More progress on the upper loop

Today I finished up work on the second trestle segment and decided on part of the track alignment for the upper loop. I'm just about ready to start work on the next trestle segment but need to give a little more thought first to exactly where it will go.

The trestle segment I had built earlier in the week was finished except for the last trestle bent which I could not place until I had rebuilt the rock retaining. I secured the track on top of the completed trestle so I could determine exactly where the track would be headed.

With track alignment decided, I built the rock wall up higher than it had been, and I then needed to move some dirt here to build the land up higher.

I then put the last trestle bent in place and let that sit overnight.

Today I laid out the track on the raised bed and then secured it with ballast once I was happy with where it was.

I thought that I had enough track in place on the upper loop to merit a a test run. I shortened the train and then shoved it up the hill very slowly past the switch.

The test train then headed out across the trestle and bridge.

And here the train is nearing the end of the line as it loops around the tree.

This will be my next area of focus. I need to decide on how this loop will line up with the next trestle and decide on the final placement of the second bridge.

Today's flower pictures all come from my yard. This is Lewis flax (Linum lewisii).

This is Microseris nutans which only blooms in the morning. I've seen a lot of this locally when hiking this week.

Shrubby penstemon (Penstemon fruticosus)

This is the species of little sunflower we have in eastern Washington, Helianthella uniflora. 

Update on upper loop trestle work

This week I continued working on the upper loop which connects two areas of raised land with trestles and bridges. Yesterday I finished up work on the first of the trestle segments and today I built most of the second segment. I'm happy with how good it is looking.

This was the state of the first trestle segment after my earlier work.

Putting the final bent in place next to the bridge pier, securing the stringers on top and adding the remaining braces to connect the bents. Just need to let everything sit over night so the glue can dry.

The next day I removed all my clamps and the first trestle segment was complete! I then put the track in place so I could make sure everything was aligned as expected. I also wanted to connect the track on this side of the bridge before moving to the other side of the bridge. 

Here's another view of the completed trestle segment with the track in alignment. Doesn't it look great? Right in the middle of the picture you can see one issue—there's a gap between the track and the stringers, so I must have miscalculated that bent height by about a 1/4 inch. I'll fill in the gap with shims so the track is supported.

With the track aligned on the trestle, I worked back to the switch that allows trains to move from the upper loop to the lower main loop. Once I had that aligned I anchored everything in place with ballast.

A reverse view of the completed area. I'm so happy with how this is looking.

With the first trestle segment complete, it was time to move on to the second segment on the other side of the bridge. First I finalized alignment of the bridge pier, then laid out the plan for where each bent would be placed.

I then scraped out dirt and placed a gravel foundation for each bent. On the left is a double bent that I'll use next to the bridge pier.

This is my field work bench for finishing up the bents. I prep the bents ahead of time so they dry, and then cut them to the correct height and add the mud sill as I'm constructing the trestle.

This is as far as I made it today. I went ahead and added all the braces as I'm realizing it's better to do this all at once rather than in two phases like I did earlier.

I haven't connected the last bent yet, as I need to move some rocks around and build up the rock wall that supports the raised bed a little bit higher. 

Oh no! My first serious train accident. I clearly wasn't paying attention while I was working on the trestle, and the last three cars of the train disconnected. When the train came around the loop it collided with the orphan cars. If I was a train engineer I would have been fired for letting this happen.

Although the train wasn't going fast, the locomotive hit the back coupler of the caboose in just the right spot to cause damage and the truck broke off. This caboose is out of service until it can be fixed in the PE&A shop.