ATSF Los Angeles Division, circa 1949

[Cajonpassfan]

As you're finding, Google Earth and their street view are incredible modeling tools.  The last two scenes I've done were modeled using these tools.

No argument there Jim, I use it a lot for modeling and other things (like wandering about strange cities and hiking trails). But GE is not always useful for my circa 1949 modeling era... a lot has changed since then. Still, an excellent resource.
Otto

[johnb]

No argument there Jim, I use it a lot for modeling and other things (like wondering about strange cities and hiking trails). But GE is not always useful for my circa 1949 modeling era... a lot has changed since then. Still, an excellent resource.
Otto

same here....

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, I can’t say I’ve made a lot of progress, but I’ve been running trains in and out of LA staging yards to find bugs and electrical issues, and coupler problems etc etc. and I’ve been very successful (at finding them )
Still, looking across the mainlines adjacent to the LA River over First Street Yard to the LAUPT passenger facilities, I’m pleased with the way this is turning out; a lot more work but getting there. It’s 31 tracks across; without macros for track alignments I’d be lost running the thing.
Lots more work on the backdrop and elsewhere, but creative fun!
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

The next building I need to tackle is the Santa Fe Avenue Freighthouse, represented in the photo above by the raw one by two for now. I have about 23” of length to work with, or seven 40’ cars on each of the two tracks serving it. In the days of LCL Merchandise trains, this was a moneymaker for the railroads, and Merchandise or Forwarder trains were some of the hottest on the railroad. Cars on adjacent tracks were lined up with plank bridges between them and doors lined up for through access. This freighthouse had four tracks, but I’ll settle for two. Switching it should be fun!
Pics below show the prototype in all its glory, and in its later, worn out years....
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

A little progress: found some .060 styrene sheet long enough for the two-foot long freighthouse. 16’ by 9’ high doors, sixteen bays. All I have room for....
Unfortunately,. 060 styrene sheet is a bit thick to cut easily with an X-acto knife, so I used a pin and a #76 drill  to locate corners before scribing the openings. A bit tedious but it worked... the front wall is done.
To be continued...
Otto

[Doug G.]

I will just say I am impressed. I have always been interested in the rail operations in Los Angeles.

Doug

[Vince P]

Very nice

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks guys, appreciated!
Work on the Santa Fe Avenue freighthouse continues...
Otto K.

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, we’ve been traveling all over the last month, and the house and yard was a mess when we got back, so not much modeling time. But, I did start working on the freight house again, and made a bit of progress: foundation and floor
slab is in place, and the upstairs office module was added, including the Santa Fe logos. The bow truss roofs are next, as is the big “Santa Fe” roof sign
Otto K.

[Cajonpassfan]

Built the bow truss roof and assembled and mocked up the iconic ”Santa Fe” sign...maybe a bit too tall...?

[Lemosteam]

Really nice Otto!

[SP-Wolf]

Wow - Otto,

It's coming along wonderfully!!

Wolf

[GaryHinshaw]

There was a previous iteration of the track plan published 20 years ago  in 1999 in Model Railroad Planning I'm including below. But of course, the track plan has evolved substantially since then. I abandoned and bypassed the hated helix that used to connect the upper and lowed decks. This gave me about 70' of additional mostly open running in an adjacent portion of the room, with the "towns" of Ono and Verdemont added. I also added everything west of San Bernardino which used to end at the Mt. Vernon Viaduct with hidden staging loops beyond. The new LA staging yards under construction I already covered here.

Hey Otto, I finally got a chance to read through this thread.  Thanks for posting it! I love seeing what you're up to here.  A few questions:

* When did you start construction on the current layout?
* In the plan posted here and here, did you build any of the lower level shown (phase I), or did you immediately occupy the neighbouring part of the room for S.B'do and LA?
* Do you have operating sessions now?  How big a crew do you require?

Can't wait to see it in person! 

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks guys, appreciate the encouraging comments!
Gary, the answers to your questions are complicated because I designed the original layout to be built in pieces/phases close 35 years ago, in our first house. The idea was I could move pieces a reassemble them elsewhere, and that the railroad could grow (or not and still be usable). This turned out to be a good call. MRPlanning ran an article on it in 1999.
First I built a 30” by 60” module just to see whether I could build something that actually looked like Cajon Pass (Mormon Rocks) and later a couple of adjacent modules only one of which survived the moves. The initial lower deck phase was just partial San B’dno to a return loop under the helix. I could run loop to loop through a partially built yard.
Later I started working on other segments of the main (top) level, top of helix to Summit and temporary east end staging. About eight? years ago I decided I hated the helix (boooooring) so I bypassed it by building a double deck extension along the left side of the room (not shown in plan). This added about 70’ of scenicked open running and two sets of sidings (Ono and Verdemont, per prototype).  Next phase was to blow out the temporary staging loops and expand San B’dno to the west, and finally tackle the massive LA and Barstow staging yards. Oh yea, not having enough on my plate, relatively recently I decided to turn the LA yards into a scenicked setting resembling downtown LA. That added a LOT of time to construction, but I am having fun.
We don’t yet have formal ops, but getting there, and meanwhile, trains can be run to troubleshoot and enjoy (between scenery and electrical work). I think it will take eight guys at minimum to run this thing, and possibly as many as twelve; time will tell (managing jobs/ people gets to be cumulatively more challenging with each additional operator, imho).
A conceptual context sketch of the layout is illustrated below (for those who can read my scribbles).
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

Kinda “finished” the Santa Fe Avenue Freight house; installed (some) doors, the iconic Santa Fe roof sign, some roof details. The open bays needed some LCL clutter love, the kind of freight that went in less than carload boxcars all over the country then. Still needs some hard working guy figures... There’s room for more detail, but I need to move on, the Pensick & Gordon toy warehouse behind the freighthouse maybe next? Who knows? Fun stuff!
Pics below...
Otto