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My cobbled together layout


traingeekboy
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I'm just posting away as I do things. Ran a couple locos tonight. Track was dirty but it was easily the most exciting thing to run back and forth a few times. It's kind of validating to get them running finally after months of non train work. I will try to get some pics up soon. Life has been hectic with other things though.

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Great to see the progress! Those curves will look superb with some good length trains winding their way along them. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the coming weekend so I can complete the second track. There appears to be a howling gale outside tonight, hope that clears before the weekend :?

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I don't expect anyone to get all excited over this. I just like to post any progress here. I Went out in the wind and did two more. I expect a short break and then back to do more. It really does take time if you plan to do it right.

I guess I am at 21' of track now, is this possible that I've hit the halfway mark? Or... did I miscalculate my mainline run length? I think not.

---------------------------------

err... went out and laid some more track before the front came blasting in with winds that made track laying impossible. Had an issue on a curve I was worried about. I think the angle is too sharp for the width of the wood. I may have to rethink that. Then again, I think my curve radius on the layout is fairly broad so I may not even be close to an 18" standard US sectional curve. I'd like to keep the possibility for a really large loco later on like a mallet.

Then I laid the last of my flex on the boards to see how it would look overall. This was when I realized my original estimates had been measured on the assumption I would lay my inner mainline first. I changed that plan and now I don't have enough track by about 5 feet. So now I realize my mainline is more like 46 to 48 feet long. I guess that is not such a bad thing, I gained a few feet.

I love my layout. It's not perfect but it's my layout. I dreamed of something like this as a kid.

6218179171_1b656d15e2.jpg

I plan for a station with a long platform inside that curve.

6218178909_4c3e4351be.jpg

Looks like I'll be needing some railings soon.

It is so exciting to get track down and have this actually turn into a railway. I can't wait to complete oval #1. During my dreaming planning stages all I could think of was having the whole thing, but now I find myself happy with the various stages that result from this.

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Yeah I've noticed that in movies I've seen. Same stop sign, strange. ;)

Last night I hooked up power at about 10pm and ran my big french engine. It's a little grindy but it runs well. I also got out my french streamline dmu and ran it as a 3 car set. Rumbly crappy Lima, but I have an afinity for these old things. Looked pretty seeing the lights in the semi darkness. I guess I better get more Limas.

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traingeekboy said:

...I love my layout. It's not perfect but it's my layout. I dreamed of something like this as a kid...

Sums up what this hobby's all about.

I guess the majority of us had dreams like that when we were kids - I know I did. I had dreams of having my own layout well into my forties! I often felt ashamed of admitting I liked model trains (not when I was a child but certainly when in my 40s) but the older you get the more you realise that we're all forever young at heart and it's really what keeps us going.

Must have been a proud moment to be able to sit back and see the first trains moving.

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I totally agree with Mick, I spent many years dreaming about having a layout. Six years ago when I moved in to my current house I had plans for a layout in the loft but that still has not happened, one day! Thankfully the garden has given my what I have been looking for and it's great to see it taking shape.

As for not being perfect, the main thing is we all enjoy whatever we create! Besides, what real railway is perfect..? Glad you have finally been able to run some trains :)

I look forward to the next update.

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Thanks for the comments guys. I'll be sure to get some pics soon of all the trains rolling.

I was trying to think of a name. My N scale layout was The glimmering and Suspicious river. Sometimes the suspicious river and glimmering. I never settled on anything but I had two town names for my layout. I was going to use it for a Ho switching layout as well. Now I have this oddball layout. I have an area where I plan to make a small Italian station with three tracks. I have another area I want to build a American style freight oriented area with a engine house. another area is slated for a British style station, maybe just a cheap hornby platform set off ebay. So the suspicious river and glimmering may not get the feel right. Gonna have to ponder all of this. Then again it could just be the layout.

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Ok a name... How about "the Layout"? he he

Yeah it will get a name but even that can take time. I may recycle my old layout name. With my European station being Glimmering, my Us area being suspicious river, and my Uk side being Sender. Sender why Sender? Well there was this Elvis song and a line about return to sender; as a kid I thought sender was a place one must return to. The layout is an oval so returning to Sender may happen a lot. :P

I went out and laid more track. There is one spot I do not like, yet I'm not going to let my perfectionism stop me, I am going to lay this first oval come hell or high water. I've also laid most pieces with loose track nails so they can be pried up and moved if needed, but low enough so a train can pass over them.

So the count now is 13 pcs of flex/ 39 ft of track down. About 8 feet to go now.

Time to finish my left over soup made with home grown kale and bush beans; then it's time for layout building.

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Am I soon to be the only one on this forum without a functioning railway? :oops:

Good to see someone else making progress and reaching the point of being able to run trains. I wonder how long it will be before you have viewers standing four or five deep alongside that boundary fence and vehicles pulling up at the kerbside for a peek!

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Well I hate to gloat... Well I really do hate to gloat... It really is nice having a layout ;) You'll be starting something soon i'm sure. But there is that delay factor before things actually happen. I'm surprised I lasted this long without track. It was almost becoming a model train baseboard building hobby rather than model trains.

Oh oh

Waiting for the sun to warm things up then it's time to roll em.

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mick said:

Am I soon to be the only one on this forum without a functioning railway?

No Mick, you're safe for a while yet. My progress is oh soooo slooow - Can't see anything running this side of Christmas... :(

traingeekboy said:

Waiting for the sun to warm things up then it's time to roll em.

Don't forget to take and post the obligatory piccies whilst you're having fun... :D

Duncan

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drmalesis said:

Don't forget to take and post the obligatory piccies whilst you're having fun... :D

Well... I haven't run anything. Haven't felt the urge. I mostly just step outside and look at it and think, " gee is this really my train set? It's so huge! It has curvy bendy track all over the place. Look at the radius on those curves. Those curves have transitions into them so that trains slowly ease into the tight part. This is awesome!!!!" I also just run my fingertips along the rails while admiring.

So yeah pictures. I guess I gotta run something soon. I better make a video of it. Video is better than pictures.

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Much as the original plan was to run trains on planks with no scenery/scenics, I keep running across inspiring layouts on youtube.

This layout looks great to me. Lots of steam running fast outdoors with stations and hills to run through. Can't beat it.

I somehow hit autoplay (by pulling down the see all bar above the video window) when viewing these and got a sequence of videos which helps since these are all very short. But they are veru inspiring to me and make me want to have a well landscaped layout of my own.

 

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