Chet

Here it is coming through town. Not what you want to see at a grade crossing if you're in a hurry. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwJkrHUFmlY

As you see, there train does pick up some speed as it goes through town as the grade starts about six feet from where the crossing is. 

Normally my trains are from 8 to 10 cars long and switch out various rail customers along the main line. Having spent the summer doing major remodeling to my home, I rarely got to see the train room. Just got a bug up my a** and wanted to just see trains run. Left them running while I was working on some other projects. One of them was planting a couple of poles to supply power through the overhead cabel to the turntable.


----------



## Chet

*Another DCC locomotive operating on DC*

Here's a BLI Mike I picked at a fantastic price. It is decorated for the Southern Railway, but some time in the future will be repainted for my Logan Valley. I needed this locomotive like a hole in the head, but a mike would be the largest locomotive that I normally run and I really like the chunky looks of this heavy mike. Again, I have no control on the sound. The changes in speed are my fault, trying to operate the camera and adjust the speed were probably beyond my multitasking capabilities. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOmh90pg4aE

Now all I have to figure out is how to turn the sound either down or off. After a while it can get annoying for me. I guess I could unplug the speaker.


----------



## Fire21

Sweet engine, and it seems to run really well.

Chet, you have SUCH a fine-looking layout! It's always a pleasure to see videos and still photos from you. Thanks for sharing!

Get used to the sound! Imagine how loud it was for the cab crew in the real thing! :laugh:


----------



## Chet

Fire21 said:


> Sweet engine, and it seems to run really well.
> 
> Chet, you have SUCH a fine-looking layout! It's always a pleasure to see videos and still photos from you. Thanks for sharing!
> 
> Get used to the sound! Imagine how loud it was for the cab crew in the real thing! :laugh:


I appreciate the kind comments. Thanks I have ridden in the cabs of many steam engines. I rode in some when I was a kid with my relatives and we do try to visit any operating steam railroad in out travels. Yes, they are loud from first hand experience. Here's a photo of one of the many steamers.


----------



## danhi

*Impressive.*

Amazing stuff, I really love your trees.


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## dsertdog56

I've seen this layout on facebook...or I'm pretty sure I have. It's an inspiration to help me aspire to the detail you have. The combination of Alco diesels and steam....perfection!


----------



## Chet

I don't think you saw it on facebook, unless someone else posted it there. I don't do facebook, but thanks a lot for the comment. Tried my best.


----------



## Chet

danhi said:


> Amazing stuff, I really love your trees.


Thanks for the comment about the trees. I make them myself from sage brush which is all over the place out here. I figure that a tree costs me less than a buck apiece.


----------



## Chet

*Update*

Last summer I didn't get any work done on the layout as were were busy with major home renovations. 

I finally started to add signs to the business so the 1/87 scale people would know where to go. First the the local eatery, right across from the passenger station. 










Next is the Sears catalog store with Woolworths next door. 










Caddy corner from Sears is Gallatin Valley Furniture, the Hi Ball Saloon and Ace Hardware with the grocery store at the end of the block








.

Next are some of my Alcos which I custom painted for the Logan Valley years ago. Some are missing, probably hiding in the hidden staging area. 










Last are the sand towers which I finally got off my butt and put together. 










Now comes the detail work. I have a bunch of figures to paint and various other details to add to the town and engine facility.


----------



## Fire21

Beautiful, just beautiful!


----------



## Magic

Must feel good to get back to the layout.
Looks great and signs do make the building come alive.

Magic


----------



## HOMatt

Chet said:


> Thanks for the comment about the trees. I make them myself from sage brush which is all over the place out here. I figure that a tree costs me less than a buck apiece.


Are the trunks of the trees bought? Or do you make those as well? If so, how do you do it?

They look fantastic. And so does your whole layout.
Matt


----------



## Chet

I make the trees myself from sage brush which is very common up here. 

I figure that they probably cost me less than a buck apiece and once I'm set up, I can probably build 2 to three in an hour. Here a link to a post I did on another forum on building sage brush trees. 

http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?36912-Sagebrush-Trees-(again)&highlight=


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## HOMatt

Thanks for the link. Now I just have to find something here in NJ that I can use to imitate that.
Great work!!!


