Community Forums

Wallaby Dan · 04-15-2015, 08:57 PM

I am glad that the hobby is still alive and hanging in. It seems to be getting less attention as the years go by. My wife helps me with the layout. We go to the shows and travel all over the country. I may not work on the layout every day but still have it for when we stop and check out a railfaning spot. This fall we are thinking about east Texas or West Alabama. Not to sure yet. Have to wait and see. But while traveling we see a place that has some of the older train stations and older trains we will go and take the tours and take lots of pictures. I have got to where i am tired of UP around here. No other trains but them down here. I have been up in the northern parts of Arizona to see the Apache rr and Santa fe but not much else. Some other short lines and mining sites too. I have been here to long and my feet is wanting to take off again.
Anyway, have fun and enjoy the hobby, Smoke

Wallaby Dan · 04-19-2015, 11:59 AM

I thought i would show a small video of my new layout. Its still got a long way to go yet. Sorry about background noise. Its two different tv's making noise. In the first shot it is showing the train coming through the tunnel to hidden staging and into the tunnel behind the layout. The other's are in the front part of the layout. I got a long way yet. Turnouts are next on the layout but will take a bit.The Micro engineering track is in the middle of the front and is where there will be about 8 switches. The layout is also in DCC so it have better control of the engines. Enjoy, Dan

https://youtu.be/8tEXF-uIS1k

Raining Star · 04-19-2015, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallaby Dan

I thought i would show a small video of my new layout. Its still got a long way to go yet. Sorry about background noise. Its two different tv's making noise. In the first shot it is showing the train coming through the tunnel to hidden staging and into the tunnel behind the layout. The other's are in the front part of the layout. I got a long way yet. Turnouts are next on the layout but will take a bit.The Micro engineering track is in the middle of the front and is where there will be about 8 switches. The layout is also in DCC so it have better control of the engines. Enjoy, Dan

A good start, some of the scenery features look promising.

Have you chosen a time and place for the setting? What are you planning on using the switches for, industries, yard, or alternate routes?

Wallaby Dan · 04-19-2015, 10:37 PM

It will be close to 1910's as i can. So will most of the cars. Hard to find that many of the older style cars but i have been collecting for awhile. The layout is a Logging camp with Sawmill and small company town. There is two logging camps. There is a fiddle yard under the tunnel. The sawmill area is a switch yard. A single main line is for C&O railroad. The logging camps are a small switching yard. There is a camp like that where i lived as a child. I worked in a sawmill and loved it. The one i worked at is now closed. what a shame! The state is West Virginia. Many of these towns like Spruce are all gone now. Only pieces are left however few they are. Cass is a wonderful place to see. You can get a kind of Just of the life. I was in Greenbrier country and i am using it for the layout. "The Greenbrier Lumber Company". The time is before me but it was in some areas just like when i was young. Back then it wasn't much different then in the 50's. We still had steam engines back then. I don't remember seeing a Diesel till the 60's. Not much else i can think to say. It will take more years till i am finished. And it is a labor of love. Nice to remember the "back then". Better times and I would love to go back and relive them again. Later, Dan

Raining Star · 04-20-2015, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wallaby Dan

It will be close to 1910's as i can. So will most of the cars. Hard to find that many of the older style cars but i have been collecting for awhile. The layout is a Logging camp with Sawmill and small company town. There is two logging camps. There is a fiddle yard under the tunnel. The sawmill area is a switch yard. A single main line is for C&O railroad. The logging camps are a small switching yard. There is a camp like that where i lived as a child. I worked in a sawmill and loved it. The one i worked at is now closed. what a shame! The state is West Virginia. Many of these towns like Spruce are all gone now. Only pieces are left however few they are. Cass is a wonderful place to see. You can get a kind of Just of the life. I was in Greenbrier country and i am using it for the layout. "The Greenbrier Lumber Company". The time is before me but it was in some areas just like when i was young. Back then it wasn't much different then in the 50's. We still had steam engines back then. I don't remember seeing a Diesel till the 60's. Not much else i can think to say. It will take more years till i am finished. And it is a labor of love. Nice to remember the "back then". Better times and I would love to go back and relive them again. Later, Dan

A man after my own heart. My own freelance theme is a narrow gauge lumber road, the Blue Star Lumber Company, interchanging with a standard gauge common carrier, the New England Central.

It's also set in the teens, but I found that so many available HO models are based on late war USRA prototypes that I allow my train prototypes to flex into the 20's. My planned scenery will hopefully remain faithful to the 1914-1918 war years, as that is the justification for such heavy rail activity in a rural backwater. It's a compromise to be sure, but it greatly increases the choice of RR models.

