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  1. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: Here is a little YouTube video of my first running test on the layout. I am planning on cleaning up my roadbed once I get it glued down. Looking good so far! Progress!
  2. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: Just a light update at the moment. I have everything sanded down and together. I have my old mountains cut out from the old layout ready to use later. I'm planning on adding on to them to make them larger. The base is also painted now. I am letting it dry. It has 2 coats of acrylic. I...
  3. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    I just changed the name of the thread since it no longer follows the construction of my first layout but has now become more of a documentation of the building of the Brillo Branch Line. There may be a bit less Brillo on the layout this time around so I don't know if the layout will retain the...
  4. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: I have started cleaning up the first half of the layout since the Loctite has been setting for 24 hrs. I took off all the tape and it looks like most of it is still in good shape. I spackled all of the cracks to make the surface all smooth and have been sanding everything down. The...
  5. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Thanks. I learned a lot from the OG layout and want to make improvements. One major thing is to not go cheap on everything. Sometimes it adds up. I am also able to take a bit more time this time around which has been very nice. I have been way less rushed since the OG was built in like a month.
  6. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: I have all of the pink foam down on the base boards and now I am doing the outside trim. I am using some wooden rulers from the Dollar Tree around the outside. It has a nice face to it and I had a bunch of them around. The cheap aspect of the layout is still alive and I still want to...
  7. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: The previous cork roadbed has been sliced out of the old layout and I bought some of the pink insulation foam from Home Depot to use as a base. I made some decent money over the summer and I want to turn this into a layout that I can be proud of. It still is going to be 2 pieces but I...
  8. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: The Brillo Branchline is being revamped! I am back down at school again and getting to work on the layout. I decided the warped poster boards were not cutting it so I went out and got some fiber board cut. Same size as the original layout but I might do it a little different than last...
  9. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Also, I am thinking about naming the layout. Here are a few of the names that I have thought of so far: DT(or Dollar Tree) Lines DT(or Dollar Tree) Scenic Railroad The Brillo Branch Line I am open to names as well!
  10. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    I just uploaded a few videos to Youtube regarding the layout. I decided to move it downstairs and let it have a good long run. I wanted to get some good pics of the whole thing as well. I might add more detail to the videos in a bit but so far they are good for now.
  11. catnippertom

    Athearn F7a Repair Help Needed

    Okay so on super close examination there is a crack that I can barely see starting to form so it looks like I will need a new part after all. Great...
  12. catnippertom

    Athearn F7a Repair Help Needed

    There aren't really signs of cracking but that is something to look for down the line if issues persist. But always having extra parts on hand now would probably help down the line.
  13. catnippertom

    Athearn F7a Repair Help Needed

    Thanks for the info. I think I am just going to glue it. It comes off on the other end so I don't think it would do too much harm to the locomotive or working on it down the line. Also awesome diagram. I am definitely going to use that later down the line when I inevitably pick up more Athearn...
  14. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    I do have to say that the dice are pretty hard to carve. I bought a hot wire cutter that had a tough time getting through them. I assume that there is an overlap point where the cost of each 4 pack of dice could equal just purchasing a huge board of pink stuff foam or something similar. It...
  15. catnippertom

    Athearn F7a Repair Help Needed

    I recently snatched this SP F7a unit from my local train store. A few weeks prior I bought the b unit not knowing they had the A unit so once I saw it, I had to snag it. It was $25 which I thought was a good deal for what I assumed was a running loco. The loco did indeed run but only for a...
  16. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    For now, I just plan to try to make this better. I could make another module for this that expands the straight runs or something else like that but I don't know if I will. All this layout was for was to create a space where I can run the trains I come to collect while in college. I can't really...
  17. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Here is a video of the layout with the Daylight running on it.
  18. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: This is a long one! I have been working very hard the last few days on getting it to a point where I am happy to leave it. First I kept running to the Dollar Tree for new supplies. Lots of Brillo pads and random scenic accents. The employees there are starting to give me odd looks...
  19. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: Last night I worked on creating a gradient for the hills/mountains. I thought the end result turned out pretty good. I should be laying grass on this side of the layout today.
  20. catnippertom

    The College Kid Layout Building Saga - End?

    Update: I have been slowly making progress but sadly I am going to have to leave the layout soon since I am going home from college. I have been working on both sides but the mountain half a bit more. I have been spackling down and smoothing out the hills in many coats. Since there is warping...




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