At last, after firing the last tracklaying crew and getting more motivated folks, the first run of the new O&NE has taken place, with RS3 100 doing the honors from the site of the future BF Goodrich tire plant to the Frisco interchange (which is also operation- al, the first Columbus Switcher having dropped off its cars for the O&NE). Now for the Widowmaker Wheat and nachos!! There's still a lot of track to be laid, and a few spurs to be installed, but the main lines are in place, and the spurs will be laid pending purchase of more code 83 turnouts.
Bob...WOW!! Last post it sounded like the start date was still a long way off!! Sometimes you just have to fire the crew you have!! So if you are serious about those Widowmakers, just let me know when! Happy Modeling and Congratulations!! John
Actually, your last post (and several other posts) lit a fire under my,er, caboose and got me going. That, plus I finally got some time off with NO honey-do prejects.
Oh great- now my SON wants me to build his layout It'll be the Joplin District Terminal (JDT, his initials) and will have SW7 number 4692 for road power (4692 is his birth date). It'll give me a grea excuse to get rid of my Atlas code 100 track & turnouts, plus I have an interchange partner to the east.
I found a bit of depressing news- the Miami News-Record (Miami, OK) has an article in the paper about the possible relocation of the town of Picher, which sits in the middle of what was once a large lead & zinc mining area but is now the Tar Creek Superfund Site. Seems the site is rated as the worst in America as far as toxic wastes go (lots of bad stuff leaching out of the old mines), and there is a high concentration of kids with elevated blood lead levels in this area. What does this have to do with trains? Well, my Oklahoma & North Eastern RR (based on the Northeastern Oklahoma) runs through this area, and if I were modeling modern times, I'd be looking for either more real estate to build a new main line, or abandoning altogether, severing the line between Miami and Baxter Springs. But, since I'm modeling the mid-to-late 1970s, this nasty bit of reality doesn't affect me. Could you see evacuating an area where 2,000 people live, and closing off a US highway? Sounds worse than Times Beach.....now I don't want to hear any Coloradans complaining about mine wastes in the Rockies (bad though they are)- your towns aren't being moved.
Bob, Bad news indeed. Good thing the Super Funds haven't caught on in your 1970s time frame!! As for Colorado mine waste...even after the clean-up waste is still leaching into the rivers at an increadible level. Hope they don't move Montrose! Happy Modeling!! John
