Time to get to work on my inoperable HO layout


Jim 68cuda

Well-Known Member
If you've followed my thread on the recent issues that have developed on my almost 15+ year old layout http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22051
Then you know that its been a few years since safety concerns stopped rail traffic, and the tracks have been abandoned ever since. Some members of the communities near the tracks have called for removal of the tracks entirely and replacing it with a bike trail.
But there has been enough support for the railroad that it looks like some long needed repairs to the rails will soon commence. Coinciding with the restoration of the rails, the track side communities will be be doing some beautification projects to attract business back to the communities. These civil projects will involve landscaping and much needed repairs to streets and sidewalks.
In the mean time, here are photos of the layout as it has been sitting in the attic, mostly un touched and collecting dust over the last few years.

These first photos show the small coastal village at one end of the layout that I never completed. It took the first 10 years of the layout's operation before I decicded on a scenery plan for this end of the layout.
The 3 story store on the corner in the coastal village consists of parts from two IHC San Francisco Victorian house kits, along with store fronts from Smalltown USA.
 
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Heres a few more photos.

The first three photos are of a middle section of the layout that will include a mountain that separates the two developed ends of the layout. The top of the mountain with the contemporary house and the camp ground is removable to aid in access to the trackwork running through and behind the mountain. The mirror that doubles the length of the bridge will eventually be blended into the backdrop. The fourth photo shows the edge of the town that occupies a large part of the layout.
 
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Still more photos. These pictures show the town which occupies a space of about 4'x8'. Mirrors in each corner add a little depth to the layout. The white house on the hill in the photo on the left has green shutters on one side and black shutters on the other side so it looks like a different house in the mirror behind it.
 
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More pictures of the town.
The photo on the right is from an angle that visitors would never see and shows the different color trim on the front vs. the side of the house on the hill. The side with black trim is normally only visible in a mirror making the reflection look like a neighboring house. There is also a mirror inside the tunnel to the left of the house, to make it look like it actually goes somewhere.
 
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Even more photos of the town on the layout. The corner with the gas station has had gas stations, car dealers, and even a local hangout for cruisin like you would see in American Graffiti or Happy Days. I finally decided on this gas station as the best use of space. Sadly, it faces away from the viewing side of the layout so its not easilly seen.
 
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The two houses in the photo on the left are on a steep hill leading up and out of town. The contemporary house is on the removable mountan on the middle section of the layout. This is the only contemporary structure on the layout. After watching Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, I decided I wanted a mountain top 50's contemporary house in which to stage a scene from the movie. The house has a detailed interior with a movie crew filming a shooting scene from the movie. It took a few months to find an unbuilt kit of this house on e-bay that didn't bid up to stupid money. The Lincoln and Mustang sit on what will be (when the surrounding scenery is completed) cantelevered carports like I've seen in California and Hawaii.
The fourth picture is a coal yard at the edge of town.
 
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Well, it looks like a little TLC by the communities at large would be a great addition to the already great quality of life there! Best of luck and keep us up to date on the progress.
 
Heres the last group of pictures. Two of a house on the steep hill leading out of town (notice the pool party in the back yard). And a couple photos looking down Main Street and First Street.
 
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Get'er Done!
Doesn't look as bad from this end, looks real nice what you had. Nice city scene, you have some unique vehicles that are cool and I haven't seen before.
 
Thanks and while the contemporary house on the his is there because of the movie North by Northwest, it doesn't look anything like the house in the movie. It is a Faller (also sold under the Atlas name) kit from the 60's and 70's and has been long out of production.
 
Get'er Done!
Doesn't look as bad from this end, looks real nice what you had. Nice city scene, you have some unique vehicles that are cool and I haven't seen before.

