Upper left and clockwise:  Gasoline-powered leaf blower to clear the tracks of leaves and pine straw.  Mikie and Paul tamp the ballast between the ties.  Bare roadbed, graded and leveled awaiting carpet.  Used carpet is laid on the ground to prevent the ballast from settling into the soft sugar sand.  Roadbed in the foreground and G gauge railroad and inner loop in the background.  The red flags indicate the centerline of the roadbed.  The ground is graded to limit elevation changes to 2% maximum (two feet in 100 feet).  Newly laid track panels before ballast is tamped.  When complete the tops of the ties must be free of ballast.