KINKS! And Thomas...
Quick update on the GNW. Work continues and making good progress. Except for trackwork. I had installed all the track with every other piece of flex track soldered, and a small (1/16"to 1/8") gap between the non-soldered tracks for expansion. I figured this would be more than enough to accommodate thermal expansion as well as the swell and shrink of the benchwork. I was wrong! What was a straight staging yard SO had to go through essentially all the trackwork and recut new gaps. Here is a pic that shows how much the benchwork had shrunk over the last few months as the wood dried out. Keep in mind this is in addition to the gap that was there. Amazing amount of shrinkage, especially considering this was for at most 10', probably closer to 6' of track. Took care of maybe 20 or so kinks and all is well now. With the main loop running, the railroad is seeing more visitors. Of course, they would like to run a train. So without further adieu, please