East Yard and West yard, the staging for the railroad, are stacked.
Tom and Ralph look on as Shane pilots the Wizzer through Bracken and towards home rails.
Al prepares to depart East yard for North Somerset and beyond.
If you look around the layout and layout room it isn't that hard to find out what football teams Tom likes.
The layout is set in the midwest but some the names are a little like New England. This industry is in Somerset a town with neighbors named North Somerset and South Somerset.
Here's one of many industry names that will get your attention and give you a chuckle. This one is Spotted Owl Hardwoods. Not politically correct, perhaps, but a hoot nonetheless (pun intended).
Many trains hurry through urban La Salle.
This Midwest Rail train with former BN power passes through Millwood toward its first work in West La Salle yard.
Not a huge yard but active nonetheless.
Paul was the yardmaster at West La Salle.
Ralph used all the available tools at his disposal to work the industries in Brackens.
Laura did a fine job of keeping everything and everyone in their place. The dispatcher has a nice operating space on Midwest Rail.
Al contemplates his next move in Somerset. The switching requires just enough thought in the busy industrial cities.
Nice.
There are a number of great train watching spots on Midwest Rail. Here a former Milwaukee Road Midwest rail unit crosses the CP east of Millwood.
A BNSF unit slips past a string of tank cars awaiting pickup in Clover City. What does it say on that truck on the overpass? Thought so.
I can't even remember exactly where this is. Nice railroady feel to it, though.
Al listens intently as Tom explains just exactly where the car in question goes.
An excursion train in CNW colors waits at the depot as do former Milwaukee Road units now in use as Midwest Rail power.
Auto racks head west behind BNSF power still in Sante Fe colors east of Clover City.
Quiet Millwood temporarily rattles and rocks as another train thunders through town.
Weathered F units on their way to the mine cross the well-used bridge behind the depot at La Salle. Excuse the slightly blury picture a semi-truck roared behind me just as I took the picture.
Yardmaster Paul checks his paperwork to make sure that Ralph's train (complete with fire trucks on the flat car) is ready to leave town.
La Salle is on the left on the lower deck, Clover City on the upper. Milwood is on the lower deck to the right, Somerset is above. Notice the huge aisle, no crowding here.