The month of July has seen a lot of progress on both Car House track four and the second track of the main line.

The next section of the track four extension was prepared for concrete. It will take 18 cubic yards and will get almost one car length past the points of the switch. In preparation for the pour, forms were installed and well as a drainage pipe laid down the length of the track. After this pour is done, it will only take two more truck loads of concrete to complete this phase of the track extension.

Josh watching the first of many truck deliver ballast.	The main line second track has also started to move ahead again. The first task was to “trim” the trees that had grown near the track over the last few years. The backhoe did a very nice job of pulling down the trees while the track crew cut them up into smaller pieces once they were down. With the second track clear enough to run a car down it, a “third rail” was laid out at standard gauge. The first section was about 150 feet and started just before the curve north of the freight shed and continued south of the curve. While this was being down six truck loads of ballast was delivered to the museum, about 120 tons, and two of our members headed off to transport a standard gauge ballast car to the museum. While they were away, the track crew quickly built a crossing using ballast just north of the freight shed. By lunch time the car had arrived and within an hour it was transferred from the trailer to our “standard" gauge track. With everything now ready to ballast, car 1164 was taken by the track crew to move the ballast car. Since there is no overhead wire over the second track, a stinger was used to provide power. The ballast car was loaded by the back hoe (5-6 trips) and then 1164 pushed the ballast car down the new track as it dropped ballast. A tie ahead of the trailing ballast car wheels trimmed the stone to just even with the rail height. The 150 feet was done in a few hours and then the track crew called it a day since it was getting late. The middle of the next week the track crew laid another 150 feet of third rail and ballasting will continue.
Ballast car ready to off load onto the standard gauge temporary track.
Ed dumping ballast into ballast car. 1164's controller handle can be seen in the lower center right. Beyond the ballast car the dual gauge track can be seen on the right side of the ties, standard railroad gauge and Baltimore transit gauge.	Ballast car with tie to level stone to top of rail. In the distance the speeder can be seen in front of 22nd Street shop. The ballast to the right of the car is the temporary crossing to allow the front end loader to cross the main line.