It has been a while since I posted anything. There are two reasons for the lack of posting. I have managed to get way behind at work, so I'm putting in a lot of hours there. Then the second reason is progress has been a bit slower than I expected. No big deal I'm mostly having fun. So anyway, as I posted recently in the forum, I am finishing up the staging area, and last week saw the first trains departing the staging yard and going around the oval and reversing loops that get any train heading in any direction to either helix.
Extra 3985 departing the Great Divide yard. A 4000 series Big Boy was supposed to be heading up the train, but became unavailable at the last moment due to mainenance issues. The GDP is wholly unoriginal in numbering schemes, borrowing heavily from the UP numbering scheme.
Extra 3985 going through the plywood desert portion of the GDP mainline. Due to the current lack of track in Port, it will go to Sacramento via interchange and trackage rights over the WP's Feather River route.
At this point I still have to put down five more staging yard tracks and a crossover. Then finish up the wiring and build two helices. Then learn how to hand lay code 40 track. After all that I can begin work on Port Yard and Engine Terminal.
Right after putting down the last bit of the reversing loop and oval that get trains from the staging yard to the desired helix, I started running my Challenger and Big Boy around everything to make sure my trackwork was good enough. Just as I was thinking about hooking up the Big Boy to an actual train after it finshed it's next lap, it died on the rails shorting out the power. At first I figured it was just a derailment, but it wasn't derailed. I have yet to find the short, and it is getting frustrating.
In completely unrelated news, I think the upcoming NMRA National Convention's railfanning bus trip to the Tehachapi area will be very good. A number of people from the Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club headed out on a simulated tour to work out details and make sure everything would be good for the real tour. Despite not seeing many trains, it was a good trip. The folks running the tour have secured permission from several property owners along the right of way to get a bit closer to the railroad than is normally possible.
OK, enough writing, back to working on the railroad.
