Rock River area painted, basic ground cover and bridged in place.

Got the area painted with basic ground cover.  Train roll once again over the Rock River.

Screen wire and plaster cloth for Rock River crossing

Was able to install some screen wire and plaster on the Rock River crossing area.  First step was to complete the forms on both sides of the bench work using 1X2 wood.

 
With the wood forms all in place I attached screen wire using a staple gun.  Cardboard strips could also be used for this, but I find the screen wire is easier and goes quicker.

Plaster cloth was used for the final hard shell.  I'll give the plaster a few hours to dry and then I'll paint it and add ground cover.  Lastly, I'll put the bridge back in place.

Rock River Bridge Installation

Ok, the Rock river does not lie just east of Rochelle. But the river is a main waterway of northern Illinois and this section of the layout between Rochelle and Wheaton is a great spot for a river. So, today I cut out the temporary wood span, added the plywood river bottom and installed the bridges to span the river. The toughest part was getting the river bottom at just the right elevation so the tracks crossed the bridge spans on the level.

Before

Tracks moved out of the way, temporary roadbed removed and plywood riverbed added.

Bridges added with tracks reinstalled.  For now, I just reused the tracks that were on the temporary roadbed.  Eventually I will be using bridge track for the spans.

Video of trains passing through.