Mark you have very well with your layout construction and looks very nice. You are WAY ahead of me I am still wiring. I built 4 of GRJ watchdogs and got them installed this weekend and that is about where I will take a break. I ran out of two wire colors and had to order 2 more 100 foot roles of each. Keep up the great work you have a lot to be proud of and accomplished.
Mark,
I agree with the above statements. You have come a long way with this project and have made great use of your space. I think the pace you have taken has made for the necessary time to just run trains. The next phases coming will present you with a lot of creativity but if those trains are not running as desired, it will take away from it. Congratulations on your progress and thanks for sharing it with all of us.
Dave
It's important that we note where we have been and how we got to the present state. "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".
Keep up the good work!
George
Mark, if you are half as complementary to your family as you are to others on this forum you are in a great place regardless of the train layout.
I have enjoyed this past year watching your progress, and was inspired by your posts to share mine. Happy new year!
There is a lot that you have completed and probably had not thought about 5 years ago. The bridges are something that come to mind or relays and all that fun stuff. Seems to me that when you ran the trains in the Fall and had your dream consist on the tracks you reached a major milestone.
Here is to the next five years without the medical issue.
Mark......keep up the great work.......and, thank you for sharing your journey with us!
Peter
And let's not forget, knee replacement and back surgery in between....
You've made great progress Mark. I've enjoyed following your build as time has gone by. I'm 7 years in at the end of the month and I can't believe how fast the time has gone.
Needless to say, you have stuck to your plan for the most part. With some nudging on the engine house and yard....
. The layout is going to be beautiful when it's done. Run trains and enjoy your accomplishments. The scenery will get there in due time.
Bob
Thank you everyone for the comments!
Andy, Yes I made a start on scenery. Not much to speak of yet. This was made from a bunch of left over pieces. I do need to buy some more Styrofoam for the base.
Dave C, You are right. Once I got started on Plan D, construction has flowed pretty well. I did hit a lot on the checklist. One thing that I didn't is like you switching to Rutland. The N&W J and B&O Cincinnatian are long gone; sold and much more Western Maryland has been purchased. I do have a B&O and a Chessie engine and a couple caboose of each.
Rick, I'm glad you got the GRJ Watchdogs working. It is interesting you mentioned wire. I have plenty of the #14 red and black I used for the track power feeds, but barely have any of the smaller wire I used for the switches and uncouplers. I switched colors a couple of times for one more run, but it is obvious where the changes are. I just picked up the corrected drawings yesterday, and will have to make final copies before some of the scratch-outs don't make sense to me anymore. I'll have to buy more wire before the next wiring project.
Dave, So far running trains has worked out pretty well. The last problem was where one engine hit the DZ1000 mounting screw, but that wasn't much of an issue.
George, You are right about looking back and not forgetting where you came from. That can help pinpoint where a particular action led to a problem down the road that can be remembered for future problems.
Dan, Thank you! I'm glad to be able to inspire others, just like others inspired me.
Bill, Five years ago, and even 2 years ago, I had no intention of buying any AIUs. Now I have two in service and one extra. Thank you for all the help on getting them setup and wired. That doubleheader coal train with the pusher was a particular goal. I actually let it sit on the layout and didn't run any other trains for about a month because I hated to break up the train. The next 5 years without medical issue would be great! Between my wife and I, we have had 13 surgeries performed by that orthopedic group in the last 20 years. The most serious of those have been in the last 5 years. 
Both the knee and the hand specialists always chuckle when they see us back! $$
Peter, Thank you!
Bob, How could I forget the knee and back surgeries?? 
Today was rough taking down the Christmas tree and some other assorted decorations. I intended to leave the yard Nativity out there past January 6th. If the weather is too bad, it may stay until spring. You are right about sticking to the plan. The enginehouse and yard were new. I intended to fit in an extra siding or two, but didn't know where until I had the track basically done.
I have been moving stuff around under the layout making some more room. Work space is really at a premium.
Thank you again for all the great comments!
Attachments
You should post some videos of the trains making their way around your layout Mark!
Bill Yo, I have one of the train Bill Webb mentioned above. I’ll have to look it up and post it. What I need to do is get the hoppers off the layout and do a video of a mixed freight or passenger train. Thank you for the suggestion!!!
You had the video of the hopper train and I really enjoyed it! I'm the type of person that likes to see the entire layout instead of trying to assemble it in my head from pictures.
I'll see what I can do to show the whole layout, Bill!
Your progress despite the medical issues is re-Mark-able. 
Seriously, I know how that goes. Just the most recent three years: my wife had three hip replacements in one year (2018, all on the same hip), I was hospitalized in 2019, and my wife broke her ankle in 2020 with a long convalescence. Let's say that progress on my layout has been minimal, so I am very impressed with what you have managed to do. 
Happy New Year Mark. 5 years, oh my goodness. Seems like that will hit the York 5 years ago first timers reunion for us. Glad to see you get going on things and come out where you have gotten to.
I remember what Gun Runner John said about scenery, which is an extremely helpful perspective to have. He said, "I can do everything with electronics, Harry is the scenery guy. I don't need too much fancy stuff..." Or something pretty much on par with that.
The main thing is that you are still moving right along(down the tracks am I allowed to say?). While it may have been a long bit since I have really looked hard at things on this topic, it always brings a smile a mile wide just reading a few comments or a few pages(if possible for me if time permits). I still think one of the best things I had seen last year was the bridges and how you made them lift bridges. Gotta give that to you. Keep things going Mark, and who knows, maybe my Railroad CEO will eventually decide to break ground, lol.
Steve, thank you for the compliment. Seeing your post reminds me to remark that I have the parts you sent me to fix the top of the smaller truss bridge sitting on a shelf. IT is interesting, that when the train is running, I never notice the gap on the top of my bridge. I'll get to that one day. I'm sorry about all of your surgeries, especially about your wife's trouble with the hip.
Dave, thank you! Yes we are coming up on that meeting at our first trip to York. I still remember you walking up to me, and I didn't recognize you because of your sunglasses. I still have my two York passes in the holder hanging in the train room. Thank you about the lift bridges. It just shows what we can learn by sharing on the Forum. I got the idea and some coaching from Mike G., then I worked out how to adapt it to my situation. I've been pleased it still works good. I hope you get time to break ground as well.
You've come a long way in 5 years and have trains up and running so feel good about your accomplishments!
-Greg
Greg, Thank you! Yes I am pleased. This is the farthest I have gotten on a layout in 25 years. Raising our family and moves to different houses because of employment changes took priority, as they should.
Mark, Reflecting on the last five years, well since I've only been on this forum for less than one, I can only say that from reading past posts that you have a great layout well underway. Well planned and executed trackwork, excellent wiring, two awesome lift bridges, and a good start on the scenery base. All this is a huge accomplishment and something to be proud of!
Perhaps even more importantly, is the advice, moral support and encouragement you continually offer to others here on the forum. I'm very glad you and others with a similar mindset are a part of this community. Thank you for all of your contributions.
Steve, thank you for the encouraging words to me. I totally agree that there are so many folks here who have a similar mindset. You are welcome, I am happy to encourage others. You have contributed so much t this forum yourself that I wouldn't have thought you have only been here less than a year!!!
BillYo, I am working on setting up a new train to video on the layout. I hope to have something to share soon!
Mark, you're welcome. Thank you for the compliment.
