Tehachapi, BC

[GaryHinshaw]

Looking really good there Gary!  What kind of glue are you using?

Ed

Thanks Ed.  I'm just using the Woodland Scenics hot glue gun & sticks.  The low melting temp of the glue does not melt the foam and it sets up in 5-10 secs, then you're off to the races.  These sections are very rigid and strong, so that's been a good choice for me.

There is something about this that reminds me of Sheldon Cooper 

That's hilarious. 

On the carving front, I just returned from a trip to Central Hobbies where I picked up some tools from the Hot Wire Foam Factory: a 4" hot knife for basic carving, and a freehand router for more fluid carving.  I'm off to try these out.  Hopefully the fumes aren't too bad...

[GaryHinshaw]

Here is a nice example of how drone video can provide info that is otherwise very difficult to obtain.  These two shots are stills from one of the videos that Ed posted recently:





The first shot shows the hill behind the bridge very clearly - a feature that is almost impossible to discern from any other vantage point (without trespassing).  Before watching that video, I was just working from online still photos, ground and aerial, but I was completely off as to the height of this hill.   After seeing this, I went back and reworked the terrain in that area (still in progress) to the point of sketching guidelines in one of the central ribs that forms that scene:



Selective compression is forcing some degree of compromise here, so it's not perfect, but it's way better than it would have been without these videos.  You can get a sense of where I was headed in the first shot of this post; the slab above is the frontmost slab of the unfinished section in the linked shot.  The slabs behind it show where I was headed before I consulted the video: much flatter!  I need to go back and build up that portion to correct the error.

[GaryHinshaw]

Meanwhile, back in Bakersfield, I've completed laying the BNSF side of the yard throat and all of the balloon tracks, so the next step is the UP side if the yard throat.  Access to this has been cramped by the temporary yard above it, so the time had come to yank it.  This morning I spent an hour or so clearing both yards of their remaining trains, then a half hour or so giving the temporary yard the hook.

Going...



going...



gone...



I've since made a bit of progress on the UP throat: soldering feeders and prepping Tortoises.  So much infrastructure...

[Aside - now that I have a method I like for making landforms, I drool at the thought of adding scenery to that upper deck Tunnel district.    ]

Thanks for looking,
-gfh

[Philip H]

@GaryHinshaw that trackwork is unbelievably good at 3 feet. its gonna be HAWT to run on!

[GaryHinshaw]

Thanks @Philip H.

A bit of a milestone was reached today: all yard and loco tracks are now permanently installed in Bakersfield:



All of the turnouts in the yard have their Tortoises mechanically installed, but they are not yet powered, so a fair bit of wiring work still remains down under.  However, with this track work done I can now proceed to start the fifth and final stage of construction: the benchwork for the lower deck mainline, a portion of which will lie over this yard.

I've also roughed in most of the trackage through Kern Junction so that trains can run in and out of the yard under their own power.   Here is the first train into Bakersfield: a BNSF manifest from Barstow is leaving shared trackage and is about to enter the BNSF arrival yard.



Sorry for the crappy focus -- the photographer was so excited to catch the first train into town that he didn't have time to set up for it properly.   

[Cajonpassfan]

Gary, I fully understand why you would be excited, that's great progress! The staging yard looks awesome!
And, I can't believe just how clean and spiffy everything looks....wow. Don't you use tools and glues and various other essentials that have a habit of laying around the layout? There's something I need to learn from you...
Otto

[coldriver]

It's gotta be very satisfying to reach a point where that epic vision that's been in your head starts to comes to life on the layout.  Great work Gary!

[mark dance]

Congratulations Gary! A "Yuge" milestone!😊

Md

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Congrats Gary!

[C855B]

Whoa. That's a pretty big "done", Gary. Feels good, doesn't it?

[Scottl]

It looks great Gary, congratulations on another major milestone.  It looks meticulous.  I can't wait to see it filled up with trains ready to head out.

[GaryHinshaw]

Thanks for the encouragement guys!  It is indeed very satisfying to see something progress from concept:



to reality:

Don't you use tools and glues and various other essentials that have a habit of laying around the layout? There's something I need to learn from you...

Oh Otto, if you only knew what the rest of the room looked like right now: it's a great example of the law of Conservation of Clutter!  Remember the shot of Edison I posted a month or so ago?



Here it is today: 



I have an amazing capacity to accept clutter, because I keep the vision of the finished product firmly in mind throughout the process.

And without further ado, plans for stage 5 benchwork are being formed:



[BTW, I'm not switching to foam for the benchwork, it just provides a convenient platform for visualizing roadbed templates.]

[Scottl]

You call that clutter!   

[C855B]

... [BTW, I'm not switching to foam for the benchwork, ...]

Chicken.

Clutter is indeed a demon. I'm more or less with Gary, but every once in a while I have to corral the mess. To me, it interferes with stepping back and reveling in the accomplishment(s). However, I have benefit of a dedicated space for clutter behind closed doors, the workshop: 



Notice that I have taken this topical opportunity to clutter-up Gary's thread and not mine.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks for the encouragement guys!
...

Oh Otto, if you only knew what the rest of the room looked like right now: it's a great example of the law of Conservation of Clutter!  Remember the shot of Edison I posted a month or so ago?

Lol Gary, nice to know you're human
Otto