Week 121

Week 121

Sunday, November 20, 2016 through Saturday, November 26, 2016

Thanksgiving Week

I started off the week on Sunday, going to Valley Model Railroad Open House in South Elgin with Rob & Connor Linke

I love those yards.
This is their staging yard looking from the front.

Then I walked around the layout and took this shot of the three tiers.

On the other side of the layout is the back of the staging yard.
The top picture was taken where the man with the jacket with red trim is standing.
I got lucky and captured the EOT devise in its blink.
See the little white spot on the back of one of those box cars?

When I got home I worked on labels for the switch machines at the control tower.

Here are all the labels cut out and ready to install.

A bird's eye view of the labels getting started...

Same shot with the labels all in place.

Also labeled the crossovers.
This should help Josh and Jordan when we need to switch the crossovers.
Sometimes they say the black or blue and I forget which is which.

Also, crossovers 3 & 4.

Labels for "B" section.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

TRAIN DAY!

Also Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service

Working only 1 hour this afternoon

Dean Hatzis came and help me with the steps at Kedzie Avnue

Check this out...

Dean Hatzis painting the "concrete".

Dean scribed the walls and then painted

Getting up close and personal.

After painting the "concrete" we glued in the steps. 

Now it's time to paint the steps the "concrete" color.

Another action shot of Dean in painting mode.

Wah Lah!
Our finished product for the afternoon.

Week 120

Week 120

Sunday, November 13, 2016 - Saturday, November 19, 2016

Sunday, November 13, 2016

I started Kedzie Avenue Buildup today.

Here's the start at the base of the operation...

Ground Zero

Applying adhesive - Elmer's glue.

Now the asphalt roadbed.

Closing out the evening with clamping the top coat for pressure.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Continuing the next morning with adding more layers...

Adhesive then flip - The first layer.

First layer in place (sidewalk/Masonite).

Glued in the second layer (another piece of Masonite) - now in place.

Adhesive added to 2nd layer preparing to lay in 3rd layer.

3rd layer (foam board) now installed.

Those three layers will now be secured in place by clamping and weights as seen here.

Later tonight I started working on the Kedzie Avenue station stairs.

Here's a look through Kedzie Avenue.
Note stairs on the right.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Working hard on Kedzie Avenue Station progress so it's ready for comments tomorrow for Train Day!

Here's some work I did tonight...

I have the stairs completed.
Not glued in yet because I want the guys to check it out first before securing permanently.

Here's another timeline view of Kedzie Avenue from the south.

And finally a head in view of Kedzie Avenue from below the station platform.
The rails you see leaning on the pink foam board are for the roof supports.
I used the file to scrape away the rough spots after cutting the hanger.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016
TRAIN DAY!

Attendance:
Carlos Baez (1 hr.), Curt Berg, Dean Hatzis, Ed Nelson, Jordan Osborn (1.5 hrs.)

Absent:
Josh Jones

Lots of discussion tonight. Dean Hatzis, Jordan Osborn, Ed Nelson, and Carlos Baez getting into position.

Much clearer picture this time around.
Carlos Baez in the hole.

More discussion on how to install the chain link fenced around Global 1.

Carlos Baez checking the directions as Dean Hatzis looks over his shoulder.

Since there was a lot of discussion, we sure had some time to run some trains.
See action video at the end of this blog for the train we ran.

An over the shoulder view of the train in the distance.

I knew I should not have glued down those base layers. Yep, we tore them up tonight.
Why? Because we want one of the layers on the bottom to be the upper layer on the top.

Here's the train we ran tonight.
EB CNW mixed freight with camera on board.

Length: 00:00:39s

Friday, November 18, 2016
Making progress on Kedzie Avenue Station

Worked on it for one hour

Cut out the pattern for the station platform.

Trimmed up the edges.

Now to use the pattern to cut the platform base which we'll use Carlos's chipboard.

One last look at tonight's progress.

Saturday, November 19, 2016
All Kedzie Avenue again.
Another hour of labor.

Back to work on Kedzie Avenue Station.

Adding filler to the platform from the pink to the edge of the ties.

A very subtle change. I almost missed it. Check out the wood trim. It's been stained.

Now for the station platform chipboard base.

Putting the structures in place.

Taking some different angle photos.

I'm liking how this is turning out.

Note how close the Google Maps cut out is to the model.