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 Posted - January 04 2020 : 9:10:02 PM
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Nice freight shots, wiley! Your retro layout looks more and more amazing!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - January 07 2020 : 6:44:53 PM
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I've been setting up more Life-Like winter trees, including their wintery evergreen/pines.
The Amtrak local passing through the wintery woods...
...and stopping at the Arlee Station.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the official debut of Phase III, my favorite Amtrak paint scheme! They began making F40PHs with that paint scheme in 1980, along with the AEM-7 electrics going into service that year, and Amtrak slowly starting to update their existing older locomotives and rolling stock with it (their EMD F-units started being painted in Phase III as early as 1980.)
My auto-carrier train in action! The Mantua Classics GP20 is pulling Athearn, Life-Like and TYCO's auto-carrier cars with a TYCO wide-vision caboose at the end.
I also found the time to install my Bachmann E-Z Command Walk-Around Companion control unit, along with the plug for it going into another end of the layout. Maybe I'll get a second plug to put at the end where the logging mill and drive-in theater are at.
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Posted - June 11 2020 : 5:19:12 PM
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Hey, I'm still around; just haven't posted here much. But here are some updates with my train layout...
The following photos were taken in March:
Spring comes to my town, with the snow melting! (In reality, the decorated styrofoam snow pieces were removed and placed in storage until next Christmas.)
There was still leftover bits of foam and "snow" material from the removal, but I left it there for a month to create the realistic illusion of the winter-spring transition, combined with the barren trees.
The freight train rolls over a small pond and river underneath the Bachmann E-Z Track blinking bridge.
Oh, and that's not all. I also shot a video during that time of the layout in action, mostly showing off the various TYCO cars and accessories in action...
The following photos were taken a few days ago, in June...
Now the transition from spring to summer is happening on my layout! All the snow is melted away, and I swapped out the barren trees for spring trees!
That couple is back up at the Lover's Lane, even with the new billboard for the Skyview Drive-In being there!
The swimming pool behind the Plasticville Suburban Split Level has been reopened, and the family next door are having barbecues again!
My town is NOT being affected by the current coronavirus crisis, and everyone is well and businesses and schools are thriving. But many of the residents here that work as doctors and nurses have to frequently commute to the big city via Amtrak to treat and test patients during the crisis!
Even the Skyview Drive-In Theater is reopened and doing pretty well!
A photo of the schools in session during their final week of classes before letting out for the summer!
Another family gets ready to go on a picnic, like in the olden days!
The freight trains are still busy here, like this one unloading logs at the TYCO Prestomatic bin. One of the boxcars is also loaded with toilet paper to ship during this crisis :P
The Lover's Lane couple making out at the Skyview Drive-In, despite a trailer playing on the screen warning patrons not to do so!
Edited by - wiley209 on June 11 2020 5:20:15 PM
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Posted - June 11 2020 : 6:35:16 PM
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Pleasure to see your updates.
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Posted - June 11 2020 : 9:58:28 PM
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The video was great; positively humming with commerce.
The drive in: lol!
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Posted - June 12 2020 : 09:24:23 AM
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| Love it!
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Posted - June 12 2020 : 11:45:11 AM
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real cool
BN car hauler! Oh I wants one! 
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Posted - August 24 2020 : 11:56:26 AM
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I've been doing other things this summer, but with the pandemic going on I've actually found some more time to work on my model train layout! (Usually I don't really start working on it again until autumn starts.) Here are some new recent photos…
Recently I took a couple of spare Life-Like diamond road signs and customized them to warn motorists that a side road they are approaching has a railroad crossing shortly after the turn, just like the ones in real life.
Rail travel is still pretty frequent in the town, largely doctors and nurses that have to keep commuting to the nearby big city to treat patients infected with the coronavirus.
Drive-in movie theaters are enjoying a healthy business thanks to the pandemic, and the Skyview Drive-In is no exception! The Android tablet's Wi-Fi connection is getting flakey, so I downloaded some drive-in theater intermission videos as MP4s onto a micro-SD card and loaded that into the tablet.
Just a nice shot of the farm on the layout.
An overview.
The main BNSF freight passes my Walthers DCC-equipped BNSF GP9M pulling the TYCO crane car and boom tender.
Another railroad crossing accident on the layout! Luckily the driver got out of the car in time.
The main BNSF freight unloading crates from the TYCO operating boxcar.
