Friday fun

With the scenery completed behind the trestle, Rob erected a stone wall at the Ortona end and refit the trestle. Peter did some ballasting and soldered up some feeders we had missed. Glen mudded in scenery along the logging spur. Most of the track was laid in the sawmill area.  Don added white highlights to his silicone waves, and reminded us that it is time to pay our dues. Jim did some running and moved cars not in the correct locations. He also had to arrange the train orders out of place.

The log pond was cut out and the removed piece was used to make a hill.

Tuesday night at the Huff and Puff

All of the newly wired areas, on the branchline were hooked up and no shorts were detected. Before we jump into ballasting, we should run some trains on the branchline to see if all is well.
The logging spur trestle area received some rock castings and gaps were plastered in. The trestle was adjusted to the new levels, but awaits finishing touches on the scenery behind it, before it can be permanently installed and tracked.
Since members finished up running early a few areas that were not directly on the roadbed, were ballasted, to support them properly.  What I'm talking about is, sometimes the roadbed has small dips of a few inches long and the track naturally finds it's own level. Rather than forcing it down we fill under it with ballast, creating a small fill area. We will start ballasting the mainline, waiting to glue it down until everyone is done running so as not to short out the system.

Rob and Larry installed the fascia on this new section of the branchline.  The dark wood retaining wall will be surrounded by rock castings, but will remain removable to access the track in the tunnel. We will try to get all the fascia up, finishing up the woodwork, so we can clean up.

A fence was installed around the coal mine property.

A tree grows in Northdale. Glen tried his hand at making a wire tree. Estimating it took 20 minutes, that's 3 an hour, so it will take him ..........

Friday fun

Sidings added at Miller, Lakeview, and the gravel dock and all of the installed track now have had feeders added. The only track not put in yet is in the sawmill area, which is waiting for completion of scenery behind it.

The stone wall was added to the port area.

Ballasting on the branchline.

Plaster added to the trestle area.

Tuesday night at the Huff and Puff

On one front the logging spur was wired, as far as it has been installed. At the same time the placement of the trestle was finished and the trestle was removed to add in the drywall mesh to support the first layer of plaster. In another area the town of Northdale was laid out. The problem now is all of the construction is in 2 small areas and that the areas in the back have to be sceniced before areas in the front can be worked on. An example of this is the sawmill area and the Harbour cannot be installed until the track at the coal mine, the upper and lower mainlines, are ballasted and scenery is completed. Compounding this is the ballasting can't be done while the system is on. We may have to schedule a work day or two.
So far we have no problems with any of the new construction. Moving forward we can ballast areas like Ortona and parts of the branchline, because they are not on the system as yet. Once the feeders are done on the logging spur, we can start ballasting and adding scenery to it. We need to finalize the sidings in Miller and Lakeview, so they can also be wired and ballasted. This would at least finish the trackwork, and wiring, for the most part.

Northdale buildings we set up and roads added.

This photo shows the cut back area of the logging spur which enabled the tunnel to be shortened.

The trestle area prepared for plastering.

Tree Time

Now that the re-novated layout area is close to
completion in terms of general
construction and track placement, 
scenery planning
is underway. 
Trees are a key part of making the layout land-
scale more rea-
listic. The ever-
green trees in the picture are made from commercial filter material on readily available skewers. The deciduous tree is twisted floral wire
for the trunk and 
branches with 
foliage clusters added glued to the branches. Now to find the time to make many more trees

