The Rubber & Rawhide Railroad

Progress Report for 2nd February 2009

This Page Created on February 2nd, 2009

Grade Crossing Progress!

The Marshy Path is sure living up to its name in this photo! Was it the heavy, early morning rain, or the repeated hosings as our path maintenance crew tried to work earth into the gravel? At any rate, the point of the photo is to report that this grade crosssing is now complete, with both rail lines protected by our patented, router-notched rail guards!

The Garden Path Grade Crossing.

The diagonal nature of the Phase V-A to Phase II connector made this grade crossing different, and greatly increased the material required to protect it. This photo shows the view from the North back towards the Magic Portal.

Garden Path Crossing from South

Another view of the Garden Path Grade Crossing. Our eagle-eyed Board member Mike took one look, and asked, "Isn't that track crooked?" And he was right, if you look closely at the junction of the diagonal track and the Wye switch. Our rail crew is looking rather sheepish about this one. It was right, they assert, until someone came along and replaced their bolted rail joiners with those flimsy plastic types! Well, we shouldn't rely on joiners to align the track properly anyway!

Phase I Grade Improvement Investigation

Two of the most troublesome areas on the original Phase I trackage involve one of our senior gods, Jupiter. We all know what an exalted vantage point he enjoys, but how many had realized that a good bit of that height is due to the low ground level just in front of his plaza? Our surveying crew did some tests this afternoon, and found that the elevation of the mailine drops eight inches in 16 feet. While that isn't too bad, the line must make that elevation back up in little over eight feet. To look at it another way, one of the reasons that Jupiter's Loop has such an extreme downgrade is that it must reconnect with the mainline at almost the minimum elevation! The bricks pointing towards the track all tell the story. Although it won't be evident from the photo, the tops of each set are all at practically the same elevation.

Jupiter's Grade Improvement Survey

This View towards Hercules shows the problem more dramatically. The single brick in the foreground is at the SAME elevation as the set of three bricks and a board scrap with lawn showing behind it! Speaking of the bricks, we're hoping to be able to use them to build a simple wall along the top of which the track would be placed. Board member Mike has offered more bricks, as our own supply may be exhausted before the project is completed. The surveying results indicate that the track elevation at the Phase III/Phase I switch is not reached again until halfway between the North Jupiter Switch and the East Marcellus Switch, so lots of bricks will be needed!