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1255

 Fairly productive weekend this time around.  Actually got to spend quite a bit of time on railroad work.  On Saturday I cut a pile of ties, then relaid and installed Summit Curve.  Sunday morning I went out into The Shop and started cleaning and re organizing, major job but it's a functional workspace again.  I'm amazed at all the stuff I had crammed in there over the last year.

 Sunday afternoon I decided that I needed to deepen the turntable pit, which involved cutting4 inches off the buried stump.  That lead to excavating the site for the engine facilities, which in turn lead to a general cleanup of the Port Lavender Yard area.  Went ahead and put in the mulch and stepping stones so at least it looks decent from the road

 Still have to ballast and  gravel around PL yard and the futue engine terminal area.  Thinking this evening I might get the ballasting done and work on the switchstands,  think I'm gonna paint them bright red to keep feets away from them.

 No8 is officially a roundhouse queen, and frankly I'm tired of messing with it.  Besides the fact that it won't go around the new Summit Curve, the gearbox crapped out.  Beleive I'll just retire it, and build a new Shay for the No8 spot.  Perhaps someday I'll solve all her problems and put her in service as No10.

 I'm back to an all Shay roster, I've decided to create the Port Lavender Terminal Co as a switching line that connects the Tug Fork & Eastern and the Big Sandy Valley.  Glover No2 has been assigned to them as a transfer loco.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

1730
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 Even though it was 94 degrees in the shade this afternoon, I finally got the switches cleaned out and the switch stands in Port Lavender repaired.  Only two of them required soldering and only had to take one into The Shop for a major repair.  Primed them all and spraybombed them bright red this time.  Maybe that will help wayward feets avoid them.

 Hoping to get new ballast finished up and spread around the bare areas of the engine terminal.  Won't be too long before PL Yard is in service again.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

1115

  Got the ballast spread around Port Lavender last night after dinner.  Didn't get to run trains because of athunderstorm that blew through.  The ballast held up well throughout.

Thursday, June 16, 2005
1135
 Trying to decide on a project for the weekend.  Would like to start in on a structure, I just don't know which one.  Either the tipple or the enginehouse.  Enginehouse would probably be more visible and i would have to get Cassville Yard rehabbed first.  Going to have to mill some lumber either way.

Friday,June 17, 2005
0850
 
 Engine house will be the project of the weekend.  Single stall with machine shop add on, 36" long 17" high and about 24" wide.  I figure to use 1/2" plywood for the ends, 1/4" plex for the sides where windows will be, and luan or paneling for a roof.  The whole structure will get clad with stripwood planking and the roof will get corrugated.  Oncew everything is assembled and painted, should be nice and weather tight.

1830

 Decided to use the Meadow River Lumber Co. Machine shop as a basis for my enginehouse design.  Doing it in mirror image however.  Two stalls one is a run through stall.  Got the two ends cut from plywood and assembled with intermediate framing and the whole shooting match painted flat black.  Once its dry I'll cut the plexi glass so's I can start fiddling with the windows.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

1324

 Construction of the enginehouse goes well!  Cut the plex walls and the roof this morning, got the roof painted and the plex mounted withscrews and liquid nails.  Cut one sides worth of mullins from hardware cloth and have them cemented in place.  Plan on letting the mullions dry until after lunch, then I'll nail the roof down