Intoduction and First layout
- Thread starter Amrap1
- Start date
Looks good!
On the amount of effort you have put into it: The ashtray full of butts is particularly telling.
On the amount of effort you have put into it: The ashtray full of butts is particularly telling.
looks like lots of progress being made,,,,,, cant wait till I get to the point of it actually look like I'm getting something done,,,,,,, keep the pics coming,,,,,, ,,,,,,,, st
Too bad I didn't get pictures of the garbage can full of tea bags, covered by pop cans and then covered with beer cans. The beer cans go in when I'm done and cleaning up. Learned along time ago that beer and most construction equals disaster!
Ed
If anyone reading this thread thinks about what we're doing, It envolves:
Carpenter skills: gotta build the benchwork in many different forms.
Mechanical skills: changing trucks and couplers for compatability.
Electrical skills: wiring track, switches and lights ( if you want lights)
Artistic skills: building models, painting, glue...could go on forever....
It takes alot of work to do this. Anyone that takes this on by themself is either nuts or has some of the skills and looks for help on what they don't know. I think most of us fit into this catagory..Nuts and have most of the skills!
After reading my whole post from the beginning, I realised how much I didn't know and how much I've learned from you and on my own. I got frustrated and got support. I asked questions and got answers.
Ed
Carpenter skills: gotta build the benchwork in many different forms.
Mechanical skills: changing trucks and couplers for compatability.
Electrical skills: wiring track, switches and lights ( if you want lights)
Artistic skills: building models, painting, glue...could go on forever....
It takes alot of work to do this. Anyone that takes this on by themself is either nuts or has some of the skills and looks for help on what they don't know. I think most of us fit into this catagory..Nuts and have most of the skills!
After reading my whole post from the beginning, I realised how much I didn't know and how much I've learned from you and on my own. I got frustrated and got support. I asked questions and got answers.
Ed
Finally finished the mine/processing plant. I will be mining ballast. I know....train track ballast around Cleveland is mostly "slag". The leftover material from making steel. I'm sure in other parts of the country ballast used on tracks is a naturally found material.
Another view....
Another view....
Cork Railbed?
Started glueing the railbed down. Curves were fun, but I figured it out. Then I got to the turn out. I remember seeing turn out pads...Are they the same height as the cork track bed?
Ed
Started glueing the railbed down. Curves were fun, but I figured it out. Then I got to the turn out. I remember seeing turn out pads...Are they the same height as the cork track bed?
Ed
Going back to the hill/tunnel.....
Rather than tryng to fill all the holes from the plaster cloth with more plaster cloth. I used joint compound slightly watered down....
Rather than tryng to fill all the holes from the plaster cloth with more plaster cloth. I used joint compound slightly watered down....
Made more progress today. Worked on putting down trackbed around my Gravel/Ballast plant. I went to the LHS to get turnout pads and saw a cool Granite facility. I'm thinking of maybe combining the two. I remember seeing a granite mine in someone's layout and thought it looked pretty nice.
I used Elmer's white glue and the big yellow headed pins to hold it in place. The track is just pinned down to make sure the trains run before gluing the track down. Before calling it a night, I wanted to see what lights would look like in and around the plant:
Here's a view at an incoming train height
Ed
I used Elmer's white glue and the big yellow headed pins to hold it in place. The track is just pinned down to make sure the trains run before gluing the track down. Before calling it a night, I wanted to see what lights would look like in and around the plant:
Here's a view at an incoming train height
Ed
Questions, Questions and more Questions
I want to pre-wire my buildings from now on. I'm wondering what's the best way?
Does anyone have any links to layouts with a granite mine?
I want to weather that gravel/ballast plant. Does anyone know of a simple, step by step tutorial. I've read some here, but they seem to be too advanced for me. It took 4 days to build that plant and I don't want to ruin it!
I'm using the EZ-Command DCC and the train slows down uphill and speeds up downhill (Newton's law of Gravity). Will running feeder power lines around the hills stop this? I know EZ-Command is a lower end DCC system, would a better one help? Is there a way to slow the train down on down grades?
Ed
I want to pre-wire my buildings from now on. I'm wondering what's the best way?
Does anyone have any links to layouts with a granite mine?
