March 25, 2023
Today saw the completion of the Gerber Wye. I’m just beginning the East end of the yard (left on the track plan.)
Gerber did not have a turntable. There was a 6 stall engine house in the middle of the wye that was used for turning locomotives. The mallets on the division were too long for a turntable.
The wye would have come out from the yard tracks towards the aisle. Not having room, I moved both the engine house and the wye.
The DAP Adhesive Caulk I used on the last layout is no longer being manufactured. DAP Alex Latex Caulk is being used this time. Rather than taking a few minutes to grip, it now takes a couple of hours. Full cure in 24. Weights are placed on switches and curves. For straight track weight is not normally necessary.
In the 1926 era that I model, Gerber was the location of a division point on the Southern Pacific between the Sacramento and Shasta Divisions. It was two miles north of the junction of the West Valley Line to Davis and the East Valley Line to Sacramento via Chico and Marysville. Facilities included steam locomotive fueling, repair, crew-change, icing and stock yards.
