Finally managed to get a tentative track plan together. It's very rough. For a full explanation visit my blog and read the most recent post. 

When you only have 8x11 available for your railroad, its interesting how ones mind starts to work. There is a temptation to squeeze in as much as possible but I think that’s a mistake. I want an illusion of some open spaces and places “over the horizon”.

For example:

As part of top deck installation I needed a lift out section for the door. Here is a picture of the just constructed, bracket/support “thingy”. It basically links the Helix exit with the lift out section.

See big time N&W steam and diesels on my Virginia Southwestern HO layout during last weekends OP Session.

After seeing the recent thread about posting videos to the forum, I finally bit the bullet and got an HD video camera. I read through the short tutorial the Questions and Answers page under the Help tab on the MRH website and figured out how to embed them into a post. So here goes.

First up, we see COXL 41 (COal EXtra Loads- North Pierce, WV to Hunters Bay, VA) emerging from Logan Tunnel heading east out of Hollister Yard at North Pierce.

Many people lots of time and effort, great results.  Some background and some fake buildings in other corner and scene will be close to being finished.

Here's another inexpensive, easy-to-make tool that is handy to have in a track-laying tool kit.  HC Haros gave some of these to members of our round-robin group, and I shamelessly copied his idea.  It's a small prybar/crowbar made from a double-headed nail.

The double head gives the tools a nice feel.  I used some 16d and 10d nails for my copies.