Looks like someone is planning on running trains

[jglfan]

That's what the locals say when they see this consist roll thru town.
   

So, for the first time in over a month I felt like just running a train instead of working on the layout. I didn't have to clean the entire railroad, just the yard and branchline so I could run the local out and back. I thought I'd take some pics along the way and post them here. Here is # 588 pulling the string of cars bound for the Garfield branch from the yard, they will be placed on the departure track and then run around. There is no caboose on this run. The 2nd pic shows the string of cars being pushed onto one of the thru tracks.
   
   

[jglfan]

This rather poorly composed shot shows the train leaving the yard. An area in need of finishing, but I've moved on to building a passenger station so it will wait.
   

This time a poorly lit photo shows the train departing the main and entering the Garfield branch. I shot these photos using just room lighting. That's the finished except for the loading dock area Quinn Ball Bearing plant in the background. Actually, I am working round to that area and so it will (should) actually get done sometime this year.
   

This one shot shows pretty much all there is to see on this side of the layout. A scene inspired by a photo in Erie Power taken in Clifton, NJ.
   

[Gary S]

How well does the track cleaner work? I've been debating whether to get one of those, but they are fairly expensive, aren't they?

The flat car load looks very nice as does the fencing around the transformer area. And, it's obvious that you've spent alot of time on the layout. Have fun running the trains!

[jglfan]

Sorry, I had to leave for a bit. I see I posted the same shot twice, doh! Here is the one that should have been above.
   

Gary, my experience is I can run this car (from Tony's) after not having operated for a month and have no problems except occasional sound drop outs. This is with running the car dry, and one or two passes. The car has a valve you adjust to get a drop every five seconds or whatever. And a pad of something like cordoroy fabric. It runs over all my trackwork fine with the exception, of course, of a couple turnout throw wires which are too long in one position. I used Goo Gone several times and thought it was good. After a few years I was having problems and needed a very thorough track and wheel cleaning. Also, the Goo Gone hurts traction, trains which had no problems on the hidden 2% grade when the track was dry could not make the grade after a cleaning, for maybe two days! Starting with clean track and wheels, I have now only run dry track cleaning trains with no problems. Once in a while I use an old tee shirt to rub rails, usually turnouts. In addition to Tony's car I have the, is it Centerline? I like it too, but find the handi wipe style cloth harder to replace than the cordoroy pad on Tony's. I also have a few Athearn boxcars running around with masonite blocks hanging beneath. Thanks for the compliments!

OK, so now we are descending the hill into Garfield. You see the paper I cut in an effort make a template for a masonite fascia. I want to be able to place a camera looking up a grassy hillside to the track, with a line of trees behind. The foreground track at teh left side of the pic is the siding for Ellis Oil, a bulk distribution point.
   

Turning around this is a going away shot, that is Ragnar Cement on the left, a depot I modeled after a NYS&W one in Beaver lake on the right. I will eventually add a tissue paper roof to the depot, rather beat up. The trackage on the far side of the depot will be street trackage.
   

[Ralph]

Running trains is what its all about! Good idea to set some up once in a while during layout construction. It's a good motivator! Nice looking equipment and good looking scenes developing!
Ralph

[e-paw]

Nice stuff JGL . Makes me want to lay some more track and turn some drivers.

[jglfan]

Thanks Ralph, in the past, most of my work has been building the railroad itself, not much scenery. And everytime I expanded the railroad to add the next planned operating feature, I would run till I tired of it. From when I built the bottom level and ran the heck out of it till I got bored with running trains in a (very long) circle with no scenery till most recently when I added the turntable and engine facility, I run the new operation till I feel the need to just build. For the last year I have worked on the facility and surrounding area, almost never operating!

Here the cement plant is being switched, never mind the Boraxo car, any covered hopper is fair game in these circumstances.
   

[Saltwater Cowboy]

Hey! Long time no see Gary! Greetings from Hershey and just wanted to say.... 3x on your railroad!

Matt

[TrainNut]

Wow! I remember when you were trying to figure out what to do with this area...

I must say, the scene turned out GREAT!

[tetters]

Great Stuff! How much of your layout is hand laid?

[jglfan]

Thanks Steve. I'm really looking forward to seeing your layout develop. It looks super already!

