ODave's Saginaw Valley & Western

[odave]

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

...critters are going to be a bigger problem than insects.

I have a some rabbits living under the floor but they pretty much keep to themselves. I suppose you'll have some bigger neighbors

The level of thought and planning that went into your design is breath taking!!

Thanks. I attribute that to spending almost 2 years in the armchair while I worked on finishing the shed or was otherwise distracted. Unfortunately I'm doing this layout on a shoestring in both money and time which leaves a lot of opportunity for "brain work" and reading the excellent advice of posters on this and other forums, along with John Armstrong & Tony Koester's desgin books.

...it originated as a lumber line, transporting rough cut to furniture makers?

Pretty much. I grew up in Merrill, which is a town on the line originally laid by the Saginaw Valley & St. Louis in 1873. This the prototype I'm freelancing from. It was a fairly successful line until it got folded into the Pere Marquette in 1901. The entire SV&StL is still operating today as the Mid-Michigan Railroad. I think this line and the rest of the Pere Marquette "Turkey Trail" would be a great subject for a prototype model, but I basically chickened out Maybe when I've got a few more years (decades?) under my belt, and have more room, I'll give a proto layout a shot

I like the serrated wheel idea. Very clever! Ralph

I can't take credit for it, though. I found the idea somewhere online. Like everything else, the internet model railroading community is propping me up!

Dave, very good I like your track plan

Thanks! Hopefully the time to the next update will be less than 6 months!