----------



## Chet

There are a couple of suppliers that you can get some from. I would offer to ship some to you but I am too busy with so many projects that I have very little time to work on my layout. 

Here's a link. http://modeltreestore.com/sagebrush-tree-armatures/

I have no idea how much the stuff is. Mine is free. The thing that is so great about the sage brush is that the natural finish looks just like tree bark.


----------



## Gramps

I'm new here so this is the first time seeing this and it won't be my last. It's fantastic! Thanks for posting.


----------



## Chet

I finally got some signs put up on the buildings and and am slowly populating the town with figures. Still a lot of work to do.


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## cole226

downtown looks great chet. :thumbsup:

anymore traffic and town will be putting up a red light at that intersection. they say thats "progress"


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## JimL

Wow! What a wonderful layout. In every way.

What kind of engine is Logan Valley #450?

Thanks
Jim


----------



## Chet

JimL said:


> Wow! What a wonderful layout. In every way.
> 
> What kind of engine is Logan Valley #450?
> 
> Thanks
> Jim


# 450 is an original Atlas Alco RS-11. Came out some time in the mid 80's. Has the same Kato drive that is in their newer locomotives and the other Alco RS-1's and RS-3"s that I have. I did add some details such as grab irons, MU hoses, horns and such. Still runs like brand new. They are great locomotives.


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## Chet

Now that the town is slowly coming together, here are a couple of long shots of the town. There are still many small details to be added, but the town is coming along.


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## Fire21

Beautiful!!


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## Mark VerMurlen

Very nicely done!

Mark


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## bluenavigator

Wow! I would sit and look at them for as long as I like. Lot of details to eye!


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## MtRR75

Chet said:


> Now that the town is slowly coming together, here are a couple of long shots of the town. There are still many small details to be added, but the town is coming along.


I have always admired your well-planned-layout. But this view leads me to a question.

I see (from right to left) a wall covered with a backdrop, an industry with a spur, 6 yard tracks, a passenger station, a row of houses with trees in their yards, main street (4 lane wide + a sidewalk), a row of businesses, and FINALLY, an access aisle.

So, how do you reach the yard tracks?


----------



## Chet

MtRR75 said:


> I have always admired your well-planned-layout. But this view leads me to a question.
> 
> I see (from right to left) a wall covered with a backdrop, an industry with a spur, 6 yard tracks, a passenger station, a row of houses with trees in their yards, main street (4 lane wide + a sidewalk), a row of businesses, and FINALLY, an access aisle.
> 
> So, how do you reach the yard tracks?


So far I have not really had to. Turnouts are controlled by Humpyard Purveyance manual controllers. I use Kadee magnets for uncoupling. I was anal when it came to laying the track and backed long trains through all the turnouts and tracks and have had no derailment problems (yet). If any maintenance is necessary, I do had a bench under the layout that I built when laying the track in the yard. The trees and buildings can easily be removed if necessary for access. The yard has been on operation for a little over a year and so far I haven't had any problems at all.


----------



## Magic

Chet that's great view of a great downtown. 
Nice looking yard as well.

Magic


----------



## time warp

Great work! Something to be proud of. :thumbsup:


----------



## MtRR75

Chet said:


> So far I have not really had to. Turnouts are controlled by Humpyard Purveyance manual controllers. I use Kadee magnets for uncoupling. I was anal when it came to laying the track and backed long trains through all the turnouts and tracks and have had no derailment problems (yet). If any maintenance is necessary, I do had a bench under the layout that I built when laying the track in the yard. The trees and buildings can easily be removed if necessary for access. The yard has been on operation for a little over a year and so far I haven't had any problems at all.


Murphy (and his law) apparently don't know about your layout.


----------



## Chet

I tried to make it as "Murphy Proof" as possible. One of the quickest way to find bad track is to back a train through you tracks. As I mentioned, I backed long trains of 20 plus cars through all of the tracks and apparently taking the time to get it right the first time worked. 

