I’ve been hesitant to write anything about what I’ve been up to for a couple weeks now for fear that it would be –well– boring.  I’ve been spending an awful lot of time doing things that don’t really show up or add visible progress to the layout.  For example, I’ve been hard at work installing the optical detection system for the hidden staging tracks at Willis and under the Spencer logging operation up in the woods.  That alone has been quite a chore, including fabricating support brackets for the illumination LEDs, bus runs of wire, wiring dozens of photo-transistors and LEDs, and more.  When complete, not a single soul is likely to bend over and look into the dark recesses at the back of the layout to see that system (they likely won’t even know that it exists).

Then there are the power buses and dozens of track feeders to same.  Again, a very necessary endeavor, but entirely unnoticed by crew or visitors.

I spent quite a bit of time creating gently sloped ramps for the mainline at Monterey to get the various yard and industrial tracks from the elevated roadbed down to the tabletop.  It’s all done now and waiting for track.  Even though that work is visible, it is very likely to go unnoticed.  And how about those track bumpers that I manufactured and installed on the ends of all six staging tracks?

And so it goes.  I can list another half dozen projects that I’ve undertaken and completed these last several weeks, and not one will garner any attention by those who casually peruse the layout.  And none will likely be photographed and immortalized on the website.

Those of you that have constructed, or are constructing a larger sized layout know exactly what I mean by all of this.  Everything I’ve done is necessary for the operation of the layout.  But I confess to being a little depressed about putting in so much time doing things that do little to reward you with a feeling of accomplishment (well, there is the self-satisfaction of having done the chore and scratching it from the list).

However . . . things are looking up for the near future.  Once the detector work is completed (and it’s not terribly far off), the sub-roadbed construction can again proceed.  And I now have several areas where a bit of track may be laid, and that’s always something that gets attention.  Gratification time is getting near!

In truth, there has been some visible work.  I’ve completed all of the benchwork and sub-roadbed for Monterey and the area immediately to the east, including it’s roadbed (with tapers), and all is covered in a nice coat of paint.  I suppose I should take some photos and post them to the main website.  Maybe I can get to that by the weekend.  Now that would be gratifying!

-Jack