Large Scale Central

The Inverhuron & Nowhere..... An introduction

General Discussion
#1

Hi Folks Since I added a post elsewhere on the forum, I thought that I should maybe introduce myself. I’m fairly new to this form of modeling. Last summer I convinced the wife that a patch of our lawn that didn’t want to grow grass should become a garden railway. Before she figured out how much it would cast I bought up some track and stone dust and started to build. The pictures here are what we have now. An LGB Union Pacific 2-4-0 , a couple ore cars, and auto rack, a couple box cars, a cattle car and a tanker. I also modified a Bachman combine car a bit. The trestle is built from scrap cedar wood that I ripped and assembled. ( It was an excuse to buy a brad nailer. I’ve always been a 1/25th scale modeler. I scratch build at 1mm= 1". The since trains are on both sides of this scale I will build my structures in 1/25.4 scale

This is our layout. The last addition are the two sidings on the left. A station will go about where the trowel is. That will be this winters build project.

The grade on the trestles is way too steep and the engine will only climb it in one direction. I’ll maybe revise it sometime down the road or t could be an excuse to buy a Shay or something else with a bit more traction. As you can see I don’t follow any praticular prototype road. We only do this as a fun thing to do. The wife does the garden part of the layout. We live near the shores of Lake Huron in Western Ontario. I look forward to gleaning lots of information from this group about how to do things with my layout. Thanks Carl

#2

Carl,

My congratulations and condolences, it looks like you are hooked. Every one of us has started about the same way as how you have. Some have pulled out their hair and run away screaming, the rest of us have a good time. I think you have a great start.

You said - “We only do this as a fun thing to do.”

You may need to have that made in to a sign. There are many times you will have to remind yourself of your reasoning.

Welcome aboard.

#3

Carl, nice looking railroad… Of course, over time, you will want to expand it… But hey, that’s what we all do… :slight_smile: part of being railroad insane :slight_smile:

And, welcome to the looney bin… :slight_smile:

#4

Hi Carl,
Glad you decided to join us.
You are off to a nice start.
Ralph

#5

Nice start! Looking good.

It started out as fun for me too…

#6

It won’t be long before the rest of the yard disappears! Welcome aboard.

#7

Hi Carl. Nice start and sound excuses once the bug bites. I noticed though, that you haven’t layed any tracks in the area you were talking about the grass not growing in. That is it in the second picture up by the walkway isn’t it. :rolleyes: Or are you just saving that for next years expansion post?

Dave

#8

Carl,

I went back and looked at the pictures after what Dave mentioned. He’s right!! You’ve got entirely too much grass. You need to either expand your trackage or buy a goat. For God’s sake man, do it for the environment. You need to quit pumping those hydrocarbons into the air with that noisy lawnmower. Go green, lay track.

#9

Nice! You’re trapped now. Batteries are next

(http://www.outsidetrains.com/smile/mischief.gif)

#10

Welcome Carl!
When Doug stated the yard disappears he meant to say a yard of green stuff disappears and a yard of metallic shiny looking stuff they call rails reappears as a yard.

Ric,
I wanted a goat but wasn’t allowed, I wanted chickens but was allowed…so I’ll settle for some track in my yard.
I’m going to ignore the battery comment as Carl is to new for that discussion yet;)
P.S. Dave M loves to stir the pot doesn’t he!

#11

Thanks guys for the warm welcome here. Any expansion plans I make will probably be away from the house. I’m thinking of building a weatherproof shed that I can run the trains into for storage. I currently have to cart them out of the house and set them on the tracks . Its a bit of a pain. The grassy area in the second pic is directly over the septic tank. Every few years it requires digging up to gain access for a pump out. Its probably not a good idea to lay tracks across there. Mostly I think I need to add some buildings to the layout to give it a sense of purpose.

thanks again
Carl

#12

Welcome aboard! Looks like you’re off to a good start there.

#13

A large building can hide access to the septic tank and no more digging would be required. I believe Fred Mills has always wanted a “Sludge Works” as an industry. Maybe that could be the purpose of your railroad? An industrial line to haul away the product of the “Sludge Works” and sell it to the unsuspecting public as malorganite (I might not have that spelled right, but spell check gave Margarita’s as one of the option - I knew there was always something devilish and nasty about tequila). :wink:

#14

Welcome. You chose a great site to start with. Everyone here is a great group and very helpful. Looking forward to seeing your layout expand.

#15

Carl Avis said:
Thanks guys for the warm welcome here. Any expansion plans I make will probably be away from the house. I’m thinking of building a weatherproof shed that I can run the trains into for storage. I currently have to cart them out of the house and set them on the tracks . Its a bit of a pain. The grassy area in the second pic is directly over the septic tank. Every few years it requires digging up to gain access for a pump out. Its probably not a good idea to lay tracks across there. Mostly I think I need to add some buildings to the layout to give it a sense of purpose. thanks again Carl

What you might want to look into that I had done many years ago is have the septic company provide you with a “Chimney” where you get your tank pumped out. All it is is a new lid for the tank with a 8" square hole in the top that a 8" chimney flu fits in and raises the access to your tank to ground level with a small lid on top of that.

(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh58/rgseng/Operating%20session02/ops0017.jpg)

Behind the train and in front of the rose bush is where mine is located. Not seen in the picture is a small garden gnome figurine that sits on top the lid, marking it’s location. All covered over with mulch. Scratch the mulch away, lift the lid and access to the tank is there.

#16
Carl said:
We only do this as a fun thing to do.
. Fun? This is supposed to be fun? Did I miss that lecture? I gotta check my notes!
#17

WoW! You sure dug right in and got a running layout setup quick. Looks great. Oh BTW, welcome aboard.