On a cold November Saturday, Phil, John and Joe came over to give the Sandpatch Subdivision its first shakedown run. For much of the track, this will be the first day trains have ever run on the rails. In the morning, I was scrambling adding in a couple of additional feeders to track sections that I had found needed them. I also added in a little additional track to Cumberland yard.


Here's Phill checking out the sequence timetable.


John: "Hey Phill, you think this is gonna work?" Phill: "I dunno, but I bet we're gonna find out..."


Phill and Joe were the Yard-Boys. Phill essentially camped out in Cumberland all day and Joe ran Connellsville.


This pictures looks up the grade towards Sandpatch from Cumberland Yard. That train is ready to come into Cumberland on Track #2.


John got lucky and got to run U452 twice! U452 is the coal train that operates locally on Sandpatch serving the Salisburry Mine loadout.


When U452 was on the hill, all other trains had to run on Track #2 between Sandpatch and Rockwood.


Here is a shot of U801 running down through Rockwood.


In this shot we see X257 going through Rockwood on its way to the FMP subdivision while the U452 mine shifter works the mine lead in the background. The coal train on the Salisburry Sub is required to take a caboose.


So far, no big problems have cropped up with the timetable or the layout's operation. A copy of the timetable can be see in the foreground of the picture. Well, so far so good, so LET'S RUN SOME TRAINS!!!


Here's a Dash 9 and an SD40-2 leading a mixed-freight down through confluence on Track #1 towards Connellsville.


I got to run the Glencoe-Rockwood Turn on the second run through the timetable and I even had my ace-conductor with me (notice the un-coupling tool in his hand!)!


Still working Rockwood, shortly we'll take the GRT back over Sandpatch on the return trip to Cumberland.


Something like this would be rare without DCC! But I'm thinking those trains are maybe just a bit too close!!!


This Seaboard SD50 is running long-nose forward out of Connellsville.


We even ran a couple of trains with helpers today.


Here's a last shot of a pair of Katos getting ready to come onto the singletrack just west of Rockwood.


Overall, the session went well. The first time through the timetable we ran only thru-freights while the second time through we added in all the local trains except for the "Junk" train. Until I get the staging yards built there just isn't going to be enough room for Q352 and Q353 to run.

That's it!

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