Will the hard hat protect one during a tunnel collapse? 
Who knew?
no, but it upgrades the show. (and it makes the headcount easyer)
There are 2 suggestions made by the folks who coach marketeers. The first is to imagine everyone in the audience has a chicken on their head. The second is to imagine the audience is naked. I’m not sure about the second one . . .
Cliff, The model came out fantastic… I have been following the build
all along, watching it’s progress… Everyone else mention all the cudo’s
as the build progressed… I acknowledged all your posts as it went along…
Totally beautiful display…
Andy
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Thanks very much Andy! I’ve sure appreciated your following this thread and your many “likes,” it means a lot.
Thanks for the advice Pete. 
Just curious on how you as a east coaster ended up falling in love with such a Western railroad and a narrowly focused one at that? Just wondering as it’s clearly bitten you!
You ready to start modeling indoor now that you’ve learned new methods. 
PS, I had a east coast guy in HO contact me about my modeling area and now I’ve got him convinced to model a section of the rr.
This morning at 10:30 we did the “reveal” of the model to all the volunteers and staff of the Sutro Friends. Maybe 30 folks there, and all passionate about the Tunnel.
The presentation, all on the building of the model, went well. I was almost choked up by their enthusiasm, which came from even the main sponsors, directors, historians and docents.
I couldn’t take pics, but other folks did. I’ll post a couple when I get them. But I did hand my phone over for this one, where I’m giving my DS&CVRR plaque to the director of the Dayton Museum, Laura Tennant. She insisted, and of course I complied! Laura is a local historian and long-time newspaper history column editor. She grew up here, and was so pleased with the model, she was in tears. Very touching for me.
I gave the same plaque to the Sutro museum (here, where this model is). And, though I can’t quite believe it, they’re wanting to give me their silver medallion. Only a few made, from actual Comstock silver. They’ll do the presentation when my wife Linda is here, Wednesday morning. I’m still in shock.
Thanks for all your encouragements over all these months!
Blowing bubbles in the corner.
Cliff
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Craig,
Easy coaster, haha! (sorry, you typed “east” I’m sure, but now you’ve given here a tool to rib you…).
You remind me of the intro I got on Friday night, in Dayton NV, before giving my lecture on the DS&CVRR. She (a primary local historian) said that I’m from the east coast, Maryland. And a lot of “ooohs!” were heard. Then I blurted “but I was raised in California!” Then total silence… The Nevadans didn’t like that, haha! So I back pedaled and said I was mainly from Maryland, if years count. And all was fine.
But yeah. I grew up in California, enjoying the Comstock story, which (IMO) constitutes history and technology which pretty much everyone on the planet needs to learn about, appreciate, and make models of. Heck with the gold rush. The silver rush pushed the industrial revolution to the most extreme inventions.
So even though I’m on the “easy” coast ( 
) I’m finding solid friendships and meaningful historical projects nearer my home town (in CA) than where I live. Bummer for me that all this history fun didn’t happen near where we live, but I’m glad these connections have happened at all.
These activities, over the years, have really improved me, in many ways. In spite of the distance, while using modern tech to communicate better than we ever could have in the old days.
As to indoor small scale, yeah, as Rooster would say, that’s for sissy’s. 
We’re working in harsh outdoor environments, and that takes guts and innovation. And my wife wouldn’t let me have the basement for model railroading… 
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You got me on that auto correct… but now it’s edited. 
What’s a basement?
I did my MA thesis on a proposal to build a RR through Yellowstone NP to reach a gold and silver mine in Cooke City. I can totally see why it’s fun to dig into the history of small mining operations, if I wasn’t into this modern internal combustion engines…
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I teach Advanced Placement World History and one of the big topics we discuss in the class is how the discovery of silver in the New World completely changes the world economy and we’re talking 200+ years before your time frame!
Very cool!
So, the silver rush funded the north’s defeat of the south in the Civil war… Wouldn’t that be a natural part of your curriculum?
My US history classes pick up around 1890 so I don’t talk too much about the Civil War. But yes that’s certainly a later impact of silver.
Guess I need to find an excuse to bring a model railroad into my classroom using the history of silver mining etc as the “reason” I need an education layout. (A math teacher at a private school years ago was able to build a classroom RR and used it to teach all kinds of concepts).
Cliff, you better watch your comments about the “War of Northern Aggression”. You do live South of the Mason-Dixon Line.
You know Lou, you’re right…
The Friends of the Sutro Tunnel reported on yesterday’s event here.
Here’s a shot of the audience.
After the powerpoint on the model build, I gave the Sutro folks a DSCVRR (a ghost RR that ran right near this place) plaque as well. This is the Sutro volunteer crew, really good folks.
Today I toodled around Genoa and Minden, looked at the scenery and went into a couple antique stores. Like this one. Hey, I might know that guy… Naah, the eyebrows are wrong.
With the coolest local historian couple you’d ever want to meet, we hiked more Sutro dump lines, and found a very unexpected pair of rails (~24" gauge), branching way down off the main dump level.
Looking at their roadbed going up to dump level.
Maybe it was a way to use mules and rail to haul heavy freight up to the tunnel plateau and its facilities. The track seemed very steep though.
My historian friends, Laura and Stoney Tennant, are holding the boards on the railhead, spaced 11.5’ apart. After measuring in CAD, the rise is only about 2.1", and the slope is 1.5%. I guess not that bad after all. It was Stoney who remembered that the rails were here – a memory from the 60’s! – and who suggested we check them out.
Here’s the top of one of those waste lines. Sadly, bulldozers will be bringing much of this down soon for housing.
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It’s just too bad they didn’t mine gold, as this was a first place endeavor! BRAVO ZULU on an award well earned!
Eric
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Eric, thank you very much!
Linda and I went to the Tunnel, where Taylor Hamby, who handles promotion for the operation, met us. It was so cool when she showed us the interior of the newly restored tunnel and the timbering progress made thus far.
Here’s the “turtle” which is jacked forward 5’ at a time, and then protects workers making the next section.
We then walked around the mansion plateau, very cool, Linda hadn’t seen that. Rooster, about those hold-down cables, here’s one of the “tent pegs” (as Linda called them). That’s an older 10" pipe section from the tunnel, with flanges, buried and strapped with a clevis for the cable. The mansion is gone, but its “tent pegs” will be around a long time!
Taylor then did the presentation from the Friends of Sutro Tunnel.
The medallion consists of silver mined from the Comstock, and stamped in the original Carson Mint press. A hundred made, and they gave me #5. Holy cow… I was, and remain, stupefied by their generosity.
I spent about 1,400 hours on this project, and wanted that to be a donation from me. But I’m astounded at their gift back. And, more importantly, I’m thrilled by their enthusiasm, from all the crew, that this will help tell the story and raise needed donations from visitors.
My heartfelt thanks to all my friends here who’ve kept me on track and motivated.
Cliff
PS, Rooster I finally went to that brewery and bought their last 4-pack. Apparently they don’t can it often. Really good stuff! At the time of purchase, I felt compelled to sample. Occupational duty, right?
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I think that sums it up Cliff. Take a bow my friend.
Cheer
Neil
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So kind of you, Neil. Thank you my friend.