I want to weather that gravel/ballast plant. Does anyone know of a simple, step by step tutorial. I've read some here, but they seem to be too advanced for me. It took 4 days to build that plant and I don't want to ruin it!
I'm using the EZ-Command DCC and the train slows down uphill and speeds up downhill (Newton's law of Gravity). Will running feeder power lines around the hills stop this? I know EZ-Command is a lower end DCC system, would a better one help? Is there a way to slow the train down on down grades?
Ed
Neat place this is, eh?
Wayne
I'm starting to wonder! I asked questions almost 2 whole days ago and got NO ANSWERS. I'm really serious about putting together a great layout and have worked on it for alot of time.
What's the problem? Am I uploading too many pictures to the thread? Did I say something to turn people off? I said I was new at the beginning and I think I've come along way so far. If you guys don't want to hurt my feelings, don't worry....I've been a Manager at a large Apartment Community for 17 years and have been called alot of things! I can take critisism.
Ed
hey amrap1,,, I think it looks great,,,,, you are so far ahead of me I dont feel too qualified to offer any advice but I sure dont see anything wrong with it,,,,, I say keep up the good work and I dont think you can download to many pictures,,keep them coming,,,,, ,,,,,, ,,,,, st
Yesterday I showed the pictures of the Gravel plant to our mailman who is also into trains and has his own layout. I asked him about lighting and he gave me some suggestions.
Trace your structure onto the benchwork, figure out how high or low the windows are, and put a stick/rod/pole into the foam base and glue or tape the lights to it at the height(s) needed. Run your wires, test and adjust if needed. I did that and added a temporary parking lot with cars to see how it would look.
Different view:
I'm wondering if there are "up-lights" or "spotlights" to light either from the ground to the structure or from the structure down to the ground?
Ed
Trace your structure onto the benchwork, figure out how high or low the windows are, and put a stick/rod/pole into the foam base and glue or tape the lights to it at the height(s) needed. Run your wires, test and adjust if needed. I did that and added a temporary parking lot with cars to see how it would look.
Different view:
I'm wondering if there are "up-lights" or "spotlights" to light either from the ground to the structure or from the structure down to the ground?
Ed
Heya Amrap1, I think in the Weathering forum, Trucklover posted a thread about weathering his cement plant (which would be similar to your gravel/ballast plant I think!) Check it out and I think it will give you some good ideas on how to weather your structure.Amrap1 said:
I think you are indeed quite an advanced modeler having so much accomplished in such short time, so the lack of answers to your questions is probably because most of us do not feel qualified to kibitz! sign1
You should be posting tutorials yourself on doing some of the stuff you did, you know. :thumb:
I did see Trucklover's thread and he did indeed weather the same plant. I was very impressed and told him so. He also changed things a bit, which I wish I would have thought of.
I'm no ADVANCED modeler. Unless most people here are new! Thanks for the compliment!
I actually posted the pictures thinking that most people would offer suggestions and hoped that a few would be impressed.
Ed
I'm no ADVANCED modeler. Unless most people here are new! Thanks for the compliment!
I actually posted the pictures thinking that most people would offer suggestions and hoped that a few would be impressed.
Ed
I really enjoy the "evening shots" people take of their layouts. The only thing I would suggest is that you put some windows in your plant. But I'm sure you've already thought of that. Otherwise it's looking really nice.
Amrap1 said:
Ed, you have to keep in mind that not everyone visits the Gauge every day, and even when they do, not all feel qualified to comment. You've made a tremendous amount of progress in the short time that you've been working on your layout, and many newbies, when first viewing this thread, might take you for a long-time modeller. Another thing to remember is that not all "experts" are expert in all fields, and some are totally disinterested in some aspects of our hobby. For instance, right now you're looking for info on adding lighting to your structures. For many, this is advanced modelling, with detailed interiors to follow soon.
I had a fling with interior lighting 35 or 40 years ago, but I can't give you any tips on it, as it, for me, was a passing fad: nowadays, I go to great lengths to remove the factory-installed lighting from my locos. 
That's not to say that there's anything wrong with putting lights in your structures, as I think that they look great. It's just not something on which I feel qualified to offer advice. Wayne