Basement Train Layout: Week 331

Sun, Nov. 29, 2020 thru Sat, Dec. 5,2020

This Week's Goals:

1. Continue work on CNW Powerhouse

Progress: finish painting the back & side outside walls.

2. Install lights on CNW Powerhouse chimney

Progress: Train Day! project - wire them up!

3. Begin work on California Ave. Metra Maintenance Facility entrance off Western Ave.

Progress: Not Started

Sun, Nov. 29, 2020

Another a little of this and a little of that day...

I want to add an overpass over the PRB lead
tracks. So let's see what we have in stock.

Then I went to the CNW Powerhouse and removed
the weights to see what we have.

While at the Powerhouse I decided to add the trees.
Here are the holes I made for the trees with an auger.

Also felt inspired once at the CNW Powerhouse,
I decided to get ready to paint.
Here I installed the middle and end pieces.

Then I did something really dumb.
I installed the windows, but later figured out I need
to take them out for painting. UGH!

Here's one of the back walls with the middle and
end pieces in place. The parts between the wall
sections that keeps them connected.

Getting ready to paint...

Just before painting, I thought I should flip over
the walls and paint the top ridge. As I did, the paint
came out and then died. UGH!
You can see the little paint on the wall located in the
top right wall section on the white foam board I'm using
for the paint base.

Mon, Nov. 30, 2020

Train Day!

w/Rob Fair & Jordan Osborn

(6-8pm 2 hrs.)

Rob Fair preparing for tonight's assignment...

Tonight Rob Fair is going to wire up the lights
for the CNW Powerhouse and then we're going to
connect to power and see what happens.

Jordan Osborn found a new game to play
on his new phone.

Back at the workbench: Rob Fair begins to solder
the end of the black wires.

Now he is connecting the resistor to the red wires.

We also decided to paint the bottoms of the lights
black...as well as...

...the sides.

Our test was successful!
BUT, when we tried again after putting all
the shrink wrap in place it failed.
One light didn't light, just one!

I was really bummed, because now we need to start all over and do all the soldering over again. Rob said not to wait until next week. So I'll tackle this one myself and see if we can get that chimney installed with lights this week. That's my goal...to finish Goal #2.

I will also finish Goal #1 this week which is to finish the painting of the other CNW Powerhouse walls.

Tue, Dec. 1, 2020

Had some time to work on the RR tonight...

After watching YouTube videos on how to unclog
dried up spray paint cans, I tried one technique.
Use an air compressor and a tubeless tire valve
and spray 100psi air down the valve stem of the can.
I cleared the stem but it still didn't work.
So then I switched the top with another spray can...
and SUCCESS! I got paint!

Time to paint. Check out what happens with the
foam board underneath the model...

The spray paint ate away on the foam board and
left the wall impression on the surface.

Now to put the pieces in place and see how it fits.

I'll need to do some trimming and fitting, but
I think this will work.

Drone view...

Remember how we were having light issues last night?
Well I went back and tried to find the culprit...

...but I couldn't find it.
However, I did crimp
the wires a bit
and now they work.

Looks good, don't you think?

Goal #2 Complete DONE! Tue, Dec. 1, 2020

Wed, Dec. 2, 2020

Special Guests tonight!

Before entertaining our special guests I was able
to finish repairs on the chimney lighting.

And here's ONE of our Special Guests:
Charlie Zielke!

And here's ANOTHER ONE of our Special Guests:
Ida Zielke!

Charlie at the controls - sounding the bells.

Check out these cute videos of our guests in action...

Length: 00:00:29 sec.

And this one of Ida at the workbench...she is

filing down the window frames for the CNW Powerhouse

Length: 00:00:33 sec.

Thu, Dec. 3, 2020

And now for some more work on the CNW Powerhouse...

Chimney lights installed.
How does it look?

The drone view.

Now it's time to start on the
perimeter...

Putting in the back wall windows.

Cutting down and painting one of the oval windows.

How they look in place.

Starting work on the base of the building.
Prototype on the right --->
<---Model on the left.

Fri, Dec. 4, 2020

No train activity today.

Sat, Dec. 5, 2020

Quite a bit of progress done today...

Check this out...

Working on the bottom section of the Milwaukee
Avenue side.

Gluing the sections in place.

Adding the doors at the far left of the facility.

Finally, painting the base and the door entries.

Looking at the model and prototype side by side.

Now it's time to work on the final trim pieces.

All painted and looking good.

Drone view from the front.

Drone view from above Lake Street.

Drone view from the back.

My paperwork for the interior
support walls and the roof panels.

Next week's goals will be to finish the interior support walls and the roof panels.

This Week's Goals Progress Report:

1. Continue work on CNW Powerhouse

Progress: Finished installing the back and side walls. DONE! Sat, 12/5/20