Another shot of the TYCO crane car and boom tender hooked up to the BNSF GP9M.
Some summertime activities in the residential area.
The Amtrak train stopped at the TYCO Arlee Station. It does make for an interesting sight seeing the Amfleet cars next to the building like that.
The main freight having passed through the railroad crossing protected by Bachmann's non-operating Plasticville railroad crossing they've been making since the early 1970s, posed in this picture with the gates rising.
I thought this shot looked neat, seeing the Amtrak passenger train with Walthers Mainline F40PH locomotive alongside the BNSF freight with Bachmann GP40 locos.
Overview of my main current freight consist running on the outer loop of the track.
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Posted - August 24 2020 : 11:58:10 AM
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| very nice, as always!
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Posted - August 24 2020 : 6:39:39 PM
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I got my DCC locos to run but I can't get the lights & sounds to work 
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Posted - August 24 2020 : 6:50:13 PM
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quote:I got my DCC locos to run but I can't get the lights & sounds to work
Originally posted by microbusss - August 24 2020 : 6:39:39 PM
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strange, I'm no DCC expert, but I think there are buttons you have to press to activate them, although I don't think those budget locos have sounds...
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Posted - August 24 2020 : 10:00:28 PM
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Nice!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - August 25 2020 : 12:05:17 AM
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quote:I got my DCC locos to run but I can't get the lights & sounds to work
Originally posted by microbusss - August 24 2020 : 6:39:39 PM
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You have to turn the lights on via the DCC controller. What system do you use? I know E-Z Command makes turning the locomotive's headlights on and off, well, easy. Plus, are your DCC locomotives sound-equipped models? Bachmann does make several DCC locos without sound, like the ones I have (including of course my BNSF GP40 diesel that came with my E-Z Command system.)
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Posted - August 25 2020 : 12:16:49 AM
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| Great stuff, Wiley!
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Posted - September 05 2020 : 9:42:24 PM
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Here are more photos!
Summer has ended on my train layout and the kids are actually going back to school! Like I said, my town is safe from the pandemic.
Another view of the schools. I might soon add an expansion to the high school.
The hobos still hanging out in the railroad yard.
The Center Street School back in session.
I find a railroad yard like this a perfect place to put older operating accessories like the TYCO Prestomatic bins for my operating boxcar and log dump car, the Life-Like coal tipple and lighted yard tower, the TYCO lighted factory and the AHM freight carrier. The Pola trucking terminal (Walthers Trainline version) also looks good there too.
For now I've switched to GE power for my main freight, with a pair of BNSF "Fakebonnets" (Walthers Trainline Dash 8-40BW with decoders hardwired into them) hauling the freight cars.
During this operating session, when I was running the Amtrak train, something went wrong and the second Amfleet car ended up uncoupling from the first car and the F40PH locomotive. Luckily I noticed what happened before a wreck could happen, and set up so that my little BNSF work train would push the uncoupled Amfleet cars back to the rest of the train, similar to real-life railroad operation.
Another shot of my BNSF work train pushing the Amtrak cars, consisting of my Bachmann DCC-equipped GP40 that came with my E-Z Command unit pulling the TYCO crane car and boom tender, the Santa Fe versions of course!
The Amtrak train all together again pulling into the downtown station, only a little late.
The GE Fakebonnet-led BNSF freight rolling past the Skyview Drive-In Theater, now with a playground!
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Posted - September 05 2020 : 10:12:11 PM
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| looks like the dash 8 could use some electrical tape around it's hood area!
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Posted - September 06 2020 : 9:17:44 PM
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Awesome action!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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 Posted - September 07 2020 : 11:54:56 AM
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great stuffs
I just went to the new local drive-in to see Bill n Ted Face The Music
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Posted - September 07 2020 : 3:18:30 PM
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| The tablet screen showing old intermission videos for the drive-in is an awesome idea. I have no room for a similar scene at the moment, but definitely keeping it in mind for future layouts!
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Posted - September 12 2020 : 10:36:39 PM
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Some more new pics, especially since I now have another locomotive I installed a DCC decoder into!
My Walthers Trainline BNSF "Heritage II" Dash 8-40BW heads up the main freight, with a slightly patched Santa Fe Warbonnet behind it.
To go with the two Walthers Trainline Dash-8 engines, I pulled out my Walthers Trainline BNSF bay window caboose.
The freight train passing by my farm again.
