Basement Train Layout: Week 438

Sun, Dec 18, 2022 thru Sat, Dec 24, 2022

Sun, Dec 18, 2022

Special Guests:

Chris & Josiah Andrews

I met "Joey" via my YouTube channel. He commented about running trains.

I invited him and his dad over and today they came to run trains.

Very fun...

Special Guests:
Josiah & Chris Andrews

They brought their own throttle and several locomotives...

Here's a Milwaukee Road Locomotive pulling the

Metra Coach/Cab cars out of Chicago Terminal

Duration: 00:00.13 sec.

The same train stopping at the Geneva Station

Duration: 00:00.13 sec.

Departing Geneva Station going Westbound

Duration: 00:00.06 sec.

Josiah at the controls running the same Commuter Train

Duration: 00:00.22 sec.

Looking over the layout.

Same Milwaukee Road Locomotive pulling Mixed Freight

Duration: 00:00.17 sec.

Josiah checking out the workbench and Chris at the throttle

A new locomotive Milwaukee Road F7 pulling the 1960's train

Duration: 00:00.30 sec.

More train running...

Chris directs a CNW GP50 leading a mixed freight,
while Josiah works in the Proviso UP Yard.

Finally running Priority Train 1

SD60M pulling the Intermodal Train 2B

Duration: 00:00.27 sec.

I've added Chris and Josiah to the Train Order Board
under Priority Train 1 Intermodal Train 2B.

Mon, Dec 19, 2022

Train Day!

Rob Fair couldn't come tonight.

Jordan couldn't come either. So just me...

Here's what I did...

Making progress at the West Chicago Station.
In this picture I'm working on the trim pieces around
the station platform.

Middle platform all trimmed out.

I taped off the platform until I decide what to use
as the "filler".

Before I decide on the filler, I need to construct
the pedestrian access to the underpass.

This little contraption will sit in the middle of the
platform and appear to go below track to the other side.

Tue, Dec 20, 2022

More work on the underpass and station platforms at West Chicago...

Here are the two station platform underpass passage
ways. One is painted the other needs to be painted.

The underpass passage by the station is installed.
The other will be installed as soon as I finish cutting
and installing the station platform.

Cutting the pieces for the station platform.

It will require two levels so I still have a lot of
cutting to do. More tomorrow...

Wed, Dec 21, 2022

Happy Birthday, Ben.

My only begotten son!

More progress at the West Chicago Station...

Last piece to cut out for the first layer to be complete.

All the left over supplies.
Both layers are cut out and ready to be installed.

Now I'm ready to put down the glue.

Spread it around for a good base.

First layer installed.

Second layer installed.
Both layers had adhesive backing. Easy to install.

Now it's time to cut the hole for the underpass.
First I need to trim off the top layers.

I drilled out the corners and then used my jig saw
to cut out the hole.

Underpass installed.

I put in the lights for the platform.
Notice, I took out the two light poles on the station side
and replaced with one in the middle.

I even took some time to weather the platform.
It doesn't look so black and new and unrealistic.
This looks better, don't you think?

Thu, Dec 22, 2022

Parking lot lines, weathering, adding lights to the West Chicago Station...

Adding the Parking Lot lines to the station.

Here's the jig I'm using to tray to keep it uniform.
I'm must say it's not that great.

Maybe the weathering will hide the defects.

Yep, that does look better.

Another view...

Now for the lights. Kinda bright.
I still need to wire up the next two lights.

Adding the next two lights also dims the lights a bit
which I think make it look a bit better.

My brother, Neal, said when I first started adding lights to the layout, that the lights were too bright and didn't make the layout look realistic.

I will always remember that and try to keep the lights from being too bright.

Fri, Dec 23, 2022

West Chicago Station is almost complete.

I need to finish the fence and that should do it.

First up on the task list is to paint the light gray.

Half complete.

Done!

I liked the look so much better I decided to go ahead
and paint the I294 I90 Highway Lights too.
This is the BEFORE picture.
See next picture for AFTER.

Light poles painted.
AFTER

How it looks at night.

West Chicago Station at night.

Next up on the task list is to start on the fence.
First, dig the holes.

Next, install the main posts.

Then the horizontal rails to support the fence.

Jordan stopped by to check on the progress on the RR...

It looks like he approves of the progress made on the RR :)

After Jordan visited I returned, and decided to
install the yellow caution tape to the platform.

Back to the fence. Turned out harder than I thought.

Some places the glue didn't stick so I had to use
mini-clothes pins to hold the rails in place to give
the glue a chance to cure.

I took a picture of Google Maps on my computer screen and noticed West Chicago does have an underpass to the middle platform. I didn't even know I was replicating the prototype.