Mid-December Update

Christmas is real close and it's that time when model railroading starts to begins to take off.  A lot of young kids will get their start in the next few weeks in this great hobby.  My oldest son worried me to death about putting a train around the tree this year.  He will be 11 next week. We have not put the train up in a couple of years but he saw it in the attic when we were getting out the rest of the Christmas decorations.  So I definitely got it down to put under the tree.  It's a Lionel North Pole Express and we have extra track and cars for it.  An actual oval under the tree.  After getting the wiring fixed on the track, it worked well.  Him and sister have played with it just about everyday since its been working.  They do occasionally run trains on the layout.  I definitely need to get them involved more!

I also finished up some aggregate cars for a customer of mine:

MCTR 1472 getting it's finishing touches

2 bay Greenville hoppers by Walthers are a favorite of mine.

VMID #281 prepares them for interchange.

A railfan grab on the street.

VMID #281 continues to switch the aggregate cars.

Progress since last weekend

I got a few things done on the layout last weekend and continued a little during this week.  Still working on Rappahannock Aggregate area with weeds and details.  I also starting adding signs and and other details to the road and road crossing to RA.

Here is the road to Rappahannock Aggregate.  Added a speed bump to hide a seam.  

Add some weed clumps to "vegitate" the area.  Got to find some more dump trucks.

Found a decent enough picture online to use as a backdrop.  Added some trees and bushes to make it look move believable.  The pic makes the backdrop pic stand out.    

 

These two ridges are for the spot in the background.  I will add trees to them.  Used the florist foam for the first time.  The Foam is definitely easier to paint.

On the lower level, I switched 2 industries around on the Mine Run Branch.  I switched the propane dealer and the woodchip loader.  It seems to me they fit better now.

This was the spot for the small propane dealer but the woodchip loader takes up less space in this spot.  I also did that homemade chip load with foam and sawdust.

This spot will hold two propane cars and is less tight for the larger propane tanks.  

Overview of the propane dealer.  The backdrop on the left is a print from online and the right is hand painted.  I need to add some more olive green to the paint!  

Progress from this past weekend

Got a bit done on the layout this weekend, but not as much as I hoped.  My layout room is still a disaster from all the work I've done.  I hoped to "straighten" it, but it never happen.  The new area I put in over the summer is a shell of it's former self now.  I've got the scenery just about done.  Should hope to complete this weekend.  The main thing that is incomplete is the assembly of the sand unloader.  The silos are done but the small elevator is not.

Here is the overpass section near the light switch.  Alot easier to scenic when the section is removable.

Little retaining wall I put in the scene.

Super tree painting and drying rack.  These are outside getting their gray paint.  

Here's my rack inside and the tree making has begun!

Here my overpass foam before scenery.  Notice the light switch,

Scenery has gotten a little more vegetation and some rocks (made from plaster) from my old bridge scene.  Just needs some trees.

Another view

The scene in the upper right is complete with a trees and weeds on the small ridge.

The area is starting to come together.

Another view.  Need a few smaller trees on the ridge.

Another view of the ridge.

Thanksgiving Break Finally!

First, I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!  You probably have been wondering when my next post would be or maybe I fell off the face of the earth.  Yes I know I have not posted since the end of October but really nothing has been going on on the layout at all.  I started coaching another sport this fall and my 10 hour days have been literally kicking my butt.  Today has been my first day off since Labor Day and I made sure I got some modeling in.  The crappy weather made sure that it was going to happen.  My main point this week is to get scenery on my new peninsula I added this summer.  Being the first thing you see when you walk into the room, it was a priority.  So I tackled that today.

Adding some paint to the area around the sand plant.

Larger view of the area I'm working on.

Sculptamold around the edges of the base of the road.  The fascia board base is a little thick for my liking but it will have to work now.  

The styrene asphalt road on top of the fascia board.  The dark patches are supposed to be road repairs.  I need to weather  the road.  

After letting some Sculptamold dry, I ran a rail cleaning train.  I picked up a rolling track cleaning car to pull behind a loco.  I also build a track cleaning car to pull behind it.  I cleaned the lower level and the helix.

Here's my Centerline track cleaning car I picked up at a show earlier this month.  It needs a little more weight but still pulls the rolling rag around the layout.  I use CRC 2-26 to clean the track.

My homemade track cleaner.  I use WS track dusters attached to the wheels to slide on the tracks.  It's a boxcar frame with lots of weight.  The wooden planks keep the dusters on the track.

Gotta have some muscle to move this train.  VMID SD50 #706 does a great job on this train.  She been weathered finally.

Here's the roller car.  Looks like the track was quite dirty.  The colorful rubber bands are from the kids loom kit (makes wrist bands)  These little rubber bands are perfect for keeping the cloth on.

Back to the scenery work:

Ballast added to the hopper spurs.  Some sand mixed in also. 

Going for a sandy/dirt area around the plant.  Still going to sand it down a bit.   

Ballasting is complete in this area.  

A view from the other end. Hope to get this area most of the way done this week.  

Wow! This new track arrangement makes sense!

Someone actually commented that this track arrangement makes so much more sense.  Well, the track has been ripped out and the new arrangement has been put in.  I really like it and why didn't think of this before?  What was I thinking of adding another diamond and creating a weird and unprototypical track arrangement?  This new arrangement really flows and makes sense. Now all I need to do is add feeder wires and I'm done!

The Virginia Midland trackage is on the left, now serving the elevator at Mid-Atlantic Feeds.  The Virginia Central trackage is on the right serving the sand unloading facility. 

The trackage towards the door is just about the same.

The sand facility now holds 8 hoppers instead of 4 as before.

Bench work on extension is almost done and bigger horsepower

Well this expansion has turn into more work than I hoped but should improve the look and operation.
I have totally revamped the trackage in this area that was once complete.
Major changes:

1. Gotten rid of a bunch of trackage at the aggregate facility including a run-around track. 
2. I have also bent the VMID trackage that once went across the bridge to a cassette.  
3. I have configured the track below without the use of a cassette there.
4. Opened the layout up for more scenery.

Horsepower update at the very bottom.

Pretty much starting from scratch with this area.  

Had to add a smaller board up front to aid in accessing the lower level.

Mocking up the track work.  I use sectional 22 degree curves to plan curvage.  The 22 degrees is not to sharp and is usually my smallest radius.  This works well for layouts with 4 axle power and no passenger trains.  

The look towards the door.  The trackage on the left is the VMID.  I have to move the signal to the mark on the benchwork.

The aggregate unloading facility base.  It should hold 5-6 cars across the diamond.

Glad Walthers finally made one of these. I was close to making my own silos.

After today's work.  Bench work is just about complete.  Got to install the lights underneath for the lower level before I attach the subroadbed.  

Another view

Final view from the door.

And finally some bigger horsepower for the VMID.  She will be patched and put into service soon.