Somewhere I ran across the idea of using dry graphite to keep track clean.  

I should let you know that I was operating DCC on an On30 layout.  Prior to converting to DCC I cleaned track every few months.  But DCC is fussy about clean track.  After converting to DCC I was cleaning track before every operating session and still got some hesitations and stalls. 

I acquired some artists graphite from the local variety store and gave it a try.  

I an rethinking part of my layout. To make it completely modular, I was thinking on having the corner modules as 24" x 24" separate modules. But at one corner I have the river coming out from the corner and ending on a second module. Is there a way to create a river that spans two modules?

Does anyone have experience with running op sessions using a remote dispatcher, and connecting that person in to the FRS radio system used by the local crew? In theory, this looks like it could be done fairly easily using a computer that is running Google Voice, Hangouts, Skype, Mumble, or any other voice-over-IP solution. My thinking is that some fairly basic impedence-matching hardware between the computer and an FRS radio should work. The radio would have to run in VOX mode.

This is the layout I've been working off and on for a little over 2 years. This is my second larger layout (beyond the size of a sheet of plywood), but this is the first one that was planned out better and hopefully will reach completion some day. It is not so large that it can't be built by one person.