Then and Now

While looking through the box of photos that I keep in my workshop last night, I came across a group of photos that were taken at various times during construction of the layout. I thought it would be neat to go back and photograph some of these locations now and do a little "Then and Now" piece. So here goes.

This first shot shows the view across the west end of North Pierce. I believe all of these photos were taken at roughly the same time and it was probably in the 2004- 2006 time frame.

And here's the view today. It's always amazed me what a difference a little paint on the fascia can make to the overall appearance of the layout.

Next on the tour is SJ Cabin at the east end of Hollister Yard.

And the view today.

Moving further east, we come to Logan, WV.

Those cardboard mock-ups have sure served well over the last, ah... ten years or so. Guess I need to get busy on those structures. The spur here was relocated and the turnout replaced since the first photo was taken

Some of the biggest changes have come in the area just east of Big Chimney, WV.

The Central Valley bridge over the main line at Big Chimney was extensively modified after the picture below was taken.

Moving on toward Nelsonville, we see a several shots of the Laurel Ridge Prep Plant at Summit Springs. These are some of the more dramatic "before and after" shots.

Next up are some shots in and around the east end of Nelsonville. This first shot shows the original layout of the track in this area along with some commercial turnouts set in place to see how the proposed track arrangement would work. Originally, the main line and the yard lead were going to enter the double track portal in the background. At this point in time, I had just developed the track layout for the engine terminal and the Wilson Bridge Branch. I was never happy with the yard lead heading into the tunnel, so the layout of the engine terminal and branch gave me the opportunity to change the ladder here.

Here's how this area looks today.

The next shot shows the development of the engine terminal, caboose track and branch.

As you can see from all of these photos, while I've made a bit of progress over the last 10 years or so, there's still plenty to do. The engine terminals at North Pierce and Nelsonville really need some structures, there's a lot more scenery to finish, and there are always more hopper cars to build. And someday I just might replace those forlorn cardboard stand-ins at Logan...