Basement Train Layout: June 2018

Monday, June 25, 2018

Week 204

Week 204

Sunday, June 24, 2018 thru Saturday, June 30, 2018

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Worked a bit on the RR getting ready for tomorrow's Train Day with Rob Fair & Jordan Osborn.

I installed the lamp posts - hard to see, but they're upside down on the other side of the upside down bridge.

Here's my attempt to hide the wires under the overpass.

Monday, June 25, 2018
Train Day with Rob Fair
6-8pm (2)

In order to continue with progress at the City Viaduct at Lake Street we need to work from the bottom up.
Here, Rob Fair, is cutting the hard board for the sidewalks.

Rob Fair is scoring the hardboard for the gaps in the concrete sidewalks.

Last night I glued down Lake Street to prepare for tonight.
Here's the right side of the sidewalk in place before painting.

Rob Fair came over to help me test the street lights in Melrose Park downtown.

One of the street lights was directly over the 1x4 frame so we had to solder extension wires to go all the way through the 1x4.

I painted the sidewalk pieces that will be used for Lake Street underpass.

This is a shot of Lake Street prior to "pouring" the concrete for the sidewalks.
Also prior to "weathering" the "asphalt".

Rob Fair has been working hard to find a solution to connect the deck bridge to the city viaduct.
Very challenging proposition.

Back at the bridge to Melrose Park downtown.
Night scene with lights glowing on the bridge.

Another view.
It's going to look pretty cool to have all the streets illuminated.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

No train activity today.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Train Day with Josh Jones & Jordan Osborn
4:30-6pm (1.5)

Josh Jones & Jordan Osborn making their way through the street lights and power tools.

After testing each light post fixture Josh Jones was assigned the task of finding four of the best street lights possible.

We also took another look at the "L" tracks above Lake Street in Chicago.
We should make some serious progress on Monday on this project.

Installed the median light posts received today from China.
I'm anxious to get these wired up and to see just how bright these lights will be when placed together and on at the same time.

Thursday, June 28, 2018
I was able to put some time in on the RR tonight.
Here's what I did...

I began to wire up the street lights on the bridge and approaching road from Melrose Park downtown.

This is what it looks like underneath with the street lights in place and the wires hanging down through the straws.

Here are the beginnings of the street lights getting wired.

Notice how bright these are.
Later you will see, as I add more lights, how dim they will become.

Some picture, another angle.

Friday, June 29, 2018

No train activity today.

Saturday, June 30, 2018
It was very hot today. After a bike ride to Geneva and back I had some time to work on the RR:
Here's what I did today:

This is the rest of the Melrose Park downtown street lights all wired up.

Remember how bright the lights were in the blog two days ago?
See? I told you they'd be a lot dimmer.

I'll need to break these up and put 12v on 10 street lights and 12v on the other 10.
20 street lights on 12v just isn't going to cut it.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Week 203

Week 203

Sunday, June 17, 2018 thru Saturday, June 23, 2018

Sunday, June 17, 2018

I got a little done today on the cabinet behind the Central Control Tower.

Getting ready to paint.

Black paint for the trimwork.

And then the final touch - apron.

Same picture different view.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Train Day!
with Rob Fair 6-8pm (2), Josh Jones & Jordan Osborn 6-7:30pm (1.5)

Engineer, Jordan Osborn (l.), and Conductor, Josh Jones (r.), getting ready for their assignments tonight.

Hunkering down and getting to work.

Rob Fair works on the city viaduct in his work area.
Nice having the train running tonight while we worked.
Watch closely as the train passes we pause to train watch.

Neal wanted some aerial shots.
Here you go...

Length: 00:00:22 sec.

More Aerial footage...

Length: 00:00:34 sec.

Rob Fair works on the Lake Street city viaduct scene.

Lining up the city viaduct with the bridge.

Here you have a pretty good view of how it's coming together.
Still a long way to go...

Action footage...

Length: 00:00:12 sec.

Pair of UP SD40-2 pulling Unit Coal Train over #3 Crossover

Length: 00:00:39 sec.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Rob Fair was working on the Lake Street city viaduct and needed some pictures to continue his work.
Here are some of the shots he needed...

He's trying to figure out how to secure the deck bridge onto the metal plates without using glue.

Another picture of the girder bridge connecting to the smaller girder sections.

A view from the top looking down to locate the holes that may be used to secure the bridge to the metal plate.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

After Heritage Prairie Farm and pizza with Gene & Lynda Walker I worked on the RR.

First I needed to take a couple more pictures for Rob Fair.

Hopefully this capture the width of the deck bridge.

And hopefully this will show how wide the vertical pieces are for the deck bridge.

I began to install the street light posts that came from China yesterday.

A panorama view of the Melrose Park downtown street lights.

Length: 00:00:24 sec.

Taking a few looks at the street lights.
Not yet wired up, but installed.

Looking down Main Street.

And finally, seeing how this looks from above the bridge.

Thursday, June 21, 2018
New Recruit Day!
Just hanging around, running trains, with my new batch of new recruits.
Some are old and some are brand new.
Still adding more rail fans!

L.toR. Jeremiah Crockett, Charlie Zielke, Emily Zielke, Josiah Crockett & Ida Zielke

I was taking some random shots and right at the very end, Ida falls off the chair.

Length: 00:00:27 sec.

Here is Ida on the floor after her fall.
All the while I'm taking the video and snapping this picture.

Friday, June 22, 2018

Josiah and I returned to the RR this morning.
I wanted to put the street lights on the bridge, but before I do, I need to paint the sidewalks, curbs, and gutters.

While waiting for the paint to dry, Josiah and I watched some trains.

Ready for the street lights.
I plan on putting them in and then connecting them to connectors that can be disconnected for maintenance or replacement.

I put in the lights on the bridge.