Busy Thanksgiving

Hope all my friends had a good Thanksgiving, I sure did. Turkey, stuffing and all the fixings spending time with Lisa's family and a couple of days with Dad, Cathy and her family. In between, I got a lot of work on the railroad.
First, I put all the fascia back up, this time permanently. I had thought of cutting new fascia since there were a lot of screw holes from the old but I decided it was OK. I did have to paint 3 pieces of lighting valances that I reused for fascia. With the front of the layout having two sides I needed more green masonite than previously and likewise, with the train against 3 walls, I needed less sky blue ones. I mounted all the throttle and waybill holders as well as the Digitrax UP5 and UR90 panels.
Most of this was done before we headed to PA to visit Dad. On the way, I was able to stop at T&K Hobby in Bridgeport OH with my shopping list. I did not get the fine ballast I was looking for but a few things I was not able to find at the train shows this fall - rubber tipped tweezers, a Zona saw and 2 soft handle XActo knives. I also stocked up on a few Polly S paints (including Aged Concrete) and the last rail stop for the supply track at the mine. It's heavy timbers in a pile of ballast. Will look great.
Finally, I was able to rough in the mountains around the tunnel portals in Manor and Herminie. With different portals - one concrete and one stone - it looks like 2 different tunnels. Things are coming along very nicely. I even have a plan for operations where the city will be E. McKeesport for west bound traffic from Irwin servicing two sidings and Jeannette for east bound traffic servicing one spur.

Tnnnel portal at Herminie

Manor tunnel portal passes behind Dailey's Coal & Fuel and Keystone Sand & Supply