Current Work Area(s)

The plaster shell on the peninsula is complete. The protruding mesa serves as a view block between the Carbon and Trinidad sides of the peninsula. Curtains, rubber floor and fast clock are visible in the "after" image. In the foreground notice the addition of a passing siding. This siding was installed after discussions with Castle Rock & Pacific operators.

Once again, it has been a while since our last update, so there is a lot to tell. As promised, the operating software has been moved to the computer in the dispatcher's office. Operations began in April of 2007 with 14 trains on the original schedule. There are now 29 trains scheduled in the next session - March 29th, 2008. 95% of the plaster shell is complete. The plaster impregnated gauze is certainly easier and less messy than the old hydrocal soup with paper towels! Here are some before and after photos...

What's next...
Work continues on structures and rolling stock maintenance. There are four major areas that are still in need of track and urban planning - Castle Rock engine service, Castle Rock industrial area, Trinidad mining complex and the Galveston wharf. Meanwhile, preparing for operating sessions and doing necessary maintenance continue to be a priority. There are also acres of ground to cover with dirt, bushes, trees and rocks! So, what really comes next? It just depends on what we feel like doing. Next update - when we have time. Thanks for visiting.

Visible in these images is the south portal of tunnel number four. On the left the cardboard web used to support the plaster impregnated gauze shows the construction of terrain contours. On the right the web has been covered and you get a preview of some of the backdrop art work painted by Mr. O.J. Rivas. The spur off the main in the lower left goes to the coal mine at Carbon.

Copies of structure kit parts pasted onto cereal box cardboard were used in Sweetwater, Texas to determine the placement of track and structure components for the textile mill. On the right the nearly finished structures are in place. The Dabler Mill kit by American Model Builders was used for these structures. The mockup process was so successful that it is being used again on the coal mine for Carbon, CO.

Over the holiday period at the end of the year we had 17 days to spend in the basement. During that time we laid 86 feet of industrial track and 24 turnouts including the engine service area in Galveston, the Galveston industrial area (excluding the wharf) and the Castle Rock packing plant tracks. Much of the holiday time was spent roughing out structures for the Galveston industrial area. Check out these images!..

We like to modify and expand our structure kits. Sure you can still tell what their heritage is, but they just look better if they are changed a bit. Kathy and I took paper cutouts of two Walther's New River Coal Mines (upper left) and pasted them together until we had a structure that fit our available location (lower left). Then Kathy went to town! Windows were modified to open. Additional sheds were added to enhance the roof lines. You can see the model under construction in the upper right. Window detail in the lower left. We like to leave a few doors and windows open when we can so interior detail is visible. A removable roof and interior funnels will facilitate the live loading of coal hoppers on the tracks below the mine building. A cyclone dust collector is being built to mount on the back of the building. Eventually this model will fit nicely into Carbon, Colorado with two conveyors penetrating the mountain scene in the background.

Gulf Produce is one of two large warehouses that will be behind the roundhouse. This one handles all kinds of meat, seafood and produce. Still to come is a cotton warehouse that will be located in the empty space behind this one.