Southern Pacific RR Layouts List

Shasta Inland Empire Coastline

2011-12-20T05:43:00.000-08:00

Layout Name: NL&SC (Sections of the Coastline)

Scale : N scale
Era: Final year of Steam on the SP 1956

Name: Joe Warren

From: Beaumont, CA

The Layout contains section of the SP near Santa Barbara known as Summerland and Fernald point. It will eventually host the Engine facility at San Luis Obispo. It also contains a section of the Shasta division, Shasta Springs to Cantara.
The layout sections are all sewn together in one bookshelf style layout.

Joe's Blog at : www.nlandsc.blogspot.com

If your interested it can be seen at Flickr Picture Albums :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21373627@N03/with/6474924915/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21373627@N03/sets/72157628006014475/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21373627@N03/sets/72157626411805371/

Donner Pass in Z scale

2011-11-22T09:21:00.001-08:00

Layout Name: Union Pacific's Donner Pass

Scale & Era: Z Scale Modern

Name: Mike Velazquez

From: Whittier, Ca

The area that I am modeling is from Norden to Truckee it's a twice around track plan that has one passing siding and one track for the MOW Crew.

The layout will run DCC and be used for local shows.

YouTube Link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/UPMikes

Trainboard Link:

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?128543-The-Donner-Pass-in-Z

Patagonia & Black Rock

2010-09-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

Layout Name : Patagonia & Black Rock
Owner : Marcelo Eduardo Szkatulak Colio

Scale: HO
Era: 1966 - Summer
Layout Location: Toledo ( Spain)

My name is Marcelo Eduardo Szkatulak Colio. I´m an Espee Spanish fan.
I have a small H0 layout about Southern Pacific called Patagonia & Black Rock.
This is a SP based layout settled in mid 1966 in the Arizona Division.
The Patagonia town actually exist and have an SP Depot Nº22 ( http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=24108 ) but no Black Rock. It was taked from a picture called "Bad Day in Black Rock" (Did you see that? there was a lot SP train).
•    The Layout dimensions are about 1,25 x 3 with a 2 x 0,50 extension. It have a L shape.
•    Layout Height: 1100 mm to top of rails.
•    Benchwork : 10 mm plywood.
•    Roadbed: 6 mm foam.
•    Track : Roco cod. 83.
•    Scenery : Natural materials, stones and sand.
•    Backdrop : Landscapes printing on self-adhesive paper over 5 mm. styrene.
Now I´m modeling the operating mode, because I´m interested in prototipical operation.
You can see my layout in http://patagoniablackrock.blogspot.com/
My rolling stocks is mainly representative of the sixties, but I have several models I like but it doesn´t run in a tipical operation journal.
For example, I´ve GP9 "Torpedo Boat" and RDC-10 for passenger trains, GP-30, GP-35, SD-9 and RSD-3 for freight and some SW1500 and SW-9 for switching cars. I will add some more when operation need it.
Joinly with an Italian and Uruguay friends called Alejandro and Miguel we are running a Yahoo group called SPRRSpanish@yahoogroups.com.
We are triing to talk about SP and his subsidiaries in spanish.

Wyandotte Siding, Southern Pacific

2009-12-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

Owner: Ken Smith
Scale : HO
Location: Shepton Mallet, Somerset (UK)
Wyandotte Siding is a fictional location set in the early 1950s somewhere on the Southern Pacific’s East Valley line between Chico and Marysville, CA. It has been built for exhibition at train shows and its first public appearance, in 2008, was as a 15-foot-long switching layout, 10’ of which was scenic, with a 4-foot train-traverser at one end and a short engine-traverser at the other.
For 2009, the layout was extended to create a complete passing siding with industries on both sides of the line (silos and elevator, packing sheds and a beet loader) and 5-foot traversers at each end.
The scenic section in this version is 15’ 6’’ long.
Layout control is Digitrax DCC with Tortoise motors and Hare decoders operating the switches.
Signaling is yet to be installed, but I have some BLMA H2 searchlight signals ready to put in place when I have worked out which train detection and signal driver system I am going to use.
Track is Peco code 83 for the main and the switches, with Micro Engineering code 75 on the siding and code 55 on the spurs.

Southern Pacific in the Cascades

2009-12-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

Name: Southern Pacific in the Cascades
Scale: HO
Era: 1950s
Owner: Bill Rogers
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado

This model railroad is based on SP's Cascade line in the 1950s.
While it's not exactly freelanced, it doesn't strictly follow the prototype either.
About two thirds of the scenery is finished and about one fourth of the trees are made and planted.
A great many more trees must be planted before the layout begins to evoke an impression of the western slopes of the Oregon Cascades.

The layout has two levels built around the walls.
The lower and upper levels are connected by a track that winds back and forth along a long peninsula.
This grade has about 90 feet of 2 1/2 percent track with one 16 foot siding.
There is a Y at the top so that helpers can be turned and return light to the lower level yard.
There is also a hidden helix that provides a return path to the lower level.
Entire trains can also be turned with reversing loops on both levels.

I deliberately chose a 2 1/2 percent grade so that helper operations would be mandatory for trains with steam locomotives and more than about ten cars. Since nearly all of the layout diesels are powered and I generally operate three or four of them together, diesel powered trains usually don't require helpers.

Lovelock, Winnemucca & Elko

2009-11-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

Name : Lovelock, Winnemucca & Elko
Era: Steam
Scale : HO
Owner: Ty Marcucci (SPH&TS C0918)
Location : Huntsville, AL
My layout is based on the Salt Lake Division in northern Nevada circa Aug. 1960.

I call it the Lovelock, Winnemucca & Elko or LW&E.

It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Espee.

Both my grandfathers retired from the SP in the late 30's or 40's.

I use mainly steam.

The depots are SP kits by American Model Buildiners, etc. All SP Buildings, locos, running stock, etc.

I had to move from St Louis back in 97 and gave up a full basement with a 65 x 35 layout.

Now it is crammed into a 15 x 17 room.

I am finally getting back into HO modeling after a 10 year layoff.

I'll take some photos when there is something worth taking photos: Mostly under construction!

Southern Pacific's New Pollok cut-off

2009-10-28T04:25:00.000-07:00

Name: Southern Pacific's New Pollok cut-off
Scale: HO scale
Era: 1954-56
Owner: Brian Moore
Location: Plymouth, United Kingdom

The New Pollok cut-off is an imaginary additional section of SP's Coast Line set in the period 1954-56, and features the type of locomotive power, passenger and freight trains common to that time.
It lives in my loft, and has a rectangular footprint of 18x8 feet.

It consists of a single main line and two separate scenic sections: one is a 12-foot-long semi-desert scene with a tunnel at one end, a main line and passing loop, and some lines off under a road bridge at the other, partly representing a motive power depot which caters for late steam and early diesels.
Power for freight trains is regularly swapped here, and this part of the layout is almost scenically complete.
The other side has a main line, depot (“Boswell CA”), a long passing loop, a reasonably-sized yard, team track and a siding into Fort Crookston Armored Proving Ground, an Army facility that tests armoured vehicles.
This side of the layout remains almost fully negligent of scenery, but has the buildings in place.
There are also eight hidden storage tracks (five double-ended and three stub-ended), the longest capable of taking an ABBA set, 22 40' reefers and a caboose.
Control is by a Lenz 100 DCC system, and all locomotives are sound-equipped.

Track is all Peco Code 83, and all switches are remotely controlled.

This layout is my first attempt at modeling SP operations on the Coast Line.
I'm concentrating on getting the locomotives and stock more prototypical, and relying on a “generic” Coast Line appearance, scenery-wise.
As per SLO, there's rather a lot of locomotive changes and helper attachment/detachments, and a reasonable degree of switching too.

Waybills and more formal ops are in the pipeline.

Eastern Arkansas

2009-09-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Name: St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt)

Owner: Patrick Pope

Scale: HO
Era: September 1976

Layout Location: Wildwood, Missouri USA

Location of the railroad modeled is in Eastern Arkansas running from Jonesboro to Pine Bluff Arkansas.
There are eight (8) modeled towns and three (3) staging yards on the RR.

The RR is approximately 425 feet in length on a single level.
The minimum height is 54 inches and maximum height is 60 inches.
The RR is point to point with no continuous running provision.

Car distribution is by car card, waybill and written switchlist.

There is a total of 64 industries with 264 total industry spots located within the eight (8) towns. While the number of freight cars can vary currently there are 682 cars on the RR.

Crew size is best kept to eight (8) but the RR can be operated with up to twelve (12) crew.

There are six (6) locals, traveling switchers, ran during a full session. A minimum of twelve (12) thru trains operate with most doing some work during their run. Mostly pickup or setout at one of the two yards. The premier train on the RR is the Blue Streak Merchandise (BSM).