You do have to be careful when you're throwing turnouts to make sure that every one is in the right position, but that's not too hard.


----------



## MtRR75

Chet said:


> You do have to be careful when you're throwing turnouts to make sure that every one is in the right position, but that's not too hard.


It is not SUPPOSED to be hard, but I still mess up more often than I should. That is why I am redoing my control panel -- with LED indicators to remind me which way the turnouts are set.


----------



## Chet

I had thought about that but my turn out controllers are manual. Trying to figure out to get indicator lights probably wouldn't be worth the effort as all of the turnouts to the yard are easily visible and I have gotten into the habit of double checking the route carefully before making any movements.


----------



## JimL

Chet .....

Those two diesels on the far side of the roundhouse that are painted black with yellow noses. Is that an alternate Logan Valley paint scheme? Or, are they from a different railroad?

Thanks
Jim


----------



## Chet

These are Northern Pacific locomotives. One is a GP-7 and the other is an F-7. 

Here's an updated photo with three NP locomotives next to the roundhouse. An F-7 in the older NP Pine Tree paint scheme, an FP-7 in the newer Lowey Paint scheme and an F-7 in the Pine Tree freight paint scheme. 

My freelance railroad connects to the Northern Pacific here at Logan, MT. It gives me a reason for NP power to show up on my railroad.


----------



## JimL

Ahh ... I see. I'm pretty unfamiliar with the NP. Those are also pretty neat paint schemes.

I keep coming back to see your own Logan Valley engines. Really good choice of paint scheme. Yellow is such a great color for weathering!


----------



## Chet

I haven't updated yhis post for a whie. Work has continued, but slowly with the holidays. This switcher finally got the express lettering for the Logan valley. Ran out of letter decals. 










Here it is doing some switching. 










Some more trees, figures and signs were added to the town of Logan. 










Also finally got the last part of Logan that didn't have any ground cover done along with the grade crossing into the roundhouse area. Here is a local switcher leaving the yard and then having to wait for the main line to clear. 




























Some more details along with fencing still has to be added to the salvage yard.


----------



## Fire21

That's wonderful, Chet, just wonderful. Your skill is amazing. :appl:


----------



## cole226

it just keeps getting better Chet. :smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## danhi

*Fantastic!*

Very impressive.


----------



## JimL

I always enjoy looking at Chet's photos and videos! Love the Logan Valley!


----------



## MtRR75

Fire21 said:


> That's wonderful, Chet, just wonderful. Your skill is amazing. :appl:


It not just his skill, but also his artistic talent. Everything fits together in a very realistic manner.


----------



## Magic

Looks great Chet. Everything just blends in so beautifully.

Magic


----------



## jlc41

Chet, your work is amazing, nicely done. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## time warp

You never need an excuse to bless us all with pictures of such beautiful work.:appl:


----------



## Chet

Thanks for the comments. Just plugging along with the layout.I have some more photos that I will post soon.


----------



## Chet

Here are a few more photos. I finally found some decent looking RR crossing signs and stop signs so some were put in. 




























This was the very last part of the town that had plywood showing. Black Stack truck and auto repair was put in and a fence around it and the oil company. I have to sort through some signs to put up on the fence next. 










Here is the Sinclair gas station that is next to the oil distributor and behind it is a warehouse that ships out potatoes which is a major crop in southwestern Montana. Yo the right of it is the freight station. 










The last photo is the salvage yard. More work has to be done here. The metal fencing around it is from Walthers and one kit was not quite enough. I am about 50 scale feet short and will probably have to order another lit to finish the fencing. More details also have to be added to make it look a bit scruffy. Too clean for a salvage yard. Have to order a few fuel tanks to put in front of the old baggage car which is the shop and office for the machinery. 










Adding details to the layout is what is needed and then it's on to updating some older parts of the layout.


----------



## Gramps

Great stuff, I really enjoy your photos.:thumbsup:


----------



## Fire21

Chet, I still think you should submit your photos and a write-up to Model Railroader or some other publication. Granted, not many members here read MR, but you'd get some very well-deserved attention and credit for what you've built. And they might pay you for your article! Heck, you could buy another loco!

