What started as “I have to fix some issues” has turned into “the RR is getting a major rebuild”. The whole benchwork for Oakhill was undermined by woodchucks digging some holes, caving in on the corners, with no way to repair without taking it apart. Then, some animal is digging behind two of the walls for the big trestle, collapsing them, and also the wall by Marconi Macaroni, and something (again) ruined/bent a bunch of track around Pearce and the downhill cut.
I had some decisions to make. I have decided to remove the entire Oakhill branch and benchwork, remove Pearce and Majestic, and reroute the bridge over Majestic to make a smaller loop connecting to Williamsport. Im not quite sure what will happen to Steppes. It was either that, or just tear the RR up completely, and I’m not quite there yet. Here’s where things stand today. First, some damage photos:
And progress on removing and rebuilding: