February 18-21, 2009
Here are a couple views of the newly completed trackwork.  Two of the turnouts
are new, the ones going to the sidings.  They are the 91st and 92nd turnouts I've
built so far.  We now have a bit more space to hold trains.  I like them to be on
tracks, not in boxes or on shelves.  The big 2-8-2 Mikado now has a place to
call home.
BEFORE - There were some bare spots along the front edge of the layout.
AFTER - Fascia boards made of luaun plywood have been installed and
TIGHT RADIUS - The Aristocraft Mikado is designed for a minimum radius of
48 inches.  But I really wanted it to negotiate a 40 inch radius.  So I re-gauged
the hand-laid track to 45.5 mm, and now the engine can make it.
A LITTLE AWKWARD - The engine doesn't look right on a curve this tight,
but it can make it under its own power.  In the background there is a 36 inch
radius curve, way too tight for this engine.
YES IT CAN - It's pulling a coal train around the curve and doing just fine.  The
track in the front is a 50-inch radius curve with a 2.0 percent grade, leading up to
the outdoor trackage.  The Mikado can now take a train down the hill, uncouple
and back up around the inside curve, and it's now facing the right direction to take
the next train up the hill!