LA, Pasadena & Cucamonga RR (HO Scale, 1968-1970)

[Yannis]

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my HO layout thread and thanks in advance for your time in reading this and for your feedback. I am posting the trackplan at the end of this post and in time I will be adding photos of previous stages of construction and of-course updates. Construction started off in late 2017. The basic idea for the layout and it’s trackplan mostly, is to fit my current space, but by using some of the key elements (like modules/sections inspired by the TOMA approach) of a much bigger layout (for a future house). So i first started with designing a bigger layout and then cut and adapted key elements into my current space with in-between disposable sections. This is the third layout that i am building.

The concept/theme is to model parts of the Los Angeles 2nd subdivision at some points following (or capturing in the scene of) "Route 66". The main focus is the downtown scene of crossing Colorado Boulevard (Route 66 at the time), and Pasadena's Depot.

Various factors made me choose this locale. Among them:
1. The ability to model a mainline in a “downtown / main-street” scene prototypically,
2. Have key passenger trains modeled,
3. Have a freight train prototypically running the entire length of the layout while doing switching, from one end to the other and back (LA and San Bernardino being the two ends which is the plan for the future extended layout).

Data/Specs:
Prototype: ATSF Pasadena subdivision,
Era: 1968 to 1970, although i mostly focus on a tighter time-frame now, summer 1969 to early 1970.
Layout size: 20' x 17' , with something like ~57 to 60' mainline run.
Benchwork Specs: 48~49" height. 3/4” Baltic Birch plywood open-grid, pocket joined. Wiring behind fascia.
Track specs: Peco Code 83 flextrack with 36" minimum passenger main line radii (32" on sidings for freight), Peco #6, #7.5 and #8 turnouts on the mainline, and #5 on some industrial sidings, 2.1% maximum incline (give or take… prototype had 2.2% max).
DCC System - Electrics: Z21 DCC system but with turnouts operated (analog) with Tortoise motors off custom fascia control panels.

Trains planned for operation:
1. Super Chief / El Capitan (for the time being just the all-sleeper car Super Chief 1st section in the split train)
2. Grand Canyon (called 23/24 now following it’s 1968 re-route via the 2nd district)
3. 2nd district local freights (to/from LA/SB)
4. Fictional steam powered excursion train (using the surviving 2900 class 4-8-4)

Industries: The idea is to model fictional industries inspired by true versions that were actually on the line but not necessarily in the same spots / sequence that appeared prototypically. Numbering corresponds to the numbers you see in the trackplan that I attach.
1. Furniture Factory (East LA, north of Water st. / South Pasadena)
2. Warehouse / Distributor (East LA, north of Water st. / South Pasadena)
3. Brewery    (South Pasadena, right after F. Oaks ave. bridge)
4. Bulk Oil dealer (Pasadena, south of the depot)
5. Printing House (Pasadena, south of the depot)
6. Plastics (molding) factory (East Pasadena, before Wilton)
7. Team Track (Chapman / Lamanda Park / Wilton area)
8. Fruit Packing House (Cucamonga)

Thanks for stopping by!
Yannis

The Track-plan: The addition of the turnouts for the team track (#7) and the packing house (#8) are work in progress... I also plan to scenic the area between #1 and #8 with an extra scene along route 66 (no sidings/tracks, just scenery). The super-wide/deep downtown benchwork/scene is on wheels and is quickly removable in order to have access to the tracks on the right side of the layout.



And this is one of the latest photos from the layout a recently finished boxcar (a couple of months ago) in front of industry #2.

[Brian M]

Welcome to Railwire.  Looking forward to seeing more pictures of what you've done.  I especially like the look of the paint peeling off the brick in the background of the picture you posted, it looks very good.

-Brian.

[Cajonpassfan]

It’s a great theme for a layout, and if it looks as good as your photo, it will be fabulous!
Just make sure the future expanded version has room for the Arroyo Seco viaduct...
And yes, welcome to the Railwire!
Otto K.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Good stuff!!!

I really like the way you're providing the road over on the right side the appropriate space.

[GaryHinshaw]

This looks great!  Thanks for sharing.  Love the brick effect, the Frisco box, and the track treatment.

[Yannis]

Thank you for the replies/votes and the warm welcome!

Ed: As road to the right, do you refer to the big (ish) urban scene on the right side of the layout?
Otto K: I will sure have Arroyo Seco viaduct on the next expansion/house, i tried my best to include it here but i just did not have the space.

Slightly OT: For the future layout i am still fighting with some ideas/plans, ie model LAUPT/1st Yard / Redondo Junction roundhouse, or model SB instead which is like a 2 in 1 solution (freight yard & depot in one nice linear package). The former has nice potential for terminal operations (but i lose too much real estate with LAUPT module), the latter saves space and provides much more mainline running (which i enjoy a lot).

