Four HO layouts in Orange County (CA) will be open as part of another FREE model railroad layout tour sponsored by Model Railroads of Southern California on June 20. This will be our seventeenth layout tour. This will be a self-guided tour of six home layouts in South Orange County. By scale, there will be four HO scale layouts, one On3 layout and one N scale layout. Below is basic information about the tour. This information is sufficient for you to take the tour. Additional downloadable information, including driving references, two maps for every layout and an overall tour area map, is available in the Files Section of the group in a folder titled "Layout Tour No. 17". Go to: Model_Railroads_Of_Southern_California : Model Railroads Of Southern California Be sure to check the group website the day before the tour to see if any changes to the schedule or layout lineup have occurred. Persons taking this tour assume all risks and liability for their personal safety. Although I am the Moderator of the group, I am not responsible for personal loss or injury to those taking this tour. If you cannot make this tour, more tours are being planned. If you live anywhere in the southern half of California and wish to open your home layout for an upcoming tour, please contact me. Bob Chaparro Moderator Model Railroads of Southern California Hemet, CA chiefbobbb@verizon.net +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Model Railroads of Southern California Layout Tour No. 17 Saturday, June 20, 2009 LAYOUT DESCRIPTIONS- Mike Kresen (HO Scale) 10:00 to 2:00 27882 Torroba, Mission Viejo This layout was completely rebuilt in 2003 by Mike and his son. It fills a two-car garage and is 85% sceniced, with many detailed and illuminated structures. Scenery and industries represent the northeastern United States, especially Pennsylvania. Operations are DCC. Mike’s ongoing electronics project is the installation of RPS (Railroad Positioning System). An RPS is a system of microprocessor controlled components intended to locate and track, in real-time, the positions of locomotives and rolling stock on a model railroad layout. The equipment to be tracked is equipped with one of the components of the RPS system. It is, conceptually, like GPS for a model railroad. Mike’s previous layout on this site was awarded an NMRA Golden Spike Award in 2002. Layout located in Casta Del Sol gated community. Enter from Marguerite Parkway and ask guard for visitor pass. Jim Lancaster (HO Scale) 1:00 to 5:00 14241 Galy Street, Tustin The Los Angeles and San Diego Railroad is a large size HO scale model railroad housed in its own 40' x 15' building at the back of Jim's home. The building was constructed in 1962 by the original home owner, former NMRA president Leighton Keeling. The layout occupies about 65% of the room. The setting is Southern California, with several prototypical scenes of citrus packing houses and other citrus-related structures. The model railroad is evolving to generally represent a line between Colton and Orange County. Unlike the prototype 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, the Los Angeles and San Diego Railroad. This allows Jim to logically operate the SP, Santa Fe and UP equipment he has collected over the years and to model Southern California citrus packing houses featured on Jim's packing house website. Website: Model Railroad Page Jeff McKee (On3) 10:00 to 2:30 21271 Bristlecone, Mission Viejo The On3 Tigard & Grants Pass is a fictional railroad based on Denver & Rio Grande Western equipment, integrating Colorado narrow gauge and waterfront scenes set in Oregon. In Jeff’s world, General Palmer actually built the D&RGW all the way to Salt Lake City and then on to Oregon, where it interchanges with Jeff’s imaginary line. This gives him a logical rational for running his own line and Rio Grande equipment. The use of a waterfront and a car ferry allows Jeff to extend the layout "beyond the basement". Cars leave on the ferry to points off the layout and eventually reappear. Jeff built a series of shadow boxes which highlight individual scenes through which trains operate. The shadow box design allows for easier relocation of the railroad should a move become necessary. Control is DCC. Ron Skipovich (N Scale) 12:00 to 5:00 24121 Becard Drive, Laguna Niguel The N-scale Santa Fe and Pacific represents the Santa Fe , Union Pacific and Southern Pacific in the Cajon Pass area, San Bernardino to Lower Narrows . The era is late 1980s to 1995. The layout’s overall size is 27 X 16 feet, with 25" to 28" isles for a linear walk- around operation with two long backdrop divided peninsulas and backbone connected to a 20 foot, 11-track, visible return loop staging yard. The mainline is 110 feet with 3 tracks with an 18” minimum radius, minimum #6 turnouts and a maximum 2.2% uphill grade. The Cajon Pass down hill grade (south track) is 3%. Mainline curves have easements and are super elevated. Benchwork is open grid with half lapped 1 X 4's and risers. Railhead height is 50” to 58". Scenery is plaster cloth on cardboard strips and crumpled paper with sifted Cajon dirt and tile grout for ground layer. Large rock formations are made of carved foam board covered with plaster and colored appropriately. Control is Digitrax DCC with two power districts for over 60 decoder equipped locomotives. Since the last tour in July 2008, Ron has moved beyond the completed Frost to Upper Narrows area. Scenery is now complete at Verdemont (Cargill Grain Elevator), Devore, Cajon Summit, and part of Sullivan's curve. Also, the styrene backdrop is now installed around the whole layout. Please note that for this tour no photography will be allowed at Ron's layout. I suspect that Ron is preparing an article for the hobby press so this is quite understandable. Larry Stewart (HO Scale) 9:00 to 3:00 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. Dan Webb (HO Scale) 10:00 to 4:00 18532 Newton Avenue, Santa Ana Dan’s 8’ x 16’ HO scale layout is a work in progress. There is a lot of track, including 41 turnouts, arranged on a single level. What makes this garage layout truly interesting at this stage is the way Dan stores it when it’s not in use. Similar to system the late Don Oldendorf built in Placentia, Dan uses a system of cables and an electric hoist with an automatic brake to raise and lower the layout. In addition, he has installed folding legs with casters to allow him to roll the layout around the garage as he may care to. Dan has engineered the whole system using many commonly available garage door components. This makes the system both economical and easy to maintain and modify. Modelers looking for a way to have a layout without banishing their vehicles to the driveway ought to take a look at Dan’s innovative solution to the storage/space problem.
