October 25, 2023
61 Tortoises have been installed in Gerber but not wired. These came from my previous layout and had wiring leads installed. Throw rods were made from .037″ (.039″ from previous layout too) piano wire instead of using lighter wire that come stock.
Insert the wire through the throw bar holding it in place with an alligator clip.
Homemade jig aligns pilot holes. Two screws installed on one side, slide Tortoise on and add a screw to opposite side.
Black & Decker Gryo (out of production) makes putting in screws easy. Finger flashlight from closeout sale at MicroMark helps in illuminating throw rod hole in Tortoise. Needle nose pliers holds throw rod in correct alignment.
In planning the layout, enough room was left above L-girder to fit switch machine. A friend offered switch enhancements in the yard that saw a throw rod coming too close to a girder. A sawzall was used to remove part of the girder and a U-shaped patch was installed.
I think from now own I will install feeders after Tortoise installations to lessen the sea of wires in the work area.
