Down to brass tacks AKA The Golden Spike

Congrats Elliot!!!

Alan

The mainline is done for NOW...... until you decide to change something

Congrats Big E!   Time flies when you're laying track.

That's great, Elliot. There now, it's all done! I know...I know...not quite. Can't wait to see it though, congrats.

Elliot, congratulations.  And it only took three strikes to drive the spike home.

Hi Elliot,  That is a hugh accomplishment to het the mainline finished!  Congrats!

Congratulations,Elliot!  It has been great watching your progress!

Thanks Guys! I fell a bit short of my original goal to have ALL of the track done by the end of the year. I think I need another 3 months.

Doug - No do-overs on the mainline! I really think I have it right, mostly because I'm following the real railroads via Google maps. I've made sure that trains can get in and out of yards. In 2015, I hope to get started with JMRI and enter the schematic so that the mainline will be full CTC.

Carl - The hammer wasn't exactly to scale, and I cheated by pre-drilling the tie. 

Mark - Look for the regular update plus the year end recap late Wednesday per my usual.

Big congrats! Too bad I didn't come down to witness it!

Wow.  Again, I get tired just thinking of all that work.  Congrats!

Hey Elliot that's a nice touch! When do you think a full run of mainline will happen?  All of you that have worked this past year deserve a pat on the back a monumental task completed.

What an amazing accomplishment!

Enjoying 'spiking' that last piece of track!

Unbelievable the progress in the last year.

Way to go Elliot!!!!! Certainly a milestone on your layout progress.

Congratulations Eiliot

Clem k

Another big thank you to all my "non-night owl" friends. 

A quick shout out to Spence, I'm thinking of you.

Ray - As soon as it happens, I'll post a new video. Look for it in a few months.

Nice update Elliot, that is one impressive layout, good luck on the completion schedule.

With that spike in, do you think he's holding back? 

Congrats Elliot on your accomplishment.

Now that you drove the golden spike, it looks pretty lonely on all that spike-less GarGraves track you laid.  Time to start spiking all the other ties! 

Actually, John, the fact that there's just the one is the only hope of ever finding it.

Yeah but he knows where it is...

And I do Too...

Actually, it is located at the western most point of the railroad, which may seem odd for a golden spike.

The entire railroad is composed of two reverse loops. The first is the hidden yard, which is connected by a segment of single track, to the other loop which is the rest of the railroad. I have been continually been working westward, and the spike closed the loop.

Once operational, westbound trains will enter the world on the lower level, and exit on the upper. Eastbound trains start at the top and exit at the bottom. 

So, in a kind of roundabout way, east really does meet west. Hence the spike.

Congratulations.

Thanks Spence. I see you are getting caught up on your reading.

Good going Elliot. As big as that thing is I wasn't sure I'd live long enough to a see a spike anywhere.

Larry

Congratulations!  Even though I haven't done a large layout in a while, it's quite an accomplishment to have the main line completed and ready to go!

Elliot - I don't know how I missed this thread, but I did. 

That is fantastic!  And you finished with a bang with your golden spike too, way to go.  I want to come and see the layout but the longer I wait, the more there is to see.  You and your track laying crew have done a super job.

Art