As of last Thursday afternoon, all seven turnouts were completed. All seven turnouts utilize material heretofore avoided in the past. Three turnouts were done with a vinyl insert and four were done with a polystyrene insert. Previously, cardstock had been used. However, material weakness made this unsuitable. Once the card began bending, there was no way to straighten or reinforce it enough to continue use. Most of the time the turnout worked very poorly. Now that the new material is being used, trials indicate a longer and more rugged working life. Currently, the southbound Gulf Coast Special is boarding and will depart for the port city of Mobile. This will be followed by an empty hopper extra headed south for Streamline and Captain mines. On a construction and building note, this past Saturday saw the preparation of a batch of air-dry clay. Soon this material will be tried out for vehicles and figures it is hoped. Also, the Union City module is soon to be assembled. Two structures are on the way as well. Staying very busy, omscaler
