Daily Musing 11/30/09

The OTRR Layout Has Been Dismantled

Yes, the layout has been dismantled, but the good news is it is only temporary!

When it comes to working on the layout or any other project, I like to have all of my tools and supplies right at my fingertips. The only problem with this is I don't put them away after I finish the project. The fact is my layout room is a DISASTER! I finally got tired of walking around all of the piles of stuff, so I decided to clean the layout room.

One of the nice features of having a sectional/modular layout is it can be taken apart and moved. I have decided to rearrange my layout room to better utilize the space. I will be placing the layout in one corner of the room instead of in the middle. I also rearranged the room furniture and set up a card table in another corner as a workstation. I used to set up and take down this table in order to get around the layout as well as being able to use the room for other purposes. I also received a three-drawer, wheeled plastic storage bin from my wife. She no longer needed it, so now I am going to use it for my scenery supplies. It will be nice not to have to leave these supplies out on the layout or on the furniture in the room.

Since the layout is dismantled, I may use this time (after the room cleaning) to paint the section legs and base black. I also need to install phone jacks for DCC walkaround control and wire up a few of the turnout switch motors. This will be a lot easier to do with the layout taken apart.

I will post photos of my layout room when I have it completed. I still got a lot of cleaning to do, so it may be several days before this happens!!!

Thanks for visiting and happy modeling!
Tom

Weekend Musing 11/28/09 -11/29/09

Great Train Expo

I went to the Great Train Expo in Collinsville, Illinois today, and I came home with only two ads for a couple of upcoming train shows in the Greater St. Louis area. Needless to say, I was disappointed with this year's show.

Let me do a little venting:

I usually head out early for the Thanksgiving Weekend show, but I decided to go later in the afternoon this year. It was not real crowded, a plus for me, but probably not for the vendors. If you have ever attended a train show you know there is always a huge selection of toy trains (Lionel, American Flyer, MTH, etc.), as well as Bachmann and Life-Like Train sets. I noticed a lot of the train sets, but not as many new Lionel or MTH products that they usually have at this show. I also noticed a whole lot of overpriced Lionel products in fair to poor condition. In my honest opinion, a large portion of it looked like junk. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it seems like the quality of used Lionel products at these shows goes down every year.

I really went to this show to see if I could find some Scenic Express products, in particular, I was looking for Silflor Buffalo Grass. I did find some Scenic Express SuperTrees, but that was it. I also did not see a whole lot of scenery products from Woodland Scenics either. There was a small selection of some Bachmann scenery products and a few of the Life-Like trees (the ones that do not look very realistic). I did find a large selection of figures, but most of these were only priced a little under MSRP.

I also visited one of the vendors who carries all of the cool tools for model building. They have a huge selection, but the economy has certainly affected their prices. I purchased a NWSL Chopper 2 from them last year, and the price this year is $3.00 higher than what I paid for it in 2008. I am sure glad I made that purchase last year, although I could have gotten it cheaper through mail order/Internet. They are still one of my favorite vendors to visit (one of the highlights of the show).

Now for some praise:

I also like to look at the train layouts that are on display and I really enjoy looking at the ones that come to this show in Collinsville. The NTrak club layout and the HO modular layout are some of my favorites to view. I believe the NTrak group is the Mississippi Valley N Scalers. One of my favorite modules is the one that has a tornado ripping through town (remember, I am also a weather freak). That module just blows me away (no pun intended,---well, maybe a little!).

This year's show had a few vendors who were selling videos. They had a great selection and their prices were really good too. I gave some thought to buying one, but I was not really in the market to buy a video. I wish now I would have bought one!!!

If you were looking for locomotives and freight/passenger cars, then this show would have been for you. Several vendors had a good selection of locomotives and cars at fairly reasonable prices. A definite positive for those looking to add to their respective fleets.

Here's how I graded this year's show:

• Lionel/Toy Train Items: D (not for quantity, but for quality and new products)
  
• Locomotives/Freight Cars/Passenger Cars: A-
• Scenery Materials: F
• Train Sets: A-
• Videos: A-
• Model Tools: B- (for price, not selection)
  
• Ease of Viewing Vendor Items: B+
• Display Layouts: A
• Parking: B
• Admission Price: D (I think it is too high)
• Vendor Prices: C+ (the bad economy keeps this from being a lower grade)
  

Overall grade is a B-

I look forward to the Railroad Swap Meet hosted by the Boeing Employees' Railroad Club of St. Louis on March 13, 2010. Their show is not as large as The Great Train Expo, but they usually have a great selection of scale products.

Thanks for visiting and happy modeling!
Tom

Layout Progress Report

Fascia Installation Completed!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!


It has been a productive day! I finished cutting out and affixing the masonite fascia to all of the remaining sections. The photos above show how they look. I am pleased with the results and I am glad to finally have them installed. I need to paint them, but first I need to finish applying plaster cloth to section 4 and to the staging yard. I also need to cut holes into the fascia and install telephone jacks for the walkaround throttles.

