Since the last post I've been doing a lot of digging. While planning out the track locations I realized that there is one 12' radius semi-circle that simply wasn't going to work because the grade would be over 15%. I started digging a little bit at the top to try to get the grade down to 4% (the maximum grade for the real Rio Grande narrow gauge, thus the maximum for this layout). But it turned out that "a little bit" wasn't going to be nearly enough -- I was going to have to reduce the differential between top and bottom by 3.5 feet. So, I've been steadily removing dirt from the top of the grade and moving it to the bottom.
Most of the really heavy work is now done. The main remaining problem is a large tree stump which used to be cut flat with the ground but now is two feet higher than the surrounding ground. I am out of town for my job right now, but when I get back I'll try removing the top of the stump with either a chain saw or a rental stump grinder. If things go well I hope to have the roadbed for the main line roughly in place by the end of the upcoming holiday weekend.
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