The Rubber & Rawhide Railroad

Progress Report for 14th November 2008

This Page Created on December 14th, 2008

Phase III-B Mainline Completed through East Garage Yard!

"It's easy when most of the track is in a straight line!" Harold commented to himself as he installed the North Yard switch, using up the very last section of roadbed the crew had completed. The photo at left shows the lonely switch (almost a dozen more are on delayed order before the yard can have its full complement of double-ended sidings) and the somewhat crooked accumulator track. Our roadbed crew was faced with an alignment dilemma as they built this section of the yard, and decided this was the best place to hide their nonlinear shame.

First Siding Switches Ready for Roadbed and Track!

The photo at right shows the untracked, unroadbeded Siding One. You don't think those two switches will ever match? "Yes we can" is an appropriate response, and it will only take twelve feet, four inches of roadbed and fifteen feet, three inches of track to make that promise a reality! Now let's see, multiplying those numbers by six . . . . At the top of the photo, one can see the South Yard lead, making a graceful and remarkably level approach.

The Wetlands Wilderness Beckons.

The only clue to where Photo 8177 was made is the section of roadbed material in the foreground. It's the same one we saw in the first photo, but this time looking North away from the garage! Yes, the bamboo could use a mite more "thinning"! The white line marks a potential new loop suggested by Tractor Mike. He commented yesterday that there was going to be an awful long run before any possibility of returning to the front yard. A bit of calculations confirmed Mike's appraisal, if you also think 175 feet (over a scale mile) is a long way. The new loop will join the Southbound House Perimeter Route just North of the Magic Portal, and adjacent to the already-installed connection to the Sago to Trio Route.

We are seriously short of switches! Currently, there are only four in stock, even though confirmed requirements call for over five times that number to finish all in progress or planned trackage. (Strangely enough, even though there is also about 350 feet of additional track required, that is not the driving issue.) Our accounting department may be approached again to obtain perhaps one or two more pairs of switches, although they were adamant that the yard switches are "discretionary purchases"!