THE RAILROAD AT YEAR THREE

Each of the past two years, I have surveyed the railroad as it existed at the beginning of August.  This marks the anniversary of the start of construction on August 1, 2012.  The earlier posts are at

http://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-railroad-at-year-one.html  and

http://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2014/08/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html

I am amazed each year as I look back at those prior posts at just how much I have accomplished in each year.  This year is no exception, as I pushed through the full mainline, wired it, and placed it in service.  The push has been on to be ready for the NMRA National Convention, which will be in Portland two-plus weeks from now!  Meanwhile, I needed to stage the railroad for one last operating session with my local operating crew.  Follow along as I take a lumber drag RR-West from Eugene to Crescent Lake.

  

SPX7480W prepares to leave the Eugene Arrival/Departure Yard.  Another lumber drag and a manifest freight await their turns to head up the Cascades.  Seven of the twelve tracks for this yard are installed.  I work on this area in between higher priority tasks supporting operations.

Another view of SPX7480W as it leaves the Arrival-departure Yard.  The caboose track is in the foreground, just off the RR-East switch lead.  The blank area in the center of the picture will become the diesel servicing facilities.

SPX7480W rolling past the Eugene depot.  My classification yard is in the foreground.

SPX7480W crossing the Willamette River.

SPX7480W takes the main through Springfield.  The first Springfield Switch Job with SP3851 is ready to work the depot side of the main from the depot and Drill-1 tracks.

SPX7480W rolls through West Springfield.

SPX7480W approaches Westfir.  The grain elevator on my Marcola Brach is in the background.

SPX7480W enters East Oakridge.

SPX7480W pulls into RR-West Oakridge on yard track 3.  Waiting on track 1 is another RR-West manifest led by SP9180.  Yard track 4 has the Oakridge Turn with SP7415 waiting to start work.

A helper set led by SP7427 is pulling out of the engine facility at Oakridge.

Our train has been cut in two so the helper can cut-in at the RR-West end of Oakridge.

With helper cut-in mid-train, SPX7480W proceeds uphill, out of Oakridge.

SPX7480W rolls through McCredie Springs.

SPX7480W pulls through the site of Tunnel 20 into Wicopee.

SPX7480W crosses Salt Creek.

The helper set pulls into view and over Salt Creek.

SPX7480W pulls into Cruzatte.

SPX7480W continues the climb through Abernethy and toward the summit.

SPX7480W arrives at Cascade Summit.

The helper is cut out at the summit.

SPX7480W heads out of Cascade Summit and into Crescent Lake.

SPX7480W joins other trains staged at Crescent Lake.

The helper set, now led by SSW9053, crosses over the main and into the Beattie Spur.  It will wait there for permission from the Dispatcher to return to Oakridge.

SSW9053 and SP7427 cross Trapper Creek at the RR-East end of Cascade Summit as they head back downhill to Oakridge.