About 90% of the RR has scenery.
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South Line

2009-07-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Owner: Logan Bertolette
South Line layout portrays the remoteness of the SP over the former El Paso and Southwestern and includes the coaling tower at Mescal and the smelter at Douglas which occupies over 13 actual feet of wall including the slag pile.
The South Line was part of the Rio Grande Division, until that division was incorporated into the Tucson Division.
Hear the Logan's too humble description:
"Having neither the time, talent or finances to exactly replicate the SP in Southern Arizona, my goal was to capture the flavor of the ex-EP&SW’s South Line on SP’s Rio Grande Division.
As a teen growing up in the Southeastern portion of Arizona, I was fascinated by the remnants of the EP&SW and the mining and smelting operations so prevalent in the area.
The layout is housed in a 14’x22’ building which happens to be just a few feet from the former SP’s Coastline.
There is still much to do on the layout. The smelter at Calumet is not prototypical, but sufficiently hideous to serve. The Bisbee/Douglas peninsula, including the pit mine at Bisbee and the yard at Douglas, remains largely unfinished"
Taste here some pictures:

SP Coast Line - SLO

2009-07-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Owner: Andrew Merriam
Scale: HO
Era : 1953
SP Coast Line-based model railroad featuring Guadalupe, San Luis Obispo yards, the helper district "up the hill" to Santa Margarita and Stenner Creek viaduct.
The model railroad is based upon the Southern Pacific Coast Line in the early 1950’s steam and black widow diesel era. The model covers the area from Santa Margarita to Guadalupe including the Cuesta Grade horseshoe curve and the Stenner Creek Trestle. One branch line includes the Santa Maria Valley to the Betteravia sugar beet refinery. A second branch includes the award winning double track 1912 bascule bridge to the port of San Pedro.
Scenic highlights include Stenner Creek Trestle and Horseshoe Curve, Serrano to Cuesta Summit and Guadalupe and the six foot long bascule bridge module.
Scenery is about 75% complete.
The mainline totals about 340 feet with super elevated curves and handlaid track where visible. Operations are with Digitrax DCC and sound equipped locomotives.
Operations include yard switching, several peddlers and 4 through freights and 6 through passenger trains.

Roseville-Truckee District-"The Hill"

2009-07-09T03:50:00.000-07:00

Owner: Jeff Rowe
Scale: O scale
Layout Location: San Ramon CA
Southern Pacific Roseville-Truckee District-"The Hill" Roseville Subdivision
The SP line from Oakland, CA to Ogden, Utah provides for many exciting
modeling possibilities. There are several major yards and terminals, a wide
variety of terrain from flat lands, hills and the towering Sierra mountain range.
The line from Sacramento to Sparks, Nevada (AKA “the hill” or Roseville
Subdivision) is the section I chose to model. It has steep grades, tunnels, snow
sheds, and heavy traffic. To get trains over Donner Pass, SP employed several
different engine types over the years from 4-10-2, the famous 4-8-8-2 cab
forwards, Alco PS’s, and SD-40/45 T-2’s. Motive power from the Rio Grande and
UP were also frequently used. Most consists were freight and produce from CA to
the east coast. But passenger trains such as the San Francisco Limited, the Gold
Coast, the Overland Limited, City of San Francisco, plus locals and mail trains
also provide plenty of modeling opportunities.
Obviously, it would require an enormous facility to model the full scope of the
line from Roseville to Sparks. In the limited space I have available, the
compromise was to concentrate on the Roseville and Truckee section known as
the Hill or Mountain district. The Colfax to Norden section are in the planning
stages. The time frame is the early to mid 1950’s when SP began phasing out
steam and switching to diesel. Some contemporary operation with newer SD-
40/45 and T-2’s is also enjoyed.
The layout occupies a 20’ x 23’ garage in my San Ramon CA home

Cuesta Grade

2009-07-09T03:45:00.000-07:00

Owner: Robert Raymond
Layout Location: Orlando ?

Cuesta Grade simulates Southern Pacific Railroad Operations between California’s Watsonville and San Luis Obispo in 1951.
The railroad runs off a rough copy of the actual timetable, moving freight and passengers in an efficient manner.
A computer dispatches the layout under TT&TO format.

Mountain Park Division

2009-07-09T03:30:00.000-07:00

Owner: Bill Robertson
Scale :HO
Era 1950's
Layout Location: Rosewll, Georgia
Prototype: Southern Pacific - Southwest
Size 9'X12'
Style Island with 3 times around inverted oval
Roadbed Balast on plywood
Trackwork Code 100
Min. Radius 20"
Maximum Grade 2.5%
Scenery Spackle over scren wire, 99.9% complete
Controls DC cab control
Sound: Steam and diesel in powerpack
Signals: Grade flashers and automated block and interlocking signals.
Yards: 5-track division point yard; 4-track stub yard; 2-track engine house.
7 industrial sidings.

Southern Pacific Dalsa Cutoff

2009-07-09T03:04:00.000-07:00

Owner: Joe & Sharon Mainz
Scale: HO
Era : 1970s- early 1980s
Layout Location : Texas
Featuring the Espee line across central Texas between Hearne and Flatonia.
It's in a building we built for it just out of our back door.
I've been an avid SP fan since the late 1950s. Over the years we've made several trips to Flatonia, about 80 miles east of San Antonio. That's where the Dalsa Cutoff, originally constructed as a shortcut between Dallas and San Antonio, connects to the New Orleans-Los Angeles Sunset Route.
The Flatonia Subdivision, as the Dalsa Cutoff was formally known, formed a strategic link between the Cotton Belt connection in Corsicana, Texas and the Sunset Route to L.A. It was part of the route of the SP's - at times the world's fastest freight trains, the Blue Streak Merchandises or "BSMs," from St. Louis and Memphis to Los Angeles. - Ed.
The layout depicts the line between Hearne and Flatonia, part of the Southern Pacific's Austin Division in the 1970s and early 1980s.I've also modeled the connection with the transcontinental Sunset Route at Flatonia

SP Mulford Line

2009-06-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

TT Scale
Owner: Richard Brennan
Layout Location: Gavia Court, San Leandro, CA
I am one of a -very- small number of modelers in the US (less than 150?) trying to model in TT-Scale (1:120).
My planned around-the-room layout runs up the East Bay on the SP Mulford Line, much of which was the original South Pacific Coast narrow gauge right-of-way, intersecting at Santa Clara.
Starting on the right side (3:00) In the Mulford Gardens area, the cannery represents the one in Oakland's Fruitvale district, but I will label it Del Monte after the one I worked at. The Western Electric plant in San Leandro also represents a former employer... but once again, I never worked at this location.
The diesel shops represent a small portion of the SP West Oakland shops... with just the engine house and refueling area represented.
The Roberts Landing section is where I live now... in land which was cleaned-up after they removed the Trojan Powder Works dynamite factory. This area will be "semi-" historical... but the line was actually about a kilometer away from the landing. The boats (scow schooners) actually used to come up the creek at high tide to unload.
I also have an in-swinging door, so I too will have a removable/duck-under "bridge". Mine will represent a trestle across San Leandro Bay to Alameda.
The Union City/Hayward areas will have several industries I am fond of: A cement plant (for covered hopper loads), the Golden Glow brewery... which is one of the most modellogenic buildings I have ever seen (in photos only...), and a small industrial gas depot... for helium cars!

The State Belt & SP along Harrison St.

2009-06-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

HO Scale
Owner: Michael Shrum
Layout Location: Sonoma,CA
I'm building a layout focusing on the State Belt in San Francisco, with a few blocks of SP on Harrison St (this was the main line before the Bayshore cutoff was built (Before 1904)
Some photos and discussion are on the Trainboard.com.
Here is a link to my photos:
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/6862
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/ppuser/6862/cat/500

The plan is now being heavily revised, but I started building anyways.
I live in Sonoma, California (Think Wine and Cheese) I grew up in San Francisco.

Shelf Switching Layout SF Belt

2009-06-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - ca.1955
Owner: George Dean
Layout Location: Foster City, CA
Switching Layout of the San Francisco State Belt RR.
Simple modular switching than can give life-long pleasure.
The basic idea: Three 2x4 foot modules connected by bridges to make a 2 x 14.5 foot shelf.
Fits along my garage wall nicely and allows plenty of operation.
A selection of things from the set:

South Shasta Lines Miniature Railway

2009-06-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Godrey Humann, creator of the South Shasta Lines Miniature Railway, died April 15 2009 at his Gerber home.

Model Railroader June 2009 issue have published his last review article of this O scale historic piece of Americana.