P.S. I'd totally forgotten about the old yellow and black stop signs. Your attention to the tiny details like that is amazing!


----------



## Chet

Fire21 said:


> Chet, I still think you should submit your photos and a write-up to Model Railroader or some other publication. Granted, not many members here read MR, but you'd get some very well-deserved attention and credit for what you've built. And they might pay you for your article! Heck, you could buy another loco!
> 
> P.S. I'd totally forgotten about the old yellow and black stop signs. Your attention to the tiny details like that is amazing!


I have submitted some photos to MR, but they haven't been published. 

I can remember the yellow stops signs when I was growing up. Guess that makes me an old fart.


----------



## Fire21

Chet said:


> I have submitted some photos to MR, but they haven't been published.


Well, that's certainly their loss!!


----------



## MtRR75

Chet said:


> I have submitted some photos to MR, but they haven't been published.


You might try contacting Model Railroad Hobbyist -- an on-line magazine. See if they are interested in featuring your layout. If not, you can submit photos to their Photo Feature section.

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com


----------



## Magic

I totally agree with everything said above but what amazes me the collection of autos.
A Karmann Ghia for crying out loud. 
Great work Chet.

Magic


----------



## trainguru

Magic said:


> I totally agree with everything said above but what amazes me the collection of autos.
> A Carmann Ghia for crying out loud.
> Great work Chet.
> 
> Magic


It's "Karmann," the name of the coachbuilder.


----------



## Chet

Magic said:


> I totally agree with everything said above but what amazes me the collection of autos.
> A Carmann Ghia for crying out loud.
> Great work Chet.
> 
> Magic


I have been collecting anything pre 1957 for over 30 years. Probably have enough now, until I find something else that I don't have. Not only is there a Carman Ghia, but I also have an old Saab.


----------



## Chet

Got busy the past weekend and didn't do anything on the layout but run trains. This little consolidation is probably one of my favorite locomotives. Picked it up in the late 80's from a model railroader who had to move to a different state for work. Couldn't pass it up for $75. It is a Santa Fe prototype and was unpainted. Put a paint job on it and lettered it for the Logan Valley. It is a PFM offering from United. Even after all these years it is probably on of the best performing brass locomotives I've had. Totally silent when running and great pulling capabilities for a small locomotive. It did have a PFM sound system in it for a number of years until I dumped the PFM controler for a walk around throttle.


----------



## Mark VerMurlen

Nice pictures. You've done an outstanding job with your scenery! It would be easy to confuse your pictures with ones from the prototype world.

Mark


----------



## cole226

Mark VerMurlen said:


> Nice pictures. You've done an outstanding job with your scenery! It would be easy to confuse your pictures with ones from the prototype world.
> 
> Mark


every time i look at Chet's pics i expect to see a rabbit jump out or a flock of birds fly thru. so realistic! :thumbsup:


----------



## Chet

Thanks a lot for the nice comments.


----------



## Chet

Here are a few more photos. The first one is an Athearn GP-7 which was the very first locomotive to get a paint job for the Logan Valley. I wanted to have a family look, and working without custom decals, I wasted something simple that could be easily reproduced. 



















This was done around 30 or so years ago, and Atheran locomotives were probably the best bang for the buck. The sintered iron wheels were replaced with NS wheels from NWSL. The motor was replaced with a can motor and hard wired to the trucks. Details such as lift rings on the hoods, all weather cab windows, bell, horn and antenna were added as well as a snow plow and MU hoses. A single black stripe was run down both hoods and safety striping was applied to the pilots. The reason the Athearn motor was replaced is because with a number of cars, on, the locomotive would pick up some pretty good speed on down grades and lose a lot going up grade. They match the Atlas RS units pretty well. 










I am now to the point on the layout where all of the structures (for the time being) are down as well as all of the track. Now it's time to add details. Here are a gas station and a repair shop with a few figures added. Signs still need to be added to the fence aroung Black Stacks. 



















