Terry's Layout

[CNJRR]

A lot of work, looking good.
Since there are no dates on the posts, I am wondering how long it took to get where your at?
Was this all done since around last May?
I was wondering about the white posts too, I am glad someone else asked before me.
I thought that maybe you were going to build it down low and somehow lift it up later on. 

[Terry]

I started the wood in April 2020. I spent 30-50 hours a week on it during the initial lock-down. Now I'm doing maybe 20 hours a week as I want to get other stuff done.

Pictures are simple. There is a link to instructions in my signature.

[CNJRR]

I started the wood in April 2020. I spent 30-50 hours a week on it during the initial lock-down. Now I'm doing maybe 20 hours a week as I want to get other stuff done.

Pictures are simple. There is a link to instructions in my signature.

Wow, like a full time job. 

[Terry]

Here's the latest:

BEAMS!

 

 

You can see the track is up in that area because one of the switches I'd repaired was bleeding current from the fixed voltage pin, and I decided to hard wire the lights in the two manual switches that go into the Hornby engine shed.

Here's after putting the track in and wiring a few of the lights:

 

 

[CNJRR]

Beam me up Scotty, I mean Terry.
How hard will it be to get in under there if you need to, after the top goes on?

I wish I had more room like some of you do.

[Terry]

That's why I'm doing so much before the top goes on. Basically the layout will be done when the top goes on, and all the trains are within arm's length of the edge except the west end by the schoenhut town.

My dad and I built a standard gauge layout under the an even lower O layout when I was in high school. That was 24 inches to the lower edge of the layout. This is 35 inches.

Today I'm going to buy one of those reacher sticks with the clamp on it.

[pjdog350]

How are you coming with your layout. Been watching this tread but you have not been giving us a look.

[Terry]

I've been working on the standard gauge layout and otherwise distracted by life's chores. This weekend I mounted some Marx or Wyandoote planes over the layout. I think thay are Wyandotte as they have no markings and Marx was pretty good about marking his wares. The O layout runs quite well.

 

No matter what I do with this plane it always heads for the mountain.
 

 

 

Here's a preview of the next layout in the series. 1952-60 era Marklin 3-rail HO trains.

 

[CNJRR]

What are you using to hang up the planes?

[Terry]

Cheap white thread from walmart and cup hooks I had in a drawer. I don't know how well the hooks will hold in the drywall, but they hold great in the chipboard and allow me to remove the plane if I need to do anything in that area. 

[CNJRR]

You ever try some fishing line?
Less visible.

[Terry]

Fishing line is harder to tie and reflects the lights more that thread. Plus thread is cheap.

[Terry]

I had some people over today after the train meet so now is a good time to post pictures of what's new.

The trains are running well. I've my Tootsietoys and placed most of them on the layout. I set aside the mid 1930s larger cars with white wheels for the 1930s prewar O gauge layout, otherwise I put what I have out. I sold most of the postwar Tootsietoys and the prewar firetrucks when I bought the house. What I have left is out. . .

Teens and 1920s are on long arm of station and intermixed around the Schoenhut town. 1930s smaller cars with some Barclays slush cast mixed in are on the mountain. Very late prewar with black wheels and postwar  are on the postwar side of the layout, and the early 1930s Graham and Lasalle are in front of the short station leg.

I also put some trees on the layout.  Birch trees around the Schoenhut town and a few others randomly.

Next up is people and clutter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Terry]

I haven't posted about the O gauge layout in a while. Last month I bought a Lionel Postwar 2329 Virginian Rectifier at a train meet because it was a good deal. Over 40-some years of buying and selling toy trains, I've never had the Postwar Rectifier. I did have some MPC and newer ones, and also had an HO one from the late 1950s.

One of the reasons I built the layout is to play with the trains that come through. Figuring the 2329 should pull coal trains, I pulled out a bunch of 2456 and 6456 Lehigh Valley hoppers. I wanted to see how many it will pull.

I oiled the cars before putting them on the track. The Virgianian pulls 10 cars OK, but once more cars are added I had problems with couplers opening and cars unconnected.

The video shows one hopper car sitting on the carpet. I added that car after making this video and the train ran.

It pulls all 12 hoppers and the upgraded 6017 gray caboose once the couplers are adjusted and the cars with problem couplers are moved to the back of the train.

A freind will be bringing me some more hoppers on Saturday so we can see how many it will pull.

[Terry]

I put six more hoppers onto the Rectifier set and the loco pulled all of them. That's 18 hoppers and a caboose. I had to fix the couplers shut on the front 6 cars with cable ties, and move the 2456 hoppers to the back because they cannot be tied shut.

The long train is not reliable as the couplers seem to bounce and uncouple even when the couplers don't open. Then one of the 6456 hoppers lost a coupler head.

Based on the way the loco sounds with the 18 hoppers, I bet I could get it to pull 24 hoppers, maybe more if I added some weight. Then again the train might start pulling the cars in on the curves if I added more cars.

We'll find out as I get more hoppers.