All over the place as usual, but I had a breakthrough this weekend and actually spent a few hours on saturday starting the benchwork for the final section of the layout. Jimmy has been on my case about not being able to run trains since I severed the main many many months ago. After first cutting the main at the former duck-under bridge I managed to get the one side built almost to the back of the basement. This portion is the "Upper Works" or Steel Making side of the plant. The opposite side is to be the main classification yard and engine facility. The plan is to have trains running by Christmas - in time to test out that Lehigh Valley F3 A/B set that my wife is going to give me (hint). I built benchwork as far as I could as I still need to pour a few cement slabs first - this portion of the basement was dug out from a crawl space about 15 years ago - I built a partial retaining wall at that time and poured just enough of a slab to fit the heater - now I I just finished the block wall last week and I have to pour the rest of the floor slab and also a few rat slabs on the shelves created by the retaining wall - this is going to be done in sync with some exterior concrete work when I have some free time and I can get a delivery, but for now I will work on the section I have built. I've laid out the turntable pit and am only a few sheets of wood away from installing this. In line with the whole engine facility thing I purchased a Walthers Concrete Coaling Tower. This will be built pretty much from the box with the exception of adding some sand handling equipment. The photos show a few shots of the start of this build - I am deviating from the instructions by assembling all the concrete structures first so I can paint and then I'll add all the steel work. So far the fit of the parts has been on the above-average side for a Walthers Kit. Also in the one photo you can see some of the just-built benchwork.
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