The Greenbriar Delta & Rutland

maxairedale Apr 7, 2010

  1. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    "A lot of work", um, for whom? You, the bears, the campers or the switcher? :)

    Nice rock formations!
     
  2. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    ALL four[​IMG]


    Thanks

    Gary
     
  3. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Ballast

    Some behind the scenes work in the past few days.

    For ballast currently I am planning on using crushed limestone. My son-in-law works for a surfacing company, even though he makes the asphalt he was able to get about 8 gallons of crushed limestone (two types - washed and non-washed) from the rock quarry and I have been screening it and have separated some of it into 3 sizes.

    1. "Too Big"
    2. "Medium"
    3. "Fine"
    The Fine is very close to the Woodland Scenics Fine. As you would think the non-washed has more dust then the washed, but I can take care of that.

    The “Too Big” has for the most part the largest stone about 3/16 to ¼ inch. The "Medium" has the largest at about 1/8 inch

    Also I have some crushed rock that I obtained while I lived in NC, which is darker, almost black, and I'm thinking of mixing some of it with the limestone to break up the all gray look. It too sifts out to the same sizes as above. This darker stone will look good at the chemical plant.

    As the screening has gone so far, I'll have about 10 times more "Too Big" then "Fine" and about ¼ to ½ as much "Medium" then "Fine."

    I don't know what the screen sizes are that I am using. I purchased a 2-piece sifter set that has holes about 3/23 to 1/8 square, and an anti grease splatter screen for frying at the local "everything is a dollar" store. For 2 dollars I and some time I have my ballast, I hope.

    After sifting I bake the collected sizes at 400 F for an hour and let it stay in the oven until it cools. My thought for the baking is to kill any plant and non-plant life in the stone.

    The stone that is too large for ballast will be used as rip rap along the different scenes.

    Gary
     
  4. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Hi,

    Between a new project at work, the old and never ending projects at work, vacation, and the heat (AC died in the Train building) not much has been happening with the GD&R during the last month.

    Here is a photo of the puppy that followed me home while on vacation.


    [​IMG]

    The wife said I can keep it.[​IMG]

    Gary
     
  5. catfan

    catfan TrainBoard Member

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    What a vacation!! I wish one of those would have followed me home from Myrtle Beach last week.. All I have to show for the trip is a sore back from 144 holes of golf.

    Great find...the Wife and the loco.

    Mark
     
  6. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Trying my hand at movies

    Since it is too hot to work in the train building for any length of time, even in the mornings, I attempted to make a video this morning with just a few seconds of recording using my point and shoot camera.

    Since I don't know how to embed it into this posting I'll provide the link

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYii4nbDoQ0

    Please remember that this was made using

    • A point and shoot camera
    • Software that came with the computer
    • I saved the file in a condensed format so that I could up load it fast.
    It does have some audio

    Does anyone know of some FREE, EASY TO USE, GOOD movie editing software?

    Gary


    [​IMG]
     
  7. country joe

    country joe TrainBoard Member

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    Nice video, well done, especially for a first try.
     
  8. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    BN 3107 has decoder

    Hi,

    It has been over a month since I updated the thread.

    Not much work has happened, I can't even run trains. I took all of the buildings off of the foam so that I could paint it. In the process I set the buildings on the track. I did get the foam painted and now am planing the layout of the streets and building. I did take photos of how I had the building before

    I have add a few locos to the roster.

    [​IMG]
    Purchased 505 on TrainStore here on TrainBoard


    [​IMG]
    Purchased this online (not the bay) and installed a Digitrax DZ123 decoder. First tests show that it may be a fair to good runner. For $20.00 and the decoder I have no complaint.

    [​IMG]
    I've had the Kato GP 50 for many years, I just added a DZ123 decoder to it today. I
    used the example on the TCS website for installing a decoder in the Kato GP38. I have to say that it was easier then the method that I used to install the decoders in my other Kato GP 50 and a couple Kato GP 38's that I have converted. I'll use this method on the rest of my Kato GP 38's and with any luck others.


    Gary
     
  9. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Working in the city

    Hi,

    I got a chance to do some work on the layout this past week, I spent the time working on the raised part of the city.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    More photos in the next posting.

    Gary
     
  10. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Working in the city part 2

    More photos

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I'm not done with this yet, I just wanted to share what I was working on.

    This is what it looked like in a previous posting

    [​IMG]

    The bridge will be reinstalled after the scene in installed

    Gary
     
  11. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Thank your Richard

    Gary
     
  12. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    It has been a month since my last update.

    If you have been following any of the other threads that I started in the past few weeks, you will know that I am getting ready to start ballasting by practicing some ballasting methods along with some weathering.

    I have all the supplies for the ballasting project (I hope)

    • white glue and mate medium.
    • about 7.5 gallons of crushed limestone
    • about 3 gallons of a crushed darker stone
    • 70% IPA for wet water mix
    • brushes for spreading the ballast
    • small spoons for dispensing the ballast
    • syringes for dispensing both the glue and wet water
    • Powered paints and plaster for both weathering and ZIP texturing
    But before I start the ballasting I want to weather/paint the rails. Small delay while I wait for the supplies for that come in.

    Furthermore you may remember that about 4 months ago I applied some Ox-Gard and not No-Ox to the rails in an attempt to improve locomotive preformance. It back fired and now I have a major track cleaning project going. See post #11 in the thread No-Ox VS GB Ox-Gard and some Gleaming.

    Tonight, because of the upcoming ballasting/painting project and the need to do a major track cleaning/scrubbing I decided to take all the rolling stock off of the layout and put them away keep from damaging them.

    After I get the track cleaned and some of the rail painting and ballasting completed the cars will come back out. I know I will not be able to wait until all the ballasting is done before I have to have a TRAIN FIX

    More later

    Gary
     
  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ah yes, the famous train fix.... I'm about bready to have one myself!

