Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single chuff (redux)

[SteamGene]

Sign to go by the door.   

                  Warning
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
             No Trespassing
            Railroad Property
                   Contact
                      Chief
               Railroad Police
        HQ, Hampton, Va TExas 8-2501
                   for entry     

[SteamGene]

A friend of my grandson Brady came to the layout again today.  "How many boxes did this trainset come in?" he asked.   
Gene

[SteamGene]

The final risers are in place.  I need to compete the South River  bridge and do the engine facility off the bench work and install it and the final stage of track work can be done.  The engine facility, at least around the roundhouse, coaling tower, and water tank will need to be sceniced before installation.
Gene

[SteamGene]

We did family "Thanksgiving" Sunday and I listened to our kids become middle aged.    Our daughter pointed out that displayed names on the VT&P honored her grandparents and her and her brother's children but not her and her brother.   
I've now worked on that.  I can put in a siding at Sarah's Mountain to service locos making the long, hard pull from Bradyton and have a village there.  I'm still trying to figure out what to do for my son. 
Gene

[Stephen D. Richards]

Gene, I'm not sure what you hae sofar but how about a mine, lumber mill or maybe a feed mill.  That area is replete with that type of business!  Stephen

[SteamGene]

Good suggestions, Stephen.  I will have two mines named for my father and father-in-law, though that could change to father and son with father in law going to the chemical plant.  A clothing store in Leesboro would suit my daughter in law.  This might confuse my grandson who has all the place names memorized and inspects for improvements often. 
Gene

[SteamGene]

The steel viaduct over the South River is finally ready for final installation.  I may even have the bridge track connected on the eastern side this evening.  It took awhile for me to figure out what my problem was, but, as I told my priest, I was going to follow Isiah and lower the mountains to make the way "flat."
This overcomes one of the two remaining barriers. 
Merry Seventh Day of Christmas
Happy New Year
Gene 

[SteamGene]

VT&P #354, a USRA heavy 2-10-2 has gone from Bradyton, up the helix and accross the South River steel viaduct and to the end of the track without problem. 
Merry Ninth Day of Christmas.
Gene

[SteamGene]

The last industrial/service siding, to serve the industries in Basic City, across the South River from Sarah's Mountain is coming along.  On one side the siding will be higher than the mainline track, but at track level on the west side of the turnout.  I've added a turnout for a maintenace of way track - thus moving the yard limit to actually beyond DuPont switch.  This will make it easier for the east end switcher to spot cars at the DuPont plant, Moser's Sauerkraut, and the yet unnamed industry(ies).  If I had not elevated DuPont, everything to the east of DuPont Switch would be spiked down.
Oh, Sarah's Mountain will gain Paultown, a small mountain village over the helix.  That should satisfy the kids.  Next the dogs will complain?? 
Gene

[SteamGene]

The first efforts towards scenery have begun.  The first is at the South River viaduct where I have installed the bridge abutments and their supports and added foam parts for the riverbed base and shore.  The second is the corner area where the a/c is.   The buildings for the Michael farm are being worked on.  In that vein, has anybody used the Blair Line barn sign decals?  Two for two began to crack and break up before the floated free in distilled water.  The third is much too old for my time period unless it were weathered to almost nothing - a two digit phone number! 
I'm using combinations of foam, wood, and cardboard as forms, to be covered by, in the main, plaster impregnated cloth

[Paul M.]

The last industrial/service siding, to serve the industries in Basic City, across the South River from Sarah's Mountain is coming along.  On one side the siding will be higher than the mainline track, but at track level on the west side of the turnout.  I've added a turnout for a maintenace of way track - thus moving the yard limit to actually beyond DuPont switch.  This will make it easier for the east end switcher to spot cars at the DuPont plant, Moser's Sauerkraut, and the yet unnamed industry(ies).  If I had not elevated DuPont, everything to the east of DuPont Switch would be spiked down.
Oh, Sarah's Mountain will gain Paultown, a small mountain village over the helix.   That should satisfy the kids.  Next the dogs will complain?? 
Gene

Yipee! Paultown!

[Paul M.]

Any more pics of the layout?

[SteamGene]

I have some more I have not uploaded, mostly of the South River viaduct.  I 'll take some pictures of the Michael farm area tomorrow and see about uploading and sending JUST them.  I'll check into the DuPont retaining wall area.
I'll start to work on the Virginia highway 296 bridges - one over Mickie's Run and the other over the VT&P mainline from Sugar Grove, WV to Hannahville, Va some time soon.  They are the Rix highway bridges.
With all this, I sub tomorrow!  But I have been working, though maybe not as much as I should like.  It's been a busy week. 
Gene

[SteamGene]

The next time I try to upload pictures some of you will notice that the three span bridge over the highway and Mickie's Run has changed configuration.  It started out with a Warren truss on the west end and two deck trusses to the west.  Then it changed to the Warren in the center.  Now the Warren is on the east with the decks to the west.  This allows the grade of the highway to be reduced. 
However a track problem created the need for a solution which may improve electrical power.  I removed the nine inch sections of rail and used a portions of flex track rail to run through all three spans.  Easy enough to do.
Gene

[Beatle (TrainBrain)]

Sign to go by the door.  

                  Warning
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
             No Trespassing
            Railroad Property
                   Contact
                      Chief
               Railroad Police
        HQ, Hampton, Va TExas 8-2501
                   for entry    

Cool.

The sign by our layout is either going to be:

"SC&NY Notice: Mind the gap. If you fall in, we're not saving you."

"Seatle, Chicago, & New York Railroad: Transcontinental Service for your pointless transcontinental business meetings."

"SC&NY: Moving Forward...and backward if you miss your station!"

"Seatle, Chicago, & New York Railroad: The Magical Mystery Tours."

and, on a serious note:

"The Seatle, Chicago, and New York Railroad (SC&NYRR)
Founded 2008
Providing execlent rail service from the East coast to the West coast
Working together with the Pennsylvania Railroad, the New York Central System, Chesapeake and Ohio, Baltimore and Ohio, Norfolk and Western, Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Great Northern, and Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy to assure your travel is as luxurious as can be.

Last one's a little long...