If you've been following along, you will have noted that I cleaned up my work area this weekend (A different kind of progress).  While doing that, I found a jar of MIG Acrylic Water.  Greg Baker (aka Mountain Goat Greg), told me about this stuff and I wanted to try it out.  I have NEVER done any water features because water scares me:  it looks hard to do, easy to mess up, and all to often smells bad.  This stuff Greg assured me was stupid easy.  So yesterday,

Some days progress is different.  Spent the last two days cleaning up the train room (and watching football).  Not pristine by any count, bu I do feel more energy to work again, so it was worth it.  (I won't post before pictures.  They are embarrassing.  Nothing that you all haven't seen in your own places, but embarrassing to me none the less.)

I am still missing an Xacto.  I'm sure I'll find it in an undesirable way...

Happy New Year everyone!

I have never built a layout this large before and I'm not sure how to frame it.  My last two large layouts were done with L-girder, and that is what I'm trying here.  I like L-girder:  very easy to build, not a lot of skill needed.  Box frame is thinner, but it takes more precision.  What advice do you all have?

Got my butt in gear.  Starting to build the "Peco NB-55 Well Type Turntable".  Thought I'd document my progress in this entry.  By all accounts is supposed to be an easy plastic kit to build, which is good since I've never been really happy with any plastic kit I've ever built.   It is an armstrong model, and I intend to leave it manual.  Guess that makes it a "fingerstrong" turntable?

As I go along, if you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Amazing how little one can get done when busy working.  Vacation starts today, maybe I'll start making progress again?  

Though I shouldn't complain too much.  Started buying turnouts, found an inexpensive source for Pecos, just $15!  And I rebuilt my traffic generator DB to better work with the new layout.  So that's progress.

Next week:  figure out the benchwork design.  make a 3d design for a semaphore.  Force myself to start building one of those two Peco turntables I need.

It is interesting how much work you can complete when you have two weeks off from work.   I'd spent several months working on my track plan, but these last two weeks have been almost dedicated to it,  And i'm calling it done.

Done in the sense I now know enough to start buying track and turnouts.  Need to still work on the actual benchwork design.  Trying to decide between box frame or L girder.  And actual track placement may well change when the tracks hit the plywood.  (Like slightly increasing the runaround in Lynnsport.)

The following are the guidelines that I have been using to design my Lynnsport & Eastern layout.  I do realized that in many cases these are more blinders than constraints.  But I accept them as they are.  What has worked for you? 

Hi, my name is Richard, and I'm a Model Railroader.

<"Hi Richard">

Figured since I'd been lurking around for years and occasionally posting off the wall questions, and since I'm actually getting much closer to building a layout, it might be time to introduce myself.