This is a nice mini-scene, Les! :thumb:
(I'm happy that in reality we can call the 5-prong-crane for rerailing our cars, though! Works much faster.
)
Woodie,
try rubbing beeswax into a string to keep it from curling. It's an old trick of sail ship modelers.
I used to take a lump of beeswax, slightly pressed the thread into the wax and then simply pulled it through between thumb/finger and wax. If you don't have beeswax, a (soft) candle might also work.
Ron