The ROCK 3.0: Window Sill Expansion Project Update

This morning, I continued work on the Window Sill Expansion Project.  It took a while to get everything aligned properly coming off the main, making the turn to the East Staging Yard.  The hardest part was installing the Tortoise Switch machine.  Great device, unpleasant to install though.  I didn't have much room to work either as it is mounted between the benchwork and the window.  Anywho, I managed to get the mainline installed down to the switch for the two staging tracks.  That took about 40 minutes.

This afternoon, I opted out on my Sunday sofa time for a nap to work on the layout plus various other things.  I glued down the cork roadbed and left it.

I returned late in the afternoon to cut and shape the flex track as well as glue it in place.  I drilled the holes for the nine sets of feeder wires for all the track changes, stripped the wires placing in the holes, removed all the tools from the construction and vacuumed up the area.

This evening, I returned, soldering all the feeder wires.  Soldering the feeder wires went ok, but connecting them to the bus under the layout.  Wow!  That hurt my knee a lot.  I had to be very careful.  That is the worst it has hurt in quite a few days.

Cleaned up the track and tested.  Everything works extremely well.  I'm quite pleased with the Window Sill Expansion Project and consider it a success.  This will be a great addition to the layout.

Looking east before the change.  You see the CB&Q crossing to the north (right to left)

Looking east after the change.  The mainline curves around to the right to the east staging.  I added the blue board background to keep the sunlight bearing down on the track.

Looking north before the change.  CB&Q continues north across the west-east RI mainline.

You can see the outline of the former bagged sand loading tracks.

Looking north after the change.  You can still see part of the outline for the original bagged sand loading tracks.  They were moved closer together and closer to the aisle.  The mainline curve flows nicely into the window sill (still allowing for the window to be open if required) and then opens up to two east staging tracks.

I added a Tortoise Switch Machine to control the switch as this will be blocked by the Ottawa Sand building.

I started working on re-gluing the sand pipe that pumps the sand slurry from the mine up to the processing buildings.

Looking south at Ottawa Silica.  New east staging to the left.  Scale track in the foreground.

Looking north at Ottawa Silica and the new east staging to the right. 

The staging tracks holds a 18 car (sand hoppers) train plus two locos and a caboose.

I added a toggle switch to the right of my blue light control for the Tortoise control of the staging tracks.  Eventually, I will create a proper panel cover and ID.