I was just wondering what plans you all have in the works for 2007? Looks like we will be adding a pond to our layout this year. Of course I will need to build a bridge for it. A friend of mine makes steel bridges where he works. No way that will blow away in the wind! I love the look of a nice old fashioned wood trestle though. We’ll see what comes of it. Indoors it will be time for all new track to replace what I robbed for my outdoor line. Then on to some new buildings I hope. The way time zooms by we will have to see how far it goes. Oh yeah…I am also toying with the idea of converting a Bachmann 45 tonner into a snowblower. Marty can’t be the only one having all the fun! How about you all? Later eh…Brian.
bman, snowblowers are one of the coolist locomotives around. Just the fact that you have this hugh engine and it only turns the blades. I guess thats where the helper locos come in handy. I would say go for it and convert a Bach 45 Tonner into a snowblower.
For me, finishing some flats that I started. And maybe build some other cars like boxcars or passenger cars.
Gettin the old narrow guage line back up and running, the cats and squirrels aint been to kind to the old track landscape and structures since I kinda…halted operations.
Brian you must have been reading my mind, i am also contemplating a water feature in 2007 and i am thinking about putting a curving viaduct R2 over it with a 2 % gradient.
I am still working on my “ELL” which connects are 3 with area 1 right over the top of area 2 and i have had to raise area 1 to make it all fit.
This is only a small thing to talk about but it is very consuming of time, energy, thought power, money, and available space and i love it.
I have no interest in anything to do with snow, living in the tropics i have only seen it about 6 times in my life.
Additions for 2007? Many.
After construction the new Alpine Inn
will go on top of the falls, I have expanded the “shoulder” on the right side by just over 3 feet.
Then after the Inn is in place construction can begin in earnest on the bridge way to the top of the mountain. After that I need to build a new bench upon which to rest my weary tail feathers. The wooden bench I had been using did not survive the winter, according to the standards being imposed by SWMBO, the old bench should have been tossed three years ago. Also, this summer I should start laying the track for the loop out to Green Apple Orchard, that will complete an almost 300 foot out and back run. As SWMBO has dictated, “I want to be able to send the train away and not have it come back for a while.” At each station I’m planning on using a simple timer relay to kill the rack power at each station for about 3 minutes.
Well, I’m still building my layout so I won’t really be “changing” anything, just completing things. Still have mountains to build, track to lay, and many bridges and trestles to build. At the rate it’s going, I may not get the layout up and running until sometime around the end of 2007. Then there’s the structures and other details to be made. I’ve recently detailed, painted and weathered my Buddy L 2-6-2, next I have to convert the tender from coal to oil and paint/weather it. I have more rolling stock, and we just got two LGB Porters. These all need painting and weathering. One of the Porters was part of a Christmas starter set which includes two cheesy little 4-wheel passenger cars – I plan to convert them to 8-wheeled excursion cars.
Marty’s run out of room? Then the end of the world is NIGH![(-D]
Still no permanent home for mine, so just keep adding to the stock and enjoying sitting around in friends gardens for the summer . . . that could be a new year resolution!
What is this “snow” substance that everyone keeps going on about, and why does it need to be “blown”???
My plans for 2007? Lets see, surf in the morning, fish in the afternoon, … Oh, you mean the railroad? I guess just gradualy improve what I already have, repaint some rolling stock into DDSL colors and expand the garden. That should keep me busy for about 400 years.
Why use jumper wires, why not just clean your rail and joiners up and solder them as is. this will work and it is the best and strongest way in the long run.
I just realized, there is one change I want to make… The upper level mountains at the east end, which were done fairly early in this project, don’t look as good as some of the more recent stuff. So I want to rework it a bit. I originally built it using mostly large stones. This resulted in cliffs which are very stable while using a minimum of concrete. Unfortunately it doesn’t look very natural, so I want to replace or cover some of the large stones with smaller ones. I also want to work some other types of rock into it, to make it more interesting. I need to do all this before I can build the mines which will be on that mountain.
I have a friend in town just like you. he has trains but no place to run them. But hes welcome here any time. he keeps couple of engines here and runs them even if I’m not around. I trust him. He also helps with yard work which is wionderful.
Ian;
SWMBO, (a.k.a. Superintendent of Land Management, a.k.a. DA WIFE), said I could build my GRR only when she had her Koi pond. Since they were to share the same patch of ground they went up together. Hired a couple of fellows to do the digging for the pond. the rest I did myself. Lot of work, but even more fun. I’m a firm believer in “if it ain’t fun then don’t do it!”
Most of you know how tiny (12’ x 7’ surrounded by sidewalks) my layout is. Well, after looking at my new Annie and the Sierra cars, the superintendant in my household opined that the consist would dwarf the current layout and maybe the layout should be larger. WHOOPEE! Spring will see the garden area to the west (40’ x 15’) under excavation. 2007 looks like it’s going to be chock-full of 8’ curves, #6 switches, parallel sidings and bigger engines. [:D]
Well done Eric; you too may consider a double dogbone ideal for that size. I have in area3 7m X 3 m and have one the track passes under itself 3 times.
