Two Dogs Railway

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Soar Valley Light
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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Fri Nov 23, 2018 8:04 pm

Fantastic work Dwayne! Glad to hear you are gradually getting back to full working order. There is some serious earthmoving going on there!

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Dwayne
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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Dwayne » Sun Dec 30, 2018 3:40 pm

Winter sucks. Yet last weekend the weather was mild enough for me to hobble outdoors to spend time working on the layout.

The layout was built on a slight slope, resulting in the front side being raised about 18" as can be seen in previous photos. The backside ended up more or less at ground level. I began excavating a path along the back starting at town of Maggie. The intent was to have a pathway at least 24" wide and level as it progressed around to the back. A couple of days of work with the help of the two dogs (Hope & Maggie) as well as my chickens (they indulged on dug up earthworms and grubs) and I had managed to remove enough dirt to yield a path that is about 30 feet long, reaching the switch at backside of Potato Rock Junction (named for the fist sized rock shaped like a potato that sits alongside the rails there). Half of the excavated dirt was added to the hill above Maggie while a good portion was wheelbarrowed to other parts of my yard.

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I also have decided to transition my RC gear over to Deltang components. The On30guy.com recently came out with a new in-house designed throttle with a momentum feature. Price is about $75USD for an assembled throttle. Also picked up a Deltang Rx60 receiver. I'm considering a modular component design that will allow me to swap out the receiver/battery from one loco to another since I'm a solo act and tend to only run a single engine at a time.

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My physical health is still improving. The pain in my back has for the most part abated unless I drive too much (part of my job unfortunately). Most of my issues are with my right ankle and leg. Still limping as there is a constant, dull ache going on with it. I'm hopeful that by spring this too will subside.

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by LNR » Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:47 pm

Good to see you able to get out and back to the railway Dwayne. Hope things keep
on improving.
Grant.

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by philipy » Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:26 am

Glad things are still going in the right direction health-wise, Dwayne.

Welcome to the Deltang Club! :thumbright:
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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by FWLR » Mon Dec 31, 2018 9:04 am

Glad to hear things are improving Dwayne.

Hope 2019 is a better one for you. :occasion9:

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by ge_rik » Mon Dec 31, 2018 9:18 am

Glad to hear you are on the mend, Dwayne. These things take time, unfortunately, but these days they reckon light exercise is good. Have you ventured out on your bike, since?

I do like the way you build sweeping curves into your projects. That extension by the fence looks great.

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Dwayne » Mon Dec 31, 2018 4:11 pm

Rik, not yet. Still have to perform some repairs on the bike. And winter arrived since the accident.

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by tom_tom_go » Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:50 pm

Glad to hear you are healing mate. I know what it is like to be involved in a bike accident so I do sympathise.

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Dwayne
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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Dwayne » Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:17 am

It's been some time since the last update. Warmer weather has finally arrived here in central Oklahoma, which means I can get outside again and start puttering around on the railway. The last update back in December had me starting to dig a pathway along the north side of the layout to minimize having to crouch down. With my body more or less at 95% healed, I opted to just keep on progressing to the east side of the layout. Today I installed a temporary bridge to support the spur line where this new path now acts as a canyon. The entire layout is now at about knee level. I seem to have gone about accomplishing this somewhat backwards... most folk build their layouts elevated to begin with... I ended up just removing earth to accomplish the same thing. :)

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As an aside, a couple of years ago my wife and I separated briefly for a month or so. The past two years I've been working on saving our relationship but to no avail. In February I informed her that I'd reached a point of being completely drained as she wasn't putting in much effort. Her heart and mind are with her aging parents whose health for both is deteriorating. And she misses her only child (daughter). So we've decided to call it quits after nearly 15 years of marriage. I'll be moving her belongings up to her daughter in Saskatchewan, Canada the second week of June. We're on amicable terms which makes this decision easier. The railway gives me an outlet to alleviate some of the stress from this hectic situation. Once she has moved out for good I sense that things will gradually get better for me as a solo act. Besides the layout, I've got some plans to remodel the house this fall/winter which should keep me out of trouble too. And of course work takes a big chunk of time but helps pay for it all.

So I'm hoping that when Mr I.N. Spectre arrives at the Two Dogs, I'll be able to provide him with a hospitable Oklahoma welcome and visit (provided no tornadoes are spinning out of control when he does visit). :D

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by philipy » Mon Mar 18, 2019 7:36 am

Wow, thats a heck of a post Dwayne!

Sorry to hear of your marital issues again, but glad it's amicable.

The path/canyon is impressive, and an ingenious 're-purposing'! :D Looking forward to pics as things progress. You say that bridge is temporary, what type of structure do you have in mind for the permanant version?

Before I sent him on to Rik, I know that Mr Spectre was looking forward to his trip to a couple of our railways in the US, including the Two Dogs. :)
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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by ge_rik » Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:52 am

Hi Dwayne
Wow, sounds like you've been through the wringer over the past few months. Hope all things settle down - you're right, losing yourself in a hobby is good therapy. I can happily whittle away several hours with no other thoughts in my head - or maybe that's just me. :?

