Self-guided layout tours will take place on July 13 (Sunday). Here are the layouts that
have signed-on. More will be added in the coming weeks.
James Babcock's West Texas & Santa Fe RR (HO)
In 2006 work began on the West Texas & Santa Fe RR Industrial layout.
It started with a layout concept drawn using the Atlas software
program. The plan developed for this apartment layout is an L-shaped
shelf 10' x 14' x 2' deep. industries being built include grain
elevators, stock pens, cotton processing, lumber & construction
supply, farm implement & supply, feed & seed supply, LCL & team
track, oil products distribution, oil refinery scene (oil loading
racks), general & food product warehouses, and dairy operations. At
present, power to the track is DC. The wiring plan calls for 3 power
DCC blocks which maybe implemented later this year or early in 2008.
The loco roster has 3 DC locos and one DCC loco. One of the DC units
will get a decoder with sound before mid year. Current activities
are: Completing car cards and way bills, switch list forms are
complete but train order, forms need to be developed, time table and
CLIC are in advance stages of development and production, mock paper
structures are being built to help finalize how structures are to be
kit bashed and loading/unloading spots are located.
Rick Graves' Tehachapi Loop (HO)
Rick is modeling the Tehachapi Loop in the spring of 1950. This HO
scale layout completely occupies a 14' x 12' spare bedroom. The
layout is DCC controlled and the locomotives are sound equipped. Rick
runs run both steam and diesel appropriate to the Santa Fe and
Southern Pacific motive power in use over the line at that time. One
interesting feature of this layout is the use of shallow relief hills
to duplicate the Tehachapi loop area. The hills are painted and
sceniced using a shading technique which gives them depth well beyond
their quarter-inch thickness. Five trains are staged behind the
hills and in other areas to allow a parade of Southern Pacific and
Santa Fe consists typical for the time modeled. Operations are DCC
controlled using Digitrax equipment.
Roger Clarkson's R&F Railroad (HO)
Housed in a three-car garage, Roger's 22 x 32 HO layout is fully
sceniced and highly detailed. Up to six trains operate at once.
This railroad features over a hundred structures all illuminated by
miniature lights. There are numerous animated scenes and highly
detailed structures.
Roger Clarkson's R&F Railroad (G)
This is one of Southern California's best known garden railroads,
covering one-third of an acre with 3,000 feet of track. Up to
seventeen trains operate simultaneously. The meticulously maintained
garden landscaping is among the best in Southern California. There are ponds, waterfalls, a 40' train shed and night lights, numerous
tunnels, an oil refinery and hydroelectric plant.
Otto Kroutil's First District/Los Angeles Division (N)
This 27' x 21' layout is based on a two-level layout plan published
in the 1999 issue of Model Railroad Planning. It is a very large N
scale representation of the west side of Cajon Pass from San
Bernardino to Summit, circa 1950. Many of the actual sites in the
pass, as well as the massive San Bernardino station, are modeled on
this layout. Otto
models the sites using photographs to assure a high level of realism.
The main level is (mostly) operational, although only partially
scenicked. The lower level is being converted to North Coast
Engineering's DCC. The backdrops are some of the best around.
Bob Russell's Orange Belt Lines (N)
This layout is home to both the Southern Pacific & Santa Fe
Railroads. The time period is the late 1940s so steam rules with SP's
Owl and Lark trains being pulled by GS-4 and AC-12 steam power. Also
making daily stops at the Santa Mesa Depot behind Warbonnet F units
and PAs are the Santa Fe's Grand Canyon and Chief. AC-12 4294 & MK-6
3269 handle the bulk of the mainline freight duty and can be seen
pulling long strings of PFE cars or or mixed freight. The layout is
operated by a Digitrax Big Boy system.
Bob Russell's Rio Grande Narrow Gauge (G)
Bob also has added a Rio Grande G scale narrow gauge layout to his
backyard.
Pasadena Model RR Club's Sierra Pacific Lines (HO)
This is one of the largest HO scale operating model railroads in the world, covering almost 5,000 square feet. The railroad has over 30,000 feet of hand laid steel rail. The 1,700 foot single to quad track mainline has ten cabs for operating up to ten trains up to 60 cars long each. At normal speeds and traffic conditions trains take about an hour to traverse the main. The three principal yards handle a total of approximately 2,000 cars. Yard panels throughout the railroad allow for operation of another 15 to 20 trains. Additionally, there are 300 feet of traction for trolley and Pacific Electric enthusiasts. In addition to the ten cab operators, two dispatchers and trainmaster, the railroad requires about 25-30 more operators to fully man the yard, branch line, and industry controls. Sierra Pacific Lines operates trains from all eras. Breathtaking scenery, operating semaphore signals, and theatrical lighting all combine to make this a great model railroading experience.
Jim Lancaster's Los Angeles and San Diego Railroad (HO)
This is a large size HO scale model railroad housed in its own 40' x 15' building at the back of Jim's home. The building was constructed in 1962 by the original home owner, former NMRA president Leighton Keeling. The layout occupies about 65% of the room. The setting is Southern California, with several prototypical scenes of citrus packing houses and other citrus-related structures. The model railroad is evolving to generally represent a line between Highgrove (north of Riverside) and Orange County. Unlike the prototype, which is a Santa Fe-only line from Riverside to Orange County, the model railroad features joint trackage with two other railroads, the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific, over most of its length. Emphasis is on the Southern Pacific through a subsidiary, the Los Angeles and San Diego Railroad. This allows Jim to logically operate the SP, Santa Fe and UP equipment he has collected over the years and to model Southern California citrus packing houses featured on Jim's packing house website.
Gary Cane's Santa Fe (HO)
Gary is a former chemical industry researcher who fell in love with tank cars. On his layout, which covers the time period of 1900 to 1985, there are over 500 tank cars. These included nearly every class and subclass used by the Santa Fe, many of which Gary has scratchbuilt or kit-bashed to achieve highly realistic models. Gary even draws and produces his own decals to attain the graphics and lettering necessary for his models, several which have won awards at major train shows and conventions. The layout itself measures 30 feet by 41 feet with two main levels. It can be operated loop-to-loop, point-to-point and yard-to-yard. It takes 40 minutes for a train to cover the entire layout at prototype speeds. The centerpiece of the layout is a 3 foot by 18 foot refinery complex, complete with accurate facilities, equipment and piping. The refinery sits in front of an 18 foot long photo mural of the Sinclair refinery in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In addition to several lengthy tank car trains, Gary also has over 140 headend passenger cars representing virtually every car that was used over Cajon Pass. His passenger train collection includes almost every Santa Fe transcontinental passenger train.
The Glendale Model Railroad Club (HO)
The 25 x 40 HO scale Verdugo Valley Lines portrays 1950s Southern
Pacific operations between downtown Los Angeles and the city of
Bakersfield. Intermediate stations represented are San Fernando,
Saugus, Lancaster, Mojave and Caliente. Represented facilities include
the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal and supporting coach yards,
roundhouse, diesel facilities, Taylor Yard, the Glendale Station and
the city of Burbank. Trackage includes 400 feet of mainline, 90 feet
of branch line, 120 feet of narrow gauge and 150 feet of trolley. The
four main yards have a capacity of over 300 cars.
Club Website: http://www.gmrrc.org/
Location: 619 Hahn Avenue, Glendale (
Major Cross Streets: Pacific Avenue & Glenoaks Blvd.),
Club Phone: 818-500-7229,
Hours 1:00 to 4:00
Bob Chaparro
Convention Layout Tour Coordinator
Hemet, CA
