Toenail Ridge before it was

When you enter the western door to our layout you are confronted by a MOW (Maintenance of Way) consist inhabited by thirty plus noisy Minions located at the foot of Toenail Ridge.

Minion atop the Water Tower

Minion atop the Water Tower

The Minions and the Logging Camp didn’t get built till 2012. Here are three pics I found of Toenail Ridge whilst it was under construction.

Testing positions for the Loggers Camp

Testing positions for the Loggers Camp

he Toenail Ridge Trestle

The Toenail Ridge Trestle is in place

Toenail Ridge under construction

A very early stage of Construction for Toenail Ridge

West Wall – Hillside Construction

Our layout is within half a mile of the Pacific Ocean. Between us and the sea is empty land once the site of the largest mill in Mendocino County – the Union Lumber Company. As they say, we are exposed to the elements. Our initial efforts to build hillsides used paper, cardboard, chicken wire and plaster. Diaster.

The method which works best for us is to make forms for the contours of the hillside or gullies, cover the forms with plastic sheeting, cover that with steel mesh and then make concrete the consistency of plasticine and work it into the mesh. Once dried you can paint it.

In these pics you can see the forms being put in place along the west wall for a hillside with a gully coming down and under the railroad track. We use plywood – mostly scrap and some new. We do NOT use nails – too difficult to get out if we change our mind – which we do – a lot!!!!.