Working up a multi-room / multi-year home layout based on the spring of 1927. Primary plan roughly based on the AT&SF / SD&E interchange of the National City & San Diego yards and coastal industries, with room for a helix to feed an array of shelf base modules that will represent various branches and industry in an adjacent room. Interested to hear from other N gauge steam era fans - especially those with a focus on the AT&SF and SD&A and/or planning to attend the National N Scale Convention (June, 2015). SandyEggoJake
Good to see you, and I think you'll have a good time with your plans. We do have a number of folks with similar interests around, and many with a general interest in that time period who may prove good resources. We'd also really enjoy seeing pictures as you progress through your design and construction. Welcome aboard!
Welcome to TrainBoard! When you have your plan done, would please post it? I want to see how those shelf branch line modules work out.
Thx guys. And will do with the pics. The "branch" that everyone asks about (which is actually the SD&A main out to El Centro & Yuma) is the Carriso gorge. Nearly impossible to do right as the original was to build. But luckily, my selected date is a few years prior to the earthquake that led to need to create the epic Goat Canyon Trestle, but even without it, I'll still have no shortage of fun with tunnels and trestles!
Hi S-E-J, Welcome. I also am looking forward to what you create, especially conquering challenging landscapes. I can't give you any scenery guidance because my experience is from the exact opposite corner of the Country, rural New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York State. However, I'll try to help with various tricks I've learned over nearly 70 years.
If you're modeling around San Diego/ National City, then the SD&A's Lakeside branch might be a good branch to model with a denser packing of local industries. Out on the main, there's only the gypsum plant at Plaster City, the feldspar mill north of Campo, the Tecate brewery, and a few other little quarries/house tracks to my knowledge.
Thx Tom. And yes, the Lakeside Branch with at least a few of the existing depots is the shelf module at the top of my list, in part as my wife's family has 4 generations of Santee roots. And I agree its was a nice little classic ag focused branch in 1927, with a sawmill & poultry (La Mesa), dairy (Santee) plus dimensional stone, riprap and gravel (Lakeside). And we can't forget citrus in Lemon Grove. As a fellow SD&A fan (I'm in awe of some of your 2-8-0 conversions!) I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions along the way. The first part of the layout will be a representation of the Nat City & SD&A San Diego yard, with a few costal industries; wharf, more produce, the interchange, a cannery, the navy, a refinery, and the salt works plus a boarder crossing for passenger trains to TJ. The tough place is where to start, but after a few months of sketches and wanting to get to modeling, I figured I'll start with something we can run while expanding the empire. So , we'll be starting with something that has a mini operation all its own ... the AT&SF tie plant. I've found a few sweet period pics, including those in the links below. And given that end of the AT&SF yard is all about tie tram logistics, I'm working on designing the carts (with an eye for efficient reproducibility, as I'm guessing I'll need something like 20 to 30 of these little buggers), which will dictate layout. Meanwhile, I'm digging around for schematics for that oddball AT&SF #32 Porter 0-6-0 switcher c/n 6533. Fireless (wise given all that creosote) AND Cab Forward?!?! I've got to model that. Was BLT 1920 ex. Pacific Lumber #32, so I'm hoping something like it might be in the 1919 Porter Loco Cat vol 13 which the NMRA has for sale. (Fingers crossed.) http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/50480/page/1 http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/50478/page/1 Anyway, that's what's on my bench now. Plus a stab at a unique freight car as a possible entry for the NSE contest. As soon as I get something worth taking picture of, I'll start a layout thread.
Welcome, I've lived in Santee for nine years now. I go by the La Mesa train on the way to Reed's. Jim
Rip that cab & motor off and glue it to yer bow. Then shrink her down to N & mail her my way. MNRR #3 isn't a Porter, but its far closer than much of what I'm looking at as starting points for AT&SF #32 in N. But I've a better idea. Let us stop toying with switchers and go out to Campo and put those C-8 2-8-0 rebuild skills of yours to the ultimate test - getting steam back in #104. https://www.psrm.org/trains/steam/sda-104/
MNRR #3 started out looking a lot like the Lifelike saddle tank in N. The LL 0-6-0T with a remotor, new couplers, and scratchbuilt shell would be the way to go by the looks of it.
Welcome to the Trainboard SandyEggoJake. I'm sure you enjoy your stay here. and can't wait to see what you initial plan is. Have fun
