The wife's HO Atlas layout...

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The road going up to the station, and the road going past your gas station will naturally form an intersection. I notice you have at least two or three structures for your town that are designed to be on a corner. You may want to run both roads into your town before they meet so they allow a natural location for buildings with store fronts on two sides.
Also, when you build your town, please have at least one road continue across the tracks and off the end of the layout. It just won't look right to the eye if the only road out of town dead ends at the lake.
I love everything you've done so far. Keep up the good work and keep posting those pictures. We love pictures.
 
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Jim,

Thanks for your insight, and comments.

I agree with you about having a "dead end" road on the layout as well. The problem I have is where to have a road running Off of the layout.

On the left, all of the track work is on two levels making a crossing impossible without some severe over hauling OR the loss of area for the town by putting in an over pass which, to be honest, would not be in keeping with the atmosphere I want for the town area. The Lake end of the layout offers more opportunity for continuing the road off of the layout.

Once I clear everything off of the Town end of the layout, I will have a better chance of seeing what possibilities may exist for another road and, obviously, an overpass crossing the track having a secondary road running into the town itself.

This could be one of those things that can't be done without taking away from the over all feel of the town area though. If I have to make a choice between loosing the feel of the town in order of gaining a visual improvement, then I will discount the visual improvement for the feel of the town.

This is one area that I didn't take into account in the initial planning stage of the layout. Live and Learn as they say.
 


Jim,

The only way I could put in a road that appears as though it is disappearing on the left side of the layout is to run one over the top of the hill, then put in a bridge across the track.

To do that, and maintain some level of reality in terms of the roads gradient etc, would be to cut into the mountain from where the Station access road is going to join the main road. Even if I did that, the rise of the road would be a minimum of 3 1/2" over a distance of only 21" or 22". I have no idea what that is in terms of gradient; however, when you consider that a rise of only 1/2" over 24" is a 2.0% gradient, I imagine I would be looking at a road that was going to have something in the order of 14% to a 16% grade.

I know, and appreciate, your concern with what appears to be an unusual situation in so far as having a road not going anywhere.

I will continue to look at my options; however, at the moment I don't see a plausible way of including another road that wont look even more unusual or out of place than what I have now. Trust me, if there were, I would gladly do it.
 
Hey Tony

While you are busy worrying about trying to make it "perfect", don't forget to have fun!
 
Louis,

The last thing I am trying to do is make it perfect. Heck, and in hindsight, I think any notion of obtaining perfection stopped after I put in the 2nd screw for the bench work :)

This layout is a mish mash of a multitude of errors and conventions and era's and locations and god knows what else. It truly is a contradiction in terms. But THAT, my friend, is what makes it a fun layout for me.
 
The Town under construction...

Last night I continued working on the left side of the layout, the Town side. This is where I am at at the moment:

IMG_0580_zps1250ffbd.jpg


IMG_0578_zps2ce61af5.jpg


IMG_0577_zps68cff34d.jpg


IMG_0576_zpsc325f328.jpg



Okay to clarify a couple of things, the road is "semi-permanent" meaning its course may change a little to accommodate a couple of the buildings - I didn't allow sufficient space for the size of one building :( I will also most likely have to run an alley way through the middle of the town. While a side street would be preferable, space dictates what goes where.

Right now it looks bland and empty, and it is. I do have another three structures on their way from MB Klein that will take a little more of the space. What space is left, will probably be a park of some sorts, maybe, that will depend on a few things though. Where the current buildings are in the photos is where they will stay.

I'm not sure how clear it will be to you guys but, the left side of the road is raised and is to be built up another 1/4" (approximately). As such, the shops and footpaths will be elevated above the roadway which will require the insertion of steps along the embankment. Those steps will be added once the land has been built up and I see where exactly they will go.

Finally, I am not 100% sure of what type of road it will be. My inclination is to have it as a brick or cobble stoned one, but just don't know how that would look ... more decisions and perhaps more experimentation before I settle on something.
 


Evening guys and girls...

After taking a sabbatical for a month or so on the forums and the layout, I finally got the inclination to give it one more try - the layout that is.

After much procrastination and contemplation I went out and bought all new track (Peco of course) and started laying it last Monday. I don't know what possessed me to go back to it, just that it felt like the right thing to do I suppose.

So, for the past week I have been laying the track and wiring it. This is going to be hard to believe for anyone who has followed this thread and my concerns about wiring; however, I have just completed putting in all of the feeders and the entire layout WORKS!!!

I now have trains running around it with only some minor issues, most likely due to dirty track and engine wheels. Things that can be remedied one day at a time.

I don't have any pictures to show at the moment, but really, nothing looks as though it has changed other than some of the pre existing scenery being moved to allow access for laying the track. Now all I have to do is finish of the scenery, and that can take as long as I want it to take, there is no rush or urgency any more and that, in itself, is a huge relief.

Anyway, I just wanted to bring this old tired thread up to date and will have some shots of what has been achieved in the near future.
 
Tony, happy to hear of your successes.
Leaving out most or all of the stuff you would like to do in the future helps greatly.
Features can be added as wanted later.
Glad to hear you have finally found that you can slow down, take your time and hopefully enjoy working on your/your wife's layout.

I am looking forward to pictures and progress to your layout.
Keep us posted.

Again, glad to have you back. You were missed.