Hi Matt, how have you been? Really long time! Hope you are well, have you had time to work on a layout?

Thanks TrainNut, I benefit from the input I get here at the Gauge. I continue to plod along with the area in general, and post occasional updates in that thread.

Tetters, I originally planned on handlaying all visable trackage. I first used Atlas code 100 for the entire lower level, to get running. Then I replaced one scene with hand laid after which I decided to build the second level. I guess that goes back to what I mentioned before about running till I tired of circles. So the throat for the yard area for the upper level, site of the first few pics, was hand laid (important because I wanted a flow of rail you really can't get with commercial turnouts) on a roughly 2x8" sheet of plywood, with a laminate of luan. I thought I could spike into the luan. It turned out 50% of my spikes bent so I had to predrill spike holes. I felt that I must be nuts. Of course, upon completion of the yard I had to run trains up and down the helix and connect with trains on the lower level, so until I tired of that, construction stopped. When I resumed, I started using code 70 flex track for the straighter runs between turnouts, and then the Micro Eng turnouts if I could use a #6. I used Central Valley turnout kits at the end of the Garfield branch and really like them. I bought a box of the Central Valley tie strips to replace some of the Atlas code 100 on the bottom level, if I ever get to it! All a very long way to say perhaps 33% of my visable trackage is hand laid.

Now, I got interrupted a few times trying to complete the original post, so here is the rest. #588 crosses the Passaic River to reach the runaround track at the end of the branch. Sorry I didn't take some time to dust off the river!
   

Here a car of steel rod is being delivered to Quinn Ball Bearing. You remember seeing their loading dock earlier. The branch travels a scale 3/4 mile to reach the same spot it left near the end of the branch. But Garfield and the yard are not connected directly. Since there is no scenery here yet, I can point out the expandable foam beneath the track on the ramp. I sprayed expandable foam and kept the top level using a piece of wood with wax paper attached. Then I was able to install the homabed roadbed, glue ties down and lay rail. The curve the train is on is 15" radius, and on a 4% grade.
   

A quick look down the future street.
   

[Gary S]

Gary, my experience is I can run this car (from Tony's) after not having operated for a month and have no problems except occasional sound drop outs. This is with running the car dry, and one or two passes. The car has a valve you adjust to get a drop every five seconds or whatever. And a pad of something like cordoroy fabric. It runs over all my trackwork fine with the exception, of course, of a couple turnout throw wires which are too long in one position. I used Goo Gone several times and thought it was good. After a few years I was having problems and needed a very thorough track and wheel cleaning. Also, the Goo Gone hurts traction, trains which had no problems on the hidden 2% grade when the track was dry could not make the grade after a cleaning, for maybe two days! Starting with clean track and wheels, I have now only run dry track cleaning trains with no problems. Once in a while I use an old tee shirt to rub rails, usually turnouts. In addition to Tony's car I have the, is it Centerline? I like it too, but find the handi wipe style cloth harder to replace than the cordoroy pad on Tony's. I also have a few Athearn boxcars running around with masonite blocks hanging beneath.

Thanks for the detailed info. I have a couple of the masonite block things, and several of the Walther's or roco track cleaners. I haven't had a chance to use them as I got them after I decided to move the layout from the garage. I probably won't buy any of the high dollar cars, just use what I have. And, I am hoping that my new controlled environment will help keep the track clean too.

[Gary S]

And, all your photos are making me anxious to get the layout building finished so I can get back to some actual work on the railroad.

[jglfan]

And, all your photos are making me anxious to get the layout building finished so I can get back to some actual work on the railroad.

I hear ya! There's nothing like the feeling of contentment you get from working on the layout. Running is the icing on the cake so to speak, for me.

For this pic I have left the center aisle I took the previous shots from and walked around the peninsula to record a view of the overall end of the Garfield branch. From here, you an see the engine svc facility, corp. headquarters and under construction passenger station which are the most recent accomplishments. Completing the structures and scenery for the end of the Garfield branch will bring me to the point of having one level of a peninsula basically done!
   

That's pretty much it. Since the operating group I had envisioned has scattered across the country, I am left to operate solo, so will focus on scenicking the section shown here. That's still plenty to do!

[Gary S]

Just exactly how much area does your layout take up? It looks absolutely huge!