The problem I have with adding details is finding what I need to add along with getting distracted when in the train room and just running trains.


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## time warp

I've said it before, if the layout compels you to run trains instead of work on it, it's doing it's job. Well done.


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## Fire21

I think your loco paint scheme, although simple as you described it, is very well done. Yes, it is simple, but it's distinctive and bright and attractive. And it's real looking, just like everything else you've built. I love looking at your photos!


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## Magic

Great work Chet.
Everything looks so real I expect to see the people and cars etc. to start moving at any time. Your attention to the small details really has paid off big time. 
Love your work.

Magic


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## JimL

Fire21 said:


> I think your loco paint scheme, although simple as you described it, is very well done. Yes, it is simple, but it's distinctive and bright and attractive. And it's real looking, just like everything else you've built. I love looking at your photos!


And, the yellow color weathers so nicely! Love the Logan Valley ....


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## flyerrich

Chet,
Great job on your layout! What did you use for your road material going through your crossings?


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## Chet

Here are a few more photos. In the first one, The service station attendants were replaced with some Woodland Scenics figures. 










The next two are looking across Main Street towards the passenger station at Logan. 



















While going through some boxes of model railroad stuff that I had totally forgotten about, I found these old Roundhouse passenger cars that I had picked up over 30 years ago for 49 cents each at a swap meet we ran across on a road trip. I painted them and lettered them for the Logan Valley, probably before I had hardly any track down. They're a bit too old to use for regular service so they'll be used for a "special events" train. Here it is leaving town to take passengers to a rodeo and bar-b-que at the 320 ranch south of Gallatin Gateway. 



















The poor little Mogul is barely able to pull the four cars up the two and a half percent grade.


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## Fire21

I just continue to marvel at your techniques and abilities...and results! Keep the photos coming, they're GREAT!


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## 3.8TransAM

Amazing work there man!

My only suggestion would be to dirty up some of those autos, way to clean.

Rest is pretty badass!


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## Chet

3.8TransAM said:


> Amazing work there man!
> 
> My only suggestion would be to dirty up some of those autos, way to clean.
> 
> Rest is pretty badass!


Didn't you see the kids at the Sinclair station doing a car wash???? :laugh:


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## Chet

Got a little bit of work done in the town of Anceny. This part of the layout has been neglected for a long time as I have been busy working on the town of Logan. Here are a couple of photos, before and after of some homes as you come into town. Scraped away some ground cover and put in driveways and some trees. I have also started a fence to go behind the buildings between them and the siding behind the homes. 



















Also got some gravel down in the parking lot of the diner and the road behind it where the freight station and grain elevator are. The freight station is a pre fab kit for O'Leary's Ice House that I am kit bashing. Added a loading dock to it, but still have to complete the structure. It has been sitting on my work bench for months. 



















Some weeds and other small details have to be added. To the right of the last photo is one of the next projects to be taken care of. A grade crossing has to go in and then the rest of the track cn be ballasted and ground cover and weeds put in. The last photo is of the entire town, what there is of it.


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## Fire21

I stand lost for speech! :appl:


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## jlc41

Very nice, adding those trees makes a big difference in the second photo.


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## Rusty

Nice layout and pictures. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## Magic

Looks great Chet as always. You do such fine work.
All the little details make your scenes come to life. 

Magic


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## time warp

I like the way the gas station is situated.


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## Chet

I haven't had any time to really work on the layout, but I did receive the three new Oxford vehicles that recently were released. As some may know, I do collect any vehicles that are reasonably accurate from 1957 and older. 

The first the the '57 Chevy Nomad.









The next the the 38 Buick convertable.










The last one is the 55 Buick. 










Having a Chevy dealership on the layout I will be ordering more Nomads when they are available in different colors.


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## Saturn5tony

Love that Chevy dealership Chet, so cool!
And the built in lights are outstanding!


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## Chet

Getting close to lunch time. The diner will be busy.


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## MtRR75

Chet said:


> Getting close to lunch time. The diner will be busy.


Do the policemen get their lunches discounted?


