Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Santa Fe caboose


This Santa Fe caboose photo was taken by my friend and fellow conductor Steve Phares. It was taken in the mid to late 1960's. Note the marker lights and the wire running towards the door. Steve said that the conductor would bring them to work and hang them. They were not standard Santa fe equipment. Also note the smoke coming out of the vent on the roof, on this cold California day.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Turbo Sauger





This is the Turbosauger vacuum device. It works on Dcc. The dirt in the chamber is one trip around a 265 foot mainline about once every 2 months. Note the brush to help pick up loose ballast etc. It is pulled around the layout with a locomotive. It is also easily cleaned out, just remove the elbow and dump the chamber.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Cereal Food Processors

This is the Cereal Food plant located on the City branch. The station in the background is at Rio Grande Jct. The coal train is on the Rio Grande mainline.

CP Coalmont


View looking westward at CP Coalmont.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Roundhouse photos




These are some more photos of the new roundhouse area. The turntable is a Walther's model and the track is Atlas code 83. Note the sand it is a mixture of fine sand and flour. The detail parts in the picture are details west and Utah Pacific. Note the new traction motors in the background.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Roundhouse workers


These are some of the new roundhouse workers that I picked up yesterday. They are the Woodland Scenics train mechanics. The loco is a Athern model with some Details West upgrades, done along time ago.

Monday, September 28, 2009

New Roundhouse



The new roundhouse on the Santa Fe Pacific. This is a photo of the roundhouse located near the layout. It is a diorama to display equipment and store unused locomotives. Most modelers have more locomotives then areas to store then in, so I thought it will be neat to see some of the detailed locomotives up close. The scratch built roundhouse is modeled after the roundhouse located in Bakersfield, California. The roundhouse was a regular stop, whenever our family visited my aunt and uncle and there family. The side close to the loco is similar to the actual roundhouse. The ATSF tore down some of the stalls and replaced it with 4x8 sheets of plywood. The photo on the left is an actual picture of the rounhouse taken by Steve Schomilinger. Note the Santa Fe herald and the plywood side in the photo. This is how I rember the roundhouse and I probably have photos taken around the same time period.




Thursday, September 17, 2009

OH Kruse grain & milling




This is the OH Kruse grain and milling structure. It is located on the Rio Grande mainline. The structure is based on an actual structure that was in El Monte California. It was built with various Evergreen plastics and Walthers details. PVC plastic plumbing pipe was also used. The model was weathered with acrylics.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

CP Division


This is the newest addition to the SFP. The storage yard pictured does not connect with the rest of the railroad. The large grain facility was scratchbuilt using PVC pipe. The signal in the picture is the west limits of CP Division and is the last location visible on the mainline. If you enlarge the photograph, you will notice the "A" on the signal mast. This was common to prototype installations in 1979. It signified the absolute stop at that signal.

CP Division

Track Warrant form


These are the track warrent forms used to operate trains.
Each operator will fill out the forms according to instructions
issued by the train dispatcher. The first experience seems to work out quite well, because the operator has the form to remember there limits

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Old Mill Feed & Seed

The Old Mill seed company is a modified Cambell kit. It was painted with toll paints acrylics. The structure is located near Rio Grande Jct.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Staging yard panel


This is a photo of the main staging yard panel for the east and west staging, representing Denver and Ogden respectively. The lower panel is a schematic of the entire railroad.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

DRGW Jct.

ATSF 5699 heads west in Buschco Siding. The buildings pictured are kitbashed Walthers structures. Behind the second unit, a signal bridge is visable. This is the DRGW mainline where it connects with the SFP.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

West Green River Yard


SD-26 waits at West Green River Yard. One of the GM auto parts buildings is visible in the background. Green River yard track #1 and #2 are also visible to the right. Note the concrete phone shed located to the left of the dwarf signal.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Op Session


Top photo shows Ken Williams and Paul Daniele making a setout at green River Yard through the Wasatch Tower interlocking. Bottom photo shows Winston Garth and Bill Andrew switch the Budweiser brewery complex on the Santa Fe Pacific. The op-session on this day used a simplified form of Track warrant control, which seemed to work fairly well.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Federal Cold Storage

The Federal Cold Storage industry is a kitbashed Walthers kit. It is an example of the larger industry buildings on the Santa fe Pacific. The structure is only 3" deep, but represents a much larger building. The concept is the building could actually hold the products being loaded into the refrigerator cars.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Battlecreek and Canyon Wash Bridge overview

This overview shows the Canyon Wash Bridge, and the Battlecreek X-overs area. On the lower tier the Wasatch Tower interlocking is in view.
The lumber train in the photo is a PTKSY (Portland to Kansas City yard train).

Canyon Wash Bridge

Atlas SD26 approaches the Canyon Wash Bridge.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Canyon Wash Bridge




The Canyon Wash Bridge area is located between CP Slater and CP Canyon. The bridge is a kitbashed Central Valley kit. The 9224 is a Athern SD45T-2. The custom mars light feature was built by Hans Loeher. The caboose built by Mike Osborne is also a Athern Model. It was upgraded with new windows and cushioning device on coupler. The SD26 is a Atlas model.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Fisher Body plant at Green River

This is the large Fisher Body plant located at Green River. The brick building in the back is where Coiled steel loads are received. The front track is where outbound body parts are loaded.