Housed in the 36-by-60-foot basement of the Gerber home Humann built in 1949, the track rings the walls with exact models of long-gone train depots in Gerber, Red Bluff and Anderson, then winds through Redding and its depot on the room's center platforms, traversing mountainous bridges and tunnels, and ends at the Dunsmuir depot.
Humann, a 96-year-old retired farmer and thresher, began work on the model in 1950.

http://www.redding.com/news/2008/Apr/15/all-aboard/
One of the several video on Youtube: http://tinyurl.com/ndnk6d

Tamalpais Valley Railroad

2009-06-07T03:18:00.000-07:00

HO Scale

Owner: Duncan McRee

Layout Location: San Diego
The Tam Valley RR is a point-to-point HO model railroad that wanders through the bedrooms of our house and is roughly based on the real Southern Pacific with a lot of modeler's license.
The route starts at Tamalpais Valley, continues through the Central Valley, over the High Sierras, across the Nevada desert to terminate at Ogden with branches to Sausalito and Mill Valley.
The roster consists almost exclusively of surplus Southern Pacific equipment from with some other western roads and some old logging locomotives.
I mix times up as I wish, modeling 3 dimensions is plenty, I have left the 4th one indeterminate on the TVRR.
The layout is built, owned and operated by me.
Extensive ( and hope interesting) info are here:

SP & ATSF along the North Bay

2009-06-07T02:47:00.000-07:00

N Scale - 1980's
Owner: Jerry DeBene
Layout Location: Alabama
I am modeling in N Scale, and the SP Line at Pinole (along the Bay in the Contra Costa County) ,CA, is represented on my layout.
It will also have the ATSF Line from Richmond to Stockton.
I mainly stick with the 1980's but have models from all eras that I love to run, including Big SP power like 4-10-2's and AC-9's.
Maximum train length is about 80 cars, but I tend to keep it more around 40 normally.
The Pinole section of the layout, which will fill a 30X35ft garage is 24ft by 3ft. It is about 90% sceniced.
Progress on this layout can be found at Trainboard in the N Scale forum under ATSF Line started.
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=87641
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=87641&page=163
You can also check out several videos as the layout progresses on Youtube....

Oakhurst Railroad

2009-06-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - Era: in the 1920’s
Owner: Marty Bradley
Layout Location:Los Alamitos, CA
The Oakhurst Railroad is an HO scale model railroad running through the central Sierra town of Oakhurst California.
Although no real railroad ever ran through Oakhurst, the area is rich in logging and gold mining history and several railroads and logging flumes operated nearby.
The Oakhurst Railroad is a two level point-to-point railroad with a helix and an optional continuous run that occupies an 8.5’ x 11’ room and closet.A round trip on the Oakhurst Railroad is approximately 3 scale miles.
For operations, trains are put together in the Oakhurst yard and then travel to the logging or mining areas on the upper level.
Logs are taken from Camp 3 or Central Camp to the North Fork sawmill.
Cut lumber and mining ore are taken to Oakhurst for interchange with a Southern Pacific branch (a fictional extension of the Friant branch line) that connects (through staging) to the mainline in Fresno. Passenger trains take guests to and from the Yosemite resort in Wawona.

Southwestern Pacific RR

2009-06-03T12:18:00.001-07:00

N Scale - 1950's
Owner: Steven Van Meter
Layout Location: Alameda.
This is a large N scale layout representing generic Bay Area Southern Pacific and Western Pacific in the 1950's steam to diesel transition period.
It incorporates a completed old layout as a starting point, and scenery on the new areas is progressing nicely.
Control is NCE DCC and control panels are in SP livery.
There are plenty of nice structures in place.
Two new staging yards are being added.

ATSF & SP

2009-06-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

O scale - 1947-1951
Owner: Gary Schrader
Layout Location: San Jose
20' x 40' layout set in the 1947-1951 timeframe.
Double track mainline, 6 track Union Station, 13 track yard, huge 14 stall roundhouse with 18 more outside tracks.
All track is hand laid and completed. About 50% of the scenery is done including a large curved timber trestle & 2 other bridges.
All engines & cars are highly super-detailed to exactly match specific prototypes. Check out the complete, accurate 14 car Daylight train and 11 car Super Chief.
Control is by DCC.

Great Basin Lines

2009-06-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

O scale - transition era
Owner: Rod Miller
Layout Location: Palo Alto.
Great Basin Lines is a 15’ X 48’ Southern Pacific transition era layout.
Designed for operation using stacked staging loops.
Most of the mainline is double decked with some scenery and tunnels.
Extensive model machining capability.
No parking in driveway.

SP bay area branch line

2009-06-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

O Scale - Late steam
Owner: Neil Chichizola
Layout Location: San Carlos.
Southern Pacific O scale 14’ X 26’ purpose built room. Late steam and early diesel SP bay area branch line.
Track complete with about half sceniced.
Hand laid turnouts.
Many examples of craftsman kit and scratch-built rolling stock.

Southern Pacific Railroad Coast Route

2009-06-02T02:08:00.000-07:00

Southern Pacific Railroad Coast Route
HO Scale - 1952
Owner: Steve McCarthy
Layout Location : LA area
Size: 15’x25’
Basic Design: Around the Wall Triple Helix with Peninsula on each level, Clockwise=East to West
Theme:Mainline Class One Railroad
Locale:Coastal California-Oxnard to Guadelupe, with branch line to Saticoy and Santa Paula
Operation Era: July/August 1952
Scenic Era: Mid 50s-mostly, Steam and Diesel
Mainline Run: 120’
Minimum Radius:24”
MINIMUM TURNOUT: #4 yards, #6 Main
Benchwork: Combination table top, shelving, & Hollow core doors
Height: 36”-72”
Roadbed: Cork
Track: Code 100 Atlas Flex Track
Scenery: Ceiling Tile, Plaster of Paris/Newspaper, Ground Foam, & Decorative Sand
Backdrop: Masonite
Control: Digitrax DCC, 3 throttles
Operations: TT/TO as per 1952 Southern Pacific Coast & Los Angeles Division Employee Timetables, car card forwarding, trains run sequentially, no fast clock, Combination mainline runs, work locals, & yard switching,
Maximum train length-15 car+caboose, 2 GPs, Fs, PAs or one steam engine for through trains, 1 road switcher for locals Trains Run: 98/99 (Morning Daylights), 71/72 (Sad Sack), CME/CMW (Zippers), 2 westbound freights, 2 eastbound freights, Guadelupe Local, Oxnard Local, Santa Paula Local, Smokey, 1 West Bound ATSF (due to earthquake damage in the Tehachipis)
Motive & Rolling Stock: 90% Athearn Blue box, 4 P2K locos, 2 Atlas locos, 1 Kato loco, 1 Walther’s loco, 2 IHC locos, KD#5/58 couplers, KD/lifelike metal wheelsets

Oregon & California Railway

2009-06-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - 1935 to 1955
Owner: Bill Baker
Layout Location: near Port Orchard, Washington (Seattle area)
It is an L-shaped roughly 29 ft. by 16 ft. to-be-double-decked HO railroad based on the Natron Cutoff and Pengra Pass through the Cascades.
East end staging (a 4-track reverse loop) is Portland, Oregon while west end staging (another 4-track reverse loop) will be Klamath Falls when completed.
Featured yard is considered Eugene with operations based on helper service to boost trains up the 2 percent graded to Cascade Summit and the turning wye.
Time frame is 1935 to 1955 (with minor fudging!). Steam is KING! (But diesels of the first generation are tolerated.) The O & C is a "DCC-only" railroad using an NCE system and Soundtraxx decoders.
We are located near Port Orchard, Washington (Seattle area). SP fans or modelers are always welcome but I'd appreciate an e-mail contact in advance of visit. That's bill_baker@wavecable.com

"Donner pass" and more...

2009-05-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

N Scale
Owner: Ken Harstine
Layout Location: Holyoke, Massachusetts
I have essentially two N Scale SP layouts:
1. Donner pass
4'x9' Modeling the pass, Truckee and Donner Lake.

2. Sugar Bowl at Norden on Donner Pass
2.5'x4' NTRAK Module. This module is featured in my May 2009 Faller Car Systems article in N Scale Magazine.

Currently working on a smaller Truckee module for the NMRA convention in Hartford and the N Scale convention Portland, Oregon.

San Jose Shelf Switcher

2009-05-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

N Scale
Owner: Byron Henderson
Layout Location: San Jose.CA
This compact (18" X 72") Layout is based on Western Pacific and Southern Pacific trackage around 5th St. and 7th St. in San Jose, CA.
I'm now working on a terminal-themed N scale layout to share my garage with a family car, but before I started I thought it would be a good idea to build some sort of a trial layout.
The layout is inspired by real industries and street running around 5th street and 7th street in San Jose, CA, but does not exactly match the real railroad configurations.
There is more on this layout and the real-life elements that inspired it in an article in the Layout Design Journal published by the Layout Design SIG. This was LDJ #29 published in January, 2004.