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## Chet

Free donuts


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## MtRR75

Where is the policeman with the powdered sugar on his shirt?


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## ExONRcarman

Im new to this thread. after reading all 19 pages, videos and pics all i can say is...... OMG! JUST FREAKING BEAUTIFUL!


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## Magic

Count me in for free donuts. 

Great looking scene Chet, as always.

ExONRcarman Chet set a very high standard, one of the nicest I've seen.

Magic


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## time warp

Comparing your modeling skill to mine is like comparing a Hydrogen bomb to a slingshot! I'm not going to say good job, or nice work. What I will say is thank you for setting a standard of excellence.:worshippy:


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## jlc41

Absolutely agree with TW. Fantastic work.


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## Chet

Thanks for the nice comments. We all have to learn as we go. Guess I may have been going a bit longer than others. 

I have seen a major improvement in Magic's scenery skills compared to his previous layout. I better look out for him. :laugh::laugh:


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## flyerrich

Chet great layout. What do you use for your streets and roads?


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## Chet

I used plastic "for sale" signs for the streets and a heavier, thicker signs for the city blocks and sidewalks. The sheets were painted a concrete color and then attached to the plywood surface using a water based contact cement after they were all cut to fit.










Once the streets were down, the buildings were placed on the heavier signs, also painted a concrete color were cut to fit the buildings and super glued to the streets. Instead of scribing the seams in the concrete streets, I used a fine pencil to draw them in and then using black chalk (should have used a dark gray but didn't want to have to make a trip to town) to try to simulate the oily streaks you usually see in the driving lanes. A gray primer spray paint was used to try to simulate the asphalt side streets. 

Here are a couple of other photos of the streets. 



















Cheap and simple.


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## Bearfort

Wow - love the details in the repair shop - great photos. Is there a particular structure you built of which you are most pleased?


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## Chet

*Update*

I haven't posted any updates lately, but I have slowly been working on the layout. Growing up, our family used to take the North Coast Limited on a regular basis to Chicago, transferring to the Milwaukee Road in the twin cities to get to Chicago. 

I don't know why I decided to try to model the NCL as there would be no reason for it to show up on my layout, but I did. One A unit is an Athearn Genisis and the other are Stewart A and B unitss. All were detailed and had to be custom painted as some of the colors were not correct. 















I am still collective vehicles for the layout. Nothing newer than 1957. 



















A number of figures have also been added and are still being added to bring a bit of life to the layout. Here are some passengers waiting for a leased RDC and club car to leave. 




























I have more photos that will be posted in the future.


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## Mark VerMurlen

You've got a really great looking layout there. I really love that last photograph. The video of your passenger train is also beautiful. Nice job on everything!

Mark


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## Fire21

Chet, your entire layout is just remarkable. The detail is superb. I really enjoy seeing your updates. Thanks for sharing.


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## time warp

Nice work.


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## Gramps

As always fantastic stuff.


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## Magic

Chet the layout is looking just beautiful. The detailing is superb.
The North Coast Limited is one of the nicest passenger trains ever.
Grate job on that.

But the one thing that gets me is the fantastic car collection.
Every time I look at your set up I'm just amazed at the cars.

Magic


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## Chet

Magic said:


> Chet the layout is looking just beautiful. The detailing is superb.
> The North Coast Limited is one of the nicest passenger trains ever.
> Grate job on that.
> 
> But the one thing that gets me is the fantastic car collection.
> Every time I look at your set up I'm just amazed at the cars.
> 
> Magic


Here are some more


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## Chet

*Yard and engine facilities*

Here are some photos of the yard and engine facilities










There is a boiler house behind the roundhouse which also houses a machine shop. 










The track on the right is the inbound and the left is the outbound. 










This shows part of the service track that supplies diesel fuel and coal. 

































In the next update, we'll move down the line to the next town on the layout.


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## bluenavigator

For last two posts, there are no pix to view. Broken links?


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## Fire21

Chet, I'm not able to see the pictures...What happened? Or is it my computer?


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## Chet

That should fix the photos.


