Large Scale Central

What will you do first on your RR?

General Discussion
#1

The official running season is almost here if Spring would only get the message. Some of us run all year round despite the cold and snow while for others who have been hibernating in their shops, as soon as the weather warms up will be out cleaning up the RR. Still others who live in warmer climes say “what is an off season.”

Once the sun does come out and the temp tops 50+ What will you do first on your RR?

My plans are to setup the turntable and the 2 bay engine house I built in the off season and finish installing the new foam bridge. I will also reballast and level the tracks. I will then pull weeds, that are already starting, before they can get the best of me. Then regular service will begin and freight cars will be moved and spotted around the layout.
I’m looking forward to scenes like this.

How about you? Do you have new buildings to place or maybe some new equipment to introduce to the rails?

#2

I have all the track up off the benchwork at Franklin Falls. I’m going to stain the decking brown (instead of the grey, which is too light), and re-lay the track with a slightly wider spacing on three of the tracks.

Also, there are a bunch of ties I need to replace, and one switch to rebuild. Other than that, the RR looks like it survived the winter just fine.

Oh yea, ballasting, like every spring.

#3

I’ve been pulling the weeds out of the roadbed for the last several weeks. I think that, like always, I will resort to round up, as the weeds and grasses do not seem to be getting the hint.

I’ve got some of the building out of their winter hibernation, more to follow.

I’ll finally be laying the last of the decking, and perhaps redoing the first bench, as I’ve never been satisfied with it.

I’ll hook up the automatic valve on the drip irrigation, just as soon as I find it.

Leveling and reballasting has been done already.

#4

Like Steve, getting rid of the weeds all over the layout. RoundUp to the fore on the second growth that didn’t get it, right now it’s pull and dig.

But first … one more turnout to build.

#5

I spent last weekend at Sully’s putting together his “outer loop” and the loop through the shed. Last fall, they had taken all the rail clamps off so the track sections were just sitting there. This weekend I’ll do the inner loop, assuming we can find the bridge.

Flash: Many of us are heading for Sully’s tomorrow, so we may get lots more (or lots less) done.

#6

I’m looking forward to just getting to my layout. The new grass that we hydro seeded in the back yard in fall is coming in really nice but I’m still about a month away from being able to walk on it alot. After that I need to re-install a couple of switches on the main line then level and re-ballast so I can start running trains again

Once trains are running again then I will start laying track on the inner loop and start building the new staging yard off to the side of the layout. The original staging yard was on the back of the layout but it didn’t allow access to the new switches that will let you cross over onto the inner loop so I took it out.

Chuck

#7

Time for a fresh start… literally. This winter has been harsh on the layout and Mrs. Diesel and I have been contemplating a major do-over, anyway. Some preparations were already made in the fall, but much to be done this spring/summer. So, as soon as weather and time permit, we are going to chainsaw a major portion of the layout and get a fresh start. Hopefully, we’ve learned a couple of things in the past few years. Were going to expand the back fence for more right of way, haul in more dirt, and widen out some of my remaining narrow curves. Sound like fun? Come join us!

-Kevin.

#8

I’ve started to replace all 22 switches with a re-work and my new “Air Switch Motor” and new jumper wires to all pieces of rail on them. Then connect the Air switch controllers.

#9

First?

Pick up all the pine needles.

#10

Matt Doti said:

First?

Pick up all the pine needles.

Well, yeah, there’s that. I keep threatening to cut down the pine trees…

#11

worked on ours today…set the corner/transition for the retaining wall…

http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/18147/n-b-r-r-v4-0/view/post_id/243142

#12

First thing I did was to shove the ladder back down where it belongs and run some trains. I have some pretty serious issues to address this year. The long bridge over the tree root has rotted out (got 10 years out of it - just plywood with several coats of paint) and the root has grown to be pushing up on the bridge. This will require some tree surgery with a saws-all to get the track back down where it belongs.

I foresee a temporary bridge followed by a plate girder like I built a few years ago.

As always, leveling and ballasting needs to be done most everywhere.

#13

This past winter I decided to pull out my hand laid switch, and put an Aristo switch in its place. The one point rail on my switch was coming loose and the switch would get sluggish when it was wet. This also required relaying the curve that leads into the switch. So I bent up some track, pulled out the existing track, and redid that section. I did reuse the longer piece of existing track, after rebending it a little. But the 2 or 3 short pieces were removed for smoother running.

I also fixed a section on the backside of the loop that was over gauge. Now its grade the new track, reballast the rest of the railroad, cheking and fixing the grading as needed.

Every year the goal is to have the first train run on or before May first. Last year I almost didnt make that goal, because the pond liner needed replaced. But the Board of directores is counting on me, and the revenue, so I will do my best.

#14

I did most of what was needed done. The first think was getting rid of my smaller inner loop and making it into a siding. I then freshened up the ballast and leveled the tracks. (I was surprised not much leveling was needed) I still have to make new tunnel portals and put m new sawmill out. Once the plants start growing I will start the weeding process.

#15

When I get done travelling, I will be still recovering from Hurricane Sandy on the railroad. But, now that I’m retired, I should have the track clean, ballasted, and a train run by the end of May.

Will definitely post pix!

#16

I have to rework my track bed. I just got the yard in shape today so now it’s the railroads turn.

Terry

#17

Here in SoCal we saw about three days of winter. I spent a lot of time bridge building. Next up is a switching yard expansion.

#18

My railroad has really been nothing but a roundy round test ground for the last 7 yrs. It does run around the garden though (literally). I have some thoughts/ideas on modular benchwork and a few other things/idea’s that I would like to attempt real soon. I use 5 different roadbed’s (support systems) currently. All have been down for more than 4 yrs with the exception of 1 where I removed the ground contact pvc ladder and left the bare earthen ballast hill.

Model building has been shelved for the time being. I’m just ready for “Spring” if we are going to have one? “Perhaps”

I’m just hoping we don’t jump right into summer!

It was a hard winter here so I really have no plans as too what I’m going to tackle first on my RR.

I’m still thinking while I sit on the back porch drinking a beer in the warmer 30 degree nights of spring with no wind chill!

This post has been edited by Retsoor Ad: Inappropriate Material

#19

The first thing in May, I’ll be putting all the structures, vehicles, rail cars, trestle, and whatnot into the storage shed for the summer and heading north. :frowning:

#20

Tonight was the first night I could ‘work’ on the railroad this spring. The first thing I did was clean track and drop on a test train. While that was running and I kept watch on how bad the track heaved, I went around pulling out weeds that have already started.

The first major work will be replacing about 30’ of straight roadbed with new metal roadbed. Then on to finishing the (in progress) second loop!