Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the first piece of benchwork for the St. Charles Branch. I’m certainly not moving at any blistering pace, but it’s fun to look back and see the progress! Here’s a look at how one corner of the layout has progressed over those years. Mayflower is at the end of the Bailey’s Creek Branch and is the largest loader on the lower deck. I really like how the scene is shaping up!

Here’s the first piece of benchwork installed for the staging area under Mayflower on October 26th, 2019.

The next year was lockdown year, so by October 2020 the staging level was complete and the DCC system was up-and-running. I finished the last piece of the lower-level benchwork with this final piece that would ultimately support the scene at Mayflower.

By the middle of 2021, I was making good progress on the handlaid track. The track at Mayflower was the first to be completed, and by October of 2023, I had run up the helix from staging and was on my way to connecting the line from St Charles to Mayflower by the end of the year.

2022 was a productive year, and by October, I had finished the fascia, installed the backdrops, and was working on the scenery base. Mayflower was the first area to get its “paper shell” covering.

Here’s the scene at Mayflower today in 2023. Vegetation is still sparse, but in the past year, I’ve learned how to paint backdrops, finish the scenery base, and ballast track. I’ve also added some fun features like working crossing signals for major grade crossings and fusees for smaller grade crossings like this one at Potts Branch Road. It’s getting there!

For comparison, here’s a view of the prototype scene at Mayflower as it awaited the scrapper’s torch (photographer unknown).

Hope you’ve enjoyed the trip down memory lane!