Looking Forward to New Construction Bob, I, along with many I'm sure, am looking forward to seeing your progress as you move on to the new layout. Your advice is always spot on and appreciated by many in the community. Good luck with all the moving!
Thanks Vashnar... I don't know how quickly I can get this layout going . I don't work as fast as I did nine years ago. I'll be 68 next week. It's like work for an hour on the layout and do something else for the next 4-5 hours..I'll make some good progress in the next few months...
Hi Bob, I hope your move goes smoothly. Years ago, between the Army and the first company I worked for, I had to move 10 times in 7 years. Since then (1973), I've moved twice. I'm enjoying your new website. Best wishes,
Thanks Phil. This is only my second move since 1961. From Boston to Florida in 1994 and now to Texas. I'll still root for the Red Sox and Florida Marlins. I also follow the Cardinals as I have spring training tickets to all their games in Jupiter since 1998. I'm glad to hear your enjoying my new website. There's more to come as I have unlimited space on the site. It took awhile to get all the info I have on there up and running. I decided to do the website before I started to dismantle the JJJ&E.
Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed the JJJ&E and your website. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what you do with the new version. I too am hoping to see it in person. Welcome to the Lone Star State!
Thanks TexasNS for the welcome. Keller isn't too far a run from where I'm located. I'm glad you've enjoyed the photo's of the JJJ&E and my new website. I'm working on the new track plan of the "new" JJJ&E as I type this. I finally figured out XtraCad and the new plan is slowly evolving. I'm an old "pencil and paper guy". It will be alot different than the original JJJ&E as there will be more emphasis on a steam engine yard facility incorporated into the layout.This will take up to seventeen feet on one side of the room. I do have the steam loco's to populate this area. I also haven't finally decided on any potential grades for this layout. The original JJJ&E was entirely graded and I'm anxious to see what these loco's can really pull on level track. I have some BFS and john Colombo's double sided tape to improve the performance of the entire steam and diesel fleet. Yes... I do have diesels on the roster of the JJJ&E. Mostly "F" and "E" units with a smatter of GP-7/9's and some SD units. You're more than welcome to come over for a visit once I get settled.
Frisco is a great area to live, I spent 9 years in Plano, which borders Frisco on the south side of town. And I have 3 words for you, "Discount Model Trains" in Addison. Just a short 10 minute ride down the Dallas North Tollway from Frisco. Perhaps the best train shop I`ve ever been to, great selection of N scale items. Great staff as well.. Good luck on the new layout Rich
Taking apart the layout always sucks, but it pans out when you can rebuild and fix some things you didn't like about your previous track plan. Texas is cheap living compared to florida. I don't know your circumstances but if you got a house with some land, pole buildings are cheap I'm in the same boat, we're moving-just locally though-but I'm looking forward to it because the deal-maker for me is I get to build a separate pole building for my layout and triple the size :thumbs_up: In HO scale you never have enough space.... Looking to do the Moffat route with close to 9 scale miles of mainline if all goes well, maybe see it in MR in the year 2022 lol!
Well all the loco's and rolling stock on the layout has been safely packed up. The track has been removed and all that's left to be done is to take apart the bench work. All of the trees and most of the foliage has been saved.
All the bench work Of the JJJ&E has been removed from my third garage and carted off to the dump. This was the last vestiges of the JJJ&E. When I walk into my third garage, the home of the JJJ&E for the past nine years, all I see is shelving on either wall of the garage and empty space where there was once a very vibrant and active layout. In four weeks, I'll build new bench work for the "new JJJ&E" near Frisco Texas. The track plan has been formalized and is ready to go. I haven't added any buildings or structures yet and probably won't do so. I'd download the track plan on TrainBoard, but have yet to figure how to get the plan from XTRK-Cad to TrainBoard. I finally was able to print out the plan on my computer. The track plan is in a "rough state". Some of the track has to be "knit" together as I'm still going to use Unitrack. and XTRA-Cad doesn't automatically knit track together. Having fun planning a "new" layout......
Enjoy the Ride! Bob, Since I'm just now building my first layout in 20 years, I KNOW you'll get a kick out of doing a new one! And, since you're just a big kid like the rest of us (yes you are, don't deny it, WALLOW in it!) HAVE FUN when it comes down to the final tear down of the layout benchwork! ANYTHING that won't be saved for re-use, RIP IT! SMASH IT! TEAR IT OUT! It's great therapy, and if you DON'T need it now, you will by the time you get everything moved into the new house and start building the NEW JJJ&E. And you won't want any frustrations sitting under the surface then, will you? 'Course not. Meanwhile, have fun - isn't that what Model Railroading is all about? I always thought it was. Jim Kratzer The Mad Yank
MY: The bench work was a joy to take apart. Everything that needed to be saved was saved. Having fun taking apart the JJJ&E........
Bob, I'm 63 and just now starting a layout for the first time. It was almost exactly 34 years ago that I visited a guy with an n scale layout and was hooked. I bought lots of books and have purchased cars and engines over the years. I never did really get to build it for a bunch of reasons. I have a new home now (and a new wife:thumbs_up. I've got a complete small bedroom to call my own for a trainroom and my wife "nags me" to build a layout. I started it finally the other day. I just now came accross the forum again and started a blog of my own. I remember looking for hours on end at your layout and reading everything you'd written about it. Your using Unitrack was the imputous for me using it as well. I never would have started it even now without the Unitrack. Interesting to finally start mine and then log in again after a couple of years - only to find you tearing it down and starting afresh. It'll be interesting to follow the progress of my "mentor" (I am, afterall, just a youngster) as I progress on my own layout using many of your ideas. Good luck - and wish me luck! MARV
Thanks Marv: I remember your name from a few years back. I'm happy to hear that you have a new train room to start your railroad empire. Feel free to PM me if you need help. You'll enjoy using the Unitrack. Your trains will run for hours on end without any track issues. If you decide you want to weather the Unitrack, look at the the article I wrote on "Weathering and Ballasting Unitrack" on my website below. Have fun building your railroad empire in your new train room.....
Your wife had to nag you to start a layout! O.M.G.!:tb-biggrin: Just Kidding! Good luck to both of you on your new layouts!!:thumbs_up::thumbs_up:
Getting back to my original question, four posts ago in this thread. How do I download my track plan on XTRA-Cad to TB. The file of the track plan on XTRA.Cad is an xtc. file. How do I change that file to a gif file. Rail Images doesn't accept xtc files. Thanks....
Bob, When I want to post a pix of my trackplan from Xtrakcad, I use the Export to Bitmap function on the File Menu - it creates a .bmp file which you can post (attach). Jim
Thanks Jim. That's what I figured after I made my last post. When I get to the Tribute where the new house is located, I'll give you a call. You aren't that far from me. The last time we saw each other was at the Plano Show three years ago if I remember correctly. i'm closing on the house on February 27.
