Finishing the Crowl Crossing

Well, it has been quite some time since we had the tracks laid and ballasted through Crowl, but we never got around to installing the crossing. So, as a Covid project, Paul agreed to come over and work at a distance to rectify that. First, we gathered his materials and tools across the aisle. Then I got him a stool as you can see the benchwork behind him is at shoulder level.  It would have been hard to work on something that high.

Here he has inserted the center pieces of wood - for our wood crossing. It is on a curve so it took some time and careful work to match the curve to the boards. 

He did a great job with the inner and outer boards as the wood planking covered the entire with of the track and the space between the tracks. Paul then plastered the ground from the board aprons to the road on both sides of the crossing. Our test train is sitting on the passing siding waiting to come through. It runs with no problems or bouncing. 

 Here is the look from the end of the road- sort of a drivers view. We have to find appropriate cross bucks for the PRR in the 50's. I do not have the oval cast crossing signs they used.