The freight passing my short BNSF work train consisting of the Bachmann "Heritage IV" GP40 locomotive and TYCO Santa Fe crane car and boom tender.
After the last set of pics were taken, I rearranged my main freight a bit and had my Walthers Trainline BNSF "Fakebonnet" Dash 8-40BW locomotive be up front with the "Heritage II" behind it, based off how I've seen some real-life configurations, even done to this day (though real-life "Fakebonnet" locomotives are rare nowadays, with many having been repainted in the orange BNSF colors.)
I also added a driveway to my TYCO Lighted Ranch House with a diagonally-cut styrofoam piece painted black. Now the car can get in and out of the garage easily!
A nice shot of the main freight stopped so a pipe section can be unloaded from the TYCO Freight Unloading Depot.
A shot of the Unloading Depot itself in action.
An overview of the layout.
The main freight switching onto the inner track loop, passing the work train.
Unloading crates from the Operating Boxcar.
A neat shot of the Amtrak passenger train approaching the Arlee Station with the Skyview Drive-In theater in the background.
The BNSF freight train passing through the TYCO Operating Crossing Gate.
A nice shot of the TYCO Drug Store, with a little newsstand (a Scenic Accents pack from Woodland Scenics) in front of the store.
The BNSF freight train rolling past the Skyview Drive-In on a busy evening.
I installed a second light inside the concession/projection building to create the illusion of a movie projector coming out of the openings!
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Posted - September 13 2020 : 07:00:43 AM
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Nice!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - September 13 2020 : 12:02:49 PM
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I know this one is for theaters but still a classic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOYeuIjWLeQ 
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Posted - September 15 2020 : 10:15:19 PM
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A new video of the layout in action!
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Posted - December 01 2020 : 8:47:56 PM
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Christmas is coming to my train layout!
The Baldwin 2-8-0 steam locomotive and tender is brought out to be checked on…
My latest main freight consist. I switched back to using my Bachmann (BN)SF GP40-2 diesels for pulling the rolling stock, mostly TYCO with a couple of Life-Like cars and a Bachmann BNSF caboose to go with the lead locomotive (again, the one that came with my E-Z Command DCC set when I bought it over six years ago for my previous layout!)
The Christmas train, raring and ready to go! I might buy a new car or two for it this holiday season.
Santa Claus visiting kids at the church.
The downtown train station is decorated for Christmas!
The first snow of the season!
I also bought one of those winter-colored Hawthorne Village versions of Bachmann's E-Z Track Dual Crossing Gate to go with the snow on the layout.
The Christmas tree lot set up behind a newsstand, with the town tree not too far from it!
Edited by - wiley209 on December 01 2020 8:48:35 PM
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Posted - December 01 2020 : 10:05:15 PM
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Nice update, as always! Love that snowy crossing.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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 Posted - December 02 2020 : 2:48:28 PM
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gotta work on mine too but been lazy & been too cold out
Plus I hadda do recycling 1st
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Posted - December 03 2020 : 01:41:20 AM
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| Great vistas. Video shows it off well.
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Posted - December 17 2020 : 11:29:14 AM
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More pics of my Christmasy layout...
Well, my mid-1970s TYCO Pak I use for powering the turnouts, TYCO Prestomatic accessories and nearby lights burned out after the last set of pics, so I replaced it with this 1980s Bachmann power pack that's so far getting the job done.
Look! Santa Claus is riding on the caboose of my Christmas train!
The Christmas train stops for the Amtrak local traveling through the snow.
Still quite a few holiday travelers on my layout, which isn't affected by the real-life pandemic thankfully.
Just a shot of the main BNSF freight unloading crates from the TYCO operating boxcar. Sometimes the crates go flying onto the nearby street though.
The Christmas train passes through the snowscape and past the BNSF freight.
A new addition to my Christmas train: a Walthers Trainline Santa Claus Coal Express hopper!
Now I've got nearly 3/4 of the layout covered with snow in areas where it'd normally be. Now I need to restock on barren trees…
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Posted - December 17 2020 : 6:08:24 PM
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"Just a shot of the main BNSF freight unloading crates from the TYCO operating boxcar. Sometimes the crates go flying onto the nearby street though." Now I know why so much of my stuff gets wrecked when I ship USPS regular mail!! 
Looks like a Martian Invader film playing at the Drive In. Last time I went to a drive in, I forgot to replace the speaker back in its jack and drove off with it, wires and all. Ouch. It was "Nine to Five" with Dolly Parton. 1981,
Prescott, Arizona.