San Antonio & the Sunset Route

2009-05-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

N scale
Owner: Flash Blackman
Layout Location: San Antonio, Texas
"I'm modeling the San Antonio urban area and the Sunset Route trackage with as many industries and sidings as I can. It is just a large switching layout"
30 x 20 foot N scale layout in the basement.
See on the picture album how many locale buildings: a great research and a great modeler!

East Portland

2009-05-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

N Scale - modern
Owner: Peter ___ ( Trainboard nick : pdx1955 )
Layout Location: Salem, Oregon
I model the portion from Brooklyn Yard north to East Portland/Union Station.
This is a pure industrial setting and the layout is mainly switching, transfer (at one time there were 60 runs a day between the SP and UP/NP) and a few "run-through" passenger trains.
Technically there is no mainline as it is all in yard limits but it is double track all the way.

Santa Cruz Northern

2009-05-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

HO scale – 1970-71
Owner: Jim Providenza
Layout Location: _____
The SCN is a jointly owned Western Pacific / Santa Fe subsidiary, running from a connection with the WP in San Jose California south to Santa Cruz on the Pacific Coast.
Proto-freelance over the California Coast Range in '70-71.
Double deck, walk around, point to point 240' single track mainline, 90% sceniced, in a two car garage.
Operations closely adhere to prototype practices with through and local freights, a unit train, passenger operations, yard and interchange. Dispatcher works with two Agent/Operators, a Yardmaster, a Trainmaster and train crews in a fairly disciplined but enjoyable atmosphere, replicating the teamwork inherent in railroading.
Lenz DCC with several CVP wireless throttles, Soundtraxx decoders, telephone, TT&TO, 4:1 fast clock, car card and waybill / switch-list.
Fascia mounted track diagrams, station names and mile posts, handouts describing layout and operating positions, employee timetable.
May 1996 Model Railroader, November & December 2002 Railroad Model Craftsman, December 1999 Railmodel Journal, Great Model Railroads video #35.

Feather River Western

2009-05-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

HO scale
Owner: John Huber
Layout Location: Windsor
Double-decked layout based on the Western Pacific.
Layout under construction with bench work complete; all track in Mountain scenery 90% done, structures being added.
DCC control.

Yosemite Valley Railroad

2009-05-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

HO Scale
Owner: Jack Burgess
Layout Location: Newark, CA
“I have been researching this railroad for over 40 years.
Not only do I collect information, photos, and paper "artifacts" from this wonderful railroad, but I am also building a large HO scale layout based on the YVRR in my home in Newark, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Layout features 1-4 decks or levels to take better advantage of my limited (20'x20') available space.”

Yosemite Valley RR

2009-05-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - late 1930's
Owner: Wes Swift
Layout Location: Santa Cruz
HO scale recreation of the Yosemite Valley RR in the late 1930's.
The layout is double-decked and uses laminated roadbed.
Features very realistic, actual prototype scenes.
NCE DCC is used for control and uncoupling with Kadee couplers and electromagnets.
The layout has been featured in Railroad Model Craftsman.
The high level of modeling realism compared favorably with the famous YVRR of Jack Burgess.

Sonora Pacific & Southern Pacific

2009-05-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

HO/HOn3 – 1940’s thru 50’s
Owner: F. John LaBarba
Layout Location: Santa Cruz
A 20' x 20' HO/HOn3 layout depicting a California narrow gauge railroad interchanging with the Southern Pacific in the 1940's thru 50's.
It is a series of scenes, each with its own theme, set apart effectively by scenic dividers.
It features very find rock work & fantastic scenery.
There are freelanced depictions of Los Angeles, Westside Lumber, & a gold mine/mill complex.
Operation is by radio cab control.
Featured in Railroad Model Craftsman and in Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette.

The Owens Valley Subdivision

2009-05-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

N Scale - Spring 1990
Owner: Mike Stoner
Layout Location: Sedona, AZ
The Owens Valley Subdivision (OVS) is a north/south connecting line which runs from Mojave, California to Reno, Nevada.
At its south end, the OVS connects with Santa Fe's original Transcontinental line at Mojave, on the eastern side of the Tehachapi mountains. At its north end, the OVS connects with the Southern Pacific's original line that runs over Donner Pass. The Owens Valley Subdivision is named for the valley which it runs in.
The Owens Valley stretches from Bishop, Ca, south to Keeler, Ca, where the Owens River ends in a large lake basin.
The Owens Valley Subdivision is a double deck N scale layout depicting what could have happened if the merger between the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway was approved.
It also is a "proto free lanced" railroad, where I have taken the prototype SP and SF and put them in a setting that never had a standard gauge railroad.
The layout room size is 18.5' x 11.5'. Even with this modest amount of room for N scale, I was still hard pressed to include everything that I wanted in my "dream" layout. But after the compromises, I was still able to keep most of what I wanted. Double decking the railroad helped immensely.

SP's Coast Route

2009-05-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

N Scale - 1950 to 1955
Owner: Wolfgang "Wolf" Balandran
Layout Location: Westminster, Magnolia Street, Garden Grove, CA
Finally, after about six years without a layout, I am getting ready to start my new layout. The track plan is being worked on. So I'll have to wait just a bit longer. But, in preparation for the track plan I have been working on the workbench. It is 9' X 14'.
And will be based on the SP's Coast Route. Totally freelanced, but set around San Luis Obispo (just to have destinations).
The time frame will be around 1950 to 1955.
Wolfgang "Wolf" Balandran
SPH&TS Member #C2444
Belmont Shore Model RR Club

Southern Pacific in Southern California

2009-05-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

HO scale - 1050
Owner: Bob Brand
Layout Location: Texsa
Southern California in the 50s.
Bob tore out his old layout and started over 2 years ago.

Summit

2009-05-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

N scale - Modern
Owner: Lennart Svedberg
Layout Location: Sweden
N scale “Summit” layout, which is a freelanced interpretation of the Southern Pacific Tehachapi tunnels and their surroundings.

Eastern Sierra line

2009-05-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

O Scale - circa 1955
Owner. Vern Hill
Layout location: Wofford Heights (Lake Isabella Area)
This O-scale layout measures 13' x 21'. Track is mostly hand laid to Proto 48 standards. The basic track plan is an over-and-under folded dog bone with a hidden storage yard into the adjoining garage. All track work, with the exception of an engine service area and industrial spur, is complete along with about 85 percent of the scenery.
The layout represents generic Southern Pacific, circa 1955, with a mix of steam and diesel. Most modelers are aware that SP had what nearly amounted to an Eastern Sierra line from Klamath Falls, Oregon to Mojave, including the SP narrow gauge from Keeler to Laws and north over Mt. Montgomery Pass.
In Vern's historical "imagineering", he has standard gauged the line and the layout represents a section of that fictional scenario.
Rolling stock includes some brass, Intermountain, Red Caboose and Atlas equipment. The locomotive roster includes models from Glacier Park, Sunset and old Atlas. All have been converted to Proto 48 standards.
The layout controls are standard no-frills DC as are the controls for the signal system (target and semaphore). A sound system remains on the wish list.

SP Steam in California

2009-05-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

1:48 Scale - 1950
Owner: Jim Harper
Layout Location: St. George, Utah
Jim is building a Proto48 layout in his new home.
The layout is loosely based upon SP operations in California.
His original layout was in his three-car garage in Reno, Nevada.
Jim has reassembled the original layout and added to it in his larger space.
Pictures of Jim's older layout prior to the move on the link.
”Jim Harper has one of the finest Proto48 layouts in the country.
It fills a three-car garage in his home in Reno. Jim’s track is all hand-spiked with individual tie plates and four spikes per tie. He used cast frogs and points so his track is as well detailed as his models. Recently, Jim has converted to DCC operation with sound.”

Paliz Bay Railway & Navigation Co

2009-05-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - 1966
Owner: Peter __?
Layout Location: Santa Cruz. CA
Paliz Bay is a fictional town just outside Santa Cruz, California.
The line is loosely based on a branch line of the Southern Pacific Coast Line going through Santa Cruz, and is set in August 1966.

West Valley District

2009-05-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

N Scale - era__?
Owner: Phil Scandura
Layout Location: ___?
Phil Scandura’s N Scale layout, the Southern Pacific Tucson Division “West Valley District” , depicts a fictional branch line connection between the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe railroads, just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. The branch starts in Glendale, as an interchange with the Santa Fe mainline, and continues through Tolleson and into Avondale where it joins the Southern Pacific mainline bound for Yuma.
Layout is controlled by Digitrax DCC and was originally designed using CADRail layout design software.

