Steve's SOCAL BNSF layout


Well my deployment is finally over and I'm back at home. I'm looking forward to working on the layout again and running some trains. Unfortunately I missed most of the SoCal train shows this year being deployed but I was able to make up for it by buying the occasional item for myself online! [emoji6]

Ive got lots to keep me busy on the layout once I catch up on some family time. Look for updates and new additions below coming to the layout soon.....

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Welcome home, good to see you posting again!
Looks like you scored some pretty decent stuff, and you've got some work ahead of you too.
 
Glad to see you back Steve. Thanks for your service.

Missed your posts and looking at all of the goodies you picked up, your credit card must be smokin'. Grin.gif

Looking forward to see your posts.
 
Thanks!

Funny, my wife said the same thing - it's not so bad when you space them out over 7 months! [emoji106]


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Started with an easy "to-do" on the layout after unboxing most of the stuff I packed up while I was gone. Work station is almost set up so I should be able to start getting a lot of these new projects going.

First one was adding micro-trains couplers/trucks to some of my rolling stock that has yet to run on the layout. Only did 20 today, think I've got about 20-30 left before everything has updated couplers/trucks.

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Height gauge works great for quality control!

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I find for the Roundhouse ones, installing with the base out of the rest of the car works best...

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Finished product.....

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These should be coming out of maintenance shortly and running on the mainline soon.

Steve


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Another ten sets in the books, been updating my excel inventory as I go too.

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Also mounted a surge protector under the layout and ran an extension cord the length of the layout (mounted it with rope light clips) to avoid having to run it on the garage floor. Should have done this years ago!

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That is really a good idea. Glad to see you back.
I still hope to be able to visit your layout some day when you are "fussing" around. Maybe an afternoon when I can bring the 10 YO grandson with me?
 
New video of the layout uploaded showing some testing of new trucks and couplers on some of my older freight cars that had been in boxes for ages. Some of them it was their first time running on the layout. Roundhouse cars aren't that bad one you replace their stock trucks with micro-trains.

I also made some signs for the layout, let me know if you guys want pictures of how I made them....

https://youtu.be/e4lP8GbinbE

Thanks for watching, feedback always welcome!
Steve
 
Looking good Steve. When I was into N scale, one of the very first things that I did was to chuck the old couplers, which back then were the hideous Rapido couplers with Kadee (now Micro-Trains). With around 11 scale miles of main line, I really hated to tear out the layout, but the locomotive in N scale back in the 70's for the most part were garbage. I can't get over how well they run today.

Looking forward to more posts.
 
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Awesome video

Thank you!

Looking good Steve. When I was into N scale, one of the very first things that I did was to chuck the old couplers, which back then were the hideous Rapido couplers with Kadee (now Micro-Trains). With around 11 scale miles of main line, I really hated to tear out the layout, but the locomotive in N scale back in the 70's for the most part were garbage. I can't get over how well they run today.

Looking forward to more posts.

Couldn't agree more, I started buying a lot of freight cars before I even had a layout. Then after tearing down this layout several times (while it was much much smaller) and moving I didn't have it set up for a long time but continued to buy rolling stock. I couldn't believe how many I acquired over that time and of course most had "stock" rapidos then. Glad I'm almost free of them all! N scale has come along way, I wish there were a lot more options for buildings, signals, vehicles and those small details.

Thanks again!
Steve


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Spent some quality father/son time together working on some layout "to-do's". We managed to get eight digitrax decoders installed today. We are looking forward to testing and breaking them in tonight or tomorrow on the layout. These were by far the easiest decoder installs yet.

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Three more decoder installs tonight, have a bug to work out of 8512.... the Union Pacific has finally arrived on the SoCalBNSF layout!



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