Not had a chance to give IN Spectre a view of the railway yet. The weather here has been dreadful for the past week or so. It looks like it might settle down over the coming week and I might be able to run a few trains for his benefit (and mine). I'll be in touch soon for contact details.

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Peter Butler » Mon Mar 18, 2019 10:23 am

Hi Dwayne, the update on the railway progress is good news but the domestic side is not so. You seem to be coping well and have your plans for house and railway to keep you busy, physically and mentally. Being able to discus your issues with friends on the Forum is a good sign you have come to terms with the situation.
I'm sure we all wish you both well for the future and look forward to more railway news.
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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Dwayne » Mon Mar 18, 2019 11:03 am

Thanks everyone. It's all good on the domestic side. This has been rodeo #2. I'm thinking from this point onward I'm going to avoid women. Very little benefit/reward of having one in my life. :)

As far as the bridge design, it will likely be a simple curved trestle. I don't tend to follow prototypical practices to a tee so maybe something a bit whimsical. Just something a bit more substantive than the current short plank.

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by IanC » Mon Mar 18, 2019 11:45 am

Dwayne,

Glad you're pressing on with your railway. I've always enjoyed your posts. Sorry to hear of your marital issues. I do sympathise. Glad you've both been able to move on.
Ian

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Soar Valley Light » Mon Mar 18, 2019 8:11 pm

Hi Dwayne,

Good to have an update on the railway. I like the new access canyon! The railway is looking good, especially in the areas which are becoming established. I'm looking forward to the trestle, I remember some of your previous ones - very impressive!

On face value it's a shame when relationships don't work out. If you are content with the situation though it may not be quite so bad. It's good you've both managed to stay on good terms. If I say any more I shall begin to become philosophical so I'll shut up!

Let us know how the new railway developments go.

Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Dwayne » Wed Mar 20, 2019 12:09 am

Ian, Andrew... as the TDRwy heads into it's second summer season, I'm looking forward to the greenery filling in the few remaining bare spots. I'm also planning on a few structures/industries being built to give the railroad a purpose. The Deltang components need to go into a module that can be transferred from engine to engine since I only plan on operating one lokie at a time. I've got to build up the Hartland Locomotive Work flat cars into several different types for assorted duties that I have bouncing in my head. And the temporary bridge is at the beginning of the new spur I had started in the fall and allowed the earthworks to settle over the winter. There is definitely no shortage of tasks for me to to focus on with the layout.

As for my marital status, it's all going to work out for the best. These things happen for a reason.

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by FWLR » Sun Mar 24, 2019 8:23 am

Well Dwayne you are doing really well with your line with all that earth moving after all the upheaval you have had.
Your right things happen for a reason and generally they work out.

Take it easy Dwayne and enjoy your line...

PS, I have been through 2 divorces, so I do have a lot of sympathy for your situation...

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Dwayne
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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Dwayne » Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:59 pm

Thanks Rod. I've always enjoyed operating a Mexican backhoe. Good therapy. Of course these days as I'm moving dirt I tend to have my four chickens underfoot looking for whatever edible critter is unearthed. They're a riot. :)

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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Dwayne » Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:15 pm

As of today the TDRwy has ceased to exist. The track was pulled and stored away to be eventually reconstituted in the future Two Dogs Mining Company sometime this fall/winter.

I've been dismantling what was previously a spare room on the north side of my house. Neighbors have told me the room was originally a carport that had been closed in by past owners of the house. Forty plus years later and the half-assed construction was becoming an issue. Insect damage had destroyed much of the inferior wood materials cobbled together. The flat roof leaked during heavy rains.

A new but smaller room will replace the old room. Now that divorce #2 is final, all I need for my solo lifestyle is a laundry/mudroom of about 8' x 8' in size. So far one of two covered over windows have been exposed which now gives me a view of the yard looking northward. The new addition will fit between those two windows. Window number two is still covered on it's exterior side with plywood. Inside (living room) it is covered with sheetrock that I've already removed.

The concrete foundation is in excellent shape. Besides being a solid surface for the new addition, what extends beyond the perimeter of the new room will become patio. In the foreground of the attached photo will be the location of the new layout (ironically the same location of the first version of the Two Dogs). The new TDMCo. looks to be a raised loop to loop design if all goes according to plan whereas TD#1 was a folded dog-bone loop.

Where the wheel barrow can be seen in the photo are the remnants of the former brick exterior wall. Currently most of it has been removed to ground level. Unseasonably hot weather has slowed complete removal which is necessary before construction on the new layout can begin. Swinging an 8# sledge in 100Β°F heat is a test of my physical endurance... not as easy for my 55 year old body. Slow and steady for now. :D


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Re: Two Dogs Railway

Post by Peter Butler » Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:30 pm

Nice style home with a lovely porch to sit out in fine weather. The best way to remove dodgy building materials is to take the lot away and start again, good luck with the build and show us progress as you go..... the railway will have to wait!
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