This is the Crested Butte section of Jim Vails layout that I intended to use in this room. Unfortunately, I can’t make it fit anywhere. Where it sits in this photo I have large mountains planned which will carry the high line to the upper deck in the work shop. It requires 9 inches of elevation to get there from where it enters the room. The mainline will ride across the room and descend 4 inches to meet the lower deck in the work shop.This is the future location of Vail Junction. I intended for the Crested Butte section to go here, but I just couldn’t make it fit, and I didn’t want to butcher it up to make it work. Fortunately, a friend would like to use it on his layout, and keep it the way Jim built it. So it’s off to Texas with Crested Butte to live again!Here is the basic layout for the track work at Vail Junction. I like to use 1/2″ masking tape to layout the track plan on the bench work. It’s easy to realign and make changes to while in the planning stage. No pencil marks to erase, or scribbled out sharpie this time!Testing the spacing and yard capacity.Turnout alignment. The track used here for this section of the layout is all code 70, everywhere else on the layout is code 55. The code 70 track came from the Jim Vail estate, and since I couldn’t fit Crested Butte here I decided to use his old track that was cut off the layout and in a box. I believe it was from his hidden staging yard.Track is fitted with rail joiners for proper fit and soldered together. I forgot to modify the Shinohara turnouts to make them DCC friendly before I did this. I’ll have to fix them in place. I also have to put down the cork sheet for the roadbed. Talk about doing it backwards. I can squeeze 24 cars in this yard and will have three staging tracks beyond the yard next to the door. These staging tracks will be connections to other railroads. I have some decals for the San Juan Central (Malcolm Furlow), the Devils Gultch & Helengon (John Allen), and the Mescal Lines (John Olsen). I will occasionally run a train from one of those during operating sessions, and they will originate from the staging yard.Turntable and ash pit fitted, some structures placed to check how the scene might look. I think Herman Munster likes it.Started to paint the backdrop and placed a couple of trees to see how the scene might look. Also added, is a removable bump-out for the Vail Jctn. depot. When not in use it will store under the yard on a small shelf. Cork roadbed sheet installed. Lots more painting to do for the backdrop. Small cut out at the bottom left is for a creek. Some of the turnouts have been converted for DCC. Removable station bump-out is clearly visible.Some construction has taken place here. The sub-roadbed for the mainline is finished, and construction of the high line is underway. The structures on the small peninsula are where the town of Sheberville will be.View from the opposite end of the room. The trestle came from the Jim Vail estate and is quite high. Standing next to it, the roof-walk on the boxcars is at eye level for me (I’m 6’2″). The structures are not a representation of Sheberville. They’re just placed there for a sense of scale and proportion.
