Got some pictures taken today of my indoor layout that been built to its current state for a few years now. You can tell by looking at the pictures that the layout has been idle and ended up being a catch all for things like my antique auto association and Garden Railways magazines. Please bear with me as I re-learn the proper lingo for things. If I’ve misstated a term, please, I encourage you to correct me as it will help me learn it faster plus make my posts more easily understood. I have thick skin and don’t take offense to being corrected so don’t let that hinder your comments. If I screw up and it’s funny, enjoy the laugh at my expense and I’ll laugh with you.
The buildings you see are just set in place and will be used on the outside layout in the future. I purchased some that had been very well made and some I’ve built from Garden Texture plans. My turn table was built from GR plans if I remember right and I made up my own electric rotating mechanism from a geared motor and some gears from a paper tape machine. It needs a slightly slower motor and I’ve designed a way on paper to stop it at each spur and transfer power to the spurs but I haven’t put the design into the TT mechanism yet. The bridge and two tracks seen to the left are what lead to the back wall of the house and will take the trains out to and back from the outside layout.
There are currently three lines in the yard, shown with trains on them that will feed the outside loop when the layout runs automatically. These three tracks are already wired through the LGB auxiliary switch motor contacts using reed switches fired by loco magnets for the automatic operatio. There are also toggle switches on each line which to bypass the auxiliary contacts and allow the tracks to be fed power regardless of the points position. In the pictures you will notice that I had a ceiling mounted line at one time that will most likely be goi back up now that I have a to of brass track that I won’t be using outside. My two Stainz Locomotives will be used on this track.
I have four LGB Moguls, three with sound, one updated Bachmann shay, a old Bachmann climax that I’m in the process of repairing the trucks, two lgb Stainz locos, one with sound, one without, and a new climax I just had to buy for $199 from train world. The rolling stock in the pictures is pretty much the extent I have other than a full lgb circus set with extra cars. The shay pulls some log cars and caboose scratch built by me using GRs plans. On one of the tracks coming Back from the future outside layout is a consist of weathered and chalked cars that will probably run back and forth with the climax to the mill or mine on a separate loop. You can also see my Ruby live steam that was assembled from a kit and will be getting a nice level layout of its own somewhere else in my yard.