Southern Pacific in Dads Garage

2009-05-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

N scale - modern
Owner: John Paulson
Layout Location: Finchley Avenue, Riverside, CA
Nice scenery and bridges!
"My layout is loosely based on Colton through Cajon serving Victorville.
There is tons of modelers liscense but I needed a base to work from.
This is a single level N-scale, L-shaped layout that loosely depicts the Colton yard, through the grade of Cajon pass, to Victorville all in California.
There is a yard with many industries around it, a passing siding at the summit, and Victorville with 3 sidings. There is also a three track continouos staging yard between Victorville and Colton so the three tracks are stand ins for points north and south or west. My goal in Victorville is to have a Cemex plant, Beck oil and fuels, and Hesperia lumber. In Colton there will be a citrus packer, Grain elevator(like the one in San Berdo), Bekins storage, a furniture manufacturer, a plastics manufacturer, and a LCL shiping house.
It is powered by an NCE system with four throttles."

Shasta Pacific Railroad

2009-05-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Shasta Pacific Railroad
HO Scale
Owner : Ken Leitch
Layout Location: Landsborough. Q. Australia.
An imaginary subsidiary of the Southern Pacific RR that a STB ruling protected from being swallowed up by the yellow peril meger.
It is set in western USA and stretches from Portland to Bakersfield & Mojave via Tehachapi & covers a loose time frame 1940 - 1996.
Ken is a Life Member of NMRA, honorary life member of Gold Coast Model Railway Workshop, & currently a member of Caloundra Model Railway Association & Sunshine Coast Railway Modellers Society.

Los Angeles and San Diego Railroad

2009-05-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - 1950
Owner: Jim Lancaster
Layout Location: Galy Street, Tustin, CA
Jim Lancaster’s Layout set in Southern California in the 1950’s.
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 named the Los Angeles and San Diego Railroad.

Oakland Harbor Belt

2009-05-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

N scale - 1955
Owner: Byron Henderson
Layout Location: _____?
A proto-freelanced N scale model railroad set in 1955.
The layout is under construction now and will include scenes around the Alameda and Oakland, CA areas, with an emphasis on yard and industry switching.

West Marie Vally RR

2009-05-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

O scale - Transition era
Owner: Lisa Marie Tahtaras
Layout Location: ___?
About 16 by 26 feet in size.
It is a fictitious branch of the SP across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where it connects with the UP.
I have some UP equipment, but mostly all SP.
I love the transition period so there are some 1st generation diesels. Most of the motive power is steam which includes examples of most of SPs large steam locos.
The railroad is designed mainly for train watching and has a single track main line, that goes around the train aria about 1 1/2 times, with a long passing siding.
There is a seven stall round house, that houses my collection of Cab Forwards.
The rest of the locos have to live outside till I have the space to build a larger version of the WMVRR

Bear Creek and South Jackson

2009-05-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – circa 1952
Owner: Charlie Comstock
Layout Location: ___?
The BC&SJ is free-lanced as an imaginary subsidiary of the Southern Pacific circa 1952.

Sp in Oregon

2009-05-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

Jeff Abbott's Espee Oregon Division
- Scale: N 1:160
- Era: Circa Late 70's
- The layout is located in Valencia, CA.

Espee's Cascade Sub ( loosely Oregon Division from Eugene and over the Cascades )
Compressed to a 16' X 20' double level layout with helix. 300'+ of single track ME code 55 mainline (over 9 scale miles)... near equivalent code 40 sidings, yards, and spur tracks.
22 1/2" min radius curves with 1.8% max grade.
Train lengths average 30-50 cars, with comparable siding lengths.
Midtrain helpers are part of regular operations thanks to body mount couplers.
Powered by Digitrax DCC which also handles JMRI / CATS controls for full CTC signaling system.
Dispatching ops sessions is done remotely via internet.
Communications are VoIP relaying FRS radios for crew members.
15 years in the making...

Photobucket link:

http://s448.photobucket.com/albums/qq210/4x2dsp/?start=all

Blogspot link:

http://espeeoregondivision.blogspot.com/

SP in Oregon

2009-05-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

O gauge - late 1940s to 1950
Owner: Charlie Morrill
Layout location: Benjamin, Texas.
Charlie models and his layout is primarily designed for switching operations.
His layout features working signals that he has built.

This is a 28' x 38' basement layout which attempts to model some parts of SP operations in Oregon.
The time era for the layout is late 1940s to 1950 and all steam.
Either DC with PFM sound or DCC with sound are used for operations depending on the locomotives to be run.
The upper section of afolded 8 loop is under construction. No scenery as yet.

Photos of the layout can be found by following the link.

Pacific Northwest

2009-05-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - 1971
Owner: Larry Stewart
Layout Location: 23226 Dune Mear Road, Lake Forest
This 20’ x 20’ garage layout represents 1971 Pacific Northwest.
The highly detailed layout incorporates natural granite rock work into the scenery.
Southern Pacific tunnel motors and SD-45's pull long trains through the rugged western mountains.
Union Pacific trains also ply the same routes. All equipment is detailed for 1971 and weathered properly.
Trackwork is Code 83 rail with smooth-running, large-radius curves. The main line run is 385 feet long.
The layout has been a work in progress since 1975. It has always looked complete, that is, a scene is never incomplete for more then a couple of days. Larry’s friends can't figure out the constant need to change scenes and track configuration. But that is what he loves about the hobby.

SP Santa Cruz Division

2009-05-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

Garden Layout 1:32 standard gauge - late 60's
Owner: Gary Siegel
Layout Location: Camino Viejo, Montecito, CA
Theme: Santa Cruz to San Jose
Scenery 60%
200 x 185
Gary’s SP Santa Cruz Division layout is an operations oriented 1:32 standard gauge layout.
Modeled after the Southern Pacific’s line from San Jose to Santa Cruz, the old South Pacific Coast R.R.
The era is in the late 60's.
The mainline is 750 feet long with five passing sidings.
The railroad design is point to point. Mainline minimum radius is 8'6". The maximum mainline grade is 1.5%.
We run with 1st. and 2nd. generation diesels. Mainline track and industrial spurs are in. The yard and industrial tracks at San Jose and Santa Cruz are not in yet. There are some temporary yard tracks in.
Gary has planted several hundred dwarf Alberta spruce trees as part of the scenery.
For more photos scroll down a few pages at the Gold Coast Garden Railway Society’s October 2007 newsletter:
http://www.gcgrs.com/October%202007%20on%20line%20edition.pdf

Siskiyou Pacific

2009-05-28T05:51:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – circa 1966
Owner: Larry Tuttle
Layout Location: ___?
"I started building my layout in 1987 in what used to be the garage of my house.
It loosely represents the Rogue Valley of Oregon circa 1966 with a few liberties taken with what "might have been." The modeled section includes from about the town of Rogue River to the summit of the Siskiyou Mountians.
Interchange with the Southern Pacific is accomplished with staging yards representing Eugene and Black Butte. Interchange is also with "what might have been" the Pacific & Eastern Railroad (Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club's railroad).
The main lines of the Siskiyou Pacific and Pacific & Eastern form a loop three scale miles long, on two levels connected by a double helix. Towns along the way (from north to south) include: Gold River (the division point), Rogue Point, Eagle Creek, Glen Creek (on a branch) and Siskiyou.
Control is by tethered walk around throttles built by the railroad's own shops.
Operation is by a card order system. Up to 5 trains can be operated simultaneously. A full operating session can keep six people busy for five hours moving 150 cars with two dozen trains."

SP Coast Line

2009-05-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - circa 1950
Owner: James Donlon
Layout Location: St. Josephs St., Santa Barbara, CA
James’ HO scale Southern Pacific Coast Line is a three deck representation of the Southern Pacific Coastline route.
The circa 1950 era allows a mix of steam, first generation diesels and a few second generation diesels.
The railroad seeks to faithfully recreate the SP’s Ventura Sub Division operations between Burbank Junction (roughly Glendale CA) and Sea Cliff (south Santa Barbara) with 350 feet of mainline in an around the 22’ x 19’ room.
The railroad was built for operation. Using an original SP timetable from the era, James dispatches trains based on the actual time table of the day using and 8:1 fast clock to cover a 24 hour period in 3 hours with an average of 16 to 20 trains operating per session..
The times of the trains on his model are within minutes of the actual 1952 SP
timetable.
Trains include through and local freights as well as named passenger consists. Trains run as scheduled and extras.
Towns and landmarks along the route are captured in the layout including Santa Susana Pass, the yard at Oxnard and the “Y” for the Santa Paula branch line.
Entry to the layout requires navigating a “CRAWL under” so be prepared.

