Hi all -- Well, due to other things getting in the way I missed Friday, so this is Saturday Night Fun.
First, I have been remiss. I got a pair of the double track portals from Ed Sauers a couple of weeks ago and they are just what the layout engineers wanted. I can recommend them – they have enough wall either side of the opening to really allow for whatever scenery they need to fit into. He is working on some similar wing walls... A couple of caveats – the opening is JUST wide enough to accommodate track on 3 inch centers, not a hair more. If you have sharp curves, equipment overhang will probably make these a no–no for double track. HOWEVER, you can do as the real railroad did and use them as single track portals for modern clearances. What I got done this week was to start the narrow gauge subgrade down from Coal Creek. The entry turnout to the local trackage has been rebuilt (a salvage from a different place on the old layout) and the remote switch machine is installed and tested. Also had a couple of guests over tonight who had not seen the layout for over a year, so they really liked what they saw and how it ran. Otherwise, the rest of the week was spent fine tuning things all around the layout and adding benchwork to support future scenery. I will be off at the O Scale West + S next week, so I will be “off air” from Tuesday through Monday the 13th. Have fun! Bill Winans Prescott Valley, AZ
