Starting with the purchase of an old gym building in 1980, the past 36 years has lead to many changes. First the wooden floor came out, then ties and rails went in for three tracks. Lots of grading outside and other track work was laid to allow direct access to the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway at Campo Junction - now called Rose Junction for a long time member, volunteer and benefactor. Little by little, dirt was replaced with concrete. As these two photos show, track 13, the middle track of the Shop Building, is now being replaced with concrete grade beams to support the rail, and will be covered with a concrete slab. Our volunteers appreciate working on concrete rather than dirt.

It's "All ahead slow" for the all volunteer museum, but, slowly and steady, work progresses on MANY fronts.

So this is an old gym building, and you are putting tracks and workshop inside the old gym building?

Interesting.

Track laying is a good workout. It makes sense.

Yes, Steven. The Museum purchase the old gym in 1980, and we immediately turned it into a Shop Building. Over the years, we have been replacing the dirt floors with concrete by removing the wooden ties and installing concrete grade beams to hold up the rails. This is the second track we have completed this for - one more track left to do if we want all concrete floors. Right now, track 14 is used to store wooden cars inside, so concrete floors there aren't a high priority. We have a pit on track 12 and now a 160 foot long working area surrounded by concrete for track 13.

We have also just completed a lighting upgrade with "T-5"'s, which work great.

Do you guys have any good jokes? When someone misbehaves in the shop, do you make them run laps?

No - I climbed up into the overhead and brought down the baskets very early in our ownership - after making one last basket! We then took down the handball court in the corner, took out the bathroom and shower/lockers and took up the hard wood floor- Took about a year or so before we opened up one end and installed tracks inside.

It's been used as our shop ever since.