In other KC&G news:
Painted some cast resin coal loads to become gravel loads:
Each of my gravel loads comes with a special hidden surprise:
You're looking at 1.0 - 1.25 oz of weight that is tucked away under each resin load. This helps to add some "interest" to handling gravel on the KC&G's Ozark Sub. Plus, seeing as there is variance in the weights, you never know when your train that was supposed to have adequate power for The Mountain... just might not.
By the way, I currently have something like 30 such gravel loads in service. I also have another batch of 5 or 6 coal loads on the way to become gravel loads. Also steadily acquiring more Athearn 34' hoppers (several different flavors) to cover the increased business. Slowly working my way up so that gravel business is BIG business on the KC&G's Ozark and Ouachita subs.
You see, the KC&G's Sales Dept. has really been working overtime. One area where they've hit a home run is with the quarry businesses. They've assured all the gravel quarries along the line (especially Arkansas Gravel's quarry that's on the KC&G's Ozark Sub) that the KC&G is indeed going to recover from their bankruptcy and will do whatever is needed to make positive there's enough hoppers on handle their increased production. Fortunately for the KC&G, there's a nationwide downturn in demand for coal, so 34' hoppers are plentiful on the used market as well as for lease.
Also in the KC&G news:
The KC&G has sent SLSF #214 (Baldwin VO1000) back to the Frisco at KC. Rumor has it that the KC&G bean counters decided the lease fee wasn't worth it. Got to be as savin' as you can, 'ya know. After all, one of the favorite sayings of the KC&G's new CEO is: "Waste not, want not!"
FWIW, once it reaches home rails and the Frisco puts it back into their power pool in KC, it's very likely that same unit can show up delivering/pulling blocks/cuts of cars to/from the KC&G's small receiving/outbound tracks that feed the KC&G's "Riverfront District".
