Some photos from today (Saturday, September 21st), showing the rail put down last Wednesday being partially spiked freeing insta-track units, plus Mike's work to lay buried magneto phone line. More or less in chronological order from this morning.
Early this morning, Mike was busy breaking a trench for phone wire a short distance north of where he ended the prior Saturday. Trout Brook bridge is visible in the distance to the north.
Standing behind (south of) Casey the bulldozer, the view looking north toward the bridge, as Mike worked. We see the end of the road fabric put down in advance of placement of ties and rails, with a stake marking the centerline for the track. A magneto telephone post will placed to the right of the tree on the right, where the phone line Mike buried last weekend meets the phone line buried today.
Turning 180 degrees to look north, we see the end of the ties and rails put down last Wednesday. After ditching and putting down grass seed, Mike spread the hay over the ditches a week ago.
Fred rightly complains we always take photos of him sitting, and not so much when he is working. Here's Fred spiking, as Leon Weeks and his grandson Jared look on. Fred was also engineer for today's work train. Note the new tie nippers (lifters) -- one in use on the left, and another on the ground on the right in front of Leon. Leon recently made them in his shop. They worked great today.
A view from the rear (north end) of the work train. The steel drums on the right mark the area where the start of the new ties and rail were put down last Wednesday. The new rail at this end has been fully spiked on the east rail and safety spiked on the west.
Looking south, folks safety spiking the west rail.
Late morning, Mike putting down the phone wire from where he ended last weekend to just south of Trout Brook bridge.
Unlike Wednesday, it was a summery day today, with temperatures in the low 80s in the afternoon. The right-of-way looks great, pretty much all ready for the Fall Work Weekend. By mid-afternoon, the cycle 1 rail put down Wednesday had been fully spiked on the east and safety spiked on the west. Spikers will be busy first thing Friday of Fall Work Weekend on this section as more ties and rail are put out by the gantry train.
