Progress Report 08.03.12

Not much work was completed on the layout today as today was devoted to back to school shopping.  I did paint the fascia with the help of my two daughters.  Another task completed off the Project To Do list.

Speaking of the Project To Do list, I completed another item.  An op session date has been scheduled for Saturday, September 29th.  Hopefully, we can get some people to come out to operate the new ROCK!

Added labels to all the towns on the fascia as well as direction labels.

Removed majority of the car card boxes, changed out the box labels.  I will re-install tomorrow as the girls had already fell asleep.

Project update
1) complete benchwork for the Peoria branch
2) drill holes for the bus wire
3) run the bus wire
4) cut and re-install the workbench desk
5) clean off items stored on layout during construction
6) clean up the room
7) test NCE system to ensure no shorts before commencing trackwork
8) lay cork roadbed and track.
9) drop solder feeders
10) install slide switches
11) install car card boxes
12) run wire and install throttle jacks
13) install fascia board (majority complete - put off for another day)
14) paint fascia board
15) introduce new and remove obsolete waybills
16) re-stage layout (majority is re-staged, but need to integrate the new industries and place cars in the new Ottawa yard, LaSalle and Bureau storage tracks).
17) schedule next op session!
18) review all rolling stock making adjustments to couplers and/or wheels.

Progress Report 08.02.12

The CEO made a supply trip run to the hobby shop after work.

Returned to the layout.  Crews worked on the messy assignment first cutting and installing the remaining fascia for the layout.  Before this layout, I had never used fascia before.  It gives the layout such a finished look.  I'm quite pleased this is completed for the entire layout now.

Cleaned up the room (still have a fair number of items on the layout), moved all the power tools back down to the garage.

Took a break to handle some yard maintenance behind the fence.

Returned to the layout to find the track gang on site ready for work.  The crew installed the last leg of the Bureau wye, turnout, main and siding at Peoria.  I pulled up one additional section of track from the former RI Clinton Branch so I could make room for double track further back.  Glued down the roadbed, waited a bit and returned back to lay the final track.  Trackwork is complete!

Crews then performed the initial mudding of the joints of the fascia in preparation for paint.

Project update
1) complete benchwork for the Peoria branch
2) drill holes for the bus wire
3) run the bus wire
4) cut and re-install the workbench desk
5) clean off items stored on layout during construction
6) clean up the room
7) test NCE system to ensure no shorts before commencing trackwork
8) lay cork roadbed and track.
9) drop solder feeders
10) install slide switches
11) install car card boxes
12) run wire and install throttle jacks
13) install fascia board (majority complete - put off for another day)
14) paint fascia board
15) introduce new and remove obsolete waybills
16) re-stage layout (majority is re-staged, but need to integrate the new industries and place cars in the new Ottawa yard, LaSalle and Bureau storage tracks).
17) schedule next op session!
18) review all rolling stock making adjustments to couplers and/or wheels.




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Progress Report 08.01.12

Track crews continued their work this evening.  Crews laid industrial track for Philadelphia Quartz, Belrose Silica, Peru Power & Water Plant, Libbey-Owens-Ford Sand Receiving and Glass Shipping tracks, and removed a switch for the former ADM Milling Plant, replaced a section of damaged mainline.  They also laid the Peoria mainline down to the north switch at Peoria including the Bureau storage track.  Crews found that one turnout was damaged beyond repair.  A replacement will need to be acquired as well as rail joiners.  A short section of about 4ft of main and siding on the Peoria Branch and one leg of the Bureau wye remains to be laid.

Tomorrow, management expects crews to work on installing fascia for the remainder of the layout as well as preparing it for paint.


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Progress Report 07.31.12

RI Mainline Track Service is Restored!!

The track gang arrived on scene this evening.  They were busy at work with a major goal at hand.  Management is quite pleased as all the mainline/siding and yard tracks were laid this evening.  The mainline is restored!!!  I still have the Peoria branch and some industrial track to lay, but that shouldn't be bad at all.  The worst is over.

Citizens rejoice that the RI is open for business again after being out of service for 44 days.  Citizens question whose bright idea was this?  Passengers have been riding the bus until rail service could be restored.

RI Management took a complete leap of faith.  Armed with research of the prototype, RI Management made the decision to tear down 1/3rd of the layout including the ovalix that connects the lower and upper levels in hopes of rebuilding.  Throughout the process, the sanity of chief CEO Johnson was questioned.

RI Management had hoped that the project would produce more prototypical aspects of the ROCK.  In retrospect, I would say it was a success.  New additions include:

• Expanded mainline run
• More prototypical layout in Bureau
• Addition of a storage siding
• Creation of Peru, LaSalle and Utica
• New passing siding at Peru/LaSalle
• New 4-track yard at Ottawa
• Famous Westclox plant at LaSalle
• Greatly expanded silica business
• Ottawa Silica (producing 18 cars)
• Libbey-Owens-Ford (consuming/producing 20 cars)
• Belrose Silica (producing 8 cars)
• Philadelphia Quartz (consuming/producing 10 cars)

As George Constanza would say "This is a dream!  I'm busting Jerry!  I'm busting!"  I'm very excited about the transformation of the layout!  It's all good!


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Progress Report 07.30.12

Last night, while watching the Olympics, I sorted through, removed/added and organized the waybill cards.  Another item completed off my Project To Do List.

Crews continued work in Ottawa this evening.  I had a short one hour maintenance window to work on the layout before picking up the kids from camp.  I took all that time to lay out the cork for the main/siding and yard.  I had a general idea of how I wanted it, but needed to lay it all out, stare at it, tweak it some more, stare at it again and so forth.

The hour passed by quickly.  After returning from picking up the kids, I went back in the train room.  I thought I would only have a few minutes to stare at the plan some more.  I ended up gaining another hour or so.  I was finally content with the staring and ready to start gluing.  Cranked up the internet radio and glued down all the cork roadbed for the main/siding/BN interchange and four-track yard.  I was hoping I would get that far when I realized I had a second maintenance window open up.

Tomorrow, I can now send out the track gang to lay some track.  With the cork already laid out, it should go well.  I believe tomorrow, I can procure a 2 hour work window.


Project update
1) complete benchwork for the Peoria branch
2) drill holes for the bus wire
3) run the bus wire
4) cut and re-install the workbench desk
5) clean off items stored on layout during construction
6) clean up the room
7) test NCE system to ensure no shorts before commencing trackwork
8) lay cork roadbed and track.
9) drop solder feeders
10) install slide switches
11) install car card boxes
12) run wire and install throttle jacks
13) install fascia board (majority complete - put off for another day)
14) paint fascia board
15) introduce new and remove obsolete waybills
16) re-stage layout (majority is re-staged, but need to integrate the new industries and place cars in the new Ottawa yard, LaSalle and Bureau storage tracks).
17) schedule next op session!






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Progress Report 07.29.12

The track gang continued work today.  They have completed the mainline and sidings from Bureau up to West Ottawa and the Burlington Northern crossing.  Management is quite pleased!

My girls were performing Olympic test trials letting loose cars roll from LaSalle all the way down to Kelly Yard in Silvis.  I would switch the main/siding turnouts.  Since they were playing, they might as well perform the high-speed track tests too.  All worked quite well.

I ran a test train out of Silvis with 2 units and 15 cars.  It charged right up the grade to West Utica.  The track beyond that point was still drying so we couldn't go all the way to Ottawa.


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