Ian's Southern Pacific Model Railway.

My layout is based on Western North American outline and loosely on the late Southern Pacific Railroad. It is nowhere near complete with only the basic shape for scenery, Track work is completed and so is the signalling system I have used the Cti controls and mostly the former BLMA signals now owned by Atlas. Some of the buildings and industry are complete but require some finishing touches. 

The layout is housed in a 50 foot by 20 foot shed and is on 3 levels, lower is Staging  Middle and top are the scenic area’s all connected by 2 helix’s both double tracked at a track radius of  36” between the 2 tracks. Helix 1 connects the lower yards with both upper and mid levels and also holds the return loop for continuous running. Helix 2 connects the mid to the top level. Right hand running is the norm.

Access is through a swing bridge carrying the double track main mid level and duck under below the top level (which is not too low for us oldies who operate)  

Turning left from the door traveling railroad East through ‘Los Gatos’ X over (the start of double track) It runs around the walls passing West Riverside industry’s making a r/h turn to pass riverside west junction another r/h turn to pass Riverside Yard at the back which is the largest and runs the full length of the shed, and station track to the foreground followed by the main engine facility ready track fuel and sanding tracks then 3 track diesel shop. The main takes a right turn behind the diesel shop through East Riverside Junction on the right we have access to the Union Pacific ‘Al Mardi’ branch line that crosses the main from the UP staging tracks on the lower level. That takes us to the mid level reversing loop and the Industrial Area of ‘Al Mardi’ end of track. The main climbs up through 2 r/h turns and across the twin 240 ’girder trestle’s 83’ above the creek a left hand turn takes us round a steep hillside and the westbound tunnel a large quarry on the right serviced by the UP branch (which runs along below us at the bottom of a cliff.)  Ridgeway on the left a small crude oil loadout and yard tracks for the larger Ethanol plant receiving 32 car unit grain trains and shipping 10 ethanol tank cars.

Next both tracks enter Helix 2 climbing at 2% for 4 ½ turns to the left to reach ‘San Cresta’ A small Engine Facility with roundhouse and 120’ turntable. A short straight run to the West Fulton Junction where double track ends the top level return loop is accessed from the opposite direction and runs around the outside of the island and back to the junction, on the opposite side of the island and accessible from the loop track is a large intermodal Facility with a siding and 2 load/unloading tracks. Next is the small yard of Fulton with 4 industries. At the East end we encounter the hard but short climb of 3%  through summit tunnel and then the summit across the Twin creek on a 150’ truss bridge we come to the Coal mine at ‘Tillis Creek’ 30 Car coal train leave here for both East and West  2 l/h turns brings us to ‘Galesberg’ here at the west end Switch the single track splits left is a siding  and also leads to the top of Helix 1 where it becomes the inner track and falls l/handed 9 ½ times to reach the staging yards Designated ‘Denver yards’ the right Track also heads for the helix 1 entering the outer track continuous running track 4 ¾ turns down and exits above

the power rack still Eastbound. Then through ‘Los Gatos” x over.

Westbound trains at this point (‘Los Gatos’) have a choice x over and take the left track into and up the helix1 continuous running. Or stay on the right hand track and enter the short tunnel entrance to Helix1 outer track heading down the 2% drop to the staging Area  Designated ‘Coast yards’.

The staging yard is made up of two main yards SP 8 40’ staging and 4 storage and UP 4 32’ staging and 2 storage both with run-around tracks on opposite sides of the room on the end wall between the two yards is a smaller yard containing 3 SP commuter trains 4 storage tracks on the other end wall under Riverside East junction is a car storage yard 13 tracks used for rotating rolling stock it has a capacity of about 110 cars depending on car length from 50’ to 98’ the layout is over stocked with about 1000 car’s and 125 loco’s mostly Diesel with about 90 with sound some factory sound but most aftermarket. I prefer Soundtraxx Tsunami2 sound and I have converted most of the locos.

The loco roster is predominately Athearn and Athearn Genesis with a few Kato, Atlas and Proto 2000. Steam are Broadway, Intermountain and Athearn Genesis.

Loco’s include:

EMD Locos:

SW1500 and MP15ac switchers

GP 38-2 and GP40 X. road/switcher

E7A, E7B, E8/9, F40PH, P42 GENESIS passenger service

The rest are all 6 axel freight locos

SD38, SD40, SD40 T-2, SD40M-2, SD45, SDP45, (SD45 T-2 awaiting sound conversion)

SD50, SD70, SD70Ace, SD70ACU, SD90/43.

General Electric locos:

DASH 8-40B, Dash 9-44CW, ES44AC

Steam locos:

AC 4/5 Cab forward 4-8-8-2, AC 11 Cab forward 4-8-8-2, AC 12 Cab forward 4-8-8-2, GS 4 4-8-4 Daylight, MT-4 4-8-2 mountain

It is Point to point from the Staging Yards on the lower level with a return loop for continuous running. Running at about 40 scale mph it takes about 20 minutes to complete a full run although most operators prefer to use the return loop a couple of times before completing there run.

WE don’t run to time table or card systems each choose what they want to run 

and what they want to do.

 

Control system is NCE Pro Cab.

The Power rack between the door and Helix 1 contain all the power for the layout

NCE controller/ booster and 8 boosters making 9 power districts. There are 10 transformers inc 2 twin units 9 for Nce, 1 each for the turntable, the tortoise switch machines and led lighting. And a clean 12vdc for the Cti signal computer system 51 digital boards 11 input 40 output Signal drivers