Spring has hit “big time” here in Southern Illinois. This brings about thoughts of the “Spring OPs” session and how to improve what is already good. Now there is time, because the "OPS session doesn’t happen until the last weekend of April, but its never to early to starrt planning. A new mine siding has been installed at “Cemetary Ridge”. It s a simple truck dump into coal car style operations, but it is one more place for setting out and picking up revenue. There is also a series of turnouts and runarounds being installed and waiting on some additional “switches” to arrive to complete this task. Already hedge has been trimmed and 24 feet of steel bordering installed to hold ballast in place. This long piece of straight away has always been a ballasting nightmare as the ballast would wash out from under the track. So the additional trackage plus the retaining border should assist with that.
Pictures to follow as the sun gets higher in the sky.
Also, trimmed ballast under some crossings as it was begining to raise the trackage way above the profile of the surrounding grounds. A little rain drizzle, yesterday, finally ran me inside so the late afternoon was spent working on rolling stock and watching some steam loco DVD’s. Another great, rainey Sunday. I really do enjoy those type of days. It slows the whole world down.