I'm going to post some FWW tracklaying related photos, but these will be some of the less exciting but still necessary activities that occur before the rails can be placed.
Ties were cut to length an stacked earlier at TOM (Top of Mountain) in large stacks. But to work with Elmer Gantry, the ties need to be bundled in stacks of 14 so they can be strapped together with a 'spreader bar with a lifting loop'.
Note: These photos are 'clickable' thumbnails; click to see larger.
Here we see ties
stacked in groups of 14 sufficient for most of the next two days:
Here we see Elmer Gantry preparing to load some of the tie stacks:
[/url[/size]
]Details of the strapped bundles with the spreader on top, and the Gantry's chainfall moving a bundle aboard the flatcar.
Here we see a tie bundle being unloaded from Elmer at the current temporary end-of-track:
Once the bundle is set down and the straps released, additional rails will placed.
As of Friday PM, rails are perhaps now about 40 feet south of the Trout Brook bridge (means rails have not yet crossed the bridge).
Finally, a couple of spike maul 'handles' that "gave their all" today:
