Hi, Well I am recent member of TrainBoard and have seen lots of great threads and people that have a lot of good information. I am in the process of building a layout where the Barstow yard is my staging area. I am trying to find a track plan for Barstow. I checked with the Librarian at the California Railroad Museum because they have an awful lot of ATSF information, but came up short. I have the space to do a reasonable model, but I can not find a true tack plan. I tried using Google, but I get too many hits and, well, I am not the best web searcher. So any assistance would be appreciated in finding the track plans for my era. Thanks!
Since, Barstow, Ca., was my primary home in the early years of my life and later it became my second home during the summers, time spent with my grand parents. My grand dad worked for the Santa Fe railroad so you'd think I could help. I will need to do some research. I have a scrapbook that might yield some help and I have access to the W.A.R.M. Museum in Barstow. And yes, it gets WARM in Barstow. To much heat for me. I will try to get back to you with some visual aids. Don't hold your breath. I can 't perform CPR long distance. What? What? Edited add on: If you are looking for an actual track plan...I don't have one. Just the same I would like one and am willing to do the research. This may take a while.
I found one for the 1978 version after the yard was re-built and the Diesel shops were removed. But that is not the era I am looking for. So I too, am still on the hunt Rick!
David, On another website we had this same discussion and someone came up with a drawing of the old yard. The one we both want plans of. I thought I had preserved it by printing the drawing and filing it away in one of my many scrap books. Do you think I can find it...nope...not yet. Seems to me the W.A.R.M. (museum) in Barstow, Ca. has a track plan. Just not on their website. So a trip to Barstow is in order. I will come back here with anything I find. I may have to toss this out to the guys and gals here in Southern California. They tend to migrate to another website more central to our needs here.
HistoricAerials is no help as oldest aerial is 2005! Get on the Yahoo Group Cajon site CAJON : Cajon Pass Discussion Group and do a search for "Barstow yard map". There's a bunch of Barstow posts so you'll have to wade thru alot. You also might want to look at USGS old maps & aerials. Also have a look at the Sanborn maps. Just need to know the user name & password. Mine is out of date. But it's public info so somone should know it - hint, hint.
Barstow Yard Map Andy, Good to hear from you. I will give your references... a go at it. David, I did find a website where a number of pictures are posted of the west and east end of the Barstow yard. http://www.carrtracks.com/cane744up6906.htm Now I understand why my family of rails thought the yard was next to impossible to work. If you look at the way it is laid out, it doesn't make a lot of sense. None of us model rails would lay out a yard this way. You have to wonder what they were thinking. Actually, it was a yard that evolved, as freight traffic and passenger traffic picked up. It's no wonder they all pushed for a new yard.
The old head conductors told me when new Barstow was built they took out every other track in the old yard. The tracks were so close back then, The conductors & brakemen had to walk on top of the cars to pass hand signs! That was before radios back in those days also. So there's something else to think about when modeling old Barstow yard.
I would concur. I heard the same thing. One story has it, they had warned a newbie about the dangers and I guess he thought he was skiny enough and ended up pretty messed up when a freight car all but fouled a switch and he rode right into it. I might add, after that incident... you weren't allowed to stand in between the cars or ride on the cars as in hang onto them. I have pictures of the B yard in San Bernardino, CA., where the tracks are very close and it wasn't safe to hang onto the sides of the cars. A practice by a lot of railroads at that time. Still looking for a worthy map or plan of the Barstow Yard.
Back about 1973 when I joined the Santa Fe Moderelers Assn., they offered members a plat of the facilities at Barstow and I bought one. It turned out to be a blueprint 6 feet long. I cannot immediately find a date, but I will look at me some more. PM me if this is of interest.
Kenneth, I sent you a private message. We'd appreciate any help we can get. David, If all else fails this may help. Check this out: Google Image Result for http://www.osomaha.com/images/Dirks/Olin.09.jpg Or: OS Omaha I'm finding little to nothing in Google searches and Map searches. The Cajon Pass group has yielded very little information. Over the weekend I will attempt to find my scrapbooks, focusing on Barstow. Just maybe we will get lucky...ahh...err....I mean....maybe we will have good luck finding a map of the old Barstow Yard. Grin!
Hi all, Thanks for all of the insights. I am still pursuing a plan for the track and buildings. Rick, thanks for the link, the yard looks awesome...... I have found a few bits and pieces but not a whole yard yet. Will PM as well Kenneth!
David, Kenneth has blessed us with a plat of the ATSF Barstow Yard. If you still need a copy of the track plan. I will do my best to get this copied and mailed off to you. The track plan appears to be correct for the 50's...as best I remember it. Waiting to hear from you. Have fun!
Oh Happy Days! Check your PM, I will send you the address. Wow, this is a tremendous help to get me started! I really appreciate everyone's help with this! You are all great people!
Barstow Yard I can do better then this. You can blame the lack of clarity on my camera. In the meantime here's something to wet your appetite. Note the Round House. This is the first time I've had any idea where it went. Well, I do remember the round house. And, I was sure it was over near the diesel shops. Also, note the Y. The Y was just across the Mojave River, north of the bridge, at the west end of the yard, where the tracks head for Mojave, Tehachapi, Bakersfield and points north. I thought perhaps, others would appreciate some pictures of the plot plan. A BIG Thank-you to Kenneth.
Barstow Yard In my search for the plot plan, I bumped into these pictures. No they aren't mine and I'm sharing them with you for illustrative purposes and documentation. For your enjoyment.
Structures are going to get me..... At first I thought the track was going to be the big problem, but now I see it will be the Barstow Station that I am going to have to kitbash...... Thanks for all of your help and efforts Rick and Kenneth, it will be of great help in developing this section of my layout. I may have to have both of you come on and run a while once it is ready for operations!
New Question Ok, after studying the plans for a while, I do not see a legend that denotes the scale of the drawing. That is not a big deal, I was just wondering how wide the yard was. this will help me define the scale of the compression I will need on the layout. Currently, the width plan of the benchwork is in flux until I get an idea on the amount of compression I will have to do. Being that a scale mile is 33 feet, I really can not see if workable that wide..... Could never fix a derailment int he middle! So maybe a better way to phrase it, is 6-8 feet in width adequate for a model of Barstow yard? I have nearly the 66 feet for 2 scale miles of length. Ideas are welcome! Thanks!
David, I don't believe the old ATSF Barstow Yard was a mile long stem to stern. No more then three city blocks wide for the classification yard and diesel shops. You can stand at the Casa Del Deserito and you can see both ends with no difficulty. I may have missed it but the plot plan doesn't share much that is readable. We shall see how it goes when I attempt to get a copy made.
Width from Port to Starboard? Hi Rick, Well thanks for that information, but what is the width for Port to Starboard? I can easily adjust the length from Stem to Stern, it is more the width I am concerned about.
