People always ask where are the new train kids?  That is a good question and I started to think about me being a kid.

Back in the 70's we did not have Video Games, Computers or the internet. The TV only had 5 stations and one of them was PBS, R/C cars and planes were still expensive and used fuels, not many electric R/C cars that worked well.

The La Grange engine service tracks and caboose track are starting to get some use.

View of La Grange with Tortilla Flats and Gila Springs in the back ground.

The other end of the La Grange Industrial Park yard.

GS&M crews march on...

After the 1st set of track goes into place a Trio of C-630 pulls a tank train from staging up and out of the main Helix.

You can see how the main works it way out of the Helix and into La Grange.  The Alcos are on what will become the A/D tracks for La Grange.

Using a section of oak to test bend the plywood that will lead out of the main Helix and into La Grange.  You can see Gila Grains from this angle.

Photo of the Helix exit.  You can see I have not fully finished the front face of the bench work yet at the end of the 1x6.  Gila Springs in on the back wall to the right. 

The lower deck is built of what I call the backbone of the layout 3 4x1 with plywood sandwiched in between them.  The Backbone is the anchor for the peninsula.  The spine sits directly above the Backbone. 

The Upper spine is a 6" x 10' long section of wood that sits on top of Oak Uprights.  Every thing is tied together with Metal - T that will have lag bolts running thought the web of the spine.

The Helix...

Every 180' each set of tracks gets a feeder.  I used short drywall screws to hold the sections together.  No Glue.

This is the GS&M track plan for now.  I do not have the transition level or the staging yard track plan shown.  both not very exciting to look at.  We do have Red Mesa Mine and Knot Mine on the transition level as it pass around Noose aka Transition level.

The 2 track Main Helix runs from the stage yard located under the lower level up to La Grange.  The Main Helix is used for getting trains in and out of staging and can be back filled with trains during operations. Inner loop is down, outer loop is up.

The end of the stage yard that feeds the entire layout.

2 Yards on the GS&M - Old Pueblo Yard: OPY & La Grange Industrial Park: LGIP

 With all the talk about Yards the last few days.  I figured I would post a few photos of the 2 main Yard areas on my layout The Gila Springs & Mesquite.