Back to this layout... and present time, i took some photos today of parts of the two scenes that have some progress into them.

A better view of the warehouse on a curve (kitbash from Walthers meat packing plant). This industry has 2x 40' boxcar spots.



Heli-view of the same scene.



Watching the eastbound freight passing by.



Train crossing under the Fair Oaks Avenue bridge (scratchbuilt)



Same scene heli-view. Sorry for the bad-lighting (quick cell-phone photo).



Entering the next (work in progress) scene, where a parking lot for a brewery is on the right side. Roadworks crew has yet to paint some styrene parts and to weather the grade crossing.



Seeing the same scene from the aisle, with an opportunity to get a glimpse of the fascia control panels.



And a focus on the locomotive while waiting at the grade crossing (Athearn RTR GP35, renumbered and weathered).



Thanks for stopping by!
Yannis

[Cajonpassfan]

Nice. I especially like your light color, sun-drenched SoCal dirt!
What do you use? The panels are quite interesting as well.
Otto

[Yannis]

Nice. I especially like your light color, sun-drenched SoCal dirt!
What do you use? The panels are quite interesting as well.
Otto

Thanks Otto. The groundwork is a mix of grout in light-tan color, to a very limited amount sanded grout (in the same and slightly grey-er shade if i am not mistaken), ballast (various grades). Over selected areas i added layers of enamel weathering (filters/washes etc...). The panels are made out of styrene and painted with textured paint (hammer-tone) in order to be reminiscent of vintage/retro style panels.

[lajmdlr]

Yannis
Just in case you've never seen the track chart for Pasadena. Not the mainline goes through a LH switch. Also note the auto dock below the freight house. Also No. 5 bon your plan is the home of the Slim Gauge Gild model RR club that has HOn3 & Sn3 layouts in the basement.

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[lajmdlr]

Here's what one modeler had built for the Pasadena depot & freight house.
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[Yannis]

Andy thanks for the replies!

I have based the layout on the prototype's track plan and other resources i got via the ATSF society but thanks for bringing this up! It is indeed interesting to see the train going through the turnout in order to remain on the mainline on related movies! The corner section of the layout where #5 is "temporary" solution only for this layout. The plain is to have, in the future expanded version, a straight line section/module (that has a #8 LH turnout like the one you mentioned) leading into the depot section.

Very nice depot scene there! HO scale right?

[Yannis]

Since this is an engineering report, maybe a quick trip back to the start of the construction is in order. I hope this is fine with everyone.

It all started with plywood



Benchwork (roll-out on wheels in order to access tracks near the backdrop) for the downtown (Colorado boulevard) area.



In-progress of the backdrop, EPS + pvc sheet (for the coved corner). This is the corner south of the depot where a printing house will be.



Back drop behind the downtown area... notice that the downtown benchwork is out of the way.



Sky finished...



San Gabriel mountains painted and haze added.



Thanks for stopping by!
Yannis

[Yannis]

Hello everyone,

Long overdue update. I hope everyone is well given these troubled times. In the meantime, as I was sorting out details/arrangements for my downtown area, i decided to make some changes on the layout to follow the prototype a bit closer. Tracks and roadbed were removed and re-installed....

In particular, i re-arranged the mainline on the right side (on the right of the downtown area), so that it is now parallel to the backdrop and closer to it. Given that most likely by 1969/70 a corridor must have been cleared north of the tracks for the construction of the I-210, i did not need too much space there. More importantly, I needed more space for my 2nd row of city blocks I also removed industries numbered #6 and #7 on the previous trackplan. New numbering on the new trackplan.

On the south side of the trackplan, where staging once was, now I have a new scene (industrial, printing house siding). This and the adjacent industry (#8) are scenes on shelves of a bookcase, in front of which the mainline passes. Wrap-around building hides one bookcase column (between 1 & 2) and highway overpass serves as a scenic divider between 1 and 8 (start/end of layout).

To sum up, the industries are as follows in the new trackplan i attach. All revisions have been implemented, tortoises repositioned (fun-times trying to re-install them), and the final result looks more flowing and having a more "less-is-more" approach/look that i appreciate.

A description of what is going on the layout trackplan i attach below....

Layout start: Where industry 1 is (printing house, east LA). Going east (clockwise).

Industry 2: Furniture Factory (4 spots)

Industry 3: Warehouse / Commercial products distributor (2 spots)

Industry 4: Brewery (6 spots for RBL's/boxcars + 2 spots for grain/hops boxcars)

Industry 5: Bulk Oil dealer (3-4 spots)

Industry 6: Plastics molding plant (2/2, ie 4 spots for covered hoppers)

Industry 7: Freight house at Pasadena's ATSF depot. (4 spots)

Industry 8: Fruit Packing house at Cucamonga (or Winery via removable structures) (3-4 spots)

Thanks in advance for your time and replies
Yannis