Introductions

[Bendtracker1]

Allen,
A hearty welcome!  Having grown up in Baton Rouge, I'm keenly interested in the geography of the area you are modeling.  As you might guess, I'm into KCS and IC/ICG (with an occasional old Mid-SOuth thrown in for good measure.  Your PDF of Gary's Fading Fast thread is already in my Google Docs folder, and I look forward to more of your work.

And when it comes to saw dust creation, I do that nearly as much ad track laying.

Thanks Philip!

Funny thing, I've never been to the area that I'm trying to model.  ???  I have tried using Google Earth but need more screen time with it when the time for scenery comes!

I forgot to mention KCS on my intro, the White KCS.  My trouble is, anything with steel wheels I like.  I've got a game plan for the layout that is stretching at best, but most of the roads that I mentioned will be included one or the other on the layout. The ICG will have an active interchange, where as the KCS Ghosts might show up on Pool.  But that's for another time or posting.  Something where I can get the number of posts up?

As for the PDF's, The one I did with Gary's stuff was a simple copy and paste to Word, then cleaned it up and followed the links to the pic, saved them and pasted into Word.  Then just saved it as a PDF.
If there is something special you want, maybe we can work on it.  Just so I don't get buried so I have no time for train time!

I learned the trade from Pop, I grew up in his cabinet shop, actually am working in the same shop but with newer tools.  I consider myself to be an excellent creator of fine sawdust as well, just need to find a market for it!

Thanks for the Welcome!

Welcome, even to the N&W nut! ;D

Mark

Hi Mark!  Thanks as well....question?

Did you mean "..even FROM the N&W nut"  or "..even to the N&W nutHOUSE"  ;D

Either way, thanks for the welcome,  Appreciated!
Looking forward to getting know all of you.

Thanks,
Alien...

[Mark5]

Hi Mark!  Thanks as well....question?

Did you mean "..even FROM the N&W nut"  or "..even to the N&W nutHOUSE"  ;D

Both of course! ;D

[nscalemike]

Hi everyone,

This is the first site that I've ever posted on.  Been reading the different pages on here for the last several weeks and decided I'd give this a shot. 

I've been working in N scale for years.  I've started too many layouts to count, and they all met their ends either due to my learning mistakes or moves.  A new house purchase last fall has finally provided me a dedicated room to have my layout in, so the latest version will be here for a while I hope!

I have all the benchwork done,  its three decks around the wall.  The third deck is staging only.  I've got the mainline track and a yard in the works on the first level.  Nothing on the second or third levels, but I have began the helix.  When I get bored with laying track, I've started to weather some stuff.  If I can figure out how, I'll post some pics soon.

My goal with joining this is to gather as much information as possible from all the knowledge that people have.  Track design, operation, scenery, etc.  Hopefully, I'll have one or two things I may eventually be able to share as well!


Thanks,
Mike
 

[wazzou]

Welcome aboard Mike.

[conrail98]

Welcome aboard Mike and don't be afraid to put up some pictures of the work you've done on this layout and past one's as well,

Phil

[nscalemike]

Welcome aboard Mike and don't be afraid to put up some pictures of the work you've done on this layout and past one's as well,

Phil

I found the photos, but how do you post them . . . . . .  I can't figure it out!

Mike

[mark.hinds]

Hi All,

I am an on-again / off-again N-scale modeler since about 1982.  (I have too many hobbies…).  

Back in the early 1980s I began a smallish N-scale layout (L-shaped 14.5 feet x 8 feet) based on the techniques used in the MR Clinchfield (I bought the book).  It represents 3 sequential scenes on the SP San Joaquin valley line circa 1955.  At the time I lived in a tiny studio apartment, but made maximum use of the available space by building my layout above much of my existing furniture.  Thus my workbench, stereo, wargaming table, etc. were all under the layout, which was at approximately eye-level.  

Here is a concept perspective sketch from back then.  The current version will look similar, except for more prototypical scenes (per the text below).  



That layout stagnated in the tracklaying and wiring stages, and has no backdrop, scenery, or lighting.  However, since the design was portable, I was able to move it twice, and am now able to consider finishing it.  

I still like my original design, with a few exceptions.  These mostly include modifications to details of the track plan to more closely represent the prototype.  I plan to do much of the scenery from photographs.  These also include updated locomotive models, as these have  improved over the years.  My current major dilemma is whether to replace my existing Shinohara code 70 track (still unballasted) with code 55, along with associated changes to wheel sets.  

MH

[davefoxx]

Mark,

Welcome back to N scale and to the Railwire!  I think you'll really appreciate the advances in N scale since you last modeled in this scale.  I, for one, would be an advocate of replacing the code 70 with code 55.  In fact, I am just beginning to dabble in handlaid code 40, which looks fantastic and much more to scale.  You may also like the finer profile of wheelsets now available from Fox Valley and BLMA.  It's these types of improvements that brought me back to N scale several years ago after a feeble attempt in the early 1990s.

Your layout plan looks really nice.  Be sure to post pictures, if you can, and perhaps even start a thread in the Layout Engineering Reports forum.  There is a lot of talent here, and you may be surprised at the help offered upon request (and sometimes without even asking), e.g., railroading and modeling information, track planning assistance, and donations of modeling materials and even labor!

Hopefully, you will enjoy it here at the 'Wire.  You will find that many of us here (perhaps the majority) are N scale modelers.  I've been here for approximately three years, and it's gotten to the point that I rarely visit the other forums.  I hope that you will not find the Railwire as described in your thread over on the Trainboard forums.  Welcome aboard!

Dave Foxx

[wm3798]

Neat sketch, Mike.  I'd be interested in seeing a track plan.  I love those shadow box designs.

Lee

[cec209]

I found the photos, but how do you post them . . . . . .  I can't figure it out!

Mike

nscalemike,

There is a great piece on posting photos on the Atlas forum (http://forum.atlasrr.com/) under the Administrative Forum section. It was posted Nov 9, 2009 and is titled, HOW TO POST PICTURES: An illustrated primer
Though it shows how to post to the Atlas Forum the process is nearly identical to The Railwire. The main element is to upload the pics to an outside server, Photobucket, Picaso, etc, then download them to the Railwire message post.

Charlie

[dsumner]

This is first post; looking to post pics>>looking for some pointers

[DKS]

This is first post; looking to post pics>>looking for some pointers

Welcome to the wire! Try this thread for photo pointers: http://therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,23890.0.html

[3DTrains]

Hi guys,

I've been a long-time lurker, so my apologies for my late introduction.

I'm an N Scale modeler flipping between the Clinchfield and the Southern Pacific. I'm hoping to someday have my shop area finished so that I can start building again, and also finally decide on either CRR or SP (I love coal roads, but those IM AC-12s are to die for!). I belong to a local So Ca FreeMoN group, so this keep me interested in the interim. 

Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains.com

[Philip H]

Welcome Mark!  If Dave Vollmer can have two eras of PRR/CR on a single layout, surely you can finagle a way to run SP and CRR on the same layout . . . And I'll warn you - the N scale board is most active here.

So post a pic or three, ask a question, and dive in.  The water is warm, the sharks tame, and the beer cold.

[3DTrains]

The water is warm, the sharks tame, and the beer cold.

Thanks Philip!

I sure hope the water isn't warm due to the cold beer, though it might drive away any sharks in the area. ;D

Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains.com