The greenbrier logging and coal co

[OleSmokey]

Its been awhile since i posted here. Update, My lung is no good. My Diaphragm is out of place and may have to have another surgery..woopee..Clap pause...
Back to the layout/ I haven't done anything with the layout at all. My hands ache and shake so much i cannot finish the steam engines, so i went and bought 2 NW-2's and 2 RS-2's as well. The NW-2s are sound as well. All dcc. After letting my layout sit and collect dust its been a headache just to get the main line working. I had to replace some pieces so it was smooth enough to let me run sound. My upper level is all messed up. The track came up off the board 1 1/2" off the board. It damaged the newer long trestle i had made a couple of years ago. I have fixed the trestle but still don't know why the track raised up like it did. I am not doing anything more to that part of the layout till i can figure out what happened and fix it right. I just hope i don't have to tear that part down. I have a couple of pictures to show of that bad area and a You Tube of one of those NW-2 with sound on. Now if i can remember how to post them. Will try to be on here more often. I have been staying on another channel, my hands hurt so much. anyway thats all for now.

 

[OleSmokey]

So, From a few of you out there. One said unsolder all as it don't allow for expansion/ contraction. Another said unsolder and put new railjoiners on them. SO..I unsolder all the track but one end of the bridge to a piece of Kato track. It really had a good solid solder joint. The other pieces are now unsoldered and new jointers in place of those soldered jointsout of 5 pieces of track 4 are now unsoldered. So i guess i will see how this works out. Later all. Some shots of that fix on my workshop desk. Desk is messy, o well..

 

[OleSmokey]

I have ran into a issue with my snow plow. Its a atlas Russell snow plow. Even on a new piece of track work it wants to hang and cause derailments. So far, i have tried grinding the bottom of the plow down to see if i can get it to play nice. so far nothing. I don't want to grind much more off as it will start to show up. Anyone else have any issues with theirs? Is a fix up and coming? Wonder if Atlas even knows about this issue. With the way it came to me it was rubbing the track at first. Am wondering if i got a factory reject.

 

[OleSmokey]

Well, After 8 years of trying to make the plan work i have given up on it. I stripped the mountains of anything and the valleys I trimmed the foam off from the housing and lumber yard. I saved the bridges and track. I bought two sheets of Pink foam. One of the main reasons i was having issues was the white beaded foam. It was breaking down after all the time i was trying to do the layout. So i have a 32 inch X 96 inches table. Its one of those hard plastic models that Wally World sales. Its one of the heaver ones I cut the foam to 32 inches and glued the two pieces of foam together. So far no warp or the two pieces coming apart. I used Power Grab to glue them together. Worked pretty good. So i have a SCARM Plan that was going to try, but i ran into issues with that plan and changed it a couple of times and then again. Scarm gets me close but not perfect so anyone using it should allow for different track company sizes. I am using Kato so not sure why it wouldn't work but i had to make a few changes to make my plan work. I redesigned a new yard for the lumber ladder track and am also working on a new logging camp.. More on that later. The black colored track is coal or cinders from the last layout. I washed all the track but couldn't get all the black off so I'll clean it up later. A couple of shots if they don't need to be resized. Having issues with Firefox so i will see. See you laters, Smoke

 

[Rico]

Hey Smokey, I don’t know how I missed so many of your posts!
Getting sick sucks, done it enough times myself.
Yeah the white beadboard foam isn’t pleasant to work with!
As for the snowplow, before you trim much more how about raising the front with washers on the trucks?

 

[OleSmokey]

I took fine sandpaper to it and rubbed it back and forth on a piece of roadbed. It clears ok now. Now for track working. Scarm is fudging too much. I have changed the ladder yard three times now and still not working. Maybe 4th time will be correct.

 

[OleSmokey]

I am at a point that i am not knowing which way to go. Do i plaster first? do i attach the track/roadbed and plaster around that? I don't know if i can get the plaster cloth to be smooth enough that i don't have little hills or valleys. Things are so hard to get smooth enough that track can be flat so that you don't get rises or valleys between track pieces. Thats a drawback with Kato track. Ideas, Kato users experience needed. Just don't know Plaster could help hold track down in place. That and track nails but with foam i am not sure if track nails will work.

