What's your Christmas/Holiday 2012 Project ?

[Hobby Dreamer]

Besides receiving hobby related items for Christmas (and we all sneak a little for ourselves); what projects do you plan to work on this holiday?

 

I'm planning to get some Tomix viaducts as Tomix has great looking piers and has a turnout!!  (nothing wrong with Kato but its too common and I want an unique look).

 

I originally thought about having 2 single Kato viaduct tracks that would run side-by-side for part of the loop and then have them circle around at different points to add some interest, something like a paperclip. At one end I could have a largish station with the tracks in the middle and then work the track so that the platform is in the middle at a small station on the other side.

 

Tomix had me at "turnout"...

 

But figuring out Tomix track is a bit hard because its all in Japanese. I hope to place my order for track tonight but need to figure out all my needs.

 

Sadly the bridges I was hoping for are not available so I have to re-plan things a bit. I'm also going to work on a Hospital structure..

 

Also sadly, I suspect this stuff will arrive just after Christmas but I'm enjoying the planning process and still have a huge box from last year to open!!

 

What about you!

 

Cheers

Rick

[bill937ca]

Rest, sleep and reading.  

[POMU]

Sounds like a good plan to me   

[Mr Frosty]

Building a new computer.

[Nick_Burman]

Daydreaming about a magnetic coupler design to replace the (ugggggly :icon_puke_r:) coupling loops which come on Roco/Minitrains/Egger/etc... HOe "field railway" rolling stock.

 

abs NB

[Hobby Dreamer]

Daydreaming about a magnetic coupler design

 

That's weird because I dream about the same thing, but mostly at night...  During the day I dream that I can make one order from Japan and get it right...

 

 

And when I can't sleep... I count trams!

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Having fun finishing this layout restoration.

 

It's been a long road stripping this and then rebuilding it.

 

It's all on my shoulders because I'm the only one left in town with eyes for 160 scale not 64 scale. Everyone else on the N team is awol or out of town.

 

The same two older gents that installed the original wobbly flex track decided to redo the mountain top while I was away and did a shoddy job. The Mine track was too tight for anything but an 0-4-0. Not paying attention to the track plan 6 feet away on the table, the tunnel terminated where the setup and DCC programming tracks were to be. On top of that no access to retrieve derailed trains in the tunnel and Mine tracks. Grr. I was very nice when I asked them to please cease and desist.

 

The mountain looked like square blocks of foam. In the pics you can see the before and after shots of my fixer techniques. The portals will be dry fitted tomorrow just for show. There's plenty of room for adjustment.

 

Next Summer, there is a 2 month period when the museum is closed to the public for the monsoon season and to do all major work. This is when we will redo the whole mountain, with removable left and right access shells, Z gauge tracks and maybe a T gauge. T-Gauge can even run around the pasture. Yes, I've been thinking of how to incorporate the 3 micro gauges on one layout.

 

Tomorrow is the last open house of the month. People can watch me play with the dirt and diluted white glue. I have 2 tones of earth (pure desert foothills dirt) sifted from a dried puddle, through window screening, plus some hobby scenery shakers colors. Should look just like the real mountain up the street.

 

I have ambitious plans to get the double unitrack down to run soon and get on to adding earth to the main level, plus roads, pasture grass, etc.

 

Strange, the paint I used for the base color mixed like light brown/chocolate pudding not the olive hue that was on the can. It was a quart some returned. Cheap price for me. Who cares, the dirt will cover all of it.