I don't know much about Virginia lumbering operations. Perhaps the very nice Kadee log cars will work for you. The pulpwood harvesting of my chosen area were served by flatcars with stake side frames.

A great source for all sorts of rolling stock equipment of this era is Westerfield Models, assuming you enjoy building resin craftsman kits. They can provide some great distraction while camping in the RV and are second to none in detail and authenticity.

Good luck with your plans. We are having a new home built, which will be ready in June, so my plans are currently still on paper, and in storage boxes of locomotives and equipment.

Wallaby Dan · 04-20-2015, 10:38 PM

I was lucky, I found the log cars i needed at a site i had never heard of but they are out of PA state. I only needed about 15 cars but have a couple of extras. I will check out the Westerfield Models. I have need of two shays yet. They keep screwing around with the date of release. Atlas is just waiting for more to preorder. I have more buildings to build yet and switches need to finish the track work. Have a good day and enjoy your new home, Dan

grandma3dgos · 07-28-2015, 05:33 PM

Hubby is N scale - has done several others. LOVE the G scale! but, yes, it's expensive (but gorgeous). Will ask him to post his plans here. Ola

Possum · 07-28-2015, 06:05 PM

I've done everything from N to F and when my eyesight started to deteriorate I went to "H" gauge. Hernia Gauge is not for the faint hearted. The front truck of my 3 3/4" scale 7 1/2" gauge Garrett locomotive is about 450 pounds. Being I need two trucks and have to sling a boiler betwixt them I will be looking at about a ton of locomotive to haul around. Just got the blanks for the wheels and will be turning the 8 drivers and 4 pony truck wheels over the upcoming winter. If you want to see what the finished locomotive looks like check out Live Steaming - Home Page

Raining Star · 07-29-2015, 06:02 PM

Very nice. My model railroad club shares land with a huge live steam club so I'm familiar with live steamers, but yours is an exceptionally well done locomotive. Congratulations.

Possum · 07-29-2015, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raining Star

Very nice. My model railroad club shares land with a huge live steam club so I'm familiar with live steamers, but yours is an exceptionally well done locomotive. Congratulations.

Poor use of English on my part. My locomotive is about 600# of various steel parts sitting on my shop floor. That big beautiful Green Garrett in the pictures is the original. I bought the plans and some castings from the man who designed the unit. If mine turns out half as nice looking I will be extremely happy.

Lifemember · 07-29-2015, 07:37 PM

My grandfather was an engineer. My father was a fireman they both worked on steam engines. My father loved the RR and had model RR setup for years. He passed away in 2002 and last year my mother gave me his collection. Half of it is O and the other HO he favorite was a 484 Lackawanna engine. Very similar to the one he fired in the old days. I do not know much about setting this up but am going to give it a go this fall.

I have been reading on what is required and how to service and maintain them after being in storage for several years. I did lay some track and had the 484 running again whistle, smoke, lights and all

The grand kids love it!

Raining Star · 08-02-2015, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Possum

Poor use of English on my part. My locomotive is about 600# of various steel parts sitting on my shop floor. That big beautiful Green Garrett in the pictures is the original. I bought the plans and some castings from the man who designed the unit. If mine turns out half as nice looking I will be extremely happy.

Sorry I misunderstood. You have a great example to follow, while simultaneously having an extremely high standard to compete with. Best of luck.

rvpusher · 08-02-2015, 02:29 PM

When we decided not to go Fulltime and only go "halftime", we purchased our current home. We have talked about garden trains for years and years and finally decided to bite the bullet and invest. Currently we have a 14 x 25 outdoor layout that is going to get expanded shortly after new fencing is finished. And that formal living room (that no one uses) is currently set up with 2 g scale layouts. So when the weather's bad, we can still play with the toys. Spent alittle over $5000 the first year and then realized we needed to slow down alittle with those eBay auctions, LOL. Definitely a fun hobby.

frankdamp · 08-02-2015, 02:53 PM

I was a model train enthusiast as a kid. In he UK, the most popular gauge was "00" which is 1:96 compared to HO's 1:87. I started a layout with my son when he was about 10. When I found that the track gauge was the same for both 00 and HO, and I was travelling to the UK frequently on business, I brought several trains and building kits back.

My son lost interest pretty quick, and I've never rekindled my interest. I still have some of the rolling stock stashed. I found out that the men at a local sheltered housing complex in town have a layout, so I'll be stopping by. One problem I found was that the British models have very sharp-edged wheel rims which can move the switch blades as they pass over. It can get very interesting when part of a train goes the "wrong" way!