Best Of Tehachapi Layout research help wanted

[ednadolski]

Thought folks might enjoy some pics of the (HO scale) La Mesa layout, with some (partly) finished scenery:

[GaryHinshaw]

I'm not seeing the picture Ed...  Links ok?

BTW, how's the layout going, Kiwi_BNSF?  You still here?  :-\

-Gary

[ednadolski]

Odd, it was working before but now I dont see it either.
(Seems maybe like some issue with the pbase server.)

Anyways here are the links:

http://i.pbase.com/o4/60/660360/1/102901389.Cy2HKJaI.HotatWalong.jpg
http://i.pbase.com/o4/60/660360/1/102901488.0qpYSVLj.BusyLoop.jpg
http://i.pbase.com/o4/60/660360/1/102901207.Lk8CE4sQ.OutofTunnel10.jpg

Or try these:

http://www.pbase.com/intermodal/image/102901389
http://www.pbase.com/intermodal/image/102901488
http://www.pbase.com/intermodal/image/102901207

Ed

PS -- Try the second group first, it looks like maybe my web browser was caching the .jpgs, but pbase doesn't like the direct link.

[GaryHinshaw]

Ok, that 2nd group of links works.  It's coming along very nicely!  I'll have to see it in person someday...  But I think they need to do better on those trees above T9. (Easy for me to say!)  I've got my eye on these oaks from SAMTrees:

http://www.samtrees.com/cchanpin4.asp?a_mingcheng=Oak%20Tree%20-%208101

[ednadolski]

Those SamTrees look nice, but $ 12.65 USD for a 4" tree ... 

I don't have pics (yet), but I've been looking at the sagebrush trees from Petite Pines and they can be used to make acceptable oaks:

http://www.petitepinesnorthern.com/structurespage.htm

Assembly is pretty easy.

Ed

[GaryHinshaw]

Yea, the price is pretty dear, but I was thinking of ordering a few then trying to copy them. 

Another good source of sagebrush is Sweetwater Scenery.  They have a 10-pack of 3"-5" armatures for $20.95.  I haven't managed to get that nice airy look in the foiliage yet though - still more like cotton candy...   

-gfh

[ednadolski]

Just thought I'd give this thread a bump -- anyone have any updates?

I have a few sagebrush type trees that are masquerading as tehachapi oaks, if anyone's interested I can post some pics.

Ed

[C855B]

Bump is appreciated, but it's a shame I came to TRW a smidge too late to help with this. Didn't even know it was a topic, considering the Northeast bias I keep bumping into here.  ;D  Anyway, I grew-up in the area. (Heck... I was born in Mojave, a dubious distinction if there ever was one.) Many hours/days spent railfanning at Walong and Caliente, although that was late '60s to 1985 or so.

Nice to see folks talking about home.

[Philip H]

Just thought I'd give this thread a bump -- anyone have any updates?

I have a few sagebrush type trees that are masquerading as tehachapi oaks, if anyone's interested I can post some pics.

Ed

Yeah, I'd be interested.  I'm about to start scenery pahse one, and modeling south Louisiana I need lots of oak trees.  Would love to see what your Tehachipi's look like - doing live oaks in n scale has always been a bit of a bear to me.

[ednadolski]

Here is a link to an awesome aerial view of the Loop, with an intermodal train right on the Loop, no less.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=tehachapi+CA&sll=39.993596,-105.089706&sspn=0.123227,0.224361&t=k&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Tehachapi,+Kern,+California&ll=35.199254,-118.535866&spn=0.007969,0.014623&z=17

Be sure to zoom in -- you can even see the details on the cab roofs of the locos.

[C855B]

Glad to see that Google finally ponied-up to buy the highest-res imaging for the area. They frustrated railfans all over the world for several years because everything between Mojave and Bakersfield was at their lowest res... which I don't understand because the click volume would have told them right away that it needed to be on their shopping list.  :

[GaryHinshaw]

Very nice.  And yet another train that won't fit in Walong siding. 

[ednadolski]

yet another train that won't fit in Walong siding.

Any truth to the rumors about UP planning to double-track portions of the Tehachapi line?

If they daylighted tunnels # 9 and 10 (sacrilege!) then they could double-track from Woodford to Marcel.   Not sure how much that would help tho.

[C855B]

Meets at Walong have been a relative rarity for decades. At only 4800' it was barely usable even 30 years ago. DS usually saves meets for Woodford. I personally wouldn't be surprised if they yanked the siding out altogether in the shadow of any nearby daylighting or realignments.

The double-tracking talk has been around for a while, but I think it's a pipe dream (or nightmare, depending on your perspective). BNSF has been the biggest user of Tehachapi for several years. SP's... uhhhhhhh.... UP's north/south business has dropped considerably, and they're moving the lion's share of their West Coast traffic east via Donner or the Sunset line. Last I heard is it was a very remote possibility with BNSF footing most of the bill, but right now I think everybody's attention down there is on the billion-plus grade separation proposal for the crossing at Colton. Plus, UP has been throwing tons of money at upgrading Donner, so Feather River Canyon fans, beware.

[GaryHinshaw]

The last few times I've been to Tehachapi, the BNSF/UP ratio was about 4/1, at least during daylight hours.  Double-tracking the line would take away a lot of it's "charm" -- but I'm all for it if it means more trains!

By the way, doesn't the proposed high-speed line from SF-LA go over the pass?  How is that supposed to work?

I think the FRT traffic has already dropped off with the introduction of stacks to Donner last month.  Are there any plans to re-double-track the rest of Donner?  Emigrant Gap was my first railfan hangout as a teenager (SD-45's and PFE's galore) so I'll always have a soft spot for that line, especially the original track 1 over the Pass:

http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=282737&nseq=0
http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=149253&nseq=7

though I can't picture that stretch being re-opened...