Wednesday: I've Been Working On The Layout

Today's progress included some more clearing and shifting. Already working in the northern quadrant sounds promising, as that's the last bottleneck before "secondary clearing", if you will. A cleared room is coming soon!

Wednesday: Tip For Today

Today's tip is:
Check with your Local Hobby Shop.

It can be very possible that they have deals to begin with, like discounting items without saying SALE.

I manage to find a few deals at Ready To Roll, some that may make gas money a worthwhile investment, like BLMA cantilever Darth Vaders at 75.00 instead of 90.00!

I did get a HPPX hopper MSRPed at 20.00, but for 13.59.

Monday: Tip For Today

I'm going to instate Tip For Today as frequently as I wish, sometimes a daily segment, sometimes not.

Today's tip is:

Find a connection in the craft or model train industry. You may save money by ordering or buying from them. In critical hobbies like model trains, it's always great to stretch a buck and buy more for less.

Monday: Walthers Deals of the Week

Here are the deals found today.

Bumping Post is the same deal today.
Working RR Crossing signals at 10% off roughly
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/81-862

All BLMA deals are the same
PECO C83 Flex Track

Coil cars - intact
Well cars mostly remain intact
Centerbeams at nearly 25% to 50%
Husky stacks at 25%
Gold line cement hoppers at 40% http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-5385
16000 and 23000 gallon tankers remain on sale
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-7262 at 25% while the 16000s are at 50% More / less
CSX 86 footers at little over 50%

Autoracks and 89' flats remain on sale
Containers too, though I recommend Athearn for that.
Cantilevers as well.

Walthers Deals of the Week highlights all the good deals Walthers offers. Some impressive deals are included.

Sunday: I've Been Working On The Layout

Saturday, it was pouring. No progress.

Sunday: Substantial progress. Cleared a whole section. Thus, benchwork is getting closer. :)

I've been working on the layout is a daily segment accounting progress on my layout and the room that is fostering it.

Sunday: Tip for Today

This model railroad layout tip is pretty straightforward:

Stretch your buck. Find things already existent that can be used. In the mess hall I am cleaning up, I found several wood scraps and even a cork board, albeit thin.

There will always be leftover material in most scenarios. Always put that idea into use and think well OUTSIDE the box. :)

"I've Been Working on the Layout" is somewhat henceforth.

Saturday 3: Item of the Week

Before I get into the dirty work of clearing up my shambled room, the model railroad item of the week is the Athearn Auto-max.

http://www.athearn.com/ProdInfo/ATH/450/ATH96208-450.jpg

I really find this model stunning due to the increasing ubiquity of it on the FEC. This is a must buy due to its detail and that cars like these can help a modern layout.

It is in fact on my Ready To Roll Trains budget, for Halloween, for which I have already hit half of the budget.

Saturday 2: Photos of the Cars I have that Really Count

I have a bunch of Like Like cars, but they are so out of date and flawed that I am going to sell to a newbie or two or give it away.

These are the cars that COUNT!

Saturday 1: Room Photography

Here are my photos of the room that is being cleared to accomodate the room;

And no, I am not using that center table. I intend to get a new set of boards and assemble adjacent to the walls.

Friday: Continuation of I've Been Working On the Layout from Wednesday

Found some time to photograph the room, especially the leak since I had to photograph the leak to send an email to the townhouse association. The photos, though stored on my desktop, will be uploaded in a separate post.

Wednesday: Only I''ve Been Working On the Layout... Not

Schoolwork and a rain shower annulled my progress on the layout room. That room is still leaking. I hope to get the matter fixed tomorrow. Now to take some pictures of the leak to send to the correspondant. And I thought they'd come Monday. :(

Monday: I've Been Working On The Layout

Here's Monday's installment, and a "T - 10 and holding" sort of update.

While clearing up a room unused for years, I encountered a puddle. Later that night, when some precipitation arrived, it was obviously discovered to be a leak, but a substantial one. :(

That room is going to become my Model Railroad room.

On Monday (Today for now), my folks have called up a person working with leaks to come over to fix it, but they didn't. |:(

Plus, quick maintennance. To kill them bugs, the room was sprayed.

No decent work until the leak is fixed.... It dominates a huge section of wall. and once they fix it, the room can continue to be worked on, rain or shine.

I've Been Working On The Layout is a 4 time a week report on updates to the layout, both major and minor.

Monday: Walthers Deals of the Week

Walthers is a great place to look out for cheap deals in the MRR industry.

It's monday, and I always check the site for deals that stand out to the modeler.

NOTE: All percentages denote how much is "OFF".

Deals (and hot links) are as follows:
Bumping post at 20% off: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/81-80883
Crossing gate at 10% off http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/81-863
Underground RC point at 25% off http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/150-65
Wooden flex track (good for yards) at about 20% off http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/150-500
Hot BLMA modern cantilever at 11% off (used to be a bit cheaper but my LHS has a better deal) http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/176-4030
Concrete surfaces and rubber surfaces (both plastic) at 15% M/L http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/176-4105
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/176-4106
Fencing for under 10% http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/176-4205
Gold Line Coil Cars (here's the good deals) at 40% http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-3822
NSC Well Cars (HOT!) at 25%
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-3943
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-3944
Individual well cars at 25%
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-3949
your everyday centerbeam at 20%
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-4135
All purpose wells at 25%
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-4305
2 bay trinity hoppers at 40%
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-5385
Tankers at nearly half off at 16,000 gal
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-7224
Bi-level autoracks (not as cool as Athearn automaxes) at half off
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-40101
89 footers at nearly half off
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-40322

I always recommend Athearn for containers, which almost any containers from the cornerstone series is on sale.

Rarely get Bachmann or Life like. Those usually do not help a modern layout as would BLMA, Walthers, Woodland, Athearn, and in some cases, Atlas and MTH.

Hope this has helped!

Sunday: Tips and Progress

Progress: Clearing future model train room. Room is leaked and was a mess for an untold amount of time. Photos coming when the room is completely vacant enoughso to allocate a train display.

Tip: When doing benchwork, innovate a portable, modular section. I advise a uniform width but any length, depending on the area. Hollywood, for instance, will be aimed at maybe 5 feet by 3 feet while Lauderdale yard will be about 10 feet by 3 feet (or wider depending on the TOFC.

I aim to put a board on 2 supports, clipped on to support girders outside by a simple, LEGO like, method. If that works, then one will be able to take these to trainshows without any headaches! :P

Welcome

This is my inaugural post here, I would like to welcome readers one and all, this blog will include tips on modern model train building and progress on my impending Florida East Coast Layout. Updates: 4 times a week, with these segments:

Walthers Deals of the Week = Deals gearing a layout in the likes of mine only made available on Walthers, Monday nights;
I've Been Working on the Layout = Progress. All 4 times, usually Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays;
Train Talk = potential input from fellow foamers and modelers, Wednesdays only;
Train item of the week = Self explanatory, Saturdays only;
Tips = Self Explanatory, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
LHS Goodies = Stuff I score / find as a good deal at Ready To Roll Trains or some other joint. Sporadically, usually 6 to 7 times a year, without forseeable growth in frequency noted.

Hope you have a great time here.

Tolga E.
Miami, FL
Model Train enthusiast, train sim fan, railfan, art enthusiast, average teen