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AVRR-PA
Fireman
USA
4602 Posts |
 Posted - 03/19/2011 : 06:35:57 AM
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Thanks for posting the pictures, Vagel. (And thanks to John for taking them.)
Yeah, WTF pretty well describes what was going through my mind. I'm staring at wiring that *I* did and have no idea what I'm looking at. 
I really did spend the whole session Wednesday under the layout while John and Vagel worked up above. Afterwards, I "surfaced," blinking in the light, and asked them , "So, what have you guys been up to?"
It was worth it, I think - there's now a pretty (blue and white) accessory bus under the kitchen side of Phase I and good start on a similar bus under the other side of that Phase.
I'm going to build or buy a regulated 12v power supply for this bus (which is already in place in the "spine" of Phase II). Then I hope to master the Art of the LED and start adding lights to some structures.
Unfortunately (for model railroading), Spring has finally sprung in Pittsburgh and I'm riding my new bike at every opportunity. New toy!
Don |
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Harsco
Fireman
USA
1101 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2011 : 07:37:16 AM
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| Vagel...great post, and I really like that backdrop....I have about 12 feet behind Commonwealth Coke that needs exactly that! |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16456 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2011 : 11:44:02 AM
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You surely have a wonderful helper with Don, Vagel. But apparently you're quite able to help yourself too.
I'm always impressed to see the amount of work you've been able to complete in a relatively short time. If I worked at your speed in my smaller room, I would start my second or third layout.
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Frederic Testard |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
722 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2011 : 12:03:24 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Frederic Testard
You surely have a wonderful helper with Don, Vagel. But apparently you're quite able to help yourself too.
I'm always impressed to see the amount of work you've been able to complete in a relatively short time.
Thanks, Frederick. I'll tell you what ... I am not what you would call a self-motivating person. Having a regularly scheduled work session only works if I know someone is going to be pulling up at the door at 10:30 every Wednesday. Otherwise, I'd be a binge builder ... motivated only by the crisis of looming open houses.
Rick, you could do twelve feet in three or four evenings using the sea sponge technique. I borrowed it from a guy named Rick Chase who posted pictures of his beautiful results, a description of his technique, a list of acrylic paint shades, and a sample pallet showing how he arranges them on his pallet on the Backgrounds thread. Check out pages 4 - 6:
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3884
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2011 : 12:26:18 AM
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| You guys are keeping busy, that's for sure. Except for Don that is. Take a look at that first picture. Are you sure he's not sleeping on the job there??? I don't know Vagel, I think you're wearing the poor guy out! |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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jbvb
Fireman
USA
1865 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2011 : 11:17:15 AM
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| It's a good thing you've got Don to do the wiring; if you tried to solder with what he's holding it would be disappointing... |
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AVRR-PA
Fireman
USA
4602 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2011 : 5:48:02 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by MarkF
You guys are keeping busy, that's for sure. Except for Don that is. Take a look at that first picture. Are you sure he's not sleeping on the job there??? I don't know Vagel, I think you're wearing the poor guy out!
Not sleeping - just totally befuddled. But eventually a few memory cells kicked in and I was able to resume work. [:-boggled]
Don |
Edited by - AVRR-PA on 03/20/2011 5:48:49 PM |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16456 Posts |
Posted - 03/21/2011 : 6:35:30 PM
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Thanks for posting the link about backdrops, Vagel. It's very inspiring. I'm always impressed by the artistic skills of some people when they paint their backdrops.
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Frederic Testard |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
722 Posts |
Posted - 03/21/2011 : 9:24:20 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Frederic Testard
Thanks for posting the link about backdrops, Vagel. It's very inspiring.
You're so right, Frederick. It's hard to say what I would have done were it not for finding that guy's tutorials ... probably just a plain sky backdrop. |
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Orionvp17
Fireman
USA
2808 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2011 : 11:02:42 PM
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For Lo, I have seen The Box and it is magnificent! And Vagel showed it unto me that I might admire it, and worship it. And I did so. And great happiness came unto me.
Anyway, Vagel and Don brought the DCC "sounder box" with them to the Midwest Narrow Gauge show, and I had a chance to have a really good look. This is a Work of Art, not something that I would cobble up with a chain saw and sledgehammer. The finishes are elegant, the woods are gorgeous, and the craftsmanship is superb. The only downside I could see to this gem is that Don doesn't hire out. Pity....
Nicely done, Don! Very nicely done indeed!