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## cole226

chet's eye for details is amazing. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## Magic

Simply amazing car collection. I see so many I would like to find.
What I need now are 1955 to 1958 two tone cars of all types.

These are my latest.








Magic


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## Chet

*The Town of Churchill*

Leaving Logan, the main line climbs up a two and a half percent grade into the town of Churchill. As it comes into town, it passes some cattle loading pens and a grain elevator. 










It passes a house when a young man comes courting in his hot rod pickup. Across the street is Vincent Supply which is an ag supply store, John Deere Dealer, lumber yard and hardware store. 



















Down the street is Tschache Oil. This is sort aof a gag for a friend, Junior Tschache (pronounced Shocky) whos family made their fortune in the oil business. Next to Tschache Oil is a scratch built freight station. 




























Next to the freight station is the passenger station. Across from the passenger station is Ed's Market and the local Chevy dealer. Vehicles are one of the easiest ways to set the time period you'r emodeling. 




























Next to the passenger station is a small park. 










As you leave town, you'll pass an irrigation supply manufacturer and the local auto repair shop.



















As the tracks leave town, there is a home up above the main line. 










From here the next town is Anceny. Going out of town for a bowling tournament this weekend so I will pick up at a later date.


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## Fire21

AWE-SOME!! :appl:


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## Mark VerMurlen

I agree, awesome layout. Looks as close to real life as I can imagine.

Mark


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## wvgca

looks great !
something to be proud of


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## RUSTY Cuda

Looks great,Nice work!


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## Magic

A wringer type washing machine in pic 2. 
Where in the world did you find that?
Superb details throughout the entire layout.

Magic


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## rwslater

Chet, this is quite the layout. Really enjoyed the pictures.

Robert


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## Gramps

Incredible detail!:appl:


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## Chet

Magic said:


> A wringer type washing machine in pic 2.
> Where in the world did you find that?
> Superb details throughout the entire layout.
> 
> Magic


So far as the old wringer washing machine goes, I have no idea where I came across it. May have been an ale SS Limited item. This part of the layout was done well over 20 years ago.


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## Chet

Here are a few more photos. I had a fairly large area with really nothing in it so I added a blacksmith shop and a Woodland Scenics built up mobile home which has an LED light inside with a printed interior. 










Here's the trailer with some juice to it. 










I had been toying with the idea of adding some of the Woodland Scenic LED street lamps and finally pulled the trigger. 



















https://i.imgur.com/DxzAuDA.jpg










The lighting hubs do come with a couple pf LEDs. I used them to light the interiors of the train station and a number of store fronts. 



















This is still a work in progress. It is a major pain in the butt working with the extremely fine wires. I have a couple more lights which I want to put in the lower level of the market in inside the dock area of the freight station. 

I also lucked out and managed to find an olf Revell auto carrier which is delivering new Chevy's to the dealer. 










I do have some more photos to add and will post them soon.


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## cole226

great scenes Chet. As always so _real world_!:thumbsup:


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## Fire21

In previous posts I've used up my vocabulary of praise for your layout Chet. It just looks so real. Amazing that you keep finding ways to make it even more so! To say "congratulations" is inadequate. Wow, just WOW!

Did you do your own background painting?


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## Chet

Fire21 said:


> In previous posts I've used up my vocabulary of praise for your layout Chet. It just looks so real. Amazing that you keep finding ways to make it even more so! To say "congratulations" is inadequate. Wow, just WOW!
> 
> Did you do your own background painting?


The backdrop is from Walthers called instant horizons. There wasn't much available 25 years ago in the way of backdrops. I would liked to have been able to upgrade it with one of the more modern ones available today, but I would need about 75 feet of it plus I tried to work the hardshell scenery into the backdrops which wouldn't work with an updated one.


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## Gramps

Just fantastic! I never get tired of your layout, thanks for posting.


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## EdC

A great layout with lots of detail.

Ed


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## Chet

*LED Lighting*

Woodland Scenics Just Plug LED lighting has finally been installed and here are some photos taken in total darkness. 














































Here's an early morning freight waiting to get clearance to leave at just before sunrise.