SP Friant Branch layout

2009-05-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

HO-scale
Owner: Jay Styron
Layout location: Santa Barbara
The 12' x 32' layout is housed in a fully finished room built under his house for the railroad.
He has recreated the Southern Pacific's Friant Branch in the Fresno, California, area.
The design of the layout includes careful consideration of aisle space, layout access, storage and lighting. Industries modeled include citrus farms, wineries, fruit packing houses and reefer icing facilities. Scenery 70%
Operations are DCC controlled.

Southern Pacific Exeter Branch

2009-05-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

HO scale - 1981
Owner: Rick Watson
Layout Location: Tempe, Arizona
Based on the Exeter Branch of the Southern Pacific in 1981.
(moved under the Los Angeles Divsion rather than the San Juaquin Division, as modeling 1981: the Exeter Branch was part of the Bakersfield Sub which was part of the Los Angeles Division)
Primarily a switching layout . As with the prototype, the primary commodity is produce with numerous packing houses throughout the layout.
The majority of the industries modeled are representative of the prototype, with some additional added for operational interest.
The towns modeled include Sanger, Reedley, Dinuba, Exeter and Lindsay.
The layout employs a Car Card/Waybill operating system and train control is via NCE DCC.
The focus of the layout is heavy switching and an operating session accommodates a crew of four operators.

Southern Pacific Inyo Subdivision

2009-05-28T02:54:00.000-07:00

HO scale - Modern
Owner: Jon Cure
Layout Location: Avenida Colonia, Moorpark , CA
Located in Jon’s four car garage garage.
The 37’ X 25’ layout models modern day traffic in California’s Mojave Desert and Owens Valley as well as an Eastern Sierra branch and some Nevada desert.
Major industries include carbon black, copper smelting, tungsten and talc mining, cement, lumber and paper mills, and military installations as well as assorted industrial/commercial businesses such as lumber, fuel, scrap, etc.
In addition there is an interchange with the Trona Railway.
Typical trains are SP, WP, and ATSF. Trains are run from staging as extra’s and car forwarding is controlled by car cards and waybills. Jobs typically include yard masters, local switching crews, and manifest trains with scheduled work.
The layout scenery is approximately 60% complete.
Train control is NCE DCC with some sound equipped motive power.
The garage is next to the UP/Metrolink (former SP) Coastline trackage so you might enjoy some real train traffic.
As a bonus, Jon also has a T&NO Beaumont Industrial RR, an around the walls HO scale DC switching layout inside his house.

and a video of Bruce Morden:

San Joaquin Central

2009-05-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – spring 1949
Owner: Chuck Harmon
Layout Location: Fresno
Modeling the Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Division from Roseville to Truckee (Donner Pass) in the spring of 1949, plus a fictional branchline located on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada.
The HO mainline is 200’ long, with another 100’ on the branchline.
Most of the trackage is handlaid on milled pine roadbed.
Especially nice is gauntlet trackage across Long Ravine Trestle.

Truckee to Donner climb over the Sierra

2009-05-28T01:49:00.000-07:00

S scale ( + Sn3) – 1950-55
Owner: Bob Hogan
Layout Location: Madison, GA
Here's my Sierra Northern Railroad.
Modeled in S scale, the SN represents a generic Truckee to Donner climb over the Sierra.
I model the 1950-1955 era.
The layout is 22 X 23 foot with full scenery (see the photos section of the S scale list or the S Gaugan for pics) and features steam AC-12's, GS-4's, Decs, Mikes, P10 Pacifics as well as the smaller 2-8-0's and 2-6-0's. Diesels range from PA's, F-7's, Geeps, RSD-5's, plus Baldwin S-12's, and Alco S-2's as switchers.
All locos and cars are modeled after specific SP equipment.
Many are NMRA or NASG contest winners. Heck, there is even a 12 car Shasta Daylight and 16 car Lark consist that I built. Yeh, they are not appropriate to the route, but it is my railroad and I like to see the consists run.
There's also a Sn3 logging line for the Sierra Nevada Lumber Co. mill at Truckee. This line runs from a mountain reload to the mill using West Side Shays and equipment.
The layout is in a dedicated building at my house (full HVAC) in Madison, GA.
I grew up in the Bay Area during the '50's and lived there thru the 1980's, hence the interest. Gotta be the only SP layout in the south east!

Southern Pacific’s Donner Pass

2009-05-28T01:44:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – 1940 to 1955
Owner: Jim Sinclair
Layout Location: Bixby, OK
“I’m modeling the Southern Pacific over Donner Pass from Roseville California to Truckee with West and East staging yards. The predominant motive power are Cab Forwards and F7’s, ABA’s and ABBA’s in the 1940’s to 1955.
Helper service is required going both east and west over the hill. Southern Pacific began replacing the steam in 1956 with the more efficient diesels.
About 90% of the track is down, some terrain is in.
The Roseville yard is basically complete except for the icing facility.
Four industrial areas are about 98% complete. When completed the RR will support fourteen to eighteen operators and a dispatcher.
The dispatcher will control the double mainline traffic utilizing a computer program.
Eventually a detection system will support the dispatcher in controlling the heavy traffic.”

California Northwestern

2009-05-28T01:36:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - era: ___?
Owner: Brad ___?
Layout Location: ___?
Northwestern Pacific line of the Southern Pacific Railroad
"My goal is not necessarily to model exact features of the Northwestern Pacific, just to get the overall feeling of it.
I call my layout the California Northwestern and use fictitious names rather than the real ones from the NWP.
The layout started it in November of 2002 and is a simple track plan built on a 12 ft shelf set at a height of 54 inches along one wall of my train room.
A Digitrax Chief DCC system is used for control, the track is Peco code 55. "

Northwestern Pacific

2009-05-28T01:31:00.000-07:00

HO Scale
Owner: Ron Learn
Layout Location: Santa Rosa
Around-the-wall, eye-level layout.
Lower level under construction features a replica of the Healdsburg yard.
This gem was in the Feb., ‘95 MRC.

Soledad yard and Eldorado

2009-05-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

HO Scale
Owner: René Knoop
Layout location: ___?
Awesome layout and models of Southern Pacific and Cotton Belt locomotives and rolling stock.

SP Coast Line from Taylor Yard to Ventura

2009-05-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

O scale - late 1940s/early 1950s.
Owner: Bob Poole
Layout Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL area.
Layout room is 29' x 49'.
Custom track plan by John Armstrong replicates changes in elevation along the route.
Single track main line with passing sidings.
Era is late 1940s/early 1950s.
Benchwork construction began Aug. 2004 and finished Dec. 2008. As of May 2009, mainline subroadbed and roadbed nearly complete, and 5% of mainline track is installed and wired. Yard trackage laid out but not yet installed. All backdrops/viewblocks installed and painted sky blue; will use enlarged photo background scenes taken along actual ROW.
Currently DC for test phase but will convert to DCC.
Small fictional branch line from Moorpark to fictional town of La Cumbre, inspired by Fillmore and nearby citrus groves.
Motive power includes steam and diesel, most previously operated on much smaller previous layout, now dismantled.
All structures from that layout will be installed on this one, comprising about 50% of planned structures.
No scenery yet, and no structures yet in place.

SP Mojave Subdivision

2009-05-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - from 1988 to1990
Owner: Jim Niell
Layout Location: Madera
This 34’ by 38’ HO layout depicts the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads from Bakersfield to Mojave from 1988 to1990.
The layout is a multilevel, point-to-point design with staging yards, encompassing 400 feet of mainline with passing tracks, features the Tehachapi Loop and Caliente Horseshoe Curve.

Orange Belt Lines

2009-05-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

N scale – late 40s
Owner: Bob Russell
Layout Location: Lime Ave, Fontana, CA.
As described by the owner:
“This N scale layout was started in early 95 and is home to both the Southern Pacific & Santa Fe railroads.
The time period here is the late 40s so steam is in full control.
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 mixed freight.
Train Masters handle the local switching and pick up the freshly loaded reefers at the Sunkist packing house. “

Los Angeles

2009-05-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – Autumn 1952
Owner: Bob Smaus
Layout Location: LA
Train-watching in Los Angeles.
This layout has been featured in the hobby press several times.
The owner also is a very accomplished modeler and model railroad author.
Note: Bob Smaus has moved and this layout no longer exists.

Los Angeles & San Fernando RR Co

2009-05-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – early 1960s
Owner: Bruce Petty
Layout Location: Northern California
"My layout is modeled after Southern California, during the early 1960s.
Its built as a round the room shelf type layout, 14 to 18 inches wide allowing for close up photography.
Enjoy the photo tour and be sure to check out more web-article links for model building projects at the top and the bottom of this page."

