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    Got ties don on the connecting track  last night and started the rail.  This includes building the 3 way into it.  I cut the three way off at the stubs  and nailed it to the battens, then proceeded with the ties from that point..  I was only about a foot short with the rail it seems.  Hopefully I can get the connecting track on the ground and tied in with the mainline and the Yard this afternoon.

    Then its into The Shop for Groundthrow 101.  I got the Hartford products Harp switchstand , but I don;t know how durable thats gonna be  for the three way.  I guess I will start with the Junction Switch and work from there.

1530

    What a chore!  Got the connecting track builtin place.  The hard part was lining up all SIX rail joiners on the three way stub.  Ended up having to move the whole half the yard closer to the junction to get everything connected.  Looks like the curve, the junction switch , and Port Lavender line will have to be relaid next year.

Monday, August 23, 2004 0930

    Test Ran No2, No8, and 306 in the first section of the yard yesterday evening.  Overall I have to say that I'm pleased.  The curve onto the Interchange track is tight though, even No2 groans going around it.  if I can get No6 back up and running, She'll be a good choice for the Yard switcher in Cassville.  Then I'l assign No2 as a switcher in Anns Creek. No8 8 tracks fine through the new pointwork, but I've got to get some groundthrows out there to hold the moving rails in place.

1200

    Grand thought on operations, rethinking the layout of Anns Creek Its gonna all center around the Rockhardt Brick Plant.  Thinking on taking the pair  of 50 series hoppers and put lids on them and have a pair of 2 ft gauge covered hoppers.  Could have them load at Port Lavender, as well as having other materials brought in by boxcar as well.

Tuesday, August 24, 2004, 1000

    Got the 2nd half  of the Yard  finished  up yesterday evening.  The rail between  the cabin track switch and the  Escape Track can;t be laid til I get the last switch built, still need to build the Cabin track as well.  Graded the area for the 2nd half and dropped it in place.  still need to grade it down about half an inch  so that the slop takes cars away from the mainline.  Then 10 railjoiners to line up across the joint in the yard.

    Got an ideer on how to handle the 3 way.  I have a design for a switch stand , upright type using a penny as a disk.  Wish I had thought of it before  I installed the switch, its gonna be a pain to install will have to build it, mount it, and then set it for distance of travel.  Dead center will be easy, will prolly have to put in longer switch ties to get enough clearance.

Wednesday, August 25, 2004 1130

    Studying hard on the switch stand idea  for the three way  Thinking that a low Starr Type might be the way to go.  It can be made from brass tee and strip  and a penny for the disk.  I beleive instead of cutting  a slot in the penny  to lock the handle.  I can drill a hole, and solder in a pin.  Be a lift throw drop arrangement.

1600

    Got it figgered out.  Gonna use a penny for the disk.  Cut wo sections of tee at an angle  soldered to a peice of brass strip at the top and bottom for the 'legs' of the stand.  I might just notch a section of tee and file it flat between the nothces and bend the remainder down for the legs.  Then I only have to solder a strip to the bottom and the penny to the top .  Ican drill a hole from the top to the bottom to accept the shaft.  The feet of the stand will be strip as well, drilled out to accept wood screws to hold it to the ties.  The shaft will be rod, with square tubing soldered to it  making connecting points for the handle and throwbar.

Thursday, August 26, 2004, 0700

    The switch stand is well under way.  I experimented a little before  deciding on a final design.  Dis covered that the tee when notched and filed flat was too weak to be bent without breaking.  I ended up cutting of two sections of tee at an angle  and silver solderingthem to the penny.  Used a series of brass strip for the 'feet' , it all soldered up nicely.  I drilled down  throught he top of the penny on the drill press all the way through the bottom to make way for the shaft which is simply a section of brass rod.  At the top I soldered  on a piece of square tubing  as a fixture  to mount the handle.  I'll also  drill down though this to mount a pin that locks the stand in position.  While waiting for the various assemblies to cool I got all 10 rail joiners to splice the yard together, I'm gonna try to do that  this evening as well as finishing up the switchstand.

Friday, August 27, 2004, 0830

    The Big Splice got done yesterday evening, only 3 1/2 ground throws  away from being able to make trains up in the yard.  Finish the satnd for the three way and get it installed, the ground throws for the others should be a piece of cake.

    I think I'll wait til after vacation  to rebuild the Junction Switch and Summit Curve.  The Port Lavender line is really in bad shape too.  Prolly start pulling it up and relaying it this fall.  I'm thinking I need to get No6 fixed up for the  Cassville Shifter and I really need to get some more cars built so that it don;t look so empty.

1130

    Great idea on how to adapt the knuckle couplers to the LNPs.  And adapter car.  Sort of a short steel flat with a water tank on it it fro weight that has the three position coupler pockets on each end,  Can either accept a link or a knuckle and cut into trains at the appropriate position.  Number them in the Xseries and let them serve as auxillary water cars as well.  Would need at least a pair of them.

1500

    Finished the switchstand for the three way, fabricated athrowbar from bras as well and got it all installed and tuned.  Work Great!  Now onto the groundthrows for the other three turnouts.

2200

    Made up a ground throw for the first  switch in the yard ladder, wasn;t entirelyhappy with the results.  I think I might make up switch stands for the rest of them.  May try to tighten up the ground throw I got, but it doesn;t look promising.