I recently moved into a new house with room for an 8x16' N scale layout. Since I live in Southern California, a lot of my railfanning takes place at Cajon Pass. I'd like a layout that represents that area. Since the pass is quite long, I've settled on a ten mile section to model. In this aerial image of the prototype, the blue tracks are UP, and the red are BNSF. Both have trackage rights on the other's right of way. The left edge of the photo is just west of Summit. The right edge is Lugo, and the top edge is heading toward Palmdale. The UP tracks average 600 foot of elevation above the BNSF tracks. I'd like a double-decked layout, without a connection between the two decks. In other words, the UP tracks are the top-deck, and the BNSF tracks are the lower deck. It's easy (for me anyway) to imagine bending the prototype into a loop, where the top and right edge tracks curve around to start again at Summit. That would make a decent Island layout, but I prefer a more immersive experience, so I want to turn the loop inside out, with an operating pit in the center. The area at the top of the plan is a single scene, with Summit at the bottom (as visible staging) and the UP tracks above. The rest of the top deck is only a foot wide. The lower deck is 18" wide, except at Summit and the duck-under on the right edge. On the top level, left corner, you can see the interchange track to BNSF. This does not actually connect, but heads off the layout edge. Below that point, is the BNSF tracks with a similar connection to the UP tracks. As the trains travel clockwise around the decks, both levels disappear behind the backdrop in the bottom left corner. This supposed destination is either Hesperia or Palmdale. In reality of course, they re-emerge through the scenery at the UP/BNSF connection to start over again. I like scenery and watching trains go around. My previous layouts had lots of sidings and yards, but they never got used. I just watched the trains go around. Like the prototype, I won't have many sidings on the layout. During operations, there would be a train in each direction on the BNSF tracks, and a single train on the UP tracks. I may still add hidden staging on the UP loop. There are some excellent photos of the prototype at Nanna Go's web site. Check out photos 26-35 for the area I'll be modeling. I'd be curious to hear your rants, suggestions, or comments. Thanks in advance...
Looks really interesting...cool location to model too! Can I ask a question? What's the advantage of going to double deck when the two mains are reasonably close to each other? Could they be put on the same level but at different elavations? Just a thought! Also, ref the staging, you can *never* have too much staging, with the plan as drawn at present you might well get tired of lifting trains on & off every time you want a different train to run, well I know I'd get tired of that pretty fast! All The Best
Thanks for the comments. The reason for the double deck is twofold. First, the two mainlines have different locations, they just share the scene at Summit. Secondly, I like to build scenery, so this gives me almost twice as many scenes to model. The staging at Summit is two tracks in each direction, with a crossover at the halfway point. That way I can have three, five-foot-long trains or two, ten-foot-long trains (yeah N scale!). There is no physical connection between the two loops. It's just a figurative connection.
What you might want to consider is a "nolix" idea. An area that is functionally a helix, but doesn't look like a traditional helix. Basically what you do is create a mountainous region where the train gains elevation. It only disappears when it goes behind the mountains, but most of the time it is visible. A helix to get 20 inches of seperation will take about 80 feet of track at around a 2.1 grade. This means in a room your size, the train will have disappeared more than it will be visible over the entire mainline. With a mostly visible nolix (functional helix), the time the trains disappeared would be a non-issue. If I were building your layout, I would install the nolix either in a corner or using one wall, a long one, in which the trains would switch back and forth to gain elevation. You could still have sidings, buildings, etc., which would extend your mainline fun. You could still hide parts of the mainline in front with tunnels etc. The nolix idea was first developed by a client and John Armstrong. The client didn't want a traditional helix, but wanted two levels. The "nolix" idea is what John developed for him.
ten87: Check out Model Railroad Planning 1999 - there are two (count 'em, two) N scale Cajon Pass layouts featured. If you have not seen them, they are both excellent and take two different approaches to modeling the pass.
Why do the decks have to connect? What I've designed is really two layouts that share the same scene (Summit Station). If you look at the prototype photo, you'll see that the only interchange between the UP and BNSF trackage in the area I'm modeling is at the very edge of the area. I guess my idea of running trains is like the Adams Family without the cornfield meets. I want a train making the UP loop, and two trains in opposite directions on the BNSF loop. I'm not a big fan of a helix, either visible or hidden. Too much like my dog chasing it's tail, and too much time spent where I can't see the trains run in a realistic manner. Thanks for your comments...
Hi Ed. I myself live here in LA (Simi Valley actually). My interest in trains started only a year ago, so I haven't done any railfanning yet, but are planning on doing so one weekend. I was thinking that maybe you could give me some directions to some awesome railfanning locations in this area. It seems like San Bernadino would be a good place. I have only seen the yard from the 10 freeway, but it seems like a big yard. Another place could be Barstow. But again, I have only seen it from the freeway going to Vegas. I would really appreciate it if you could give some "points of interest" within 1-2 hours from the north end of LA. Thanks Jesper
Well, here you go! Pepper Avenue, in West Colton has great yard action: http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?BFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&newFL=Use+Address+Below&addr=pepper+ave&csz=west+Colton%2C+CA+92324&country=us&Get%A0Map=Get+Map]http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps .py?BFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&newFL=Use+Address+Below&addr=pepper+ave&csz=west+Colton%2C+CA+92324&country=us&Get%A0Map=Get+Map San Timoteo Canyon between Redlands and the 10 Freeway for UP action: http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=redlands&city=Moreno+Valley&state=CA&slt=33.930100&sln=-117.156700&mlt=33.986700&mln=-117.157800&zip=92555&country=us&BFKey=&BFC ]http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=redlands&city=Moreno+Valley&state=CA&slt=33.930100&sln=-117.156700&mlt=33.986700&mln=-117.157800&zip=92555&country=us&BFKey=&BFC[/UR L] at=&BFClient=&mag=9&cs=9&name=&desc=&off=e&poititle=&poi= BNSF and JB Hunt facilities in San Bernardino: http://yp.yahoo.co m/py/ypMap.py?Pyt=Typ&tab=B2C&tuid=12337929&city=San+Bernardino&state=CA&country=us&slt=34.108299&sln=-117.288902&cs=4&ck=2840429751&stat= os:1:regular:regT :4:fbT:0 Summit Valley Road near Lugo: http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?BFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&new FL=Use+Address+Below&addr=&csz=lugo%2C+CA&country=us&Get%A0Map=Get+Map The flyover at Frost: http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=&city=Frost&state=CA&slt=34.510800&sln=-117.276700&name=&zip=&country=us&BFKey=&BFCat=&BFClient=&mag=7&desc=&cs=7&newmag=9&poiti[/UR L] tle=&poi= And of course, just about anywhere on Cajon Pass: http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=&city=Cajon&state=CA&slt=34.298900&sln=-117.455600&name=&zip=&country=us&BFKey=&BFCat=&BFClient=&mag=7&desc=&cs=7&newmag=8&poiti[/UR L] tle=&poi= Sorry for the long links, you may have to cut and paste to get there, UBB eats up these long URLs. [ 04 October 2001: Message edited by: ten87 ]</p>
Thanks for the links. I have already talked wife into doing some rail fanning with me, so hopefully we'll go one of these weekends. Thanks Jesper
