The Little River Rail Road in Doc Tom's Back Yard
- Thread starter Doctor G
- Start date
Hi S class,
Thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate that you read through the entire thread. It had gotten pretty long. It was fun to chronicle the layout and I saved a lot of digital pictures from the original creation. It was getting impossible to keep a "basement full of trains" when the kids moved away and we moved to an in town home with no basement.
My early training on the HO logger hopefully will come in handy as I take on the next adventure in large scale logging with real trees.
Peace, Dr Tom
Whew.......how about multiple scale,guage manipulator certified train nut????
Dr Tom:twisted:
Thanks model Engineer. Looks like your first post was to my thread???? I hope you enjoy the Zealot experience.
Doc Tom
Hey Doc Tom Bill mentioned using tile grout, I have used that stuff for years. I have a lot of leftovers from my work & I blend the colors along with some ballast or Structolite to get something that works for the need. You can also get some of the colored dye that the concrete guys use to get some colors you need if you use cement. Some of the tile stores will practically give you the broken bags of grout. If you do use the tile grout make sure you get the sanded type.
Thanks model Engineer. Looks like your first post was to my thread???? I hope you enjoy the Zealot experience.
Doc Tom
Still reading a lot and learning as I read. Too much to absorb.
The internet is a great learning tool. I am sure it won't be long before we see some of your workmanship online.
Doc Tom
Most of all don't be intimidated by the success of others and think " I can't do that, or I don't have the artistic talent to do that." The concept of innate artistic talent is largely ****. Most of the folks as seem to have it are the ones that kept working at it after they weren't satisfied with earlier results and kept working to do better, studying what others were doing that worked at the time.
Bill Nelson
Once upon a time I had aspirations to build an outdoor layout. I have 21 acers, and some terrain that would make an interesting challenge. I snagged a lot of my dad's surplus stuff when he abandoned his outdoor RR and build a shed with a layout using his collection of standard gauge tinplate. When my wife and I built the addition on the side of our 130 year old farmhouse, I got a lot more room for my HO RR, and the current DG, CC, & W RR was started.
I decided that the time to build and maintain an outdoor layout was something I was likely never to find, so when Tom started to plan to build in his yard I divested most of my horde, and after my Dad passed away, Some of the remaining stuff from my dad's collection found it's way to Tom as well.
So, when Tom got his Shay, I was able to secure the Cabbage stack that was provided with it as a spare part. One of the locomotives I retained was a Kalamazoo 4-4-0, which my dad had been playing with a radio control conversion for.
I'm studying it right now, and it will be a project, as it is an ugly duck. the domes are too skinny, the detail on the cab is cheap, and the whole thing is a little short.
I have an old plastic kit for a static model of the General, that I might be able to borrow from. I have seen pictures of an impressive locomotive that was built with that kit and a Kalamazoo 4-4-0.
this will be an axillary project for me, so I don't expect to do much quickly, but here are the first pieces
I decided that the time to build and maintain an outdoor layout was something I was likely never to find, so when Tom started to plan to build in his yard I divested most of my horde, and after my Dad passed away, Some of the remaining stuff from my dad's collection found it's way to Tom as well.
So, when Tom got his Shay, I was able to secure the Cabbage stack that was provided with it as a spare part. One of the locomotives I retained was a Kalamazoo 4-4-0, which my dad had been playing with a radio control conversion for.
I'm studying it right now, and it will be a project, as it is an ugly duck. the domes are too skinny, the detail on the cab is cheap, and the whole thing is a little short.
I have an old plastic kit for a static model of the General, that I might be able to borrow from. I have seen pictures of an impressive locomotive that was built with that kit and a Kalamazoo 4-4-0.
this will be an axillary project for me, so I don't expect to do much quickly, but here are the first pieces
Attachments
LRR Video
Hey Doc Tom I thought you might enjoy this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHJUPK_jvKQ
Hey Doc Tom I thought you might enjoy this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHJUPK_jvKQ
Hey Sawdust,
That video was very nice. Thanks for sending it.
Late in the video the shots of 2147 were great. Looks Like they really fixed her up. I am going to have to get on over to Townsend again to the LRRR museum and get some updated pictures. Liked that shot with smoke coming from 2147's stack. Doubt they spent the bucks on a boiler redo and they may have used some type of smoke machine to do it but it sure was a nice picture.
Also, learning that the 2-4-4-2 is being fully restored and will be operational this year was a nice bit of news. This is one of Bill Nelson's favorite locomotives and I am sure he will be glad to get this news as well.
I have started the base of one of the large scale mountains.......in cinder blocks and pictures will follow soon. I am researching a large scale model of the log loader depicted in the video and that should be a fun project.
The battery and R/C conversion of my model 2147 is ongoing up North and should be completed by the end of December. I will be laying some track soon so it can have something to run around on.
Doc Tom:mrgreen:
Natural materials.
I collected some natural materials yesterday while out in the woods gathering firewood. I got several mossy rocks, which I happened opon on the forest floor near my truck.
One of the trees I had dropped trying to clear a space to fell a big standing dead Locust tree, had a wild grapevine on it. I'm not sure how well these will hold up, bur I will experiment with making log loads out of them once they season, and I hope they don't curlicue up like the Kudzu log loads John Patterson made. The bark on these is exquisite .
