Making Tracks in the Town of Dirt

23 April 2023

Bernie and Vicki Meister welcomed CCCGRS members and guests for an April preview of the Conejo & Tortuga Railroad. This Paso Robles garden railroad will be one of fifteen venues featured as part of the 10-11 July Post-Convention Tour immediately following the 2023 National Garden Railroad Convention in Santa Clara, California. The Conejo & Tortuga continues to expand and mature each time we visit. The town of Dirt celebrates the addition of a new clock tower, while at the far end of the line a silver mine and supporting structures add interest to the landscape. Crews have completed rehabilitation of the tunnel, allowing safe passage to the other side of the mountain. Despite record rainfall earlier this year, the layout looks better than ever. The Meisters look forward to greeting visitors from around the world in July later this year.

Bernie aligns the turnouts to accommodate trains visiting the Conejo and Tortuga Railroad duirng our April train run (Mark Edwards, image).
We all enjoyed the Meister’s hospitality during the warm Paso Robles afternoon (Mark Edwards, image).
Bernie has been busy adding details to the silver mine, freight house and water tower on the 2022 spur line that significantly expanded the Conejo & Tortuga Railroad (Mark Edwards, image).
Although Train No. 4 is delayed, we all enjoyed seeing the updates and improvements around the Conejo & Tortuga Railroad since our last visit (Mark Edwards, image).
Track crews are hard at work as the local train passes the Town of Dirt on a warm April afternoon (Mark Edwards, image).