Thanks for visiting and happy modeling!
Tom

Daily Musing 11/24/09

Culvert Work












I am trying to finish the scene on section 3 and I am still undecided on what exactly I want to do with the culvert. I thought about adding some Woodland Scenics field grass, but I do not like the way it looks when it is applied. It has a tendency to look too uniform. I think (about 99% sure) I am going to get some Buffalo Grass or Prairie Tufts from Scenic Express and place them in the grassy area in front of the culvert.

You may notice the vines growing down the left side of the culvert. This is an old technique I remember reading about several years ago in Model Railroader magazine. It was included in one of the issues that featured the Pennsylvania RR Layout built by Dave Frary. I did not have the particular issue handy, but I remember Mr. Frary mixing course ground foam with matte medium and/or white glue. I had a bottle of Scenic Express Flock & Turf handy, so I took some of the Flock & Turf and mixed it with matte medium (70%) and white glue (30%) to create a sticky mass of material (if it feels too wet, squeeze out the excess matte medium/glue mixture). I then was able to place this on the vertical walls of the culvert and it stayed in place. I really like the effect and the foam vines are firmly stuck in place.

I encourage you to give this technique a try on your layout.

Thanks for visiting and happy modeling!
Tom

Daily Musing 11/23/09

Busy Weekend

I wish I could say I spent my weekend getting a lot of work done on the layout, but that was not the case! My niece got married (congratulations to Jessica & Jeremy!) on Saturday, and our oven decided to go haywire on Sunday. I am thankful we were home when the broiler decided it wanted to keep heating up and would not shut off (digital control panel failure). I had to throw the breaker to get it to shut off. Getting the oven fixed is a major concern for my wife since Thanksgiving is just three days away!

I have been contemplating working on the new tank structure kit I purchased last month. I want to redo the fuel oil facility and I need to build and paint this kit and place them on the layout. I also need to finish installing the new masonite fascia, but I am having a hard time getting motivated to do that.

I always enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and I am truly thankful to God for all the blessings He has given me. I also enjoy going to the Great Train Expo which is held in the St. Louis area every year on Thanksgiving weekend. It has been held in Collinsville, Illinois for several years now. I usually make my major model railroad purchases at these train shows, because you can usually find some really good deals at these shows. I do not have anything particular I am looking at this year, although I am thinking about purchasing some Super Trees from Scenic Express. I am also really interested in the different varieties of Prairie Tufts they carry. I don't usually see many of their products at these shows, but I hope that will be different this year! I also enjoy looking at the various model railroad club displays that are set up at these shows. There are some really talented modelers in the greater St. Louis area.

Thanks for visiting and happy modeling!
Tom

Daily Musing 11/18/09

Get Organized

I talked about setting up a to do list in my last post. I need to update my old list from a couple of years ago, so it is time to get organized!

A to do list can be as simple as writing one on notebook paper. I do a lot of work on the computer, so I like to use my computer to help me with creating a to do list. I found a free online to do list organizer that is really easy to use. It is called, "Todoist" and here is the link to their site:

http://todoist.com/

My list will be broken down into categories. Module 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be the main categories for my to do list. Each module will be further broken down into subcategories of projects that need to be completed for that module. The "Todoist" list allows you to set up due dates for all of your categories. The "Todoist" web site stores your to do lists online; however, you can print off a hard copy if you want one. Each list is set up as a checklist, so you can check off items as you complete them. I like to use a hard copy so I can take notes on it while I am working on the layout. When I have made any changes to the list or have completed any items, I can take the hard copy back to the computer and input any changes or completions to the online copy.

A to do list is a great way to get organized. It helps you to stay focused on the work that needs to be done on your layout. I hope you give it a try!

Thanks for visiting and happy modeling!
Tom

Daily Musing 11/16/09

I've Got A Plan

Well, better late than never on my Daily Musing post for today.

Building a layout involves a lot of work. Even with a small layout there are many things that need to be done. The fact that there are so many things to do can be frustrating. "What do I work on first?---I feel like operating, but I need to finish the fascia. I want to work on scenery, but I need to solder rail feeders and rail joiners. The backdrop needs painting, but I want to work on structures." The list goes on and on and if you dwell on it too long, you can quickly get discouraged and end up not doing a thing. I've 'been there, done that!' What should I do?---Well, the good news is I've got a plan!

Instead of thinking about all the work that needs to be completed, write a 'to do' list. The list can be as basic as writing down all of the projects that need to be completed. Another option would be to break the list down into categories, such as benchwork, electrical/wiring, scenery, structures, paperwork/tools for operations and whatever other category you might need. A third option is to organize the work based on sections/towns on your layout. This works great for sectional/modular type layouts. You can also use the first or second method in combination with this third option.

Use your 'to do' list to break the projects down into manageable chunks. These chunks are a whole lot easier to focus on and complete than looking at the entire project. You can also set up completion goal dates for each of the chunks.

I hope these ideas will help you to stay motivated with working on your model railroad. Give them a try and feel free to modify them to fit your particular needs.

Thanks for visiting and happy modeling!
Tom