Fall Trackwork... and Winterizing the Steamers

After careful consideration, I made the executive decision to keep the wye instead of replacing it with a turntable.  I rebuilt the south wye switch to correct some alignment problems, and relaid the tail track with 12 lb. steel rail:

 

I will re-align the west leg of the wye next year, and do some tie replacement on the east leg.  It should be good for many more years of service.

 

With some of the rail that was salvaged from the abandoned sidetracks, I was able to rebuild the mainline leg of the wye with the heavier, 1-1/2" tall Real Trains aluminum rail.  I replaced every third tie with 4x4 treated lumber, and other ties as needed.  The track was leveled and reballasted, so now the mainline is smooth all the way to the west wye switch:

 

After doing all the trackwork, I took a little time out last Friday night to run the steam engine:

 

 

But, with temperatures expected to drop into the 20's on Friday morning, it is time to put the steam engines up for the winter.  Everything is ready for a freeze... except for me!