The Amtrak shots, including the winter scene, my favorites. Road across the country back in '84 behind such a train on a $99 pass. Loved to ride the rails, wherever they might go.
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 Posted - December 17 2020 : 6:53:28 PM
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Very nice scenes Wiley.
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Posted - December 17 2020 : 7:03:32 PM
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| Love it! Yeah the green trees don't quite fit in with the winter landscape
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Posted - December 17 2020 : 9:29:49 PM
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Nice layout and update!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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 Posted - December 18 2020 : 09:08:49 AM
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| this is great but I still want that 4 way traffic light
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Posted - December 21 2020 : 10:59:18 PM
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quote:this is great but I still want that 4 way traffic light
Originally posted by microbusss - December 18 2020 : 09:08:49 AM
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Right here, even though it's currently out of stock:
https://www.walthers.com/traffic-light-four-way-hanging
Also, here's a new video of the snow-covered layout!
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Posted - December 21 2020 : 11:09:27 PM
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| Always love seeing pictures and videos of your work, you have an impressive setup!
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Posted - December 21 2020 : 11:15:54 PM
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oh need BK & Pizza Hut & maybe KFC hehe
oh yeah that 4 way traffic light too
looking good
May do that L shape design in the future
Edited by - microbusss on December 21 2020 11:16:35 PM
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Posted - December 22 2020 : 02:21:46 AM
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Posted - December 22 2020 : 10:40:48 PM
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Love how your layout can go thru each of the seasons, fairly smoothly. Nice updates!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - December 23 2020 : 08:20:36 AM
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Now, this is one very nice layout. Wherever you look it appears to be very busy. Very Nice.
Frank
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
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Posted - December 24 2020 : 2:36:29 PM
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It's Christmas Eve, and here's some more new pics!
My current Amtrak consist, based off a bit in the 1989 Christmas movie "Prancer," when at the start of the downtown scene when the wooden Prancer reindeer falls out of a Christmas decoration, an Amtrak train with an F40PH locomotive, two Amfleet coaches and an Amfleet snack car passes by in the background.
Overview of the snow-covered layout. It's too bad my hometown can't look like this at Christmas…
The Christmas train stopping at the TYCO lighted freight station.
Bringing home a Christmas tree for the family…
A kid with a sled near the TYCO lighted signal crossing and freight unloading depot.
Is that Santa Claus going down the chimney of a house? But there's no sled, so it might just be the father there dressed up as Santa in order to put presents under the Christmas tree…
Another father returns home with a Christmas tree for his family.
It's especially busy at the church with families making a last-minute visit with Santa Claus…
Edited by - wiley209 on December 24 2020 2:43:59 PM
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Posted - December 24 2020 : 10:37:48 PM
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Awesome update!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - January 12 2021 : 8:31:14 PM
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Some more pics from when the difficult year of 2020 wrapped up (though not difficult on my layout!)
A Bachmann E-Z Track blinking bumper I got for Christmas. I always found lighted bumpers to look neat, especially on a DCC layout.
I am now using a 1990s-style blue Life-Like power pack for providing AC power to my turnouts and several operating accessories and lights. A power pack I am VERY familiar with from my childhood, from my early years of playing with HO-scale electric trains.
People putting out their Christmas trees for the garbage collectors!
A nice show of the snow-covered residential area and both schools.
The BNSF freight passing by the Amtrak local.
The TYCO freight-unloading depot operating in the snow!
A nice shot of the train layout operating with several of the basement lights off, showing how alive the layout can be with all its' lights!
I recently got a Life-Like SceneMaster 2-target operating railroad signal that I placed near the Bachmann railroad crossing for the outer loop of track.
I bought a second Bachmann Plasticville freight station and combined some parts from my old one. The door to the office won't really fit in, though…
An overview of my BNSF freight consist of the time, mostly pulling TYCO and a couple of Life-Like freight cars.
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Posted - January 13 2021 : 5:11:49 PM
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Here's another update with more pics, including a couple of projects I've been working on, and a video as well!
As 2021 begins, school resumes on my layout, including the high school here (complete with fighting students)…
…along with the elementary school across the street.
Just a nice overview shot as the main BNSF freight unloads coal from the hopper car into the coal yard…
The Amtrak train stopped at the downtown station with both platforms being in use.
