# Greetings Fellow Railers



## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

Fairly new at this, Dad had a table when I was a kid and now that I'm retired and other hobbies turned out to be too much for me to do (rebuilding a boat). I watched a boatload of youtube and thought "I can do that" so I bought an N Scale Silver Streak Zephyr train and got started. I got the table built with some scenery put in place with a layout but for all intents and purposes only one train can run at a time and have to use two locos to pull all the cars up the 3% incline. Christmas is coming and I'll have a DCC controller and decoders with a third loco for two trains. I've already designed two different new layouts that will allow both trains to run on their own tracks with the capability to switch over tracks for more realistic runnings. Now to decide which to use or work on another design. I'm limited to a 4X8 table (I might be able to sneak in another 4ft "L" later on  The present layout was a learning experience on how to do several things, what worked, what didn't, and what not to do again due to PITA 

Oh, I forgot to mention, all Kato Unitrack and turnouts, all Kato locos an E5A and two EMDs with various freight cars with MicroTrain trucks swapped out on non MT cars


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Looks like you do some very nice work.
No matter what you decide to do I'm sure it will look great.
Good luck with the build and have fun.

Magic


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

Thanks Magic, I know with the limited space I have to build on I can't get too wild on track laying plus with the longer locos and passenger cars I can't go much tighter on the curves I have now. I've still been watchin videos and on the new set up, starting after Christmas, I'll start the teardown. I'll be getting at least two sheets of 2inchX4X8 foam board so to have a not so flat layout and cut into it the track, buildings, etc. I will try and re-use the inclines as well as needing more will likely us the old as templates. The biggest thing is I won't get in such a hurry this time, maybe even set up a loop on the dining room table while doing the new.


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

I thought I'd throw a few more pics of the "World" as it is right now and leading up to the present time (kinda hating to see some of it go but all in the name of progress)

Wood retaining walls hand built








Looking West to East, a lot more grass is in place now








Between the trucking warehouse and the railcar repair shop








Looking East to West in the 'Hood behind the hospital and school house


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

More pictures (I know from experience from BenzWorld that "pictures or it never happened" probably rings true here LOL)

The Band, extra points if you can name this now retired Band









I made the drum riser as well as the Marshall Stack amplifiers, that's me over to the left on the sax 🎷









Trucking Co is now EBT, Eager Beaver Trucking with the blue tractor "given" to a high school buddy and is now PST trucking









All this sightseeing, anyone need a snack and a cold drink ? And WAY in the background, yes this former school bus driver just HAD to have a bus on the layout 😎


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## TommyB (Jan 30, 2020)

I was going to guess ZZ Top until you added the second photo showing 3 more musicians on the stage (including yourself on sax). If you don't have a bass player on that stage, I'm available.


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

TommyB said:


> I was going to guess ZZ Top until you added the second photo showing 3 more musicians on the stage (including yourself on sax). If you don't have a bass player on that stage, I'm available.


No, the 2nd pic is a different band, ZZ Top was a good guess but no, not them. This was the early version before they added keyboards, a lot more drums, the box of Barbie groupies, and Mr Potato Head. (hint hint)

Having a bass, c'mon up and join the jam, my son is one of those playing guitar, while he was in the Navy he bought a couple of good ones and a Marshall half stack


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## TommyB (Jan 30, 2020)

Wooky_Choo_Bacca said:


> No, the 2nd pic is a different band, ZZ Top was a good guess but no, not them. This was the early version before they added keyboards, a lot more drums, the box of Barbie groupies, and Mr Potato Head. (hint hint)
> 
> Having a bass, c'mon up and join the jam, my son is one of those playing guitar, while he was in the Navy he bought a couple of good ones and a Marshall half stack


hmm...well if the band is who I am thinking, I will keep it to myself and not steal the Limelight. And if that is the band depicted, there is no room for my bass. You already have one of the best in the business!


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

An excellent and correct guess Professor, What gave it away ? And yes, all 3 are the best of their class


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## TommyB (Jan 30, 2020)

Wooky_Choo_Bacca said:


> An excellent and correct guess Professor, What gave it away ? And yes, all 3 are the best of their class


This band was originally a local band, 20 minutes down the road from me. They used to play high school dances in this area, playing Led Zep covers. Lakeside Park, is local, and a Pavillion/memorial statue is being erected in honor of the drummer who recently passed. You caught me by surprise because you are in the US and I always seem to think of these guys in terms of Canadian icons. By the way, I love the power trios. And until I saw the barbie doll reference, my next guess would have been Grand Funk Railroad...being as how this is a model train forum.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I play a lot of RUSH tunes. Now if I could just afford the Gibson Axess LP...

Great detail work. Lots of interest there. Alex doesn't like keyboards.


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

TommyB said:


> This band was originally a local band, 20 minutes down the road from me. They used to play high school dances in this area, playing Led Zep covers. Lakeside Park, is local, and a Pavillion/memorial statue is being erected in honor of the drummer who recently passed. You caught me by surprise because you are in the US and I always seem to think of these guys in terms of Canadian icons. By the way, I love the power trios. And until I saw the barbie doll reference, my next guess would have been Grand Funk Railroad...being as how this is a model train forum.