Santa Barbara Subdivision

2009-05-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

HO scale - era 1994
Owner: Bruce Morden
Layout Loacation: Serena Avenue, Carpinteria, CA
Bruce Morden’s HO scale Southern Pacific Santa Barbara Subdivision is another 2-car garage.
The Southern Pacific Santa Barbara Subdivision models an area from Carpinteria to Goleta.
Bruce’s layout is a work in progress and so far there is no scenery.
Tracks have been completed on the first of three proposed levels.
Two staging yards are completed and one medium sized on line yard.
Construction includes “thin wall”, L-girder, and open grid. Roadbed includes solid masonite spline and plywood-homosote sandwiches.
Bruce hopes to one day extend the tracks over Cuesta grade to San Miguel.
“I have had some trains running but am taking some steps backward to progress forward.
All the locomotives, rolling stock and mock-up structures are coming off so that I can construct the supports for the second level. Once that is in, we will reactivate the first level and proceed to lay track on the second level.
Recently Bruce have open a blog. Ckeck here:

Tehachapi Sub

2009-05-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

N scale – mid ‘95
Owner: dave n
Layout Location: Milepost 351.8 on the North Slope
An awesome scratch built Modesto depot.
I model the pass as it was in early to mid '95, when SP and Santa Fe ruled the hill!
Photos of the N scale layout of Tehachapi pass:

SP coast line

2009-05-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

N scale - circa 1964
Owner: Charles Burns
Layout Location: Jamaica Street, Morro Bay, CA
Modeling the SP coast line from Santa Barbara to Guadalupe, with the Lompoc branch, circa 1964.
The 21' x 20' layout is on two levels with a double track helix at each end. The lower deck is the staging area and storage yards.
The mainline is 300 feet long with over 1,000 feet of track overall. There is a very large visible staging yard.
There are also two balloons, one under each helix, to turn trains.
He is running a pure DCC layout. He has a UR91 and radio throttles.
Charlie has scratch built several intricate steel trestles found on this route, various SP structures and even SP-style telephone poles. He also has modeled the ocean itself about as well as anybody.
He operates on a 1964 SP timetable which includes the Daylight, Lark, and Coast Mail. Freights include piggyback trains Nos. 371, 2, 3, and 4, plus a reefer block and lumber train. Control is DCC.
Charlie's layout has appeared in MODEL RAILROADER and the Mar/Apr 2005 issue of N SCALE RAILROADING. This layout will be on the layout tour for the Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society's 2009 Annual Conference in San Luis Obispo on October 28 - November 1, 2009.
He is also making all the signals operational. They are controlled by the turnouts on either side of a siding. The control information cascades down the line to turn signals yellow and red or green.
This is a very impressive layout.
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The Southern Pacific Coast Line

2009-05-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

HO scale - mid-50's
Owner: Jim Pattison
Layout Location: Montana
A depiction of the Coast Line as seen in the mid-50's.
Based on the automobiles on the layout, I'd say it was set sometime in the summer of 1957.
Most of the layout is centered around San Luis Obispo and Santa Margarita.
Since I lived in Santa Margarita in 1956-57, this is the single largest portion of the layout.
This layout was destroyed last winter in preparation for a move to Washington.
Hopefully, a new, bigger, better Coast Line will emerge from the ashes.

Southern Pacific Coast Line

2009-05-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

N scale - 1974
Owner: Denny Turani
Layout Location: Saronno (Varese) - Italy
A model railroad layout in N scale representing a portion of the Southern Pacific Coast Line in Central California between Callender and Surf, including Guadalupe yard, set in 1974.
Tracks are down and scenery is half-way.
The layout is focused on realistic operations.
Some Op-sessions are taken place.

Los Osos Valley Railroad

2009-05-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

HO scale - November 1949
Owner: Paul and Dorothy Deis
Layout Location: Windsong Way, Paso Robles, CA
A large 24 x 36 foot HO railroad on 2 decks depicting the Southern Pacific Railroads Coast Line from San Luis Obispo to San Miquel California as it was in November 1949.
The upper deck is reached via the climb up the Cuesta (Cuesta Grade as locals call it). The new railroad will feature San Luis Obispo, Cuesta Grade, Santa Margarita, Atascadero Paso Robles and San Miquel.
Currently we are laying track the San Luis Obispo Yard

Chittenden, Pajaro & Coyote RR

2009-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – 1940-1953
Owner: Chuck Catania
Layout location: Gilroy
This 13' x 21' layout models the Southern Pacific Coast Division from Watsonville to San Jose in the 1940-1953 era.
The mainline is three loops, around-the-room on two levels with a helix, maximum grade is 2%. Bench work is open frame construction with 1/2" plywood sub-roadbed, Atlas Code 83 track on cork roadbed. Tortoise switch machines operate the Walthers DCC friendly turnouts.
Fascia mounted panels provide walk around train and route management using C/MRI hardware and custom software.
Digitrax with radio throttles, are used for locomotive control only. An electrically interlocked swing gate provides access to the center of the layout.
Dave Biondi painted the backdrop which depicts the west foothills along the SP mainline from Coyote to Morgan Hill
Track is 75% complete, scenery is 5% complete.

Captosoquel & Watsonville

2009-05-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

N Scale - 1950's era
Owner: Gordon Searle
layout Location: San Jose
"I model Southern Pacific prototype, 1950's era, coast line and Santa Cruz branch line.
My layout size is 14'-6" long X 3' at one end and 4'-6" on the other end.
How complete is the layout scenery?? Is any layout ever truly complete? Not if the interest is there to transform it into something better! But in all seriousness, layout is in the 90% range for completion.
I use 2 DC (MRC) power packs and an Irish temper for running my trains!
My rolling stock consists of 1944 FRA freight cars, SP Daylights, Larks, Suntan Special and stainless steel and red letterboards. The power pool consists of Alco PA's and EMD E9's in Daylight paint scheme, F3 and F7 in black widow, GS4 4449, a pair of SD7s also in black widow scheme. A must-see for any SP fan!

South San Francisco

2009-05-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

O scale - Late steam/early diesel era
Owner: George Solimine
Layout Location: ___?
This is a shelf layout around the perimeter of a 20'x24' garage.
Scenery is currently about 50% complete.
George models the late steam/early diesel era, and various SP steam engines and a few "Black Widow" diesels are featured. The curves are 60" radius.
The garage is shared by several old automobiles, another hobby George enjoys.
Check out George's beautifully re-detailed, great running Max Gray AC-9.

Vasona Branch

2009-05-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

HO scale – Summer 1932
Owner. Robert Bowdidge
Layout Location: 1623 Fairorchard Ave San Jose CA
It’s summer 1932, and the Great Depression has taken hold in the U.S.
Even with the depression, Santa Clara’s crops still head for Eastern markets.
Apricots fresh and dried, prunes, and cherries from the Valley of Heart’s Delight all are grown here, and all get exported to the rest of the country.
The valley is still covered in orchards, and make a beautiful sight when they flower in the spring.

The Valley before Silicon

2009-05-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

N scale – circa 1947-49
Owner. Enzo Fortuna
Layout Loacation: Assago (Milano) - Italy
SP Coast Division, San Francisco – San Jose commute line
Around the wall layout in a point-to-point configuration depicting the coast line from 3rd & Townsend mission station to Santa Clara.
The partial modeled Permanente branch and the Kaiser cement plant add operation choice and variants to the commutes rush and named trains as Lark and Daylights and freight traffic servicing the City. Mission Bay yard is an hidden staging at one end and Lenzen Ave. shop and SJ yard operate as visible staging at the other end.
Handlaid turnouts using FastTracks jigs and code 55 ME flex.
Scratchbuilded structures follow the prototype landmarks mixed to laser and hydrocal kits. Scenery still in "plywood" stage ... Work in progress.

Along San Francisco's bayside

2009-05-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

N scale - Era mid'50s to early '60s
Owner: John & Cindy Petrovitz
Layout Loacation: South San Francisco
A 12' X 23' N scale layout depicting the SP and the California State Belt Railroad along San Francisco's bayside waterfront area, located along the walls of the layout.
On a central peninsula, (SP's subsidiary) the Northwestern Pacific is portrayed with a freelanced compilation of Petaluma, Tiburon, and Healdsburg CA areas on one side, then a section of the Eel River canyon, including a section along the Scotia Buffs, on the other.
The foot of Market St. in San Francisco is represented with a California St. cable car marking the end of its inbound run, across Market St. from Number One Market St., the SP's headquarters. And across the Embarcadero from One Market is the Ferry Bldg, busy receiving commuters arriving on PCC's of the San Francisco Municipal Railway on Market St.
The State Belt runs along the Embarcadero and in the streets below Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower.
SP's Third and Towsend Station receives Trains 99, the 'Daylight' and 75, the 'Lark' as well as the busy schedule of 'commutes' during to a 'loose' era between the mid 1950's and the early '60's.
The WP and the AT&SF have some limited trackage as well (rather prototypically).
The scenery is about 90% complete (though Telegraph Hill looks somewhat like 1906 yet).