Friday fun

Well let's say, looking back at Friday, a day that I had to leave early. So I will post what I can remember seeing being done.
The first thing I noticed was the roadbed for the logging line was already painted and ready for the track. But while taking that in, I noticed that the grade was not a steady climb, but rather, apparently had undulations in it. The group gathered and decided that it only added to the realism of what a logging spur would look like, and would have no consequence on any trains using the spur. With that decided, work commenced on securing the trestle base and track laying. As the track was laid around the curve below the spar tree, it became obvious that the benchwork could be narrowed allowing for a shorter tunnel below it. With agreement that the shorter the better, part of the spurs benchwork was narrowed, and the track in the tunnel adjust a little, thus moving the exit of that end of the tunnel back about a foot. I had to leave before this was completed.
Don took up the job of checking how the stone walls at Lakeview's harbour would effect the gravel dock. After some adjustments all looked good, so he gathered up the walls to take home and add gray primer to them.
Larry was also, after yet another trip home, this time to get his glue gun, proceeding to replace missing footing beams on the trestle, and to level it up. It was also decided that the dip of the roadbed at the junction of the trestle, could be looked after while ballasting.
All the while Glen was climbing around the Lakeview and sawmill area applying a base coal of paint and scenery.
I almost forgot Sparky. Jim had added wires to connect the bus wires of section 4 (all of the branchline after it leaves Lincoln) to the Quad unit, temporarily connecting them to check for shorts. Non were found. He then continued adding feeders to section 4. It should be mentioned that secton 3, the rest of the branchline to Lakeview has feeders and a complete set of bus wires. All that remains to be connected is the sawmill area and the siding in Lakeview. So in summary, when the 2 sidings in Ortona, the gravel dock, the 4 or 5 sidings in Lakeview, and the logging spur are laid and wired, the electrical part will be completed.
After some test runs on the branchline, the fascia and scenery can be installed. Maybe our present for Christmas will be a completed layout, I'll have to put a ribbon and bow on the door.

Tuesday night at the Huff and Puff

As the Lakeview area takes shape, buildings were brought out of storage, to see what we have. The Sawmill was temporarily set up to figure out the track arrangement, and we found room for a small collection of buildings to complement a ferry service area. Don painted a water surface for the port area, to which we added the ferry dock and and the gravel dock. A stone wall will be added along the water area.

We had a visitor from California, Ashley who is Peter's daughter.

A crew worked on supporting and grading the logging spur.

Friday fun

It appears someone was at the layout as all of the rock work was completed around Lakeview. Glen finished up painting the roadbed today.
Reworked the throat of the Ortona yard, which required some of the rest of the tracks to be adjusted. Got a lot of the feeders in Ortona and Miller put in.
The trestle on the logging spur was situated and some of the approaching benchwork was installed.

The trestle is a bit smaller than before but will still look good. Once the correct grade up to this area if worked out, we can lay the roadbed and track up to the trestle.
Don took the plastic sheet for the harbour home to paint and we have cut a stone wall to finish off the waterfront, once it is reinstalled.
Ruby and Leo came up for a visit. Leo is working in On30 now.

Tuesday night at the Huff and Puff

Financial report was accepted as read. Members reported on the Hamilton layout tours, some great layouts were visited. Rob has catalogued our video collection, a list is on the bulletin board.
Meanwhile in the layout room, all hands were on deck. All of the track laid in Lakeview is wired in. Ortona wiring and the logging spur continued. Glen continued adding scenery in the sawmill area. Joseph discovered a slope in the Ortona yard causing run away rolling stock. A few shims under the roadbed corrected the problem.

Peter and Rob add feeders on the left. Donald works on the Miller passing track. Mike and Larry work on the logging spur. Jim and Joseph work on the wiring to the Quad. So far #3 bus is short free.

The logging spur is mostly still up in the air, but the route and the placement of the trestle have been decided, but the loop area needs to be wired first.
Friday 1 to 3 will be the next construction opportunity.

Friday fun.

Bill, the owner, told us the upstairs washrooms will be closed for renovations. There is a washroom down stairs.
Glen continued his magic on the scenery as Jim and Peter did some running. Me and Jim started adding feeder wires, all the track in Lakeview is done and a lot of Ortona yard. We also adjusted the problem turnout, 1 of the tail tracks was bent. Checking several other turnouts of the same type, I  found they all have areas out of gauge, I think to allow trucks to negotiate the tighter radius areas. However I did find a curved turnout that may work better for this spot.

Tuesday is meeting/work night. Bring soldering irons. We could use short gondolas, and tank cars as extras.

Shingle Sheet

New find at Hobby Lobby.