Work on the High Line commences

[Fatbiker52]

Keith....one man to do all that ballast? I hope he's paid well.
Fred

[Keith Hayes]

Until I get the helix built with the wye at Fremont Pass, I really need a small staging yard in order to run trains. After some reflection,  I realized a six foot cassette would fill the bill. This will have two tracks, each about 60" long. I can store the Leadville passenger there and then terminate the eastbound freight later in the session.

The switch will have a hand throw and the frog will be powered with a Mono Frog Jucier from Tam Valley Depot. The feeders will connect to the bus with audio plugs. As soon as the helix is completed,  the cassette can move to the new end of track until I get Breck ready.

The plan is to hide the juicer in a small track building. Fortunately Mr. Courtney posted drawings of standard structures in the 'Files' section of the Blog, so I printed one out and will commence construction.

Any good ideas on how to construct the turf cowlick that is on the top of a cut? I am all ears.

[Keith Hayes]

Let's try this again.

[Jeff Young]

Hi Keith,

I used brown felt, frayed the edge, flecked it with dirt-coloured paints, and then topped it with grass tufts.  It looks a little over-done in places, but not bad overall:

Cheers,

Jeff.

[snapped_bolt]

   Wow! Nice job Jeff!!!

    I have seen plenty overhanging mini-bluffs like that...and they are usually pretty tough. Must form when the more easily eroded underburden is transported off, leaving the topsoil with it's root-structure based "rebar" to hold on for dear life...it's really tough to model most railroads without at least one cut looking like this....

     Cheers!!!

          Stan

[Keith Hayes]

Jeff, I picked up some "felt" at the craft store today. I got home and found it to be a PVC material.🤨 I cut the stuff into strips and glued it to the scenery bed with a heavy bed of carpenters glue.

Then I dry brushed my tan latex paint on the top surface.

When the glue dries I hope to draw out the fibers with a brass brush and follow Jeff's example. I hope this turns out as nicely as Jeff's model!

[Keith Hayes]

The teasing has begun.

[Jeff Young]

That looks the business already.

[Keith Hayes]

Track is installed: now to wire.

[South Park]

  Keith,

  I hate to be so negative, but that is the most boring model
railroad layout I have ever seen !  

[Keith Hayes]

Thanks, Espee!

[South Park]

  How will you ever get cars from one track to the other ?  

[Jim Courtney]

S.P,

Keith is building a portable staging yard, to store two trains. As the layout progresses up and down Fremont Pass and then down the Ten Mile, the staging yard will be forever moving to the new "end of track", until Breckenridge is reached.  Keith will probably end up with a hidden staging yard for destinations north and east of Breckenridge (correct Keith?).

Modelers in U.K. Commonwealth countries refer to these little mobile staging yards as "cassettes".

On the other hand, you probably know all this and are just teasing Keith -- my sarcasm detector is on the fritz and needs to go into the shop for repairs.

[Keith Hayes]

Oh, Jim, Espee is full of sarcasm in that mug he is sipping! I think it is some 30-year-old sarcasm.

[Robert McFarland]

Judging from his previous posts I would say he is at least 60 years old.

[South Park]

  Yes, I am teasing Keith.  But moreso, poking fun at the way we never
have enough space to squeeze in all the stuff we want on a layout.  No
matter how big the room, we fill it and still find ourselves cramped.  I
found the subject photo amusing, because (by itself), the track went nowhere
and one could not even use the switch !  Best intentions all gone to hell
again !  Dang !  I hate when that happens !  

[Keith Hayes]

I knew Espee was kidding, and I figured he didn't really start bottling sarcasm till his late 30s.

Maybe this helps complete the picture. Now the track crew needs to "bridge" the gap.

I have lived with the current end of track for about 18 months,  and it is amazing how much this project adds to the run!

[Keith Hayes]

And some ballast.

Next week, I will connect the frog juicer and send out the track crew.

[Robert McFarland]

"Wind the frog!!!"

[Keith Hayes]

Not quite Jeff Young work, but I am getting the hang of the static grass applicator.