What I'm going to try and do here is my first attempt at a railroad crossing with a detection/flasher unit! I'm trying out Logic Rail Technologies's Grade Crossing Pro, the older version, to be wired up to these Model Power crossing signals (they use incandescent bulbs; Lionel now makes them with LEDs.)
Installing the photocell sensors is pretty tricky, especially with the foam base and the Bachmann E-Z Track, but an advantage of the latter is how the plastic roadbed is pretty good at holding the sensors in place! I am still waiting for the spool of hook-up wire I ordered to arrive before I resume the installation.
But what I WAS able to do was a conversion project where I took a DCC-ready Mantua Classics GP20 with a slightly damaged shell (but the chassis was all good) and installed a TYCO Santa Fe 5628 GP20 shell onto the chassis and plug a TCS T1-LED decoder into the chassis's DCC plug. Now I've got a nice-looking DCC TYCO locomotive with LED lightning and all-wheel drive! Maybe once I perfect decal application I'll apply little BNSF lettering decals under the cab road numbers, like I've seen on numerous real ex-Santa Fe locomotives that were not repainted yet.
The main freight hauled by the GP20 dropping off crates from the TYCO operating boxcar…
…and rolling through the TYCO crossing gate. If the installation with the Model Power signals all goes well, my next crossing detection/flasher installation will involve me replacing the plastic lenses in that TYCO crossing gate with red LEDs and wiring it to another Grade Crossing Pro unit with sensors, to breathe new life into a classic accessory! (And if that works, I may even install a Tortoise switch machine and hook the crossing gate up to that so it doesn't have to use the pressure plate!)
An all-TYCO consist! This is what I went with for this video…
Of course to go with the TYCO motif I show off the TYCO operating boxcar and log dump car as well! I still need to do something about that one uncoupling magnet that doesn't seem to work properly though...
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Posted - January 13 2021 : 9:27:32 PM
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Great update! Nice to see some old Tyco accessories still in action.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/rpmodelrailroads
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Posted - January 14 2021 : 04:04:17 AM
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| Lot of smooth running action.
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Posted - January 24 2021 : 6:11:03 PM
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Another update, especially with an interesting new feature on the layout…
The main BNSF freight passing my TYCO-esque work train.
Yep, I put a dynamic brake on the TYCO GP20 shell! It does look pretty neat that way.
Another shot of my freight consist at the time.
The TYCO works train, with my Burlington Northern floodlight car bringing up the rear (to keep with the BNSF motif).
Today my dad and I installed an additional ceiling light, to improve the lighting conditions on my layout.
I also wired up a Logic Rail Technologies Grade Crossing Pro detection/flasher unit to my Model Power crossing signals, along with the photocell sensors being installed in the E-Z Track (a bit of extra drilling work, but the roadbed base is pretty convenient in holding the sensors in place!) It took quite a bit of trial and error to get the signals and the sensors wired up just right, and then adjust the sensitivity of the photocell sensors (once the new ceiling light was installed they operated a lot better!) I am pretty pleased with the results. Some time this year I'll probably get another Grade Crossing Pro unit and signalize another one of my crossings (probably put LEDs in my TYCO crossing gate and make it flash!)
Just another shot of the TYCO freight unloading depot in action amidst the snow.
And here's a video of the Model Power crossing signals in action once I had the sensors wired and adjusted properly!
Edited by - wiley209 on January 24 2021 6:11:47 PM
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Posted - January 24 2021 : 10:09:02 PM
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Awesome update! Those flashers work really well, and the donut on your Walthers Donut Shop kit, on the layout, has inspired me to re-do my donut on the Ephrata Donut Shop...sometime soon.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/rpmodelrailroads
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rp_model_railroads/
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Posted - January 26 2021 : 11:30:02 PM
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| Can you tell me what company made that green passenger pavilion?
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Posted - January 27 2021 : 5:50:58 PM
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quote:Can you tell me what company made that green passenger pavilion?
Originally posted by 59Chevy - January 26 2021 : 11:30:02 PM
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It's a Life-Like "Snap-Loc" commuter passenger station kit; they came out with it right before the Walthers buyout, and it was also included in a few of their train sets...
It had a base right in front of the platform for snapping a section of Power-Loc roadbed track into, and it could be cut off if desired. That's because they had also made an elevated version of that kit designed for use with Power-Loc track...
Edited by - wiley209 on January 27 2021 6:09:15 PM
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Posted - January 27 2021 : 9:33:00 PM
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| An EL, how cool is that!
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