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Oh crap all my track work is already done Cab. This is definetly learning as I go. Sometimes I just learn it too late!! Jim

Amen to that!!

Harold, Ive been to your site a few times now and I really enjoyed your work. Someone told me I should look at your stuff for ideas and inspiration since Im too doing a 19th century layout. Civil War actually. I love the trestle in that pic too. Great job on the portal, I have a couple of those...

Im new to the hobby after a very long absence but Im doing a Civil War era layout. Well I should say Im trying to anyway! Jim

Interesting, thanks for clearing that up for me. Bad part is I have to add this to a growing list of things my LHS owner has been dead wrong about. I think he was just ticked that I bought my track at a train show instead of from him. But 50 percent off is 50 percent off to me no matter where I...

All this raises a question maybe someone here can verify for me. My LHS owner told me that the "code" for HO rail is a reference to the weight of the prototype. He told me that a 3' section of code 100 rail weighs 100lbs. 3' of Code 83 weighs 83lbs and so on. Is he correct?? Im totally ignorant...

Dingo, you know whats odd is that Im a professional cabinetmaker/woodworker and I went the foam route rather than wood simply because it was all new to me. I thought it would be something cool to work with after building with wood for so long. I cant really give you a good A-B comparison but I...

Ok, armed with all this new information, tomorrow I shall try again! Ive about got my mountain area ready for plaster and will post results with some pics for you guys. Well that is if it doesnt come out a total mess....Here goes nuttin! Thanks for the advice everyone. Jim

Hey again everyone, Im at the stage now of applying the plaster to the new layout and Im having some real trouble with plaster. Actually, plaster is kicking my butt!! Ive read a number of posts here and other forums about making your own plaster cloth by dipping paper towels in plaster and while...

Ditto to what Doc said, I made mine the same way. Fast and once you get the hang of it its pretty accurate also. Jim

Hey how did you get my wire cutter!!?? You're right mine look EXACTLY like that. LOL Same gun and all. Works great doesnt it? Id love to see pics of your progress especially the trestle, I started mine last night but not sure about the scale of wood I used. Might work out though. Thanks Doc...

Les, sorry for not answering the part about the foam cutter, guess I looked over that part of your post. I made it much the same way as some others here I read about. I used a soldering gun fitted with a length of #14 solid wire. I made a loop out of the wire and used that to make all the kerf...

Hey group, Im getting to the ballast stage in my layout and Im wondering whether to use medium or fine. What are the rules for HO?? Jim

Kevin, you're right they wouldnt have pulled more than 4-5 cars. At least thats what my research shows. This has been a real challenge so far. Limited resources for HO 1860's rolling stock and the locos that are available look pretty much the same except paint. I havent even bought any...

Thanks Les, I used 4 percent in order to get a higher area for the trestle thats going in. My layout is Civil War era and so no, long trains wont be an issue for me. In fact Ive only seen one or two pics in my research where the trains are longer than 4-5 cars altogether. Not saying they didnt...

Hey everyone, here are some pics of my progress so far on the new layout. All risers and inclines I made myself gluing up layers of the blue foam then "resawing" them on the bandsaw, tapering them to the desired grade. The outer loop is all 4 percent while the inner loop is at 2. I rigged a hot...

Do I get the idea? Perfectly clear Woodie, thanks again you should be a teacher! Maybe you are but I have a better understanding of DCC now than I did when I talked to my LHS owner and Ive talked to him twice about it. Hes a bit "old school" and a little slow to warm up to these "new fangled...

Wow Woodie thats all very exciting!! Thanks for the in depth information, it sounds like I absolutely want DCC for the layout. How bout switch tracks (remote controlled of course) can you do this from the DCC controller too? Thanks again! Jim

Im trying to determine if a DCC setup is the way to go for me and Im hoping maybe some of the good folks here could offer a tip or two. Im doing a Civil War ear layout so things like signal lights and the such of course wont apply. I would like to have a light on my locomotives and I''l have a...

I was wondering what most folks used for building up the topography of their layouts before things like plaster cloth from Woodland Scenics was available. A friend suggested just cheap ol paper towels dipped in a soupy plaster mix would do the trick. What else would be good?? Thanks! Jim