Last Monday and Tuesday, in between a couple of appointments, I was able to get some ballasting done. I completed about 164 feet of track, although it still needs a little fine-tuning before I can call it finished.

A few weeks back, I was talking with my friend Russ Page, who recommended that I organize a work day. I honestly didn’t know where to begin with that idea, but Russ offered to help by gathering a few guys. That plan came together today, and what a difference it made! Russ assembled a crew of seven, and with the eight of us working together, we managed to put down and level over 430 feet of ballast in just one day. That kind of progress would have taken me weeks on my own. It was a significant help, and I’m very grateful for everyone’s effort and generosity with their time.

To keep things moving forward, I ordered another load of stone today. This delivery should provide enough material to complete the ballasting on the Mountain Division extension, finish off a section of the Blueberry Pass extension, and take care of some needed re-ballasting in a few areas of the existing main line.

If all continues as planned, all of this work will culminate in the dedication of the Mountain Division this coming October—a milestone I’m very much looking forward to.