Dale
 
Awesome job Tony!!!!! I am happy for you, I am sure it must feel pretty good to actually have trains running. Sometimes we just have to step back a little ans get some fresh perspective. Please post some pics when you get a chance or maybe a video if you would like. Good job!!!!

Thanks
Scott
 
Great to hear and glad to have you back. I've enjoyed following your thread and learning from it. Keep up the good work!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
We insist on photos, Tony!

Seriously, just hearing that trains are running is terrific; that is what's important.

It's been a while since I have run anything. I'm in the middle of scenicking, and I am really slow at it.

- Jeff
 
rzw0wr said:
Tony, happy to hear of your successes.
Leaving out most or all of the stuff you would like to do in the future helps greatly.
Features can be added as wanted later.
Glad to hear you have finally found that you can slow down, take your time and hopefully enjoy working on your/your wife's layout.

I am looking forward to pictures and progress to your layout.
Keep us posted.

Again, glad to have you back. You were missed.

Dale
Click to expand...

Taking the break and sitting back getting things into perspective did a lot. It is now "slow and steady" for me for now on. I still intend to have everything I wanted from the outset too, but as you said, they can be added as time goes by and I ain more experience and knowledge. Thanks Dale.

FM C liner said:
Awesome job Tony!!!!! I am happy for you, I am sure it must feel pretty good to actually have trains running. Sometimes we just have to step back a little ans get some fresh perspective. Please post some pics when you get a chance or maybe a video if you would like. Good job!!!!


Thanks
Scott
Click to expand...

You have no idea how GOOD it does feel. After getting the track down and wiring everything up (the old fashion way with bound and soldered wire connections) I sat there looking at it and double, triple quadruple checking every connection, join and well pretty much everything in the room. When I turned on my power and the little 2-6-0 lit up like a christmas tee I was relieved ... when it moved, I grinned from ear to ear AND when it made one, then two then three complete trips around the layout without incident... I went NUTS!!! lol

By the way, all I have heard since last night from my wife is:

"It works, it works!" :) I think she is just as happy as me, if not more so.

Resqnu said:
Great to hear and glad to have you back. I've enjoyed following your thread and learning from it. Keep up the good work!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I am glad that you could learn something from me, that makes putting in the work and effort that more gratifying in the end. Now there is more to do, scenery wise so there will be many updates of that progress posted and thank you.

jdetray said:
We insist on photos, Tony!

Seriously, just hearing that trains are running is terrific; that is what's important.

It's been a while since I have run anything. I'm in the middle of scenicking, and I am really slow at it.

- Jeff
Click to expand...

Jeff,

Oh yeah it is (see above). I am back onto the scenery now as well, BUT that is the part that I enjoy the most and am best at in terms of everything to do with model railroading.

The beauty of doing the scenery is that there is nothing that says you HAVE to put something here or there, or do something per a set of rules. There is no right or wrong way and everything is changeable if it doesn't look right when finished. Moving slowly is an inherent thing with scenery, your always waiting for something to dry or putting in "practice" bits and pieces or just because what you are doing takes time, such as ballasting. Bottom line is a simple one though ... if it looks good to you, then it is GOOD and to have fun doing it :)

Lynnb said:
I'm very happy you went back at it Tony. Pictures would be nice if you can.
Click to expand...

LynnB,

You can almost be guaranteed that pictures will play a big part in my updates :)

Thanks everyone and be prepared to be bombarded with (probably) very uninteresting updates :)
 
wombat457 said:
... most likely due to dirty track and engine wheels. ...
Click to expand...

I was up in the ManCave most of yesterday fiddling with some decorations, loco's, track, etc and came to the conclusion that A LOT of the problems that I'm having with my trains on curves and turnouts is due to BAD wheels and/or trucks. I actually have quite a few NIB trucks but plan to order a 'bag' of wheels.

The one car that I replaced the wheels on ran sooooo much smoother that I hope new wheels fixes the other cars.
 
GD ...

My "test" engine is pretty dirty with plaster dust and who knows what else to the point where the tender trucks stick in a raised position.

One of my options was to send all of my engines (not packaged) out to be thoroughly cleaned and serviced but am now inclined to just change out the trucks on those that are really bad. Will still have to find someone to give the engines a good overhaul though.

The track work is new, from the box to the layout then train on tracks. Despite being new, I still do need to give them a darn good clean with alcohol and then run a track cleaning car over them, but probably wont do that until after I have gotten the ballasting done (which I am in the process of doing as we speak) and some of the plaster work that still needs doing.

Thanks for the advise and well heeded.
 


The Journey Continues...

Hi All,

As promised, photographical updates of my renewed progress. Unfortunately there isn't too much of interest that has been achieved, unless you like looking at newly ballasted track :(

Okay, so let me refresh memories of the layout. It is a "dog bone" type shape with a largish area at either end of the layout. To the right is the lake and mountain and to the left is the proposed site for the town while the center is a small residential area. Pretty basic.

The following photo's are of the Tunnel Approach and Entrance at the front of the layout. Please note that the actual area in the photos is darker than what is depicted, so it looks a little "gloomy and dirty" as (I think) it should.

IMG_0582_zps46cc8928.jpg


IMG_0581_zps5f41c0b9.jpg



As said, no too interesting but it is something that is new. Thanks for looking guys and following this epic!
 
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