    :eek:

    Boxcab E50
     
  14. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    January 2 update

    Happy New Year everyone. It is hard to believe that another year has slipped by.

    During December I started some ballasting that was a total disaster due to operator rror. So out it came. Luckily I had less the 12 inches done. Next came the 3rd Annual International Winter Layout Party of 2011.

    Of course I had to crash the party. By crashing the party I had to make some goals for both myself and the layout. My goals are

    1. Finish weathering all the rails in that area. This includes the section of track that is hidden by the foam block.
    2. Ballast the entire section of track in that area. This too includes the section of track that is hidden by the foam block. I have a history of changing my mind all the time. Next month that foam block may be in the garage.
    3. Build and detail the portion of the city that will be located there. Most of the buildings are already assembled.
    4. Work at finishing the chemical plant area (customer #4).Place the storage tanks
      1. Overflow containment wall around storage tanks
      2. Road into and within the area
      3. Add a chain link fence.
    5. Work towards finishing the Scrap Yard area (customer #9).
      1. Ramp for loader so it reaches over Gondolas
      2. Maybe some junk yard dogs.
      3. Add recycling bins (have them to build)
      4. Some type of fence could be a wood wall or chain link or a combination
    So far after 2 weeks of the party I have completed the following

    • Item 1
    • About 1/2 of item 2
    • Item 3
    • and added scenery to an area that was not on my list, but was in the project area.
    [​IMG]

    Work area is the orange section in the top right

    [​IMG]

    continued in next post

    Gary
     
  15. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    January 2 update continued

    With week 2 of the layout Party I move on to raised area behind customers 4 and 9.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    More photos can be seen here at my web site and here at my TrainBoard album

    Time to move onto doing some more ballast and then Customer 4.

    Thanks for looking

    Gary
     
  16. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    I've Been Working On The Railroad

    Hi Guys and Gals,

    It has been a while since I worked on the railroad. I sorta got burned out during my marathon during the Layout Party and of course that 4 letter word WORK has been getting the better of me.

    This past week I found some time to work on the railroad due to recovering from a bicycle crash :crying: on July 2nd. Before you ask, nothing broke on me, :thumbs_up: I have a leg injury that may be a torn or separated muscle in the left thigh will find out on the 13th, but the bike...:beat-up: Bike went out from under me while making a turn (left turn, the bike flipped to the right). Due to the nature of the injury I can not work for much more then an hour at a time without taking a break. I'm not sure what is harder to do at this time, stand while doing the ballasting or sitting while working on the buildings. I'm to keep my leg elevated and can't do that with either of the projects.

    Okay now with that out of the way I have been working on some ballasting (about 3 feet) and replacing some buildings that I had stolen from other areas of the layout to use during the Layout Party. Sorry but I don't have any photos at this time.:embarassed:

    Gary
     
  17. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Hi All,

    It is hard to believe that it has been over a year since I posted anything to this thread.

    Lets see what have I been doing for the last 13 months.
    • I have recovered :) from my Bicycle crash and have been riding when both time and weather permits. If your interested, I suffered a torn muscle and ruptured a small, minor artery in the crash. I was off work for 5 weeks and spent most of the time with my leg elevated. Not much fun. :-(
    • I took a hospital department the was staffed 8 hours per day M-F and made it a 24/7 department
    • Took a week long class on Bicycle Repair, really needed to do that after the crash.
    • Retired on the 30th of March 2012
    • The wife and I took an eight (8) week trip and visited 7 National Parks in May and June
    • Worked on the railroad off and on during the 13 months.
      • Did some more ballasting. I picked up where I left off in the previous post
      • Did some more scenery in the area just to the left of where I had worked for the Layout Party of 2011
      • More ballasting.
      • Came up with a plan to extend the loop for continuous running with a lot of help from the members of TrainBoard. THANK YOU! This will be my next project. Have ordered some needed switches and have purchased some of the needed boards.
    The following are scenes from the area that I worked on. Most of it was done in the winter and early spring.

    Scenery - CP - TC 2.jpg

    Scenery - CP - TC 4.jpg
    Still some work to do near the ground throw

    Scenery - CP - TC 3.jpg
    Same ground throw

    Scenery - CP - TC 1.jpg

    The ballast is crushed limestone from a local quarry. The rocks either came from the driveway, the quarry or along side the roads that I traveled back and forth for work.

    Today I found a switch that was dead when aligned for the diverging route. Good thing I had 3 locomotives on the point and could power through. Some Mate Medium needed to be removed. All is good now.

    Thanks for looking,

    Gary
     
  18. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Hi,

    Today (080712) I started working on the bench work required for my changes to extend the loop for continuous running.

    proposed_track_plan_i_crop.jpg
    Extended the bench work to match the end on the top of the layout

    The following images show the beginnings of the new bench work. At the time of the photos it was just clamped in place and has since been screwed in place


    bench work addditons 10.jpg
    The sidings seen here are the current customer #10 (center of image just above the clamp) and 11 (between the red tools) on my track plan.
    Both customers will be relocated with the changes.
    The track at falls off the photo on the left goes to the future staging/fiddle tracks.


    I need to add the support, but first need to move the desk with all the junk.

    bench work addditons 8.jpg
    bench work addditons 9.jpg
    Bench work addition passing the small yard.

    Thanks for looking.

    Regards,

    Gary
     
  19. Philip H

    Philip H TrainBoard Member

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    Gary,
    Glad you are 1) ok from your crash and 2) back at work on the layout. Your scenery seems to be coming along nicely, and I am intrigued about the return loop build out.
     
  20. maxairedale

    maxairedale TrainBoard Member

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    Hi Philip,

    Thanks for the comments.

    Gary
     

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