Did a survey of the layout today. Frost heave, failed glue joints, rock falls, warped and cracked wood, stuff broken or just plain gone missing, lots of soggy dead stuff, mud in the pond, you name it…
A week of nice days, and it might be ready to THINK about running a train.
I’ll start pulling up dead annuals and the dead stuff off the perennials today and tomorrow - but they want freezing rain on Friday, blech!
This was a very tough winter. I don’t see any more than “normal” damage so far, but 75% or more is still buried and some encased in thick ice.
I dread to see what kind of shape my stuff is in after being buried for so long. 95% is still under snow and ice.
Ya’ know last year we got dumped on and all was buried for awhile. When the snow receded it wasn’t as bad as what I thought. However this year we missed a lot of the snow and had heavy icing ,the ice we had sure moved stuff around.
It’s strange how winter damage can vary. This year I didn’t even have any electrical problems. I cleaned the track, got the engines out, and everything worked! Go figure!
My line held up very well. Had a few sticks to remove, fixed the support for my roof on the general store, and had to fix one of my switch stands. Once the ground thaws I just have to re level in a few spots and do my yearly reblasting. Other then that I cleaned the tracks and the trains went around with no problems. It survived its third winter with no real major issues.
Since this was the first winter for on the new line - plus long freezes, deep snow and a lots of ice - I figured we’d have a bunch of re-leveling to do… just not quite as much as there is. The UV, water and weather resistant Marine Goop glue just giving up is what is the most annoying. Even E-6000 seems to have held up (slightly) better…
Anybody tried the ‘multi-purpose’ stuff for ABS, PVC, CPVC on piko or aristo structures?
no bothersome clean up when all of your track in stored in the barn and your locos are packed away…of course you never get to run trains, but you skip the Spring Cleaning 
I am trying out a new glue that is working so far. It is called
Sticky Ass Glue
No kidding, that’s what it’s called!
It comes from Pasadena, Calif. and even has a website.
Sticky Ass Glue We have Bad Ass Coffee Company here and one might think their coffee tastes like glue but I haven’t tasted glue so I don’t know.
TOF in Hawaii
And I’m supposed to lick sime? =D =D
This winter the Detroit had an over the average amount of snow, in fact this Feb’s snow fall amount was second only to the snow that fell in Feb, 1908. As a result, have no idea what the railroad looks like yet, I’m sure I’ll have quite a bit of trackwork to do. All buildings & rolling stock were brought inside for the winter at least. BRING ON SPRING !!!
You have it wrong. The glue tastes like coffee.
Nah, I just checked. It doesn’t smell the same as my Folgers!
Doug Arnold said:There's your problem! They said coffee, not battery acid
It doesn't smell the same as my Folgers!
Ya but it’s a little cheaper at Costco!
Finally, a really nice day! Spent about 2 hours pulling up/digging out Gil o’er the Ground (aka Creeping Charlie) from along the border. Got about 1/2 way around… we also found a tiny (1" tall) spruce coming up between the rocks!
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3180021.jpg)
Then we ran into the first rock fall - instead of just resetting them, we moved the edge wall out about 18" to accommodate some cabins (Dawgpatch)
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3180019.jpg)
There was some serious settling (over an inch) in the high fill area between the steel bridge and trestle, so I used up a couple 5 gal buckets worth of boney as sub-bed rather than dig out the blocks. It will eventually get a cover of limestone – just like a real RR (Besides, not much grows in that stuff)
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3180024.jpg)
Yet more boney for fill
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3180025.jpg)
The tunnels will both need partially dismantled to fix rock falls and address minor clearance issues. So I might as well make “proper” portals and maybe wing walls. Anybody have advice on casting concrete, or would pressure treated wood be a better choice? We also have about 15 ‘volunteer’ maple trees to transplant. Anybody want a tree? Just pick it up on your way home from the ECLSTS
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3180022.jpg)
A pleasant surprise – about half a dozen fish survived all those months under the ice…
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3180018.jpg)
The business district is out. I need to do some repairs on the other buildings – plus dig out more Creeping Charley. Quite a ways from being ready to run trains, yet… but looks more like a RR…
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3180026.jpg)
Good to see your railroad again. Cant wait to see the trains out.
Kim and I spent the last two days digging up maple trees, thistles, and Creeping Charlie. While we were at it we decided to expand the village.
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3210026.jpg)
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3210025.jpg)
Means I need to get some more houses! We ran the first ‘train’ yesterday and found more spots that need help.
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3200020.jpg)
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3200022.jpg)
Today we ran #6, which didn’t care too much about the bad track, but the wind kept blowing the big Lionel boxcar off the track. Tatters von Ragamuffin has decided he’s the road foreman… but says the train doesn’t smell alive even though it moves.
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3210023.jpg)
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/AV2011/P3210024.jpg)
I went out to the layout when I was working on finishing it, what a mess! construction materials and crap all around it…Got out the shop-vac, looks great now! During this weekend’s storm where we OVER 4 inches of rain AGAIN 
, I kept right on working on the layout testing rolling stock.
One of the perks being indoors I guess, 
