Good Morning Everyone. 66° and cloudy here in North Central Texas. Cool temperatures for a few more days. Pool season is over, water is 74° with no chance of warming back up until May. Time to add winterization chemicals and put the cover on. Maybe the garden will dry out enough in a couple of days to plant some fall crops. Still have some pepper and tomato plants that pulled through the heat and should start producing again.
Instead of a fancy restaurant for our 46th anniversary last night, my wife just wanted to go to our favorite local Italian restaurant instead. Leo, the owner, said to say hello to
Sherrel and his wife
Kate. Hello Sherrel & Kate! Leo previously owned a restaurant in Kate's home town in CA.
Earlier in the day, out in the train shed, I deployed the track crew for a bit of work. In the most recently laid staging yard on the upper level, I have been having derailment issues at a switch on one end. It's at the beginning of an elevation change to get it up to the level of the main. A 2" x 1/4" shim under the track joint along with adding the tie removed from the flex during installation fixed the problem. Per my usual practice, this area will still be in the "test" mode for a few more months before ballasting. I am ballasting this staging yard because I also intend to use it as a small classification yard in the future. Besides the main, it has a passing siding that could be instead used as an A/D track, two double-ended storage/classification tracks and two stub storage tracks, all but one of the tracks can hold 22+ cars/engines. I also have allowances for a switching lead at each end. The shortest stub track currently holds the MOW work train. Long term plans include moving this MOW train to various locations as an operations bottleneck in the future.
In other action, I continued to add ground foam and other scenery materials along the main where my current scenery project is. In order to tie this area into adjoining semi-finished areas, and complete those areas, I am going to have to construct nearly five feet of chain-link fencing. Certainly something to look forward to. The whole area will represent a series of partial backyards along the ROW when it is completed. The wide end will also contain outbuildings/garages etc., where they will fit. I took a "before" picture and will take some progress pictures along the way to post some day.
Garry - Thanks for the historical pictures at Ft Knox. "Herbie's" - Seems like I have read or heard that term before, but I cannot recollect what it meant, if anything.
Ken in MD - Very nice job on the Ford Switcher.
Louis - I have posted before, you take pictures with a camera, you talk on a phone.
Everyone have a great Monday and an awesome week. Looking forward to a few more members rejoining us here for lively jostling. Speaking of MIA's, what happened to
Jesse? Hopefully he is busy with his business and he will get back to posting soon. And where the heck is
Bruce? That's got to be the longest fishing trip that I've ever heard of. I am looking forward to his newest re-build.
