The JSSX This Week (02/02/19)

After my "retrospective" of the blog's first 99 posts a couple of weeks ago, I got to thinking that maybe I should try to come up with some sort of plan for what to accomplish this year along the layout.  There's lots of things that really should be done to improve it, and a bunch that would be nice to have.

I started to make a sort of list of things that I think should get done, but I gave up on that when the list about 20 items or so.  But generally speaking, and probably just like nearly every other model railroad out there,  have buildings, trackwork, scenery, and electrical that all need repairs improvements, and maybe even completion.  And there's also a ton of weathering for me to get to on freight cars, engines, and buildings.

So, without a set plan, it lookslike I'll continue to do things in no particular order (again), but either as necessary or just whenever I feel like working on them.  I typically have 2 or 3 things on the go at any given time anyway.

The first one that I've really set out to do improvement-wise this year, is to re-align some track.  My Grand Trunk line runs in a continuous loop, but it hasn't really had anything to do operationally other than to interchange freight cars to and from my JSSX. By doing some fairly simple track re-alignment, which I accomplished over two days, I've given the Grand Trunk 4 industries to switch out. Of course it still interchanges with the JSSX and can still run continuously. I like that part because sometimes it's nice just to turn the power on to the layout and watch a train run.

Anyway, this track arrangement leaves the short line JSSX with 4 industries to serve, plus it can spot cars temporarily into the spur at that big building with all those broken windows.  Given the amount of layout space available in that area, doing that can really complicate matters when the oil storage site requires switching.

In the photo below, the 2 tracks on the right and the spur with the TBOX are now part of the Grand Trunk.  The 2 tracks on the left belong to the JSSX.  The Grand Trunk tracks used to run where that far-too-shiny looking roadway is now.


In the middle of the picture is going to be my new scrap metal recycler industry.  That spur is going to be buried in dirt, and will be able to hold 3 gondolas, but I think that 2 will probably work out better for this size of layout.

This new track arrangement also meant that I could remove about 7 feet of the GT line that had become redundant.  I've turned that into a paved roadway that runs past a metal recycler industry that I've been wanting to get going on.  Gotta have somewhere for my gondolas to go.

The view from the opposite end of the new scrap metal place.  Work continues on this industry, as I've been putting together more fencing to close it in.  I will also try to rough-in a couple of scrap piles.  The ramp was given to me by Don Janes.

I've relocated a diamond crossing from the opposite end of the layout to this location behind the closed down warehouse.  This is where the GT loop returns to it's 3-track yard.  The JSSX continues on from here to the South In dustrial  Ave. switching district Don't worry, these two trains didn't collide.  I just staged them close together like that for the picture.

And changing gears a bit now, kind of new is this highway tractor and low-boy flat bed trailer that I picked up at the Woodstock show last month.  I gave the trailer a quick spray with some flat black.  The planks on the trailer had been a bright, really glossy orangeish-brown colour.  I re-painted them with "barn wood" craft paint and then a wash of flat black over top of that.  I tried some mud colour on the tires, but I don't like how it turned out so that's got to come off.  That's it for this week. Thanks for looking in, and Happy Groundhog Day.