Yes, it was a sad day to hear of Neil's passing, RUSH was all but over anyway except for maybe a one-off show due to his self imposed performance standards. The Barbie and Mr Potato idea came up from watching an interview and the Live in Rio show, even had dinosaurs at one point, all belonging to Lerxst's kids LOL. And it's funny how Pratt came up with his name, his Mom's pronunciation of his name LOL. I was in the Army when Moving Pictures came out and one of my buddies had a drum kit and played pretty close on Tom Sawyer

Michael, Alex didn't like keyboards but he had foot pedals set up on his side along with his effects box


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Wooky_Choo_Bacca said:


> Yes, it was a sad day to hear of Neil's passing, RUSH was all but over anyway except for maybe a one-off show due to his self imposed performance standards. The Barbie and Mr Potato idea came up from watching an interview and the Live in Rio show, even had dinosaurs at one point, all belonging to Lerxst's kids LOL. And it's funny how Pratt came up with his name, his Mom's pronunciation of his name LOL. I was in the Army when Moving Pictures came out and one of my buddies had a drum kit and played pretty close on Tom Sawyer
> 
> Michael, Alex didn't like keyboards but he had foot pedals set up on his side along with his effects box


Yes, I've seen his rig from several years ago right when he started playing the Axess. Still thinking of adding the FRX system to my LP.


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

First try of uploading a video made an hour or so ago






WOO HOO, a success (doin' a jiggy dance LOL) OH, if after this video plays it shows a white Mercedes as the next vid to play, play it, that's my hot rod


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

An update on the railroad empire here LOL. We did our Christmas today as well as stuffing ourselves due to my son being here and he'll be working Christmas and New Years Day (oh the life of a Doctor) I got my presents today too and have already swapped out the decoders in the locos, pretty simple operation. Now to start tearing down the track after a test run with the DCC box I also got today


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## TommyB (Jan 30, 2020)

Are you using spray paint caps for fuel/oil storage tanks? If so, I like that idea.


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

Yeah those are paint caps. Another idea I saw in a video was to use PVC pipe caps, I think they might be more realistic with the rounded over edges and could also be used as water tanks. I'll have to look at what I can find


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## TommyB (Jan 30, 2020)

Cool idea, and ya, PVC pipe caps would work well too. Allowing for different sizes. I'm filing all of this information in the back of my brain. I've pretty well completed my tracklaying and electrical work and am now looking toward landscaping and the scenic portion of the hobby. I will have an industrial area at one end, and town scenario at the other end. Also a riverbed flowing through the mid point of the layout. I'm looking forward to this part of the hobby, but I have no idea to what degree my talents lie. I want realism, so I expect there will be some trial and error for sure.


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

Started a new thread but gonna post here too, 1 for 3 so far, one SD70 is up and running DCC, the other SD and the E5A are dead in the water, controller doesn't even see the SD and only headlight functions on the E5A


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

After days and daze 😵 turning into weeks of designing track after track 🤪 I think I finally came up with something that will work out for me. It will mean to make the table a bit larger than it is right now but since the train / living room isn't and wasn't being used for anything else (the freezer is in there ⛄) Anyway, it'll be a DCC double track with crossover and super elevated curves that will be higher in elevation from the town and industries, I'll even try to vary it a little up and down. Then there will another track using what I already have on hand here to loop around and a spur loop inside the berm. I'll have the train shop with it's siding and sidings for the tank farm and trucking / rail warehouse plus the town and along one edge room for a lakefront with a campground that will come later. This will allow me to run the trains whichever way I want to, switch them to other tracks while a train waits









Down here along this edge I added 1 foot after I had the basic madness laid out LOL. 8ftx8ft along the long sides with 4ftX4ft in the notch. I tried doing 3ftX3ft on the addition, just couldn't make it work


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

Looking good, what’re you going to name it?


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

Thanks Annie. A name ? hadn't thought of that yet LOL, it will have to be something unique for sure. My nick being Wooky instead of Wolfman (200K Wolfs out there). My boat was named "Riff Raft" (I don't think Riff Rail would sound right). My layout trucking company is "Eager Beaver Trucking", a spin off of my self named "moving company" whenever anyone ever moved they called me (and I didn't even have a pickup then LOL). I'll have to work on naming my empire.


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

Oh, and a loco update, I did some soldering of the decoder on the E5A after watching Mike Fifer's video on the same loco and board. The E5 is now running DCC (and it showed me where I have some dirty track 😳). The faulty decoder was delivered to Digitrax yesterday, now to wait for a repaired or a new decoder for the other SD freight hauler


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

I'm glad you figured your DCC problems out, I would recommend Aztec N Scale Track Cleaning Car TS1112 for sale online | eBay one of these, I used to have one of them, but my cat decided that was not okay, and took a swipe at it (I'll put it back together someday...) I'm also curious about who made those Freightliners, I like the look of them and I may consider purchasing one.


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

TrainWorx made both the tractors and the trailers, good luck finding any of the high top trucks as they sold out in a matter of days. If you find any for sale the prices will be 2 and 3 times higher (people bought for resale and profit making). I'll look up the Aztec


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## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

47.99, 171.99, 84.88, Yea, I think I'll pass on those...


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## Wooky_Choo_Bacca (Nov 13, 2020)

QueenoftheGN said:


> 47.99, 171.99, 84.88, Yea, I think I'll pass on those...


Yeah, when I bought my fleet I paid like 47 bucks for tractor and trailer, the high top cabs I got 3 of the last 5 black ones and the last blue he had, trailers were close as he had run out of those with refrigerator units and only had like 50 more trailers. The next day they were gone as well. I saw them on ebay at much higher prices but with the ones I had already wasn't about to pay the prices they were "asking" (I know it's a business to make a little money but double or triple what they paid for them ??) There was even a Peterbilt tractor and Budweiser trailer that was being resold for $500, pass

Oh, when TrainWorx makes a run of vehicles they only make a set number and then stop, I don't know if they have trouble with their manufacturers or what but several people have commented that they could probable sell every one that were made. I've seen pictures of "discontinued" trucks, road tankers, automobiles, etc


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