State Belt RR

2009-05-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - Era __?
Owner: Bill Kaufman
Layout Location: San Rafael
The State Belt ran for 100 years along piers and into warehouses of the San Francisco waterfront. Bill has taken important elements like a car float, interchange at King St. (where the Giants play today), street running, and switching areas under Telegraph Hill and built them into a 12' x 12' layout using interesting modular techniques.
Operations follow the prototype State Belt with 2 crews each working its own division.
The railroad is totally functional with rudimentary buildings and scenery.
Control is Lenz DCC with wireless throttles.
The State Belt was written up in the April 2007 Railroad Model Craftsman.

Bill's previous layout replaced by the Belt RR was "San Francisco & Colorado" in HO Scale: A Depression era short line on California’s North Coast that has not yet realized it is soon to become hiking trails. Heislers, Climaxes and Shays grind their way from a small coastal port to an interchange with the NWP.

Cascade Sub

2009-05-27T03:54:00.000-07:00

N Scale - Era __?
Owner: Rick ___ ( SOUPAC )
Layout Loacation: Kansas City, MO
"The moment I first learned about Southern Pacific’s route over the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, I knew I would have to model it someday. I had no idea that “someday” was that far away.
Though I’ve restricted my modeled area to that between Oakridge and Cascade Summit, there’s an abundance of selective compression involved. Yet, its going to be a scenic monster, which plays right into my preferred aspects of the hobby of model railroading.
I'm modeling a section of the line just from Oakridge, OR to Cascade Summit. My rendition of SP's crossing of the Cascades. Virtually the whole thing is on a grade and darn little tangent track can be found.

The Cascade Line

2009-05-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

N Scale - Late 1980's early 1990's
Owner: Scott Stutzman
Layout Location: Salem OR
"I will be modeling the Cascade Line from Eugene, Oregon to Kalamath Falls, Oregon. With connections to the Coos Bay branch, Siskyou Line and maybe the Kalamath & Northern.
1st phase 9X22, Phase 2 will be another 7X15. "
Benchwork in progress.

Cascade Northern

2009-05-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – circa 1948
Owner: Robert Pethoud
Layout Loacation: Fresno
Cab forwards and conifers are the focus of this 9’ x 13’ HO layout, which depicts a short section of Southern Pacific’s Shasta Division tracks through southern Oregon, circa 1948.
The point to point track plan includes stub-ended staging at each end and fifty feet of single track main line.
The modeled portion of the railroad serves two towns and features 16 industrial spurs, as well as a small yard.

Dunsmuir engine facilities and Shasta Division

2009-05-27T03:35:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - circa 1954
Owner: Larry Saslaw
Layout Location: 14700 Orchard Crest Avenue, Bakersfield
This HO scale layout is based on circa 1954 (and last day of Southern Pacific operations on Sept 11, 1996).
Larry has used plans of the roundhouse, machine shops, mallet shed, sanding tower and station from MAINLINE MODELER articles of the early 1980s.
The layout is built within the third stall of his garage and measures 12' x 21' feet.
There concept is based on a climbing out of the Sacramento River from lower Dunsmuir yard, through the engine facilities, up the canyon past Shasta Springs, across Hotlum (Dry Canyon) up to a second level to what could be the summit at Siskyou (Larry has used artistic license to switch lines) up to a helix and down, or reverse loops on top and bottom.
The layout climbs twice around the room, from the helix and Dunsmuir yard and shops located on the center peninsula, around the room twice, back onto the peninsula to the top of the helix. Larry's intent is to portray the scenery and feeling of railroading in the Shasta Route.
He uses Digitrax Radio DCC and has a sample of SP steam, Diesels, Shasta Daylight, Klamath, lumber trains of the 1954 era. He also can switch out the whole power and rolling stock to portray the last days of the SP with the Coast Starlight.
The layout was on the SPH&TS Bakersfield Tour in September 2008.

Shasta Route Division

2009-05-27T03:31:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – 1952
Owner: Otis Mc Gee Jr.
Layout Location: Oakland.
HO double decked, mushroom style model of SP’s Shasta Division from Redding, CA to Klamath Falls, OR.
Purpose-built 1,200 sq ft loft. by the late and legendary John Armstrong.
Operations faithfully follow the prototype using a modified timetable & train orders and a real CTC machine.
400 foot with hand laid turnouts. Fully signaled from to Black Butte.
Hand painted backdrops. Many key prototype structures in and around Dunsmuir.
Computer support with C/MRI hardware and JMRI software. NCE DCC.
"The concept for this layout depicting the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Shasta Division, Black Butte Subdivision in 1952 germinated in the mind of the Division Superintendent for many months. The idea began, in large part, during the course of visits to the very large, well designed layout of fellow modeler Scott Kew, with whom the Division Superintendent has spent many evenings during weekly “round robins” with the No Name Railroad Society performing numerous tasks on Scott’s layout, as well as those of Jim Providenza, Tom Combs, Bill Kaufman, and longtime friend, Philip Smith."

Southern Oregon Division

2009-05-27T03:27:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - 1985
owner: Scott Kew
Layout Loacation: Tiburon
Tri-level, walk-around, operation oriented layout with over 450’ of main line.
Dunsmuir to Black Butte depicted, set in 1985. 48” min curves, scale mile long passing sidings.
Big mountain railroading running 40 - 50 car trains.
Update: Scott's layout is now many years gone. His mother's house was sold and the railroad dismantled.

Sierra, Clovis & Western

2009-05-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – mid 1970s to early 1980s
Owner: Rob Briney
Layout location: Clovis
Depicts Southern Pacific and Santa Fe in Fresno and vicinity during the mid-1970s to early 1980s era. Layout is a 13’ x 22’ double-deck along all the walls with helix and center peninsula. This is a switching layout with plenty of track mileage recreating both railroads and the many industries they worked in Fresno, Sanger, Reedley, Dinuba, Goshen and surrounding areas before the attempted SP-SF merger.

Espee Western Division: Martinez & Niles Sub

2009-05-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

HO Scale - era __?
Owner: Vince Vargas
Layout location: __?

Siskiyou Line

2009-05-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

HO scale – during the 1980s
Owner: Joe Fugate
SP’s Siskiyou Line in Southern Oregon during the 1980s. Famous “Mushroom” concept layout.
“The prototype Siskiyou Line begins at Springfield Junction a few miles southeast of Eugene Yard ... from there the track ran south 300 miles through Roseburg, Grants Pass, and Medford to Black Butte, California.
At Black Butte, the Siskiyou Line rejoins SP's Shasta Line between Klamath Falls, Oregon and Dunsmuir, California. Click here for a map.
Included in my model Siskiyou Line is a freelanced version of the Coos Bay branch, built out of Roseburg, Oregon as originally planned in the late 1800s. However, when the Coos Bay branch was actually completed in the early 1900s, it exited the main at Eugene, so the real Coos Bay - Roseburg branch only made it as far as Myrtle Point, Oregon.
On my model, I alter history and assume the Coos Bay branch made it all the way to Roseburg instead, and the connection out of Eugene was never built.”

Newberg Branch

2009-05-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

HO Scale – 1970 to present
Owner: Richard Wrede
Layout Location: __ ?
The Newberg Branch is a real branch line of the Southern Pacific, running between Cook and St Joseph, near Portland Oregon. It was a busy “shortcut” between Brooklyn Yard and the West side Line. McMinnville isn’t really on the line, it is one time table stop to the south, but I liked the pictures of McMinnville I’ve seen and thought it looked much like my area.
UPDATE:
11/10/02, as of 09/02, the "SP's Newberg Branch" has left the property. Needless to say, it was difficult to tear it apart, but a growing family demanded it. I hope to have a smaller shelf layout someday.

Southern Pacific "Produce Row" Portland, OR

2009-05-26T12:39:00.001-07:00

N scale - circa 1955
Owner: Peter D
Layout location :Salem, Oregon
Brooklyn Yard engine terminal, Union Station outer platform tracks and adjacent Northern Pacific Terminal yard, East Portland. SP is the double track close to the backdrop on "1st Street." UP is the single track on 2nd Street which will all be street running. East Portland. Willamette River on the far right. This is the interchange yard with the UP and the end of SP trackage. This is also where the produce warehouses and freight warehouses are located. UP's Sullivan Gulch line comes in on the left and connects with lead into UP's Albina Yard (staging). Double track on right heads over the Steel Bridge over the Willamette River and into Union Station. Eventually, a scratchbuilt wharf will occupy the riverbank here complete with a freighter loading lumber. East Portland. Closeup of East Second Street (UP). This will all be street running in an "urban canyon" setting. West Hills of Portland are on the backdrop. Track crossing the UP and SP lines in the background is the SP&S coming off of 3rd Street and heading for the waterfront.