It's hard to believe that in the start of February, we can be outside, working on track, in nothing more than a sweatshirt! Neither the ground nor the stone needed to pack under the ties is frozen. So, with that being said, the NRM's amazing 2 man track gang was hard at work today spiking ties and gauging track.
Roughly named, "building track with the Jones' " since it was Ken Jones Sr. and Ken Jones Jr. doing the work today. We managed to spike up 16 ties. This included lifting and tamping the ties, as they were all about 1"-2.5" below the rail, and then putting the track gage on, and spiking the ties. 16 doesn't sound like a whole lot, but with only 2 people, it was a significant amount for us.
We also spiked an additional 4 ties, which were ready for spikes, but for some reason, left out when we were constructing the track before. Despite there only being 2 of us out there today, it was a good day, and we got some much needed work done. There are still another 12 ties on the other side of the crossing to lift and tamp, which will complete everything from the shop into the curve. The rest of the curve will be done next, and into where the turnout will eventually end up, providing we can get the necessary switch ties.