Getting by with a little help from our friends

 

Modeling the AT&SF - D&RGW Joint Line through Colorado Springs from Milepost 70 to Milepost 80 circa 1978-1979

- ~ -

Post 29: As the Lads from Liverpool wisely observed, we all get by with a little help from our friends

 - ~ -  

 

  Here's how Nick and I spent four days this week.

That's the three unit coal trainset storage tracks at the back, which will be hidden under the north staging yard (Denver). The seven south end (Pueblo) staging tracks and yard ladder are in the open in front. The stub spur along the edge at bottom splits into a pocket for the yard goat and then becomes the dual purpose programming track & engine ready track. Don't worry, I will be extending the deck width as a safety margin.

In between the ready track and the main will be Santa Fe's Pueblo yard office & tower, with its prominent joint Santa Fe - C&S lettering (the white paper footprint).

 

At the back the main curves right (36" radius), emerging to cross Santa Fe's Sand Creek bridge atop the swing gate on its way to Kelker on the layout proper.

Besides laying the track and switches this past week we soldered in all the rail drops and tested all tracks for continuity—what a joy to hear that Rio Grande GP30 and BN Locotrol Master SD40-2 start up and play with the sounds and lights and switch a few cars, but there's still plenty of work to do connecting the drops to the power bus and installing the MP8 switch motors, diode matrix and the like, but I am totally satisfied with what we got done in an extended work session that allowed Nick and I to have a great visit as we worked, with Miles Davis and John Coltrane playing their best in the background.

Next up: continue the main track all the way across Kelker and Spring Creek—about a 26 foot run, and install the turnouts and the switching lead and spurs for the Drennan Industrial Park customers. Once that's done I will actually be able to start rudimentary local switching operations, which will inspire me to keep my momentum up to tackle the interchange yard and beyond, so stay tuned.

 - ~ -