One more video before I get back to work. This time we are onboard running all the way through Avalon yards, about 50 feet of track.

Through the yards.

Very nice video. I watched it last night and I enjoyed it. Excellent track work too! Thanks for sharing.

I"liked"the video nice work! BUT,...first I heard the "drone" of a diesel...Then the chuff of a steamer. Nice sound but which is it?

No diesel, that seems to be ambient noise. Listen close in the beginning and you can hear the air pumps from the first steamer just before the air is released then the bell starts. Then we hear the next streamer as it begins to back up past our moving train. Productions values "ain't" great but I was in a hurry

Nice video! I guess you stopped because that switch was against you?

Yep, you saw it just as I did, coming around the corner

Excellent video! I love your track work....great great job. What are your radius's on that?

Thanks! The track to the right is the main and is 65". That was the best we could get. This train is on the passing siding so it drop to about 62". As we move to the left five yards track it get smaller and smaller and smaller.....

The Weavers have no problem and my HH660's (Car Works) have no problems in the yards so I am safe. The heavy road engines will not be allowed in the yards which was not uncommon.

Now, my Z1 will make the smallest radius, but looks real funny doing so

Great..thanks so much for the reply. Again your work is fantastic.

Pretty neat trip. I like the sky alot also.

I don't have a problem with your work. NICE!

Dan, I noticed that you do not have a drop-ceiling or another type of ceiling. Do you have any problems with dust?

Hi Phil:

Not really. It was a concern when I planned this. My thought was, and I may still do it, was to staple black plastic to the beams. It's cheap and makes it easy to get to anything like water pipes if needed.

This is a 100 year house so the head room is "OK" but not if I added a drop ceiling. Since I have had the bench work up, I have not noticed anything falling or gathering on the layout. (Well, there was a spider that dropped in but he didn't make it past the third car...

It's probably not that big of a deal to you guys, but I'm still amazed about laying you're own switches. I always thought of the older HO scene where only the experts tackled it. Now that I'm back to work I'm going to try one soon. I wanted to complement your work. It's cool to watch the progress. Another Dinosaur out, Joe P.

Thanks. They way they come of Old Pullman, it's not hard with a good track gauge. Once you get rolling, less than an hour to totally finish. Now the curved turnout I have been fighting with for that past day... don't ask

Curved Turnout from %$#$%

Keep on fightin'......because it's lookin real good and you'll love the end result.

Hi Joe,

Laying switches in place, is really no big deal, particularly if you are using code 148 rail. The first two that I did were curved switches. The thing that made it easy, was the use of several home made wood gauges to hold the rails in gauge while spiking. If you decide to give it a try, I will be happy to give you a step by step instruction on how to proceed.

Dan, thanks for the info. That curved switch looks great. Nothing wrong with it in the picture that's for sure. Could you elaborate on the problem as long as it doesn't get you frustrated?

Lisa, at what point do you take off/desolder that rails that hold the OP switches in place? My first try at laying an OP switch was not entirely successful. I hope I can do better next time.

Hi Phil:

All better today. It was the guard rails shown in this pix . They did gauge properly but I still had to file a bit more in the middle. This time the test engine was the Weaver 2-8-0 and it's pilot shorted right in the center. Using DCC with sound, even a quick short that you could normally roll over kills the sound.

I live a few blocks away from a UP/NS crossing. They are out there every few weeks checking and working on the crossover so I guess it's really prototypical

Thanks for the info Dan. Glad you got it worked out.


I was just looking at your website and I saw the pictures of your workshop with the caption "They will never be this clean again" under it. Please tell me it still looks neat! I want to know that it is possible to have a good working workshop that is also neat and clean when not in use.

BTW, just curious but what is your minimum radius? And I have to say that your picures of the benchwork installation are great. You've given me some good ideas that I may have to steal uh barrow! I love the way you installed the masonite for a backdrop. My question is, with so much backdrop footage do you plan to paint the backdrop yourself? I ask because large backdrops are very expensive so when I get to that point on my RR I plan on at least making an attempt at painting it myself.

The workbench has it's moments I try and clean up after each project or take a time out and put things back (or I'll never find them again).

The best I could do for radius is 65" for the main. I only plan one passenger train using 85' cars and it looks OK. I would love 72" but just don't have the room. If if were not for that one train (I have to have) I could have gone much smaller.

My wife Amy and I did painting of the backdrops. With proper sealing and under coat of Kilz, there are no seams showing anywhere. After painting with Kilz, we used a flat white on the whole thing. When that dried Amy came through rolling the blue on the top third of the backdrop, I was right behind her with more white and water. The ides was to pull the wet blue down with the just water on the brush and then adding more white along the bottom if it got to blue. It looked OK but the next day we could see a lot of areas where I stopped the brush. So Amy came back with white, water and used a natural sponge, That was the trick. Next time we'll use a large natural sponge and not a brush to do the blending.

Before doing this I look up many Web pages on backdrops. Everyone has their own way. I did not want "cartoon" clouds as they just don't look right. I did not want mountains because there will be an upper level going through here and that will have the plaster mountain scenery.

Wow! Pretty cool. Thanks for the info Dan. Are there any pictures of the backdrop on your website yet?

Yep. Start here and then on the next two pages (14 pix per page) Just click on the first image and then you can hit Next without having to go back.

Also some shots here.