This week brought some intense heat, but I still managed to make solid progress. On Tuesday, I laid another 80 feet of track, and on Wednesday, I added another 50 feet and began some initial ballasting. I completed about 60 feet of ballast from the old trestle to the new one. After that, the heat finally got the better of me—and I ran out of rail and joiners.

When I placed my original order, I calculated enough rail for the new stretch, but I hadn’t factored in replacing the rail on the old trestle and the lead track connecting it to the new section. So now, a shipment of rail, joiners, and screws is on its way—somewhere between Ohio and here.

The forecast looks much more favorable in the coming week. If the shipment arrives in time for my day off, I just might finish the final 205 feet needed to tie into the existing main line. Once that’s done, it’ll be nothing but ballasting from there.

Here are a few pictures.