Pete
in Michigan |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
722 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2011 : 7:43:30 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Orionvp17
For Lo, I have seen The Box and it is magnificent! And Vagel showed it unto me that I might admire it, and worship it. And I did so. And great happiness came unto me.
The show planners kindly located us on an elevated stage, where the lighting was so good that one could see the underside of our modular layout from the gym floor better than one could see the scenes on top when standing next to them. Thus, The (one true) Box was mounted slightly above eye level to all supplicants and was visible from anywhere in the room. Some threw coins (at least think that's what they were).
Back home today, we hosted another open house at 6800 Meade for attendees of the RPM-East meet in Greensburg. We installed a new temporary return loop for the HOn3 half-way along the peninsula, and despite the very hastily laid track, I only noted one derailment: an ore car with plastic wheels in MDC side frames and that on the tight 18" radius return loop.
It was a good day with no significant issues surfacing, which is a good thing. I feel confident now that we can start to hide a large amount of the standard gauge under the HOn3 and scenery.
Thanks to regulars John and Don and new crew member Mark, who has discovered the dark side: car cards and waybills. Special thanks to Don, who had a late evening following me back to Uhaul after helping unload and repack my HOn3 modules under the layout after a very long weekend at the Midwest NG show.
Vagel |
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bullbrauch
Engine Wiper
124 Posts |
Posted - 03/31/2011 : 10:56:38 PM
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Vagel, Don, and Crew,
2 nights and 67 pages later and I feel like I've just read an awesome layout building tutorial! It's a big confidence booster for what I have planned for the future. Thank you very much for sharing your' experience with us.
I'm planning a HOn3/HO layout that will feature the D&RGW from Alamosa to Chama, I'm going to post some thoughts to the "Layout Design / Operation Sig Forum". I'd love to have your input.
Brandan from Colorado
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Brandan
Living in Colorado,
home of the Rio Grande |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
722 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2011 : 12:58:11 AM
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Welcome, Brandan! It's great to have another dual gauge enthusiast join the forum. And thanks for the praise. Alamosa to Chama is a far bigger geographical area than what we're dealing with, so I'll be very interested in reading your thoughts over in the layout design forum.
Vagel |
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AVRR-PA
Fireman
USA
4602 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2011 : 6:04:07 PM
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My welcome to Brandan, also. Good luck with your project.
Vagel opened the layout the same weekend as the Midwest Narrow Gauge Annoyance for people attending the RPM meet and he wanted to restore continuous operation of the narrow gauge. So he cleverly dug out the big loop we had previously put in place (you can find it in earlier posts) and cut out the center so that it could be snaked through the backdrop.
In fairly short order, with some temporary supports and a handful of drywall screws, he had the NG in continuous operation.* That will continue through next weekend, when the layout will be operation for the NMRA Keystone Division Jamboree.
*(I'm making it sound too easy. He also had to glue down roadbed and lay NG track. It took a few hours.)
I hope we have a good turnout next Sunday.
Don |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
722 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2011 : 01:08:33 AM
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Well, in the last three weeks we've had two open houses, and all went fairly well, although we have one persistent glitch in future hidden standard gauge track work that will have to be diagnosed and fixed before the narrow gauge can proceed over top of it.
One of the really positive things to come out of all this is that the standard gauge ops scheme can keep the Chambesrburg yard master busy for three or more hours. Just ask Mark.
Of course, having to use the main through track as a run-around for switching moves between the arrival/departure track and newly designated team tracks, a trailing switch move, while dodging through-trains can cause delays. But it was either that or make the aisle too narrow for two model railroaders to pass. Remember the famous rhetorical question ... how many model railroaders can you fit in an 8-passenger van?
Apparently, the answer is 3 1/2. Young Mr. Frederick did yeoman service relieving John Polyak on the B&SGE today.
On the PRR, we had a relapse of issues that I thought I had fixed at the east turnout leading to the reversing track. We worked through it well enough to get through the open house. The problem exists only with west-bounds; so we sent only east-bounds over the route for the last hour or so. Here young Charlie Hallman, operating the last west-bound through train and Chambersburg yard master Mark Neitznick work out who gets to occupy yard limits.
It was an important, if sometimes stressful, afternoon. Beside the reversing track turnout, we have a couple of poltergeists in the turntable control panel, both of which we'll have to solve once and for all before proceeding with the narrow gauge expansion. I hope it will not take too long. |
Edited by - Vagel Keller on 04/11/2011 7:37:20 PM |
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New Home for the Blacklog & Shade Gap Eastern