I took a photo of a sample. the sample spent the night in my farm truck's cab , so the sap at the end has frozen . I was goin to photograph one of the rocks, but like everything else in the bed of my truck they are covered with wood chips (to coarse to be called saw dust, from my Supersized Sthil. I have the Sthill sharpened up, redy to go, and my farm truck started , and I am ready to go back in the woods. It is cold today, but today but it is supposed to be dry today and tomorrow, and nasty later so I want to get as much done outside as possible before more bad weather hits.
I collected some natural materials yesterday while out in the woods gathering firewood. I got several mossy rocks, which I happened opon on the forest floor near my truck.
One of the trees I had dropped trying to clear a space to fell a big standing dead Locust tree, had a wild grapevine on it. I'm not sure how well these will hold up, bur I will experiment with making log loads out of them once they season, and I hope they don't curlicue up like the Kudzu log loads John Patterson made. The bark on these is exquisite .
I took a photo of a sample. the sample spent the night in my farm truck's cab , so the sap at the end has frozen . I was goin to photograph one of the rocks, but like everything else in the bed of my truck they are covered with wood chips (to coarse to be called saw dust, from my Supersized Sthil. I have the Sthill sharpened up, redy to go, and my farm truck started , and I am ready to go back in the woods. It is cold today, but today but it is supposed to be dry today and tomorrow, and nasty later so I want to get as much done outside as possible before more bad weather hits.
Attachments
sap
After that sap thawed out it turned out to be gelatinous goo. Gross stuff, but worth dealing with for that nice bark texture.
I have some big pieces I'm going to try to peel the bark on to try to see if I can get some decent looking HO bark loads for the tannery.
Bill Nelson
After that sap thawed out it turned out to be gelatinous goo. Gross stuff, but worth dealing with for that nice bark texture.
I have some big pieces I'm going to try to peel the bark on to try to see if I can get some decent looking HO bark loads for the tannery.
Bill Nelson
Hey Bill,
That's a good looking log for large scale 1:20.3. If they don't curl up with drying I agree we will load up a few of the LRRR flats with these heading to the mill.
I am planning "staging" in the train shed for the LRRR which will be a loading site for the logs. They will traverse the layout and end up at the mill pond (Hopefully with real H2O ) at Townsend. The "empties" then are hauled back through the mountains (garden) to the loading site and it can start all over again.
I am about to begin working on a Little River Flat Car using the parts and flat cars from your dad's old layout. I will probably get the guy who made the Shay decals to look at some of the prototype LRRR flat car pictures and do up some lettering for the flat cars.
Thanks for saving rocks.......I am going to need a lot of 'em.
Dr Tom:thumb:
The stuff tends to grow curved, at least most of it near ground level is, but occasionally what is in the tree tops of a tree felled for firewood is straight enough to use, especially if we did two short logs on a flat. I keep playing with what I have and see how it works.
You can't saw the stuff without messing up the efge of the bark. so I use a garden lopper.
You can't saw the stuff without messing up the efge of the bark. so I use a garden lopper.
Building a mountain in LRRR territory
Hi all,
Here's the hard working LRRR crew building a mountain in the Smokey Mountains.
The base is concrete block that will be built up further with more blocks. Then aggregate covers all the block and dirt a foot deep covers it all for the plantings on the mountainside.
The work is slow go in this cold winter weather but it is getting done a little at a time.
The building in the back will house the '' staging'' tracks. I started to paint a little more of the track. After the track is laid on some crushed stone ballast I will post some more pictures.
Doc Tom
Hi all,
Here's the hard working LRRR crew building a mountain in the Smokey Mountains.
The base is concrete block that will be built up further with more blocks. Then aggregate covers all the block and dirt a foot deep covers it all for the plantings on the mountainside.
The work is slow go in this cold winter weather but it is getting done a little at a time.
The building in the back will house the '' staging'' tracks. I started to paint a little more of the track. After the track is laid on some crushed stone ballast I will post some more pictures.
Doc Tom
Attachments
RC Shay
Hey Doc Tom here is something else you might enjoy. Check out the covered bridge.
http://thescrr.com/shay.html
Hey Doc Tom here is something else you might enjoy. Check out the covered bridge.
http://thescrr.com/shay.html
Hi Jim,
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I really enjoyed the website and the one cylinder Shay. I did study the covered bridge and trestle work on the video. I hope to be cutting timber before too long to construct my first "outdoor trestle." I will use cedar wood.
I have started putting down temporary trackage on the upper level while awaiting the completion of the three truck Shay project in Pennsylvania. It is wired for battery and RC but is awaiting the new P8 Phoenix sound system that is being released this January.
I will laying some permanent ballasted track soon and hope to post a few realistic RR shots soon.
Doc Tom
Hi Jim,
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I will laying some permanent ballasted track soon and hope to post a few realistic RR shots soon.
Doc Tom
Tom,
I don't have a 1:22.5 scale ruller, and I need to borrow one so I can make one for reference for setting up the table saw.
I have the official trestle plans from the Atlanta and west point. You and I need to go to Lowe's together some time with a scale rule, the A&WP plan sheet, and see how close we can get with all-thread to the nuts and bolts, to make the trestles both as good looking as possible and strong as possible, having the trestle elements nailed and bolted to each other , and not relying on glue joints.
Bill