Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

I've always wondered Benny if putting the target at the back of a deep cardboard box would work - the laser beam is still there, I just can't see it in the sunshine/daylight but should show up back in the dark abyss!

That's a cracking job you're doing there Larry. Wish I lived a bit closer to you.

                              Allan.

Things are progressing slowly but given the weather and honey-do list I guess it's not going too bad. Got the deck boards screwed on and the gate built - still have to straighten up a couple of places that aren't level and come up with a way to stop the gate from going too far over. With my wife's help we got the old track disassembled and now can clean the rail a little before straightening or bending it as required and reinstalling the tie strips. I've pretty much decided to go with rail clamps which means the track will not be fastened down to the deck but allowed to come and go as the thermal expansion dictates but will have to come up with occasional restraints to keep it in the general area that it should be. Hopefully in the next week or so I should have some of the track laid and be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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Very nice! What is the composite deck material made from? PVC? Were the boards already cut to length or is that your handiwork?

The boards are Home Depot Veranda deck boards made from sawdust and resin (?) - they hold up well as the three year old ones match the new ones well. They come in 12' lengths so it was a workout on the miter saw and a pile of unusable sawdust left over.

Coming along nicely, Larry. Lots of hard work is making this a top notch railway. Keep it up, the end is near...

Missed this last update while I was away, you're nearly done Larry! 

We've got the same wet forecast and nobody is able to get in the field. Only seen two farmers planting on the entire 20 hour drive to and from the other side of Michigan.