Hooray!
Thanks everyone for your encouragement and kind remarks. I had a layout in the basement of my old house for over three years but seldom had a loop running, moved to a house for a couple of years where I didn’t have room for a continuous loop, and now I’ve been living in my new home for the last couple of years or so and, while I got that upper loop complete, it isn’t reliable yet. This loop represents by far the longest trackage I’ve ever had and boy does it feel good. I’ll get it off the ground eventually, but in the meantime, who cares?..it’s RUNNING! And it seems to run flawlessly, too. I’ts great to see all my weathering and modifying out there on a track.
Cale and Tac are impressed with 175’ of track in one afternoon, but the AMAZING part is how much I was able to accomplish once I stopped trying to be George Selios, John Allen, and Bruce Williams Zaccagnino all wrapped up in one … and imaging all the while I had the combined budgets of Tom Miller and Rod Stewart!
Chuck, the dogs love the artificial turf, and there’s enough mulch and gravel and dirt around the perimeters to keep them happy for digging and laying in the cool shade and doing you know what (thank God for that part). You wouldn’t think this, but the Saint Bernard especially is very delicate-stepping around the running trains.
I don’t think miracle grow will do much on the turf of an old western slope high school football field, but if you have something that will work on my challenge build, let me know. Although, I actually got a good start tonight on that.
Here’s a couple of more pictures, one of the trackwork (you notice I didn’t bother using the tiny screws on the joint sleeves; let 'em expand and contract all they want) and my narrow gauge boxcars being duly pulled by a narrow gauge steam locomotive, NOT the FA which I was informed in no uncertain terms in another discussion was not right!
Thanks again.
(http://www.saintfrancisrailroad.com/images/loop19.jpg)
…winking…
Looks great John. Reminds me how I finally “snapped” and had to just get it all out and on the ground and start letting the locos do their stuff.
Just one teensy weeny idea. If the plan is to keep it down long term, then the bits where the track sections connect (rail ends and fish plates) and the power hooks up, make sure you use some sort of graphite paste (LGB) or stuff known over here in the UK as Coppergrease. Stops it all getting tarnished and causing all sorts of voltage drop outs long term. Max.
Looks good, John. The first hurdle is jumped. From here on, it gets easier.
Max Winter said:
Looks great John. Reminds me how I finally “snapped” and had to just get it all out and on the ground and start letting the locos do their stuff.
Just one teensy weeny idea. If the plan is to keep it down long term, then the bits where the track sections connect (rail ends and fish plates) and the power hooks up, make sure you use some sort of graphite paste (LGB) or stuff known over here in the UK as Coppergrease. Stops it all getting tarnished and causing all sorts of voltage drop outs long term. Max.
Thanks Max, nice to have people who can relate, and from all the way over there in England no less.
I snapped when it comes to power packs and track power and all those electrical connections about two years ago…I am strictly onboard power now and I couldn’t be happier.
Cale Nelson said:
Awesome! 175’ in a day-good run…it’ll prolly snow next week
till then, enjoy the running!!!
That’s what I was thinking, too. But in the meantime the trains run. BTW I like that long train, good stuff!
Local situation: there is track showing through the snow in a few places. The 1:1 ran a plow into the Valley, SWMBO saw it, but “forgot” to call me.
Way to go!
Grab the bull by the horns and lay some track.
Nice. Your doing it right. The important things is to get something up and running and you did. Wait till you get some snow ontop with trains running.
Glade to see ya bit the bullet. Now you should feel better. Next up snow plow I see in the future. Later RJD
Awesome!!! you started out with more track than I did. Let 'er run!
Lookee what we have here this morning (those are boxcars and the caboose under the snow; I brought the Shay in under the porch)…I blame Cale, Kevin, Hans, and R.J. for this!
(http://www.saintfrancisrailroad.com/images/snow1.jpg)
(http://www.saintfrancisrailroad.com/images/snow2.jpg)
(http://www.saintfrancisrailroad.com/images/snow3.jpg)
HOWEVER>>>>>>>>with a little one-to-one scale snow plowing, we got the railroad running, and my son took these short movies on his Ipod and put them on Youtube. Well then!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UUDCl70HSU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGYfRwftoZo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhhiIL6IW3k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP_aXXKVt3o
edit: I don’t know how to embed Youtube videos; if someone can tell me I’ll give it a try. I looked in the testing forum but wasn’t smart enough to figure it out from there either. Ha.
Look forward to seeing how well this holds up for you,
From the probably really didn’t want to know department : The two types of chicken grit are insoluble or Flint grit (crushed granite) which helps digestion by grinding up the feed in the gizzard. the second; soluble or oyster shell grit provides calcium. For those unfamiliar with the use of grit as ballast - it works and looks great. The second time I purchase grit, a local Agway gave me chicken crumbles (which it turned out is feed for chicks ) Even as a “city boy” it didn’t look quite right… As the salesperson assured me it was the right item, I filled in my 6"x4" x 20+ odd feet, installed my track and off we went. Worked great until it rained, and turned to mush. A couple of days later it stank to high heavens, and was full of nasties- So anyway it’s chicken grit not crumbles 
( I should get some sort of stupidity badge for that gaff )
Thanks for that Phil…from one city boy to another…I had no idea why chickens, or any other animal for that matter, would want to eat decomposed granite, but apparently they don’t exactly “eat” it then. All I knew is granite is not magnetized, so I bought chicken grit and got chicken grit and sheer ignorance kept me from making the mistake you made, fortunately!
Phil, when some “expert” tries to sell me something that just doesn’t feel/look/smell right, I pull a “well, let me think about it.” and then I go shop somewhere else.
In retrospect your totally correct - As I had previously purchased grit from another Agway, I listened to the “expert” - I think they may of been in a less suburban area… On the positive side, I learned a lesson, and added an interesting, even if embarrassing story to my repertoire , particularly, as my degree is in agriculture, thou not poultry.
Looking good. I hope to be running trains this week.
John - Is that a St Bernard? How is he/she relating to the layout - my daughter’s continually climbed into the pond, scattering the buildings and figures until we fenced her out, chewed up a couple too, while in the puppy stage.