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Post by MichRR714 on Dec 3, 2020 21:44:48 GMT
RJ, I don't think my layout will ever be completely finished. I just keep plugging along
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2020 2:36:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2020 22:00:14 GMT
Well once again my plans got burned. Planned layout work but I spent 3 and a half hours at my aunt and uncles moving and programing Tv's. I had to program tv ,program cable box ,move tv or wire tv in six rooms! After getting home. Andra roped me into hanging pictures and decorations. Heading out for shopping trip and dinner now. Our daughter is coming for a visit tomorrow. I promise guys - I will get some work done soon!
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Post by Adam on Dec 5, 2020 22:26:33 GMT
Take your time RJ. Building the layout is half the fun.
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Post by Country Joe on Dec 6, 2020 17:38:36 GMT
R.J., your old layout looked great. Why did you dismantle it and start a new layout? I assume it lacked some features and/or had some flaws that are not obvious in the photos.
You have made excellent progress on the new layout. Please keep the phots coming as you make progress.
I have one question, what is the size of your train room? It looks like a huge space from the pictures.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2020 14:46:33 GMT
R.J., your old layout looked great. Why did you dismantle it and start a new layout? I assume it lacked some features and/or had some flaws that are not obvious in the photos.
You have made excellent progress on the new layout. Please keep the phots coming as you make progress.
I have one question, what is the size of your train room? It looks like a huge space from the pictures. One of the main reasons for the dismantle it was rough getting up and down from the layout to do work. I Figured once it was done there would be less of the getting up and down but you still have repairs. I also had a long way to go on the landscaping. I wanted some sort of elevation without adding a third loop. I didn't like how my mountain or the trestle area came out. The main water area by the bar started to crack underneath and it looked bad. I tried to simplify my current build but lost a few options I had on the old one. I just need to look past them and carry on. I'll have to measure the room to exact numbers. It would be great if I could use the whole room but there's a bar and fireplace to work around.
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Post by Country Joe on Dec 7, 2020 21:42:32 GMT
R.J., your old layout looked great. Why did you dismantle it and start a new layout? I assume it lacked some features and/or had some flaws that are not obvious in the photos.
You have made excellent progress on the new layout. Please keep the phots coming as you make progress.
I have one question, what is the size of your train room? It looks like a huge space from the pictures. One of the main reasons for the dismantle it was rough getting up and down from the layout to do work. I Figured once it was done there would be less of the getting up and down but you still have repairs. I also had a long way to go on the landscaping. I wanted some sort of elevation without adding a third loop. I didn't like how my mountain or the trestle area came out. The main water area by the bar started to crack underneath and it looked bad. I tried to simplify my current build but lost a few options I had on the old one. I just need to look past them and carry on. I'll have to measure the room to exact numbers. It would be great if I could use the whole room but there's a bar and fireplace to work around. Thanks for the answer, R.J. When I was younger I didn't mind climbing onto a layout or having a duck under but as I get older those things have gotten harder to do so I understand changing your layout to make it easier to work on.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2020 22:20:46 GMT
A bar and a fireplace will be nice to have on a winter day when you can sit and enjoy the trains.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2020 15:10:57 GMT
A bar and a fireplace will be nice to have on a winter day when you can sit and enjoy the trains. For sure. I have used the bar a few times. It will be great to start using it again. We used the fireplace a few times before the layout was built. We found out the hard way it doesn't work. Room filled with smoke a couple times. I thought it was dirty but it was clean. It doesn't have a damper. So we ended up just closing it up. When the chimney guy came and did an inspection we finally received the answer to why it will not work. Only took 10 years! lol The opening is to large for the size of the chimney. His guess was someone put in smaller chimney on last rebuild. I didn't want to call him a liar to his face but the chimney size was never changed. My thoughts are someone removed the door assembly off the front and never installed new. Somehow with the temp of the basement - sometimes it will work while other times not so much. If the room gets hotter than the chimney the smoke will take the route of the room versus going up and out the chimney. I plan on installing a new screen and door assembly. This will downsize the opening, look much better and be a lot safer. We had the chimney rebuild guys install a damper at the top of the chimney when they rebuilt the chimney this past October.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2020 14:45:30 GMT
Finally made it down to the traincave to actually do some work! Mostly reorganizing and cleaning but you can walk through it again.
I plugged in my Menards tide building and billboard sign for testing. Still have no permanent place set for them. I took all my Road Champs cars out of package and started putting them on the layout to get a feel for their looks and where I might place them. Also placed the couple Brooklin cars I have. Next step is to get some sort of shelves set up for my rolling stock and engines not in use. After that gets done the pub table will be cleaned off and I can start on the OGF clubhouse build.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 1:35:52 GMT
More cleaning and unpacking done. Here is a shot of my new engine and cars. This is what a Tide consist looks like! I had a heck of a time with one of the Menards Tide box cars. One of the axles didn't want to stay in the truck. Looks like they made the truck to wide. Of the 7 Menards Tide cars I had troubles with two of them. Still not super happy with their performance. The engine transistioned the 042 curves but not sure its performance was optimal.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 5:36:00 GMT
RJ, this is the first I have seen of your layout. Both he old and new look great! I see you turned 50. Yes, it is time to spare your knees, back, etc!! I want to keep following to see what you accomplish next!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 12:25:27 GMT
RJ we should have some people here who are good with Menard’s cars. Glad to see you back at it.
Read about the fireplace. Have you considered gas? We went to gas, ventless, it heats the room, and a remote handles the on/off including max temperature. That might be an answer. There is no odor.
Good luck on your work.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 14:09:22 GMT
RJ we should have some people here who are good with Menard’s cars. Glad to see you back at it. Read about the fireplace. Have you considered gas? We went to gas, ventless, it heats the room, and a remote handles the on/off including max temperature. That might be an answer. There is no odor. Good luck on your work. We considered going to gas. The living room will probably stay with wood burning but the traincave might eventually get switched to gas. It is just nice to at least have a working damper!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 14:18:56 GMT
Forgot to mention about the Bluetooth App.
The pros: It was nice and easy to get the engine up and running using Bluetooth. I had enough options to check everything out on the engine.
The cons: It never automatically found the engine. I had to search each time. It disconnected a few times. It seemed to happen when I lowered my phone. Not all options are available compared to running Legacy.
As far as the new NS engine goes. I'm debating keeping it and running mostly on the main loop (which is not the reason for the purchase) or selling and looking for an engine that will negotiate 042 curves with ease.
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