Points of Interest
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 After I was finished installing the main track, I quickly realized the usefulness of having a siding. There were only a couple realistic places to have one, and here you see one if them. Just like the main curves, it's a 54" radius turnout here, leading to a nice long spur. One issue here was that I had to tear up part of the existing shelving and replace it with a double-wide to accommodate the siding track. The other issue, a minor one, was that by installing the spur, I effectively reverted the main track back to a basic curved rectangle/oval. Oh well, no biggie  And here you see the other place for a siding, of which I took full advantage. I also contemplated having a spur off the spur, breaking through the wall and running the track into the hall a bit by the "To Trains" sign. Stay tuned, as I have not yet abandoned that idea  Here's a shot to better see the secondary spur from the underside and how it crawls nicely above the door frame. This particular siding is also using a 54" switch, but to get the most linear inches of track, I used 31" radius curves for the siding itself  Here you get a secret glimpse at one of the turnout controls, hidden nicely under and behind the track support  Here we have Jared's Place, complete with trees and an F-150 pickup. Jared decided that this was his little house in the woods and that's cool with me  Jared's place at dusk  Milton Junction station. Milton is where I gained a specific love of trains by visiting my Grandparent's home there in Wisconsin. Like most small towns, in the midwest, it had a few train tracks, many of which I walked upon looking for interesting things. Every now and then, a railroad spike lying in the ballast would be that visit's souvenir The coolest thing about this particular building is that it's the only surviving artifact from my O-scale train collection I had when I was a kid. I had saved it all these years and finally I was able to use it again here  Another shot of Milton Junction, showing the operating crossing gate out front and the Wisconsin state trooper waiting to catch someone speeding across the tracks, or bust someone causing mischief by stealing loose railroad spikes along the track  The massive steel arch bridge across the great window chasm with Jared's place in the distance  A view down the line towards the girder bridge. Note the whistle post!  A closer view of the Pennsylvania Railroad girder bridge  One more detail on each of the sidings are lighted bumpers. Very neat when running the trains at night  Here we see an F18 Hornet low-flying over the Pennsy bobber caboose |
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