Week 573

Sun, Jul 20, 2025 thru Sat, Jul 26, 2025

Sun, Jul 20, 2025

Putting the "asphalt" on top of the base at the
Bellwood Station Center Platform 

Mon, Jul 21, 2025

Up early to get some work done on the Bellwood Station Center Platform

Removing the pieces before the next step...

...which is to clean up the mess in between the tracks

Add the glue...

...reinsert the base plate...

...glue the top of the base plate...

...then add the "asphalt" with weights until tonight.

Train Day is Back!

w/Rob Fair 6-8:15pm 2.25 hrs.

Jordan Osborn 6-7pm 1 hr.

Marcus Thorsen 6:30-7pm .5 hr.

Rob and I will start tonight in the CNW East Yard
at Proviso Yard doing some switching

Jordan joins the crew a few minutes later...

After switching the yard, we begin prep for Sequence
Train #12, 13. Rob is retrieving the power from the
Chicago Terminal Engine Facility

Marcus joins the crew about 6:30pm.

I'm working on adding a sidewalk over the rails
to justify the sidewalk at the top of this picture 
which goes to no where.

Marcus and Jordan have a little pow wow.

After weathering the center platform, I started
drilling holes for platform lights

After testing each light at the workbench
Rob & I inserted the platform lights

Next up?
Adding platform lights at Wheaton Station.

Some rare footage of me working on the RR.

Rob Fair took these of me...

Tue, Jul 22, 2025

No train activity today

Wed, Jul 23, 2025

Working on the RR...

My first order of business was to extend the wires
on one of the lamp posts

You can see the section I soldered together and used
a piece of shrink wrap to protect the exposed wire

Here are all the poles ready to be secured.

I laid out the stakes that I will use to secure them

You can see the stakes on either side of the lamp post

I set the stakes...

...but not hammered into position...yet...

...until now when they are all secured

...even the far end of the platform.

Next up?
Securing the sidewalk from the other end of the road
to Bellwood station

Now it's time to switch gears.
Heading to the workbench to add a new coil car
to the layout.

Adding metal wheel sets

I still have quite a few in my inventory

I put it through my regular maintenance check list

Now it's in place on the layout ready for a test run
pick up on the next EB train at the West Chicago
Transfer Track

My work area became quite a mess.
No running trains until it's cleaned up.

Thu, Jul 24, 2025

Up early to do one task...

I had to move the new coil car to a different location...

...I used this locomotive to make the move...

...to track 3 at the Repair in Place shop in West Chicago

That took about 10 minutes.
Now to update the paperwork.

Later this afternoon I worked on some minor projects...

I repaired the fence at the warehouses in the Industrial Park

I also worked on the sidewalk that leads to Bellwood station

AND, I started working on a safety wall near
the Industrial Park and the upper level at Melrose Park.

Fri, Jul 25, 2025

Up early to follow-up on yesterday's minor projects...

Removed the blue tape.
Fence is now repaired.
Looking good!

Removed the weights.
Now just need to paint the landing.

Gluing the sections together.
After this dries I will add to the scene
at the Industrial Park

Finished painting the sidewalk that leads to the crosswalk.
I still need to weather the new path and add the crosswalk.

After gluing the pieces together I added the new
barrier piece to the bridge

=========================================================================

Train session at Tom Stover's today

11am - 3pm

Tom's neighbors came by today. Do you recognize
the young man on the right? He worked for the
Sugar Grove Park District at Henry's basketball games.
He also played varsity basketball at Kaneland H.S.

I started off the session running this train.

Don works the transfer yard

Tom was the dispatcher today

Jim ran the "milk" train

Alan getting a ground level view of the staging area
also known as "Salt Lake City".

Sat, Jul 26, 2025

Adding the crosswalk to Bellwood station

After pulling up the tape there is some white paint
that "bled" which I will repair with black marker

Now it's time to add the wall.
Did you notice I weathered the sidewalk too?

Fitting the pieces together.
Hopefully it will look something like this.

Pieces cut - ready to glue.

All set.
Now to go back and paint the bottom section.

Back at Chicago Terminal Track 4.
I've cut the rails to isolate this track.

I want to keep the AmTrak loco on the layout, so
I need to isolate this track to make that happen.

Installing the switch on the facia

Drilling the holes for the new wires.

Inserting the wires from below.

Soldering the wires to the rails.

A look from the other side.

Going back to the crosswalk and trimming out the
white paint using a black marker.

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to view this week's Layout Update

Duration: 04:57 mins.