I collect 1/87 scale vehicles. Since it was always rare to find decent 1/87 scale American cars from the 60's, I started seaching out any that were or are available and before I knew it I was collecting. Some recent additions that have been added even with the train not running are the Ricko 71 Plymouth Cuda convertible (same company that makes the 62 Lincoln convertible), and a 60 and 67 Ford Falcon sedan and a 61 Falcon wagon that are actually Australian diecasts by Road Ragers and are currently available on line through Truckstop Models (as is the Cuda).
The 61 Chryslers, Dodges, Plymouths and Valiants are E-bay finds and were made by Revell in the early 60s and have long since been discontinued.
Some of the convertibles like the 61 Impala and 57 300, and 61 Dodge Polara were actually made by cutting the roofs off of hardtops and adding the convertible boots.

Here I was experimenting with different buildings on this corner.
 
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The old valiantes, Mopars etc I have too (Heljan/Revell). Yeah I was wondering about those the converts, cool!
How about the Pontiac's, look like 65 GTO's ? and the 60's F100 pick-up's? where did those come from?
 
Heres two final photos. The 40 Ford coupe was made using the chassis, fenders, hood and cowl from a Jordan kit and the coupe body from a Tyco/IHC Honest Sams Used Car Lot kit.
The 67 Camaro convertible started out as a hardtop from Tyco, but now has the interior, windshield and chassis from a Busch Mustang convertible. The Wiking 64 Chevelle was also a hardtop that had a damaged roof, and it too now has a Busch Mustang niterior and windshield.
I wish Walthers still made the 66 Ford pickups.
This intersection is where Main Street and First street come together in town at the leading edge of the layout.
 
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The old valiantes, Mopars etc I have too (Heljan/Revell). Yeah I was wondering about those the converts, cool!
How about the Pontiac's, look like 65 GTO's ? and the 60's F100 pick-up's? where did those come from?

The 64 GTO's are clear plastic two piece kits from Williams Brothers. I don't know if they are still available. I used wheels from Busch as the wheels in the kit didn't look great.
The 66 Ford pickups and 67 Mustang fastbacks were available for only about a year or two from Walthers before they were discontinued.
The 68 El Caminos are fairly new releases from Model Power. The 59 El Caminos are pretty new as well and are very nicely detailed and are made by Brekina and might be available from Truckstop Models.
The 59 can be seen in this thread where its on a lift out section of scenery that I'm building for a temporary layout ( you'll also see a yellow 71 Camaro by Brekina there as well) . http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21955&page=2
 
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I like vehicles too. Cheaper than playing with real ones. Looks like I got some work to do though, haha.
I'm sticking to mainly early 60's and older because of the period of the railroad I'm doing. I like buses too, but it is adding to loss of revenue on my passanger lines.
I really wasn't collecting till recent years, I did stock up on Alloy Forms years back, as that was pretty good for the day.
 
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I like vehicles too. Cheaper than playing with real ones. Looks like I got some work to do though, haha.
I'm sticking to mainly early 60's and older because of the period of the railroad I'm doing. I like buses too, but it is adding to loss of revenue on my passanger lines.
I really wasn't collecting till recent years, I did stock up on Alloy Forms years back, as that was pretty good for the day.

I also collect 1/18 scale diecast cars and have built a couple 1/18 scale dioramas.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3519&id=100001111775214&l=b49915c639


...and I collect 1:1 scale cars too. You're right, the little 1/87 scale ones are cheaper.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=288&id=100001111775214&l=dd44a48dc0

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25708&id=100001111775214&l=f590e7297f

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2964&id=100001111775214&l=caea3a517b
 
I'm into 1:25 kits (many to be built yet), the diorama is sweet but huge I bet.
Nice on the 1:1's, my fav Mopars were the 68 Cuda, Charger, Dart and Road Runner. At the time I was a GM fan though (67 GTO 400), later on Chev's. The Cuda convert wasn't many of, eh? Had a friend who had a 66 GTX, hemi factory staggered dual quads, back in the day, another had a 68 Dodge RT 440.
 
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I switched to two wheels
But it's funny, back then young guys 19-20+ yrs old and had new muscle cars, nowdays a kid can't afford a used Hundai !

IMG_2680.jpg
 
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