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## Fire21

STUNNING!! :appl:


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## Gramps

Fantastic!


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## EdC

That came out great!

Ed


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## Chet

Thanks for the comments. I am waiting for some more LED's to arrive so more building interiors can be lit.


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## Stumpy

Outstanding! 

Love the new LED lighting (and glad to know it can be added later).


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## Lemonhawk

Nice photography! Shows off the great job you done with the street lights buildings!


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## Chet

Had a bit of time to finally get down into the train room. Some additional LED's arrived so the interior of the freight station had an LED installed. 



















Now some more freight has to be added to the interior. The problem is that it has to be added through the doors as a floor was put in and I originally had no intentions of lighting it.


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## Magic

Chet all the lights make a fabulous layout even better.

Check out Woodland Scenics for freight boxes etc.
Very nice detail on them.

Magic


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## MichaelE

Very nice work Chet.


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## Chet

*Adding more figures*

I really like how adding figures can bring any scene to life. Here are some photos.


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## cole226

As usual, great scenes Chet. :thumbsup:


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## Gramps

FANTASTIC! :thumbsup:


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## flyerrich

Chet, great pictures, what a great looking layout. A few questions.
How long have you been working on your layout? What is the size of it? What did you use for your roads?


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## Chet

I have been working on the layout for a bit over 30 years. We have no hobby shops up here and there were times when it was almost impossible to find what I needed. I would make a list prior to any road trips and search for hobby shops and stock up. 

There were some long periods of time that I didn't do anything with the layout. Might not see the train room for months or years. I have another hobby, restoring classic and musce cars and that did take a lot of time. 

I was in N scale in the 70's, but the quality of the locomotives back then were miserable so it was all torn out, over 11 scales of main line and the HO scale layout was started. The N scale was in a room roughly 112 x 16. I removed a wall and added another scace 12 x 9. 

The street were made from "For Sale" signs I picked up at a local hardware store. Using a rattle can, the main street was painted a concrete color and the side street a gray primer color to simulate asphalt. Seams in the concrete and any cracks were drawn in with a fine pencil and black chalk was brushed on to simulate the greasy area commonly seen on highways. 

It took a lot of measuring and fitting, but when all the work was done, contact cement was used to fix the "streets" to the plywood. For city blocks and sidewalks, I used a slightly heavier gauge plastic sign. Worked out well, about the right size for "curbs". 

Hope that answers your questions.


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## flyerrich

Thanks Chet, questions answered.


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## jlc41

Beautiful workmanship. Love the layout and the details are fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Joe


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## G handy

I went with some asphalt road and I'd like to put sidewalks in. My son did The Greenery and there will be houses there and a few other things going in but this is a small village. Any hints or tips on the sidewalks would be greatly appreciated.


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## Chet

*Found some old photos*

Here are a few old photos showing the construction of the streets and city blocks. 

This shows the signs painted and being measured to the layout surface. 










Here some of the city blocks and sidewalks are being test fitted before the streets were applied to the plywood. 



















Here the street surfaces have been glued with contact cement to the plywood surface and some of the city blocks are being fitted into place. 










Thed nest two photos show the streets with the city blocks in place and ground texture applied. 



















After this trees and other details are added. 










Hope this help if someone else wants to try this method.


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## flyerrich

*Vehicles and people..*

Chet where did/do you get the majority of your vehicles and people. I have gone to a lot of swap meets around my area but not a good find for HO vehicles or figures.


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## Chet

I have been collecting vehicles for the transition era for over 30 years, when I started the layout. I have tried to get the most accurate ones I could find. Started with Alloy Forms many years ago, but more recently Oxford and Classic Metal Works have come out with some really nice and accurate models. Another source I use is American Excellence. Some can get a bit pricey, but they do have sales from time to time which lessens the pain a little bit. 

https://www.american-excellence.com/?p=list&scale=87

I am always on the look out for vehicles that I don't have. Probably have around 250 of them.


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## Chet

*Running out of room.*

I have pretty well run out of room for any more structures on the layout and had one little open area that was perfect for a little pond. 



















Including sun bathers.


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