The Rubber & Rawhide Railroad

Progress Report for 17th February 2009

This Page Created on February 17th, 2009

What to do, What to do?

There is still one more section of planned trackage to be completed. The Roadbed crew knows that. The Rail Laying team is ready for it. Phase IV-B, the beginning section, actually, of the Memorial Bell Tower Loop is a relatively short line, offering few challenges in installation or design. If fact, a goodly portion of the roadbed has been either installed, or reached the "boards in place" planning phase.

But is that the next work on the roster? Well, it would be except our electrician is dragging his heels in completing a vital relocation of power cables servicing the Leather Oaks Pond! This utility has long had a service connection smack in the middle of the left lane of the Bridge over Lake Orin, exactly the right of way required to complete the Memorial Bell Tower route!

The crews do have other work they could could profitably perform. All of the switches have been procured to complete the East Garage Yard, but traffic is so light now, there's not a lot of advantage seen to pursuing that project.

But wait! One of the oldest known problem areas is the poor condition of the Jupiter Loop! Long considered a must-see by Live Oak Grove afficianados, much less Jupiter's coterie of friends and hangers on, the Loop's notorious grade has kept many more timid passengers away.

Jupiter Frontage Route Levelling Project

Surveying done a couple of weeks ago had indicated that the Jupiter Loop grade could be reduced substantially if the main line was levelled along the front of the Live Oak Grove. While not always that evident, the route actually drops almost half a foot before beginning to regain that elevation South of the North Jupiter Switch! Our new water level was used to adjust the twine to a constant height about 2-1/2" above the finished roadbed. The bricks have been pre-spotted in groups of about the required increase in elevation to obtain a flat grade across the entire front of the Live Oak Grove.

LIve Oak Grove Frontage Elevation Adjustments

Where did the Track Go?

Some folks may wonder what happened to the track. Our rail crew carefully disassembled each of the five sections of track, remembering to number them. They will be drilled and tapped for the higher performance bolted rail joiners before reinstallation.

Live Oak Grove Frontage Roadbed Levelled!

This panoramic photo shows the roadbed levelled along almost the whole of the Live Oak frontage area. Work was halted just before reaching the North Jupiter's Loop Switch.

Live Oak to Jupiter Loop Grade Change!

The roadbed crew managed to remove, level and reinstall over half of the affected area. In this photo, we can see why they quit work. It finally became evident that they would have to dissasemble Jupiter's Loop before any further progress was made. Permissions are being obtained, and we don't want to ask the price!

The Five Inch Gap

In this photo, one can see graphically the elevation change between the original roadbed alignment and the new. Even though there's only about twelve feet more roadbed requiring raising, the new elevation is still five inches higher than the old!