what are people doing on their layout right now

[boonie]

i am ballasting my british N gauge layout, and have jumped the gun a bit as I have made up a static grass applicator and had to try it out on some finished ballast - looks good so far!
Al

have gotmy airbrush- some results if i can remember the photo bucket thang!
Al

[lionwing]

Gave the layout a good hoover and a clean and had trains running on Claywell for the first time in about 6 months, really nice to see them running again although as mentioned elsewhere one of my Dapol panniers is playing up.   

A daft question...but what attachment did you use to hoover your layout?

[Bealman]

A hoover, I hope! 

[Newportnobby]

Gave the layout a good hoover and a clean and had trains running on Claywell for the first time in about 6 months, really nice to see them running again although as mentioned elsewhere one of my Dapol panniers is playing up.   

A daft question...but what attachment did you use to hoover your layout?

Small rechargeable ones get some stuff up but don't really have the oomph, whereas some mains powered ones (such as my Dyson) can be too powerful
I have bought a Tomix track cleaner that has a vacuum function but am not in a position to use it yet (and am also having fun deciphering the rather strange instructions that came with it )

[Caz]

Gave the layout a good hoover and a clean and had trains running on Claywell for the first time in about 6 months, really nice to see them running again although as mentioned elsewhere one of my Dapol panniers is playing up.   

A daft question...but what attachment did you use to hoover your layout?

I have one of those mains electric ones you can hang on your shoulder (it came free when I bought my main hoover), it is quite powerful but not as powerful as the standard large type hoover.  It only has basic tools but I just used the open end of the pipe to which the attachments fit and it is shaped like half an oval.  Doesn't have a bag so it is relatively easy to find something picked up in error.

Once I'd hoovered I than ran my Tomix hoover around the track as a back up and then wiped the rails with a cloth dampened with IPA.  Lots of work but worth the effort.   

[Bealman]

Thanks for that, Caz, as I'm currently having a major track clean on my layout. I hadn't heard of those Tomix thing-a-me-jigs until last week. I think I'm going to have to get one!

[texhorse]

I just bought a second hand laptop (£45) so I'm working out which programs and files to transfer from my main computer to my laptop to free up some hard drive space.

Andy

[texhorse]

By the way, all the programs and files are trains related in some way.  When I move to DCC I will use the laptop for that as well.

Andy

[CarriageShed]

Conducting double-heading/pilot/banking tests with two locos at a time on my test oval. So far nothing matches my 0-8-0 G2, but I've a few more locos to test with it yet.

[Bealman]

Sounds like you got a bargain with that laptop, Andy. Did it come with a clean slate memorywise?

[texhorse]

Hi Mate

Yes, it comes totally clean.  All it has installed on it is Windows XP.  I'm going to put my N Gauge inventory, car cards, waybill producer, photos, videos, database and links to railway websites on there.  With 60GB to use, that should free up my main computer really nicely.

Andy

[bees]

Internal lighting in a coach, first of many, hopefully, wired to pick up from track, through a bridge rectifier, then a 6k ohm resistor to calm down tge brightness, it looks stunning - IMHO

[tutenkhamunsleeping]

Mainly wood related activities, altering the old baseboards to fit the new plan.  A new year's resolution to do something on the layout every day is working well so far, although I now have backache from the sudden flurry of bending and sawing!

[Bealman]

Hi Mate

Yes, it comes totally clean.  All it has installed on it is Windows XP.  I'm going to put my N Gauge inventory, car cards, waybill producer, photos, videos, database and links to railway websites on there.  With 60GB to use, that should free up my main computer really nicely.

Andy

Cool! may I ask where you bought this? Ebay or local, or whatever? I am very wary about buying computer stuff off anyone!

If you want to discuss, I'd be happy to receive PM..... I've been accused of hijackin' threads before!

George

[Newportnobby]

Internal lighting in a coach, first of many, hopefully, wired to pick up from track, through a bridge rectifier, then a 6k ohm resistor to calm down tge brightness, it looks stunning - IMHO

Any chance of a 'How to' and some pics please?