 

[trailrider]

I am at a point that i am not knowing which way to go. Do i plaster first? do i attach the track/roadbed and plaster around that? I don't know if i can get the plaster cloth to be smooth enough that i don't have little hills or valleys. Things are so hard to get smooth enough that track can be flat so that you don't get rises or valleys between track pieces. Thats a drawback with Kato track. Ideas, Kato users experience needed. Just don't know Plaster could help hold track down in place. That and track nails but with foam i am not sure if track nails will work.

I would recommend gluing the tracks down with an adhesive that is compatible with the foam. (Check with your local hardware store, or someone else here may have the answer on that.) I would then bring the plaster cloth up to the edge of the track roadbed. Then you don't need to worry about slight variations in the level of the plaster. In point of fact, even in the desert, the ground isn't absolutely flat.
Hope you get to feeling better.

 

[OleSmokey]

Thats what i think i am going to do. After i get wiring in place i will glue the track down first as you said. I know in real life track is never flat, but n scale isn't forgiving when it comes to bumps under the track. Thanks fellow

 

[OleSmokey]

Have the track all wired up and ready to use low temp glue gun to hold the track down. With a bit of fun, I could have track clean and running some engines on it to see if there is anything wrong with it. I wired all the turnouts and they are numbered. the power connectors are new run down the underside of the layout use butt connectors and taped it all together to make it neat. Starting to look like a train layout. I am putting photos of it and the mess.

 

[OleSmokey]

Well, ran into too issues. I need to change the #6 to a #4 rh at the sawmill and i will have to dig deep to set the sawmill up again. Same for the river. Hows my luck, i have 3 #4's LH and no RH. Have the rest of the main line done and my RS-2's from Atlas seem to like it. Same for the NW2's from Broadway. My little 43 ton yard switcher shorted out and fried the dcc so i have to send it to Bachmann for repairs. Don't know what but i saw smoke and a little orange glow from the cab area. I pulled it off the track and i can smell smoke from it. I am getting ready to start cutting out the river. Some shots below, Smoke

 

[OleSmokey]

Started working on the river this evening. I got about half of it done so far. this isn't any easier or cleaner with pink. tomorrow is another day.

 

[OleSmokey]

Got most of the river done in rough, and got the bridges both roughed in. Dug out enough of the pink to place the old moat for the sawmill in place. Thinking of taking a day off and r&r. Shots below.

 

[OleSmokey]

Did really little to my section other than shim the sawmill section. It has some minor damage but sit pretty good. Thats one section thats pretty much done and one more i kept is the town itself. I will get that maybe next. I want to clean it up before i start running anything and or finishing the river. Pics below.

 

[OleSmokey]

My Layout looks like someone throwed everything on the layout. I am working all over the layout. I got some engines and cars and ran them all around the layout just for kicks and giggles! I have already had more fun with this layout than the last one. Have a video of the fun but look past the junk on the layout. In the middle you can see the main line bridge and the logging R.R. trestle. I am just working on a idea. I may leave it and build around it or change it. Just wait and see. Laters

 

[OleSmokey]

Hehe..Well, i got into the plaster today. The river is finished for that part of the layout. I forgot just how much fun it is to do plaster! Shots below. Gonna Take another break and maybe clear off the board and run some trains. After the plaster fnishes drying i plan to do the banks and river and maybe pour the 'water'. Will see how this goes.

 

[OleSmokey]

Been painting the river today. Got it close as the old paint in the moat. The back section is off a bit yet. I get it finished and then take a break. the town should be next. Not to sure how i want to do it yet. Take a bit and think this thru. Some pics of the river below. Don't worry about the paint on the bridge it will be painted black. the front one too. One green and one grey just is not all that interesting. They were pretty much all black as i could tell from the photos i have of that area. Shots below, Smoke

 

[OleSmokey]

Starting to get some kind of plan to do the logging track up the mountain. Just using the foam to give me a gauge on the incline. In the photo it seems that i need more in the top and less in the middle of the incline. I'll figure it out someway. a shot below to let you see the ramping

 

[OleSmokey]

I made a ramp for the mountain track. Working with foam cut to fit. I have it close. Got to clean the track and run a engine and cars up it to see if i missed something. Seems i always miss something.

 

[OleSmokey]

Some of you are trying to figure out what gives with the mountain logging camp. I found a shot of a logging camp that is perfect for my layout. Not sure about a turnout here but will see if i can put one there. Shot below, Smoke