Another weekend is finished and plans will soon be started for next weekend. How did you do this weekend? Despite the fact that I had to work Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Saturday seemed a bust, I did get most of what I wanted to get done. Sunday I went to Menards and was able to pick up most of the dimensional lumber I will need for a joint project later in the year. I also picked up wire and some material for more T-Trak modules later. Once at home, I started installation of Tortoise number one. I still need to get the #4 screws today to complete the hardware portion of the instal. Next I ran my 12 gauge bus wire under the sub-roadbed. I had drilled holes in each one of my risers to hold the main bus wires. I next carefully soldered the feeder wires on some Atlas code 55, drilled the holes and installed the first piece of track. After playing around with the track, I got it as straight as I wanted for a semi maintained stretch of track. Not as much as I wanted but a good start and happy with the results. So how about you? What did this weekend have on your list? Did you get it done? Track work, scenery or just running trains, let us know. We'll come back on Friday the 24th and start another Weekend Modeling Plans thread. Until then, have a happy and safe week and... ​High Greens!
Ive been busy designing and re-shaping our layout according to new latest track plan provided by David Smith. More information and details can be seen in my thread: http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine...ariety-of-things-within-small-space-(N-Scale) Latest work is done on Main Yard design. I am trying to incorporate more space for our locomotive facility. I am happy with the result but it is far from complete. Hopefully by next weekend, it might go from design to reality (paper to built up). Have a great week, folks! Al and Jordan
We have liftoff! This was the big weekend where I got the liftoff section that is the tannery actually working as a liftoff. First, as you will recall, I put plaster cloth across the gap, with clear plastic wrap under the fixed side so it wouldn't stick. Last week, I put down turf over the plaster cloth. On Saturday, I added static grass to the scene: Sunday morning, it was time to lift the whole thing out. I pushed gently from the bottom, and, well, it didn't move. The fit is snug, and some glue had seeped under the plaster cloth. Eventually, I cut some of the scenery apart in a back corner, and working from there I got the section to raise, bit by bit. Here, I've got most of it lifted almost out. You can see the pink base of the liftoff, and the plaster cloth cantilevered out beyond the edge. From this point, it wasn't much more work to get the whole thing off. I vacuumed the area around the base once I had the liftoff removed. Then, I put the tannery back in place. You can see a thin line where the scenery is separated. I'll use some ground foam to cover it. Next, I need to add the roads around the tannery, particularly on the left side, and then more greenery. But, that will have to wait. We leave for our ski trip to Whistler on Wednesday, and won't be back for a week. Oh, yeah. I took down the Christmas decorations. The Santa and two Santa's helpers are no longer on the streets, and have been boxed up until next winter. I'm not sure exactly what kind of "Christmas cheer" she was offering, anyway....
The weather was terrific and it was a nice drive to Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa, to a small train/hobby show. I picked up a Proto GP7 and a couple of Athearn SD40-2 dummies, and found some nice, bright, small LEDs so I could complete my C630 project. I put one of those small LEDs in the nose of my Stewart C630, where I had previously added the nose light. The result was most satisfactory, until the loco derailed and half-flipped onto its side. I was standing there wondering what conspiracy of obscure laws of physics caused that mishap when I saw smoke coming out of it! After hurriedly removing the engine from the tracks, I tested it and it still worked. But inside, the circuit board was somewhat blackened and some of the board traces were lifting off the board. I used Micro Gloss to coat the damaged area and secure the copper traces. Half-derailed, one truck was shorting with the other, and produced the unintended smoke generation. Because not all the smoke was let out, it still worked. I might have to add some bypass wires one day.
Finished building the storage drawer for my paints and such supplies. Then did some rearranging of the modeling work bench. Yippee! More free space to immediately clog with unfinished projects.
